Macedonians embrace rare opportunity to watch Chinese films

The Macedonian audience can get a glimpse of Chinese cinematography this week with five Chinese movies being shown in the capital of Skopje.

Under the program "Review of the World Cinematography - China," the films -- "Breaking the Silence," "2 become 1," "Little Big Soldier," "My Own Swordsman" and "Lotus Lantern" -- will be shown for free from Monday to Friday at the Cinematheque of Macedonia, the country's national cinema institute.

The screening, co-organized by film distributor KT Film&Media and the Confucius Institute in Skopje, started Monday with the movie "Breaking the Silence." The 2000 Chinese film stars Gong Li, one of the most internationally known Chinese actresses.

The organizers hope the program will increase the Macedonian public's understanding and love of Chinese culture.

"China is a country that incorporates a vast spectrum of different cultures. One aspect of the Chinese culture is its rich cinematography. It is an aspect that our citizens know little about," KT Film&Media, one of the program's organizers, said in a statement.

"Through this program, we aim to open the window toward the Chinese cultural values with the purpose of building a bridge between Macedonia and China," it said.

Macedonians have shown a great interest in viewing the movies that give them new findings and deep impressions.

"It is so rare that we get a chance to see Chinese movies...I like this idea very much and I'll come to watch the films tomorrow as well," Vladimir Nasteski, a student from Skopje, told Xinhua on Monday. Endi