The first Silk Road International Film Festival is now being held in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province.

Yang Yimin, mayor of Fuzhou, delivers a speech at the first Silk Road International Film Festival in Fuzhou, Fujian province, Oct 21. [Photo by Peng Juan/China Daily]

Zhang Hongsen, director of the Film Bureau under the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said the festival is an important cultural activity supporting the country’s “One Belt and One Road” initiatives.

Last year, President Xi Jinping put forward the strategic conception of building the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and "21st Century Maritime Silk Road," known shortly as the "One Belt and One Road" initiatives.

Zhang said the film festival is expected to be the country’s third international film event with global influence, after the Beijing International Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Opened on Monday, the six-day event will show 42 movies, including 36 foreign films from such countries as India, Canada and Australia.

There will also be a number of activities relating to film and TV exchanges, including screenplay trade and an introduction to overseas film rights.