Che Zhaohe (fourth from left in the first row), cultural consul of the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles, Christine Hu Antonovich (to Che's right), wife of Michael Antonovich, member of the Los Angeles County board of Supervisors, James Su (second to Che's right), chairman of Chinese American Film Festival and president of EDI Media, take a picture with representatives from the film festival committee and sponsors in West Covina, California on Friday. Celine Huang / For China Daily

The 10th Chinese American Films Festival (CAFF) will premiere dozens of Chinese films released this year during its month-long festival that runs from Nov 2 to Nov 30 in theaters at Los Angeles and San Francisco theaters.

James Su, president of CAFF and EDI Media, the festival's organizer, announced the titles of the films and a new charity effort on Friday at a press conference at EDI Media's headquarters in West Covina, California.

Ten films released last year will premiere in Los Angeles. They include Brotherhood of Blade, No Man's Land, American Dream in China, The Old Cinderella, Iceman 3D, Phurbu and Tenzin, The Seventh Lie, Sorry I Love You, and When A Peking Family Meets Aupair.

The festival will hold two opening ceremonies. One on Nov 4 at the Pasadena Theater; the second on Nov 7 in San Francisco.

The Golden Angel Awards for best TV productions will be given at the Nov 4 ceremony. The awards were added to the festival last year. Su, president of EDI Media, said 10 TV dramas have been selected to receive awards from 200 candidates. More than 1,000 guests from the movie industry in the US, Europe and Asia have been invited to attend the ceremony.

Arthur Sarkissian, producer of the feature film Rush Hour and other US movie film industry leaders and Hollywood veterans will be judges at this year's festival.

A charity auction will be held at the opening ceremony with paintings from top Chinese artists donated by two Chinese film directors, Li Qiankuan and Xiao Guiyun. The money received will be donated to Asian American Cultural and Artistic Foundation to support artistic communications between the United States and China

Che Zhaohe, culture consul of China's Consulate General in Los Angeles, said the festival has greatly promoted cultural exchanges between the two countries. "I hope it helps American people to know more about Chinese culture through the films. Films bridge culture best," Che told China Daily.

James Osbun, vice-president of Monarex, which won two awards in the previous Chinese American Film Festivals, said the biggest challenge for Chinese films is to find the story line that works for both Chinese and American audience. "Maybe comedic genres work best in the sense of entertaining audience on both sides,"he said in an interview with China Daily.

Alex P. Greer, a senior film producer, said that being a part of the film festival means exploring much more opportunity in his film-making career which has gone international. "I pretty much look forward to cooperating with Chinese film companies,'' said Greer in an interview.

CAFF is an independent organization founded in Hollywood in 2005. The main purpose of the festival is to demonstrate to the world how effectively Chinese and American cultures can join together through the film to create unique and outstanding work. It also serves as a platform for international dialogue and collaboration in film education, film financing and film production.

More than 1,000 guests from the movie industry in the US, Europe and Asia are invited to attend the Opening Ceremony.

cindyliu@chinadailyusa.com