On September 11, the press conference for the 13th Silk Road International Film Festival was held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Scheduled to run from September 19 to 23 in Xi'an, the festival is co-hosted by China Media Group, the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, and the People's Government of Fujian Province.

Since the global film submission campaign launched in May, the festival has received 2,130 entries from 139 countries and regions, marking its widest geographic reach to date.

Beyond its expanded global coverage, the festival features an innovative section "Silk Road Kids·Children's Film Season". More than 60 children's films have been collected worldwide, with 15 outstanding works selected as finalists.

To mark the 70th anniversary of China-Egypt diplomatic ties, the festival introduces its inaugural in-depth Guest Country partnership mechanism. As this year's Guest Country, Egypt will host film screenings and thematic dialogues, alongside a new cooperation agreement between the Silk Road International Film Festival and the Cairo International Film Festival.

Scene from the 11th Silk Road International Film Festival

The Silk Road Film Market will feature dual zones for film trading and film-themed cultural creativity. Overseas exhibitors from Türkiye, Hungary, Spain and beyond, alongside domestic practitioners, will conduct exchanges on film projects and international co-productions.

To ensure a professional, diverse, and international judging process, the Golden Silk Road Award has established category-specific international juries. Renowned Hong Kong cinematographer and Academy Award winner Peter Pau serves as president of the Golden Silk Road Award International Jury.

The Fiction Jury brings together distinguished filmmakers home and abroad: Oliver Laxe (Spain), Simón Mesa Soto (Colombia), Mouly Surya (Indonesia), Tao Hong, Yu Baimei and Zhou Yiwei. The Documentary Jury consists of three leading documentary experts: Stephen Natanson (Italy), Zhang Tongdao and Zhou Hao. The Animation Jury features pioneering animators Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt), Salvador Simó (Spain) and Zhao Ji.

These distinguished filmmakers—including directors, cinematographers, screenwriters, and actors—represent a wide range of cultural backgrounds and creative traditions. Their diverse perspectives will enrich the judging process, ensuring thoughtful evaluations across all award categories.

The festival also gathers top experts worldwide in film research, content creation, film education, copyright and legal affairs to discuss the industry's future and explore new possibilities for innovative film development.

Running from September 16 to 23, the screenings include over 400 films covering theatre, online, outdoor, and campus venues. There will be nearly 300 cinema sessions for 150 titles. The online cloud zone streams 130 films to roughly 16 million provincial users. 111 outdoor sites (9 in Xi'an, 102 across other cities) will stage 361 free public screenings.