Dragons danced and sister sister relationships were strengthened at the launch of the inaugural China Film Festival in Dunedin last night.
Nearly 150 people attended the launch in the Octagon, which was illuminated by chinese lanterns as the Dragon Dancing Team, paraded a colourful scaly creature to the beat of drums and gongs.
At the launch was NZ Film Commission chief executive Dave Gibson and a delegation from China led by television and film director Teng Junjie.
Before an exchange of gifts, Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull spoke.
The idea for the festival came after the presentation of a New Zealand Film Festival in Shanghai last year, which included An Angel at My Table and In My Father’s Den, both of which were filmed in Otago, he said.
The Shanghai Art Film Festival was keen to reciprocate and the China Film Festival was born.
The "exciting" festival was a "tangible benefit" of the sister-city relationship between Dunedin and Shanghai, which started nearly 23 years ago, Mr Cull said.
"It is something unique for our city and I can’t imagine it taking place without our special connection with Shanghai."
The festival included six new-release feature films and allowed Dunedin residents to experience the creativity of Chinese filmmakers.
The genres at the festival included martial arts, romance, fantasy action and comedy.
Mr Cull said he hoped the festival would be the first of many in Dunedin. The festival began with the 3-D Beijing opera film Farewell My Concubine last night and it ends tomorrow.
