The Russian Film Festival opened Thursday evening in five Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Photo: Li Hao/GT

The Russian Film Festival opened Thursday evening in five Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. According to the organizers, the lineup features contemporary Russian films, historical dramas, family films and animated works, along with a special program dedicated to Russian animation. It is another major cultural event under the framework of China-Russia cultural cooperation.

The war drama August was selected as the opening film in Beijing in China Film Archive, while the family film Pinocchio and the war drama Litvyak were among the opening films in other host cities.

The animated feature Leo and Tig. The Road to Baikal will also hold its major premiere during the festival, which follows Leo and Tig on a journey to Lake Baikal to return a lost baby seal to its home. 

Mao Yu, deputy director of China Film Administration, told the Global Times on Thursday that China Film Administration and Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation signed an action plan last year for film cooperation through 2030.

"The plan sets out a systematic framework for advancing co-production projects, bringing films from each country to the other's market, holding film festivals and exhibitions, and jointly preserving and making use of film archives," Mao said.

Mao added that China has in recent years released 21 Russian films in its domestic market. Among them, Going Vertical has remained the highest-grossing Russian film in China, with box-office revenue of about 92 million yuan ($13.6 million). CCTV-6, China's national movie channel, has also broadcast more than 130 Russian films.

The Russian Film Festival opened Thursday evening in five Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Building on these exchanges, the festival said the reciprocal hosting of film festivals has become a longstanding tradition between China and Russia, showcasing achievements in both countries' film industries. Russian filmmakers will take part in festival activities, creating opportunities for industry exchanges, sharing of experience and deeper cooperation between the two countries' film industries.

"Three of our works have been selected for the festival lineup, carrying important themes at the heart of our culture: remembering history, respecting the past and cherishing family ties," Alexander Zharov, general director of Gazprom-Media Holding, told the Global Times. "These themes do not need translation. Chinese audiences can relate to them as well."

The Russian Film Festival opened Thursday evening in five Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Photo: Li Hao/GT

The 2026 Russian Film Festival is a reciprocal event following the Chinese Film Festival held in Russia in June. It is jointly organized by ROSKINO, Russia's state-backed film promotion agency, and the China Film Art Research Center, with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the China Film Administration.

The festival runs from August 27 to September 2.