TORONTO, September 18, 2026 – From September 14 to 16, under the guidance of the China Film Administration, China Film Group Corporation organized a Chinese Film Showcase during the 51st Toronto International Film Festival. Six Chinese films — Eight Immortals!, A Letter to Grandma, Dead to Rights, The Lychee Road, Malice and Big World — were presented to filmmakers from around the world and local audiences.
Over three days, Chinese cinema reached overseas audiences with a richer and more diverse range of works. The stories on screen and the conversations after the screenings together created a window for showing the development of Chinese cinema, experiencing the appeal of traditional Chinese culture and promoting deeper exchange between Chinese and international film communities.
Founded in 1976, the Toronto International Film Festival focuses on discovering and screening new films. It is an important showcase-style film festival in North America and a key platform for filmmakers from different countries to present their works and expand market opportunities. China is also an important force in the global film market. By the end of August 2026, China’s annual box office had exceeded 28 billion yuan, ranking second globally.
The Chinese Film Showcase at TIFF added more Eastern cultural expression to the festival and gave more audiences an opportunity to observe and better understand China. Presenting Chinese films together at an internationally influential festival also created an opportunity for Chinese cinema to show its works to overseas audiences and communicate face to face with international film professionals.
The six selected films covered diverse themes and styles, ranging from traditional culture and mythological imagination to historical memory, real life, family emotions and personal growth. Through their different genres, narratives and emotional expressions, they presented multiple sides of Chinese cinema. Across seven screenings over three days, overseas audiences saw a contemporary China with rich cultural traditions, complex social life and diverse emotional experiences.
The showcase received wide attention from overseas audiences. After screenings, audiences responded warmly with repeated applause. Many viewers said during discussions that they appreciated the artistic quality and emotional depth of the Chinese films, and that the screenings gave them a more direct understanding of Chinese culture and contemporary Chinese society.
During the showcase, Chinese Consul General in Toronto Luo Weidong and Cultural Counsellor Wang Yanjun attended a screening of A Letter to Grandma, a film focused on “Qiaopi culture” and the history of Chinese migration to Southeast Asia. After the screening, Luo said the film deeply moved him. He said Qiaopi were not only remittance records crossing oceans, but also a reflection of the Chinese values of trust, commitment, love for country and attachment to hometown. He said the film’s themes of family affection, responsibility and commitment are emotions shared by people everywhere, offering a new perspective for understanding Chinese history and culture and showing that sincere emotions can cross borders and create broad resonance.
Through the showcase, many international filmmakers, distributors and producers attending the festival also showed interest in Chinese films. Some international industry members moved from simply “watching Chinese films” to “understanding China through film,” and expressed strong interest in discussing rights purchases and exploring other forms of cooperation.
Promoting practical Chinese-foreign cooperation and supporting international film trade are core goals of China’s overseas film exchange activities. This showcase helped overseas audiences feel the cultural meaning within Chinese stories, while also presenting the creative vitality, market potential and cooperation opportunities behind China’s film industry to international professionals. Positive audience responses to the films’ artistic quality and emotional depth became a vivid example of the international communication of Chinese culture, while recognition from international peers also created more possibilities for Chinese films to further expand in the global market.
In recent years, Chinese cinema has accelerated its steps toward the world, with increasingly diverse forms of exchange. In the past, attention often focused on whether a Chinese film could enter overseas markets. Today, more exchange activities are combining film showcases, industry learning, copyright transactions, technical cooperation, and cultural and tourism promotion. Chinese filmmakers hope their works can truly enter the lives and view of local audiences, encouraging more people to watch, discuss and further understand them.
In March and May 2026, the China Film Pavilion appeared at the 30th Hong Kong International Film and TV Market and the 79th Cannes Film Festival. During the summer, films including A Letter to Grandma, Four Crossings, Catching Spies, Kung Fu Women’s Football and Eight Immortals! were released in several overseas markets. In the first half of 2026, more than 20 Chinese domestic films were released overseas. By late August, the cumulative overseas box office of Chinese domestic films in 2026 had exceeded 450 million yuan. Chinese cinema is becoming an increasingly important link in cultural exchange between China and the world.
Commissioned by the China Film Administration, China Film Group Corporation has organized China Film Pavilions and Chinese film showcase events at major overseas film festivals and markets since 2022, presenting the development of Chinese cinema and supporting outstanding Chinese films in reaching global audiences.
A representative for the event said they hope the showcase will help Chinese films expand into international markets. They said future efforts will continue through more channels and formats to support Chinese cinema internationally, bringing more high-quality works with Chinese characteristics, a contemporary spirit and global resonance to audiences around the world, while continuing to promote Chinese-foreign film exchange, mutual learning among civilizations and cultural development.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
