The China Film Festival 2008 opened Thursday night in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo with officials from the two countries stressing the need to promote cooperation between the film industries.

Sri Lankan Cultural Affairs Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said in the opening ceremony that the festival, coming after last year's signing of a memorandum of understanding between China and Sri Lanka on international awareness on films, would promote closer cooperation between the film industries of the two countries.

The minister also expressed wishes that Sri Lanka's film industry would benefit from the advanced technology of its Chinese counterpart.

Ye Dabo, Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka said China and Sri Lanka have been enjoying good relationship and bilateral exchanges in various fields for 2,000 years.

He said the Sri Lanka Film Festival held 2007 in China was very successful and he hoped that the six Chinese films presented in the China Film Festival could contribute to a better understanding of China.

Chinese film Call for Love directed by Zhang Jianya was screened at the opening ceremony. Zhang said he was very happy to bring his film to Sri Lankan friends and he hoped they would like him and his film.

Another five films, Gun of Mercy, When Ruoma Was Seventeen, A Railway in the Cloud, Prince of the Himalayas and Honeymoon would be screened from April 4 to April 6 in Colombo and the hilly town of Kandy.

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2008)