Stars will be out in Dubai for Chinese Film Week

Celebration will see a host of Chinese stars walk the red carpet for opening night performance from pop star Li Xiangxiang

Chinese actress Miao Miao will be among the stars attending the opening night. Courtesy Hala China

Dubai's first Chinese Film Week will open on October 1, with a red carpet gala performance from Chinese pop star, and Chinese Idol winner, Li Xiangxiang in the plaza outside City Walk's Roxy Cinemas.

Among the Chinese stars expected to fly in for the prestigious event are Zhang Jiani, star of the smash-hit period drama The Story of Yanxi Palace and TV series Here to Heart, actress Miao Miao of coming-of-age film Youth, The Way We Were actor Wang Tianchen, Dragon star Li Xiaoran, New Horizon star Hu Bing, Crying Out in Love actress Yang Tongshu and celebrity couple Lin Yongjian and Zhou Dongqi.

With the star-studded festivities out of the way on Monday, from Tuesday to Friday, Roxy's three locations – at City Walk, BoxPark and The Beach – will screen a selection of eight Chinese films on rotation, including You Are in My Heart, Youth, Dragon Blade, To the Fore, Big Fish & Begonia, The Nightingale, American Dreams, Wolf Totem, Monkey King: Hero is Back, and Miss Granny – a Chinese remake of the same South Korean film that recently landed in cinemas with Filipina star Sarah Geronimo. Check individual cinema listings for timings and prices.

The festivities are aimed at the UAE’s estimated 270,000 Chinese residents as well as Chinese tourists – a rapidly growing market that has increased in number by 100 per cent since 2014 – and world cinema fans of all nationalities.

Chinese Film Week is part of Hala China, an initiative launched by Meraas, in collaboration with Dubai Holding, to enhance economic and cultural exchange and drive investment cooperation between Dubai and China, and will be followed by a Chinese cultural exhibition in November and a cooking competition in January, where 15 leading Chinese chefs will create national dishes.

Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, chairman of the board of directors at Hala China, said: “Chinese Film Week in Dubai is the first event to take place as part of Hala China. We are encouraged by the calibre of the celebrities that are due to attend, which bodes well for bilateral relations, cultural exchange and for our efforts in realising Dubai’s ambition of reaching 20 million international visitors annually by 2020.”

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Read more:

What does the success of Chinese film Wolf Warrior 2 mean for Hollywood? 

Review: Sarah Geronimo's star power carries Filipino comedy 'Miss Granny' 

Michelle Yeoh on playing a mother-in-law to be feared in 'Crazy Rich Asians'

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