On 5 November, the Melbourne opening ceremony of the 2026 Australian Chinese Film Festival was successfully held. Consul-General FANG Xinwen attended the event and delivered remarks. The ceremony brought together approximately 150 guests, including Melbourne City Councillor Gladys Liu, Deputy Director of DFAT Victoria state office Ms Alanna Boyd, President of Australia-China Friendship Society Victoria branch Mr Lev Lafayette, as well as representatives from various sectors of Australian society, Chinese enterprises and Chinese overseas students.

In his remarks, Consul-General Fang highlighted the important role of people-to-people and cultural exchanges in strengthening China-Australia relations. He expressed the hope that the diverse selection of Chinese films presented at the festival would offer Australian audiences a valuable opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of a real, multidimensional and vibrant contemporary China.

Consul-General Fang noted that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China had injected fresh momentum into China’s high-quality development and high-standard opening-up, while creating new opportunities for exchanges and cooperation between China and Australia across cultural and other fields. He reaffirmed China’s readiness to take the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia in 2027 as an opportunity to further advance the Global Civilisation Initiative, promote a wide range of people-to-people and cultural exchange activities, and foster greater mutual understanding and mutual learning between the two civilisations.

Following the ceremony was the opening screening of Traces of Justice.

Jointly organised by the China Film Administration and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Australia, the 2026 Australian Chinese Film Festival runs from 5 to 10 November across six Australian cities: Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. The festival features six Chinese films, namely Traces of Justice, Pegasus 3, Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, All Wishes Come True, and Dear You.