Principal director in the Rural Development, Preservation of Culture and Heritage ministry, Paul Damasane has said films are important mediums that help in the promotion and preservation of culture and heritage and his ministry seeks to the encourage the growth of the creative industry, so it can make a unique contribution to the cultural expression. Damasane made the remarks in Harare last week at the opening ceremony of the ongoing China Film Exhibition in Africa hosted by the Chinese embassy and the China Film Group Corporation.

The Mission of the Republic of Korea to ASEAN, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to ASEAN, and the ASEAN Secretariat had come together to launch the Korea-ASEAN Cinema Week 2017, which is aimed at strengthening people-to-people relations in the region. [...] "We appreciate this melting pot of values as we pursue shared objectives and bring our vision closer together in building that sense of community and seeing the entire region as a family," he added.

Award-winning political thriller Oslo opens in London next week, charting the machinations of Norwegian diplomats striving for Middle East peace. [...] Oslo – for which Rogers is now writing a screenplay, as it is to become a feature film – tells the almost-forgotten story of the early 1990s back channel discussions between Israelis and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which took place inside a castle tucked away in a forest, located outside the Norwegian capital.

Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi were apparently talking movies, among other things, at a summit in Kazakhstan on Friday. Xi mentioned that he, like millions of Chinese, had enjoyed the hit Bollywood film Dangal. Xi and Modi went on to discuss boosting cultural cooperation between the two countries. [...] Dangal is still screening across China at more than 7,000 cinemas.Its success follows a string of other Bollywood films that have won over Chinese audiences in recent years, including the previous biggest hit, PK, which took in 118 million yuan.

Dangal’s success story in China — coming as it does, five months after its theatrical release in India and elsewhere — has triggered a stream of breathless box office updates, analytical thinkpieces, and odes aplenty. As it should. [...] Egyptian hawkers referring to Indian women visitors as “Kareena! Aishwarya!” isn't surprising. But to have a teenager from the tiny island country of Timor Leste tell you that Preity Zinta’s Kya Kehna is his favourite film, or have folks in Vietnam express sadness about Balika Vadhu actress Pratyusha Banerjee’s suicide — that is surreal. 

Australia’s Ambassador to China HE Ms Jan Adams AO PSM said, “The Australian Embassy proudly supports Screen Australia, Ausfilm and the Australian screen industry. Our work together delivers public diplomacy and economic diplomacy benefits by highlighting Australian creative excellence, deepening cultural understanding and delivering business opportunities in a fast growing market. 2017 is the Australia China Year of Tourism and marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations. It is a great time to be making co-productions.”