Much more than just a movie event

"We have also invited leading international distributors of art films, including many Chinese companies which play an active role in buying art films," Fu adds.

"We have invited them to the distributors' salon and film screening with the hope that they could connect with those responsible for these outstanding films from countries involved in the BRI."

Fu says the organizers were inspired by the success that Lebanese film Capernaum achieved after its screening at the Belt and Road Film Week last year. The film, officially released in China this April, raked in more than 300 million yuan ($43.54 million). Nadine Labaki, the director of the film, says she was surprised at the reception from Chinese audiences.

Hungarian filmmaker Arpad Bogdan, whose film Genesis is among the eight films featured this year, says he managed to secure a Chinese distributor and is looking to draw more attention to his creation through the SIFF.

As China is the second-largest film market in the world, releasing a new film in the country, be it in cinemas or on streaming platforms, would be of great help to the filmmaker, says Fu.

"Because of the massive audience size, even the money made from a video-streaming service would help to cover for a big chunk of the production cost," she notes.