Over a dozen countries involved in China’s Belt and Road Initiative have signed film cooperation deals with the organizers of the Shanghai International Film Festival.

The countries include Egypt, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Ukraine.

The exchange of film culture will greatly boost mutual understanding and cooperation among people along the Belt and Road, said Zhang Hongsen, deputy head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, at the signing ceremony on June 17 in Shanghai.

It is hoped that efforts will be made to strengthen cooperation in the film industry and carry on the cultural tradition of the Silk Road, said Zhang.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, the film industry along the routes will become more prosperous and greatly boost people-to-people exchange, he added.

China and Serbia will jointly shoot a documentary with Chinese writer Chen Danyan as the director.

The 20th Shanghai International Film Festival opened on June 17.