A 10-day Italian film exhibition concluded on Sunday in Shanghai, with six films by emerging Italian directors receiving warm reception from Chinese audiences.

The exhibition, "Italian cinema: emerging directors," opened on March 7. Six Italian movies were screened at the event, including Italy's highest-grossing film of 2023, "There's still tomorrow," and the Berlin International Film Festival entrant "Gloria!"

The screening of these high-quality films sparked lively discussions between Italian filmmakers and viewers.

"I'm very excited because I really felt that they got the movie in a very deep way. The Chinese audience was very excited; they all wanted to make questions. More than one question was about my real, deep motivation: 'Why did you do this movie?' And it's not like a common question, but I think they understood because they understood the movie," said Margherita Vicario, director of the film "Gloria!"

The film campaign, co-hosted by the Italian Consulate General in Shanghai and the Italian Trade Agency, also featured roundtable discussions between Italian and Chinese filmmakers.

"This is a very precise selection of films from emerging directors. We are showing five first films and one second film. The whole idea was that they really brought new life into Italian cinema, and I firmly believe that Chinese young film makers are doing the same with Chinese cinema," said Marco Mueller, curator of the film exhibition.

"I'm very happy that we celebrated at the beginning of 2025. which is the 55th anniversary of our bilateral relations. As usual, art is the most important channel of communication among our people. Many cultural events are going on -- from the museum cooperation to films, to ballet, to opera," said Tiziana D'Angelo, consul general of Italy in Shanghai.

China and Italy are seeing closer ties in the cultural sector. Under a memorandum of cooperation signed last November between the two countries, an event showcasing Chinese cinema will be held in Italy in September this year.