Large Scale Exhibition Celebrates 110th Anniversary Of The Birth Of Deng Xiaoping (Photo : Getty Images)

The number of Chinese films that participated in the 49th WorldFest Houston International Festival quadrupled for 2016 to 20 from only five in 2015. The premiere of the 20 movies was the highlight of the opening on Friday of the world’s oldest independent film festival.



“Compact Density of Stone,” a movie about the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, was the opening movie for Panorama China which was introduced last year, reported Xinhua News Agency.




The film festival, established in 1961, runs until April 17. It has competition in 12 major categories, namely: TV production, unproduced screenplays, documentary, new media, corporate and business films, music videos, TV commercials, film and video production, and student and experimental.



Yang Song, Chinese consul of culture in Houston, and Ray Jiang, chairman of Panorama China, said they hope that Panorama China would become a regular feature of the film festival and become the largest platform for Chinese cinema to be premiered in North America.



Meanwhile, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner stopped the schedule screening at the film festival of "Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe," reported Khou. Hollywood actor Robert de Niro previously pulled out the movie from the Tribeca Film Festival. A spokesman for the mayor explained that “We just couldn’t have city funding encouraging people not to have their kids vaccinated.”



In 2015, the Chinese movie “Walking to School” won the Special Jury Remi Award, while “China Women” won the Musical Platinum Remi Award and Best Art Direction Remi Award.





