Please allow me to start by paying my respects to H.M. King Letsie III and The Right Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Motsoahae Thomas Thabane
Honorable President of the Senate,
Honorable Speaker of the National Assembly,
Her Ladyship the Chief Justice
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki,
Honorable Ministers of H.M.’s Cabinet, particularly
Honorable Minister Motlohi Maliehe, Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture, who will address us shortly
Honorable Members of the Parliament,
Their Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic Missions, International Organizations, and Honorary Councils
Distinguished Guests,
Dear Compatriots and Friends,
First of all, please allow me to say a very warm welcome to you all, to the opening ceremony of the 2018 Chinese Film Festival in Lesotho. We are proud to see that since the first Chinese Film Festival was launched in 2016 when Lesotho was celebrating the 50th anniversary of her independence, this Festival has come back to us once again. I am confident that this event will become a brand-name project of China-Lesotho cultural exchanges in many years to come.
In the past 120 years since the Lumiere Brothers held the first screening of a projected motion picture, the cinematography has become the true art of visual story-telling. Motion pictures not only tell stories, but also record and reflect different countries’ and people’s history, philosophy, mentality, values, aspirations and lifestyles. It is not an exaggeration to say, that motion pictures have become indispensable recorders and narrators of contemporary social life across the world, but also important media and channels of exchanges among different cultures and civilizations.
113 years ago, the very first Chinese movie was screened to the public. Over the many decades thereafter, the Chinese motion picture industry has grown from strength to strength both by learning from their counterparts in other countries and by contributing their ingenuity and distinct features. By now, the motion picture industry has become an important component of the cultural and creativity industry of China. Currently, China leads the world by having 45 thousands screens across the country. Last year, the box office sales in China reached US$ 7.9 billion. And the Chinese market accounts for 65% of the increase of the box office sales of the world. It’s expected that China will become the world’s biggest movie market this year. More importantly, roughly 60% of movies screened in China are domestically made, while the other less than 40% are introduced from other countries, thus making an important contribution to the diversification of the movie culture of the world.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of holding this Film Festival is to enhance the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries and peoples. In recent years, China-Lesotho relations have developed by leaps and bounds. More Basotho are studying the Chinese language or going to China for studies or visits. I believe this film festival will provide another window for Basotho to learn more about China and the Chinese people.
During the Chinese movie festival this year, 4 movies will be screened. While selecting the to-be screened movies, we tried to touch upon as different topics and styles as possible. The movie to be shown tonight is a family movie. Though titled Nightingale, It tells a story between a little girl and her parents and grandfather. Through the movie, we can have a peak at the relations inside a Chinese family. And we can also have a taste of their feelings, emotions, puzzles and many others when they are living in a rapidly urbanizing and industrializing China of today. I hope you all will enjoy it.
Last but not least, I must use this opportunity to profoundly thank the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture of Lesotho, the Honorable Minister, the Principle Secretary Ms. Tsolo, Ms. Mamaime Motanyane and many others in the Ministry for facilitating this event. My appreciation also goes to the Motion Picture Association of Lesotho for its support.
With these few words, I conclude my remarks. I wish you an enjoyable evening and a lovely weekend of Chinese movies. Thank you all.
Khotso, Pula, Nala!