The 2025 Chinese Film Week kicks off in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 17, 2025. The event, which opened with the animated film "I Am What I Am 2," will run through April 21 and bring Cambodian people the best of recent Chinese films across various genres and themes. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

PHNOM PENH, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 Chinese Film Week kicked off on Thursday, bringing Cambodian people the best of recent Chinese films across various genres and themes.

The event, which opened with the animated film "I Am What I Am 2," will run through April 21.

At the opening ceremony, Phoeurng Sackona, the Cambodian minister of culture and fine arts, said Cambodia and China have expanded their collaboration in the film industry through various projects.

The event will be a great opportunity for both sides to share creativity, strengthen friendship, and promote solidarity as they work together to build a Cambodia-China community with a shared future, she added.

Zhang Xuxia, deputy director of China Film Archive, said that the Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has been very popular in Cambodia. Premiered on March 25, the film is available both in its original Chinese audio and a Khmer dubbed version, showcasing the cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Zhang said that the Chinese side looks forward to further promoting in-depth cooperation with Cambodia in various aspects of the film industry and contributing to the strengthening of the iron-clad friendship between the two peoples.

A total of six films will be screened during this year's event, including I Am What I Am 2, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force, Detective Chinatown 1900, A Tapestry of a Legendary Land, and Big World.

During the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the China Film Administration and the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to enhance exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the film sector. ■