The opening ceremony of the 2026 China-Portugal Film Week was held at Cinema Ideal in Lisbon on 18 September. Around 200 guests from a range of sectors in China and Portugal attended, including China’s Ambassador Yang Yirui, Fang Shizhong, Director of the Shanghai Film Administration, and well-known Portuguese actor José Martins.

In his speech, Ambassador Yang recalled that the first Chinese Film Showcase had been held at Cinema Ideal in 2015. He noted that a Portuguese film showcase had taken place in Shanghai at the end of last year, giving Chinese audiences the opportunity to experience the appeal of Portuguese cinema at close hand, and that Chinese Film Week had returned to the venue. He expressed the hope that Portuguese audiences would come to know an authentic and vibrant China through Chinese films depicting everyday life, and gain a better understanding of the joys and sorrows, and inner world, of the Chinese people. He also said that China was willing to work with Portugal to deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, enriching civilisations through exchange and mutual learning.

The event was supported by China’s National Film Administration and the Chinese Embassy in Portugal, under the guidance of the Shanghai Film Administration, and organised by the Shanghai International Film Festival Centre. The programme featured five Chinese films, including A Table for Two.

(Source: Chinese Embassy in Portugal, 19 September)