French filmmaker Jacques Perrin (center) attends the closing ceremony of the Third Silk Road International Film Festival in Xi'an. [Photo by Huo Yan/China Daily]

The festival had such lavish opening and closing ceremonies that Kellan Lutz, the American actor who accepted both the best picture and the best actress awards for Money on behalf of his colleagues, says he could not believe his eyes even though "I'm from Los Angeles".

Kia Jam, a Hollywood producer who sat on the 11-person jury, joked that the budget for the festival could be enough to fund all the projects in competition.

"Film is indispensable in the Belt and Road Initiative," says Hou Guangming, Party secretary of the Beijing Film Academy.

"Film should be the connecting tissue in carrying on the spirit of the Silk Road, promoting mutual benefits among different cultures, increasing China's international influence and creating a collective sense of belonging for countries along this road."

Li Zhen, chairman of the Shaanxi Critics Association, pointing to the contrast between the economies and cultures along the Silk Road, says: "From Xi'an to Rome, countries along the ancient Silk Road are mostly economic lowland, but culturally speaking they boast some of the greatest ancient civilizations in the world, and film can be an effective pioneer in turning it into an economic hotbed."