A film exhibition ended on Sunday after five days in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to promote the unity of the 56 ethnic groups across the country while developing mainstream movies.

The exhibition, which was themed after "Sam Nyied Sam," or March 3 on the Chinese lunar calendar, aims to discuss topics such as seeking new ideas and new forces for the development of homemade movies, as well as the opportunities in a new era for the homegrown movie industry.

Over the past years, Gungxi, a region with an ethnically diverse population, has been booming with movies including Deep In The Clouds, a story based in Southwest China's Yunnan, home of over 25 ethnic groups, which shows the resident's tangled choice between traditional life and modern life. Another popular movie is Mount Awa, which tells the story of a general manager from a real estate company who returns to Mount Awa in Yunnan, to find a precious tree. He meets his first love, Ye Na, and is followed by a series of interesting events.


In the Chinese lunar calendar, March 3 is considered a grand festival, especially among some Chinese ethic minority groups. In Guangxi, ethnic minorities like the Zhuang, Li and Dong, celebrate the day that is the equivalent of Saint Valentine's Day and is also one of the biggest festivals of the year.

The ethnic minorities in Guangxi hold singing parties and have a banquet with special dishes such as steaming five-color glutinous rice. Such activities are used to ward off evil spirits and pray for blessings. On this day, young people show their affection to each other.

The second "Sam Nyied Sam" movie exhibition took its name from this grand festival celebrated by ethnic minorities.

It took the planning team six months to carefully select 10 pieces from more than 300 films for the exhibition. The movies with unique story backgrounds showcase for the audience the colorful cultures within China from multiple angles.

"Chinese filmmakers have created many outstanding ethnic films in the development of China's movie industry. With the profound ideological connotation, diverse artistic techniques and rich ethnic culture, the movies have attracted more audiences at home and abroad," Rao Shuguang, President of the China Film Critics Association, told the Global Times.

"An excellently made ethnic film can reflect the life of the local people and also conveys the customs of various ethnic groups and enhances their cultural identity," Rao added.