HOUSTON, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Neil Bush, honorary life chairman of WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, said that movies are a great bridge for creating a connection between the United States and China.
Bush made the remarks Monday at the Fame Hall Masters Meeting of WorldFest-Houston in Houston, Texas, the United States. The meeting was organized to recognize excellence in film and video, promote cultural exchanges among countries, and add to the rich cultural fabric of the city of Houston.
Bush said movies play a critical role in helping eliminate misunderstanding. "Movies are a great bridge for creating a connection between the U.S. and China and China and the rest of the world."
Bush is also the chairman of Bush China U.S. Relations Foundation, which convenes a conference that brings together leaders from the United States and China to forge cooperation on issues of global importance.
He said movies are a great vehicle. "I hope to see more collaborations in movie making so that we can have better understanding between our two great countries."
Zhang Ling, executive chairperson and head of Asia for WorldFest-Houston, shared Bush's view.
She said that the film festival brings together different cultures, which echo among artists from all over the world.
"I hope the film festival will show the best works from each country and will unite people who love art to create a better future, a more integrated world," she said.
During the film festival, eight Asian seminars will be held from April 6 to 13. Movie industry insiders, well-known directors and screenwriters share their insights into the industry. Political figures and Sino-U.S. relations scholars also attend the seminars.
WorldFest-Houston was founded as Cinema Arts, an international film society, in August 1961. It has evolved into the third competitive international film festival in North America, following the San Francisco and New York film festivals.
As one of the oldest independent film and video festivals in the world, WorldFest has discovered a long list of famous persons such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ang Lee.
