People attend the opening ceremony of the China Film Festival in Zagreb, Croatia, on Nov. 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

During the festival, according to Jurak, eleven Chinese blockbuster films would be screened for the first time for free in Croatia, and the films were almost all produced one or two years ago. 

The China Film Festival has offered Croatian audience "a unique opportunity" to explore and understand today's China, a Croatian expert said.

Kresimir Jurak, Croatian director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zagreb, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua. The festival opened here on Nov. 26.

During the festival, according to Jurak, eleven Chinese blockbuster films would be screened for the first time for free in Croatia, and the films were almost all produced one or two years ago.

They had been selected from a list of more than 70 Chinese movies, Jurak said.

"Moon Man," a comedy film, was presented at the opening ceremony. "We are very happy with the feedback we got from people we talked to after the opening ceremony," Jurak said. "Everybody gave us great feedback that the movie was great, the sound effects, video effects were great."

Qi Qianjin, Chinese ambassador to Croatia, addresses the opening ceremony of the China Film Festival in Zagreb, Croatia, on Nov. 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

"I think it is important to show that China is not only the traditional China that everybody knows, but also a modern China" where the "Three-Body" series, one of the most popular science fiction series in recent years, as well as "Black Myth: Wukong," a video game going viral worldwide, was produced, he said.

In addition to the Chinese blockbusters, the Confucius Institute is also considering holding a China music festival next year to promote contemporary Chinese music to local music-lovers, Jurak said.

The China Film Festival, second of its kind in the country and co-organized by the China Film Archive and the Confucius Institute at the University of Zagreb, will last until February next year.