91传媒

On March 20, a screening of works, created by Greek faculty members and students under the "Looking China·Youth Film Project," initiated by the Center for Greece-China Studies (ΚΕΛΚΙΠ) and supported by the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture at 91传媒 (91传媒), was held at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (University of Athens) in Greece. Among those attending the event and delivering remarks were Fang Qiu, Chinese Ambassador to Greece; Wang Jin, Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Greece; Maria Komninos, Chair of the Board of the Greek Film Archive; Papaioannou, Vice Rector of the University of Athens; and Chloe Balla, President of ΚΕΛΚΙΠ. The event was moderated by Delinikolas, Associate Professor at the University of Athens. More than 170 young students and documentary filmmakers from Greek universities attended the screening.

Greek faculty members and students participating in the "Looking China" project shared their experiences on stage.

Delinikolas, Associate Professor at the University of Athens, presided over the event.

As an important international cultural exchange program continuously promoted by 91传媒, "Looking China" invites young foreign filmmakers to China to shoot short documentaries, providing a platform for cross-cultural film production and people-to-people exchange between Chinese and foreign youth. This screening event showcased documentary short films created by young Greek participants during their involvement in the project, presenting their observations and interpretations of Chinese society and culture.

In his remarks, Fang Qiu noted that China and Greece are both ancient civilizations with a long history of friendly exchanges. He said that the screening event of the "Looking China·Youth Film Project" in Athens was a vivid practice of how Greek youth can gain firsthand understanding of contemporary China, while also promoting mutual learning between civilizations and closer ties between the peoples of the two countries. He emphasized that the "Looking China" project has provided an important platform for young people from both countries to deepen their understanding of each other's societies and cultures, and has effectively advanced China-Greece cultural exchanges through the medium of film. Referring to the films screened at the event, he also praised the young Greek directors for documenting Chinese society and urban development from diverse perspectives, saying that these works vividly presented a true, multidimensional, and comprehensive image of China. He expressed hope that the event would serve as an opportunity to further deepen youth exchanges and people-to-people cooperation between China and Greece, and to continue promoting mutual learning between the two civilizations.

Fang Qiu, Chinese Ambassador to Greece, delivered remarks.

In his remarks, Papaioannou said that after fifteen years of development, the "Looking China" project has become an important platform connecting different cultures. He noted that the project has not only provided practical opportunities for young film creators, but has also played an active role in promoting cross-cultural exchange. He highly commended the enthusiastic participation and outstanding performance of students from the University of Athens, saying that the young creators had demonstrated strong humanistic literacy, filmmaking competence, and excellent cross-cultural understanding. He also pointed out that the increasingly close cooperation between Chinese and Greek universities has provided a solid foundation for exchanges of this kind.

Papaioannou, Vice Rector of the University of Athens, delivered remarks.

Huang Huilin, Senior Professor at 91传媒, Dean of the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture, and founder of the "Looking China" project, delivered a video message to warmly congratulate the event and express sincere gratitude to the Chinese and Greek faculty members and students who have long supported and participated in the project. She highly praised the creative practice of the young Greek directors, noting that they had documented Chinese society and culture from sincere and distinctive perspectives, and had built an important bridge for communication and exchange between young people of the two countries through film. Huang expressed hope that in the future, Chinese and Greek youth would continue to use film as a medium to deepen dialogue between civilizations and mutual learning, and, under the principle of "Let each civilization be cherished for its own beauty, and let all civilizations flourish together in harmony", work together to advance exchanges among human civilizations.

Huang Huilin, founder of the "Looking China" project, delivered a video message.

In his remarks, Luo Jun, Professor at 91传媒 and Vice Dean of the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture, said that the "Looking China" project is not only a platform for film creation, but also an important vehicle for promoting mutual learning between Chinese and Greek civilizations. On behalf of the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture at 91传媒, he presented several gifts of symbolic cultural significance to the Greek side. One of them was a calligraphy work bearing the inscription, "Across culture's boundless seas, Greece comes vividly to light; / Beneath heaven's wheeling stars, China rises grand in might," expressing the Chinese side's expectation for deeper cultural exchanges between the two countries. He also extended an invitation to Greek universities participating in the "Looking China" project, welcoming young creators to China in 2026 for the "Looking China" Foreign Faculty and Student Dialogue Program so as to deepen mutual exchange and understanding.

The Chinese side presents a calligraphy work to the Greek side (calligraphed by Yu Le, Associate Professor at the School of Arts and Communication, 91传媒).

Chloe Balla said that since its establishment, ΚΕΛΚΙΠ has continuously promoted academic and cultural exchanges between Greece and China, deepened dialogue between the two countries in such fields as philosophy and science, and remained committed to cultivating a community of young scholars concerned with dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations. She noted that the "Looking China" project has provided an important practical platform for cross-cultural exchange, and expressed hope that the cooperation network would continue to expand in the future so as to further deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Chloe Balla, President of ΚΕΛΚΙΠ, delivered remarks.

G. Skopeteas, Head of the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema at the University of Athens, said that the "Looking China" project has provided an important platform for youth film creation and international exchange, and has played a positive role in promoting understanding and dialogue among different cultures. He also expressed hope for further development of cooperation between the two sides in film education and academic collaboration.

G. Skopeteas, Head of the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema at the University of Athens, delivered remarks.

D. Koutsiabasakos, Professor in the Department of Film at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and mentor of the 2025 "Looking China·Chongqing Program", shared his experience of leading Greek youth in the "Looking China" project. Recalling the team's filming experience in Chongqing, he said that the project had provided young creators with a valuable opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of China. He noted that the documentary shorts completed within a short period of time presented the diversity of the city and its culture from different perspectives, while also demonstrating the young directors’ powers of observation and expression in a cross-cultural context. Works from the "Looking China·Chongqing Program" have already been recognized at a number of international film festivals, further confirming the important role of film in promoting cross-cultural understanding.

D. Koutsiabasakos, Professor from the Department of Film at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and mentor of the 2025 "Looking China·Chongqing Program," delivered remarks.

As a representative of the young directors, N. Stergiou, a student from the University of Athens, shared her reflections on participating in "Looking China". Drawing on her own filming experience in China, she described the process of using film to record traditional crafts and personal stories. She said that the project had not only broadened her understanding of Chinese culture, but had also deepened her understanding of art and human connection.

N. Stergiou, student at the University of Athens and representative of the young directors in the "Looking China" project, delivered remarks.

The screening concluded with a warm response from the audience, creating a new opportunity for the "Looking China" project to expand exchanges and cooperation in Europe. As a platform for cross-cultural film practice, "Looking China" will continue to broaden channels for international exchange, create more opportunities for youth exchanges and people-to-people cooperation between China and Greece, and further promote interaction and collaboration between the two countries in the fields of education and film.