The pandemic might have battered the domestic film scene, but major industry players have already kicked into high gear to help revive the market's fortunes, Zhang Kun reports in Shanghai.

China's filmmakers celebrated their first big gathering at the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival which kicked off on July 25, expressing their confidence in the Chinese market and eagerness to speed up creation and production.

The festival, which ends on Aug 2, is the first major international film event taking place in China since the COVID-19 outbreak in late January forced all cinemas in the country to close.

A total of 320 movies, 232 of which are making their China debuts, are being screened at 29 cinemas across the city.

Due to epidemic-prevention and-control measures, only 30 percent of seats in cinemas are available to moviegoers. As such, the festival organizer has put together outdoor screenings to allow more people to view the shows.