Aiming to further foster cultural exchanges and facilitate the Belt and Road Initiative, the "Pearl of the Silk Road - Shanghai Film Week" in Duisburg kicked off on Wednesday local time at Theater am Marientor in Duisburg, Germany.

Running till Mar 31, the five-day event features eight Chinese domestic films that represent Shanghai's film industry or showcase the city's charm, including "Pegasus 2", "Home Coming", "Chang An", "B for Busy", "Godspeed" and "A Writer's Odyssey".

Traversing various genres such as traditional culture, comedy, romance, fantasy, sports and animation, the film lineup embodies the dynamic spirit of contemporary China, the cosmopolitan allure of Shanghai and the enduring charm of the traditional Chinese culture.

With over 1,000 representatives in attendance, the event kicked off with "Pegasus 2", a film produced in Shanghai. Directed by the Chinese young filmmaker Han Han and starring actor Shen Teng, this adrenaline-fueled tale centers around the journey of Zhang Chi, a resilient racing driver who defies the odds to reclaim his spot on the podium.

Dubbed as the Chinese version of "The Fast and the Furious", the film has raked in a whopping 3.4 billion yuan ($470.5 million ) at the box office and attracted nearly 68 million audiences nationwide since its release during the past Spring Festival holiday.

Under the auspices of Shanghai Film Administration and the Chinese Consulate-General in Dusseldorf, the event is co-hosted by the Shanghai Film Distribution and Exhibition Association and the Association of German-China Societies (ADCG). The event is also held to celebrate Duisburg's role in bolstering China-Germany and China-Europe ties as well as in promoting Belt and Road Initiative cooperation.

Edeltraud Klabuhn, first deputy mayor of Duisburg; Peter Kreutzberger, chairman of ADCG; Du Chunguo, the Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in Düsseldorf; and representatives from both China and Germany attended the opening event.