On 14 November, Chen Shijie, Consul General of China in Auckland, was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the 13th New Zealand Asia Pacific Film Festival (NZAPFF). Hundreds of representatives from various sectors in the consular district, as well as film enthusiasts, participated in the event.

At the opening ceremony, Consul General Chen met with Li Bo, Chairman of the NZAPFF Organizing Committee; Fang Li, director of The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru; Yang Zi, director of The Shadow's Edge; and other cast and crew members. He congratulated the film festival on its successful opening, spoke highly of the festival’s contribution to the development of local multiculturalism and expressed the hope that the organizing committee would continue to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese film industry, and promote deeper exchanges and collaboration in film and television across the Asia-Pacific region.

The festival runs for one week and will showcase films from China, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and other countries. Among them, the Chinese films The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru and The Shadow's Edge will be screened, as well as the documentary Inside Tibet, directed by the French director Jean-Michel Carré has drawn particular attention and praise.