Jia Zhangke?received the festival's Excellence Award at Tuesday night's opening ceremony[Photo/Xinhua]

The ongoing 38th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) held "China Night" on Wednesday, with China as its guest of honor.

As one of the most important events of the Chinese-Egyptian Culture Year which marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt, the "China Night" is a great platform for China-Egypt cultural exchanges, said Liu Yongfeng, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Cairo.

"'China Night' of CIFF not only shows the longstanding friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, but also enhances genuine understanding and friendship between the two peoples," Liu said.

There is a strong presence of Chinese movies and directors this year.According to CIFF President Magda Wassef, over 20 Chinese movies, focusing on contemporary Chinese cinema with various kinds of narrative styles and film schools, will be showcased during the festival, including "Mountains May Depart" directed by Jia Zhangke, "Black Coal, Thin Ice" by Diao Yinan and "Buddha Mountain" by Li Yu.

Jia received the festival's Excellence Award at Tuesday night's opening ceremony, while Li was selected as a member of the festival's jury.

The 38th CIFF opened on Tuesday at the Cairo Opera House and will last till Nov 24.

Since 1976, the CIFF has been the most prestigious among similar events in Africa and the Middle East. It was only canceled for security reasons in 2011 and 2013, as it coincided with the ouster of two heads of state in the most populous Arab country.