Han Sanping, who presided over the 12-member jury panel to select the winners of the Golden Seagull Awards, believes Chinese filmmakers can learn from their counterparts in the SCO nations, especially about their focus on making stories with a strong human interest.

And just as Chinese voiced their desire to see more quality imports from the SCO nations, many of the foreign filmmakers were quick to echo their sentiments.

Renowned actor, and head of the Russian delegation, Sergei Puskepalis, says there has been a growing interest among Russian audiences to see more Chinese films screened in their country in recent years.

Pakistani producer-director Momina Duraid Qureshi says she was keen to reach out to Chinese postproduction companies about using their services for her movies, since Pakistan faces a shortage of these kinds of facilities.

She also believes the growth of the Chinese population in Pakistan in recent years will provide more inspiration for coproductions.

"My youngest son is 8 years old. His best friend is a Chinese boy," says Qureshi, suggesting it as an example of how a cross-cultural friendship could be developed into an interesting movie.

"China's film industry is growing very fast. It's not only doing well domestically," observes Asef Baraki, the Afghan producer of Mina Walking. "But it's also becoming influential abroad. As a result, we look forward to cooperating more with Chinese filmmakers."