The coproduction, Where Has Time Gone?, comprises five stories by directors from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Visual feast

The festival provided a visual feast for cinephiles.

During the five-day festival, which was held from June 23 to 27 with one day dedicated to each country in the grouping, 33 movies were screened in six local theaters.

The lineup included the Berlin Silver Bear-winner Central Station (1998) from Brazil and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), one of the highest-grossing Indian movies.

Separately, Xie, also a filmmaker, says that the festival is a good supplement to the mainstream market, allowing the public an access to films from BRICS countries.

Makhotso Maggie Sotyu, head of the South African delegation and the deputy minister of arts and culture, says the festival entertains as well as serves as an integral part of the many important and strategic steps being taken to realize the BRICS Summit 2017 theme of "deepening partnership for a brighter future".

"Film is one of the few unique artistic tools of expression that play an important role in cultural exchanges, co-existence and tolerance," says Sotyu.

Tong Gang, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, says the festival has demonstrated the unique charm of cinema and enhanced people-to-people exchanges among the five countries.