The first Silk Road International Film Festival kicked off in Xi'an on the night of October 20. The 6-day event will conclude on October 25. It is the third major international film festival to be launched in China, after its counterparts in Shanghai and Beijing. The festival is expected to present to the public a total of 147 films from 25 countries and regions, and organize premieres for several new films as well as several activities each aimed at showcasing films from a particular country. It also will organize some welfare enhancing activities by screening films in squares, in communities, and on campus.