It's smiles all round, as participants show they had fun attending the forum. [Photo/sunnews.cn]

An international forum focusing on the relationship between film, film festivals and city was held at Xiamen University in eastern Fujian province on June 26-July 3.

Many experts from famous universities at home and abroad -- including the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, the University of London, Nanyang Technological University, New York University and Nagoya University -- attended the forum.

The forum was a support activity of the upcoming 28th China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival to be held in Xiamen on Nov 19-23, according to the organizers.

A professor from the National Taiwan University of Arts said that by holding well-known film festivals, more people would remember the host city. He said these deeply combined the city's culture and films, and contributed to the broader marketing of the metropolis.

Zheng Guoqing, associate professor of the Chinese Department at Xiamen University, gave a speech on the historical development of the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan. He believes that its impact on the development of Taiwan, in some respects, was similar to the Golden Rooster award and the development of Xiamen.

In addition, lectures about film restoration were held during the forum. Li Xiaohong, president of the Xiamen film association, talked about the important role that film restoration plays in cultural inheritance and protection.