SINGAPORE, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The first Chinese Film Festival in Singapore kicked off on Saturday, featuring five movies produced by Chinese film makers and artists, including those based in Hong Kong.

The selection include It's Love, a film directed by Ching Siu- Tung; Love is Not Blind, directed by Teng Hua-Tao; A Simple Life, the award winning work of Ann Hui; Sophie's Revenge, a work of Jin Yimeng; and Hero, the first commercial blockbuster directed by Zhang Yimou.

Short documentaries will also be featured on various aspects of Chinese culture, including the Forbidden City and the popular A Taste of China.

Dai Bing, charge d'affaires ad interim at the Chinese Embassy, said he was hoping that the selection was aimed to offer the audience a glimpse of Chinese films and the film industry in China and help the Singapore audience know more about an increasingly open, inclusive and civilized China.

The film festival was jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, the Singapore-China Friendship Association and the Office of Almuni Relations of the National University of Singapore.