The inaugural Cross-Straight Film Exhibition will be held in four cities from June 26-July 23, marking the first time that mainland China and Taiwan have collaborated on a film promotion event.

The event, which reflects warmer cross-straight relations since the KMT came to power in Taiwan last year, is organised by Taiwan’s Motion Picture Development Foundation (MPDF) and the mainland’s China Film Foundation.

The MPDF, which also organises the annual Golden Horse Awards, set up a Cross-Strait Film Exchange Committee earlier this year, including filmmaker Li Hsing and producer Peggy Chiao, to work on film exchange and promotion between the two sides.

Both the MPDF and the China Film Foundation are private organisations with some governmental backing.

From June 26 to July 3, the event will screen six Taiwanese films in the mainland cities of Beijing and Tianjing: Exit No.6 by Lin Yu-hsien, EtudeIsland by En Chen, Orz Boyz by Gillies Yang Ya-che, Attitude by Xiao Ma, Sumimasen, Love by Lin Yu-hsien and Keeping Watch by Zheng Fenfen.

Then from July 17-23, seven mainland films will screen in Taipei and Taichung cities in Taiwan, including Feng Xiaogang’s If You Are The One, Ning Hao’s Crazy Racer, Liu Xin’s Good Man, Yu Zhong’s Postman In Shangri-la, Feng Zhengzhi’s Invisible Wings, Wang Wei’s Tapu and Lai He’s The Attack.

Tickets for the Taipei screenings have already sold out according to Cross-Strait Film Exchange Committee.

According to committee chairman Li Hsing, the purpose of the event is to encourage more filmmaking exchanges between Taiwan and mainland China, especially in the areas of funding and talent.

In February, CapeNo.7 became the first Taiwanese film in 17 years to be released in mainland China where it grossed around $3m (RMB20m).