Inspired by the ancient Silk Road, Silk Road Film Salon (SRFS) focuses primarily on topics and cross-regional film production along the ancient Silk Road route from Europe to China/Asia. SRFS embraces cultural differences and aims at promoting a deeper reciprocal understanding through collaborative activities and its products.
SRFS has an unique multi-cultural core team to achieve its goal.
Jia Zhao is a Chinese-Dutch film producer based in Amsterdam. She founded MUYI FILM and SILK ROAD FILM SALON in 2012. The latter is cofounded with Afghan-Dutch film director Aboozar Amini and has as primary focus on regions along the ancient trade route Silk Road. Jia is fluent in Chinese, Japanese, English and Dutch. Coming from Asia and based in Europe, Jia matches resources from the East and West to nurture and mentor emerging voices and to bring authentic stories to the world in high cinematic quality. In 2021, A Marble Travelogue by Sean Wang is selected for IDFA Frontlight and I’m So Sorry (co-producer) by Zhao Liang for Cannes film festival. From 2015 to 2019 her works Mr. Hu and the Temple, Fallen Flowers Thick Leaves, Lady of the Harbour, Kabul, City in the Wind, Smog Town (co-producer) have been shortlisted for IDFA Competition section for five times in a row, with Kabul, City in the Wind being the opening film for IDFA 2018, and awarded Special Jury Award for First Appearance Competition. In 2019, Inner Landscape was chosen as the closing film for IFFR2019. Her work The Crow Is Beautiful (co-director) was selected for IDFA 2017 Masters.
Next to producing, Jia is regularly a juror, mentor or panelist at major festivals and funds such as IDFA Bertha Fund, Berlinale Talents, Visions Du Reel, DMZ etc. Since 2022 Jia is the artistic director of Cinemasia, an Amsterdam-based Asian film festival.
Next to producing, Jia is regularly a juror, mentor or panelist at major festivals and funds such as IDFA Bertha Fund, Berlinale Talents, Visions Du Reel, DMZ etc. Since 2022 Jia is the artistic director of Cinemasia, an Amsterdam-based Asian film festival.
Aboozar Amini (1985, Bamiyan, Afghanistan) moved to the Netherlands at a young age. He completed his MA at London Film School with Angelus Novus (2015) which premiered at IFFR, and won various awards worldwide. Where is Kurdistan? (2016) was commissioned by IFFR2016. He had his BA at Rietveld Art Academy in Amsterdam. His graduation film KabulTehranKabul (2010) won Wildcard award of Dutch Film Fund. His latest short film, Best Day Ever, premiered at La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at Cannes 2018. His first long length documentary Kabul, City in the Wind, was the opening film at IDFA 2018 and won the Special Jury Award of International First Appearance Competition and main award at CPH:DOX in Next:Wave competition. Aboozar lives and works in Kabul and Amsterdam and he strives to establish new-wave Afghan cinema together with young local filmmakers through filmmaking.