Millions of people in China could be reading about Nashville in the coming days. That’s because the city is hosting eight Chinese delegates — entertainment executives who came here for the Nashville Film Festival. As it turns out, that’s big news overseas. Erjie Zhou, a reporter for China’s government-run Xinhua News Agency, was sent to follow the delegates on their visit. Xinhua is a country-wide wire service and has a very large reach. “The audience for [the article] will be in the millions or even billions,” says Zhou. Why exactly would that many people care? Because what’s happening here in Nashville is unique. In the past, Chinese film companies have primarily co-produced blockbuster films with budgets in the millions of dollars. They haven’t been in the market for the kinds of films showcased at film festivals. But the tastes of Chinese film-goers are changing. The delegates said audiences in China are tired of the dramatic thrillers that do so well in America. They want more positive films with less action — and more films in general.

It’s estimated that by 2017 Chinese box office sales might surpass the U.S. “There is great potential for both sides to collaborate,” Zhou says.

That cooperation could lead to some filmmakers from Nashville’s festival making deals in the near future — deals that would result in movies seen by millions of people on the other side of the world.