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Each of the highest-grossing blockbusters from 2016 to this year has been a homegrown work, including Guan Hu's The Eight Hundred (2020). |
International cooperation
In the era of the global village, international exchanges and cooperation have become easier and more frequent. Ranging from shooting coproductions to recruiting foreign talent and exploring overseas markets more deeply, the Chinese film industry has flexed its muscles to seek a bigger presence within the world's cinematic landscape.
The latest available figures show China has signed film coproduction agreements with 22 countries, including the United States, France, Russia, New Zealand, Japan and India. Nearly 250 coproductions were made between 2000 and 2019, 49 of which surpassed the 100 million box-office mark, according to China Film Co-Production Corp.
China Film's general manager Liu Chun says it has become common in recent years to see Chinese studios traveling abroad to shoot scenes or inviting foreign filmmakers to take part in domestic projects, especially in the areas of music, special effects and direction.
Some such projects have garnered attention from such world filmmakers as Danish two-time Palme d'Or winner Bille August, who directed the World War II film, The Chinese Widow, starring Liu Yifei in 2017, and British director Simon West－best known in China for his Lara Croft: Tomb Raider－who helmed the disaster film, Skyfire, in 2019.
Backed by bigger budgets or enticed by exotic flavors, more Chinese directors have been traveling overseas to film major scenes, as in Chen Sicheng's Detective Chinatown franchise with the three installments shot in Bangkok, New York and Tokyo.
But with the world still battling the pandemic, Liu says the company has received applications for 41 coproductions but none of them have yet started shooting.
Yu Dong, founder and chairman of Beijing-based studio Bona Film Group, says the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 had a huge impact on the Chinese film industry. He estimates around 10,000 small and medium-sized Chinese film companies have closed.
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The 15th Chinese Film Festival in Bangkok and the 2020 China-Thailand Film Exchange Week opens at the China Cultural Center in Bangkok on Oct 25, 2020. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
On Oct 25, the opening ceremony of the 15th Chinese Film Festival in Bangkok and the 2020 China-Thailand Film Exchange Week was held at the China Cultural Center in Bangkok. The event was hosted by the China Cultural Center in Bangkok and received strong support from the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the Thai Ministry of Culture.
The COVID-19 pandemic doesn't impede the enthusiasm for cultural exchange between China and Thailand. This film festival uses live broadcast to present the opening ceremony and host the "China-Thailand Film Exchange and Cooperation Online Seminar". During the film festival, audiences can use the online platform of the China Cultural Center in Bangkok to watch films online, which greatly increases the global reach of the festival.
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Gu Hongxing, director of the China Cultural Center in Bangkok and China Tourism Office in Bangkok, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
Gu Hongxing, director of Bangkok's China Cultural Center and China Tourism Office, said film can not only introduce one's national culture, but also reflect unique social landscapes. Film has become an important part of cultural exchange between countries and enhance mutual understanding among people around the world.
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Yang Xin, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
Yang Xin, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, said since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand 45 years ago, the mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen, economic and trade cooperation has expanded, cultural exchanges have become closer, and all-around cooperation has achieved fruitful results. Both China and Thailand have a vast film market. As a traditional project of cultural exchanges between China and Thailand, the Bangkok Chinese Film Festival has laid a solid foundation for film cooperation between the two countries for 15 years and will add new drive to the promotion of cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Thailand.
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Itthiphol Kunplome, Thailand's minister of culture, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org] |
Thailand's Minister of Culture Itthiphol Kunplome said in his speech the governments and people of Thailand and China have been in constant exchange. Cooperation in various fields has developed steadily, and the film festival is another important event to further promote cultural exchanges between the two countries. The people of the two countries can promote their understanding of the cultures of both sides through films, and promote friendly relations and cooperation in other perspectives.
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