Chinese Moviemakers Look to Break into a Worldwide Audience
By Movieguide® Contributor
With an influx in production, Chinese moviemakers are hoping to break out of their country and make movies for the entire world to see.
While political tension has caused difficulties for Chinese creatives in recent years, it appears that they are beginning to thaw within entertainment, leading to more opportunities for Hollywood hits to release in China and for Chinese movies to reach a global audience.
At this year’s FilMart exhibition, 40% of all participants came from China.
“That’s a pretty significant proportion and they are very active in the market, both buying and selling, and making announcements,” said Candas Yeung, who is taking over as the head of FilMart later this year. “Clearly, Hong Kong remains a crucial intermediate link between mainland Chinese and the rest of the world’s entertainment industry.”
“We will try to support them through things like business-matching efforts and to help these companies promote their films and provide opportunities for financing, networking and collaboration,” he continued.
Chinese movies have struggled with worldwide distribution recently, even when they have had the potential for broad appeal.
“International film festivals are also very important for connections,” indie director Jia Zhangke told Variety. “For the past few years not many Chinese films have been selected [at festivals], so some young Chinese directors may have thought there was a boycott. I don’t believe there was anything political in this, but rather due to the difficulty of travel and accommodations.”
Hollywood has faced a similar situation when trying to get its movies shown in China. Over the past two years, less than 15% of all movies shown in China have originated outside of the country.
“Negotiations and sales to mainland China – the main attraction of Hong Kong – have become unpredictable,” said Susanne Davis, an executive at European Film Promotion. “But there seems to be a slight return in terms of acquisitions in China.”
The low rate of penetration into the market is further impeded by significant competition from Chinese moviemakers who produce movies for a domestic audience.
“The Chinese cinema market is working pretty well. So, lots of Chinese directors are making films that just cater to the domestic market,” Zhangke explained. “In terms of cinema language and also topics, these may be quite localized.”
Nonetheless, Hollywood continues to try to infiltrate the Chinese market whenever possible. This effort is highlighted in a recently released documentary, HOLLYWOOD TAKEOVER: CHINA’S CONTROL IN THE FILM INDUSTRY.
Movieguide® previously reported:
HOLLYWOOD TAKEOVER: CHINA’S CONTROL IN THE FIM INDUSTRY is an important documentary on Epoch TV. The movie is told partly from the perspective of Chris Fenton, a Hollywood producer who helped arrange deals with companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party to get movies into theaters in China. The deals included such hit movies as LOOPER with Bruce Willis and IRON MAN 3 with Robert Downey. Jr. The movie includes interviews with Actor Kevin Sorbo, his wife, Sam, Actor Nick Searcy, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Tiffany Meier, who runs a news program called CHINA IN FOCUS, which gives viewers an understanding what’s really happening in China. Tiffany says the Party has been infiltrating not just movies but every aspect of life, changing the way people view the world.
HOLLYWOOD TAKEOVER is an eye-opening movie exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to use the American Entertainment Industry to undermine America, subvert liberty and establish global dominance. However, it also shows that some people in the Entertainment Industry and in America have begun fighting back. The question, is, is it too little, too late?
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