Trio of events focus on US-China

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Industry News

A trio of events focusing on film industry relations between the US and China will take place between now and the beginning of the American Film Market (2-9 Nov), which will see a larger than ever Chinese presence.

The Motion Picture Association of America Inc (MPAA), which represents the interests of the six 'Hollywood Majors', and China Film Co-Production Corporation 中國電影合作製片公司 are to host an eight film festival of US-Chinese co-production in Washington DC on 1-2 Nov.

Rival Californian universities UCLA and USC have put together a two-day Media and Culture in Contemporary China conference, which includes an appearance by TV producer ZHANG Jizhong 張紀中 (pictured). It is presented by their UCLA-USC Joint East Asian Studies Center.

Separately, the Asia Society's Southern California's Entertainment & Media/Asia Initiative (EMAsia) is putting on a two-part panel discussion on US-China film collaborations in financing, co-production, marketing and distribution on 1 Nov.

The panel discussions involve director Dayyan ENG 伍仕賢 together with high-profile executives Ryan KAVANAUGH, CEO of Relativity Media LLC, Dan MINTZ, Ivy Zhong (鐘麗芳, president of Beijing Galloping Horse Film Co Ltd 北京小馬奔騰影業有限公司), David LINDE and Transformers producer Tom DeSanto. They will be moderated by lawyer Stephen SALTZMAN (Loeb & Loeb LLP) and banker Bennett Pozil (East-West Bank).

The events also follow the 2011 Chinese American Film Festival held in San Francisco on 27-28 Oct.

The MPAA does not explain the criteria by which it selected its titles, but names six of them as Love in Space 全球熱戀 (2011), Shanghai (2010), Red Cliff 赤壁 (2008), Red Cliff II 赤壁：決戰天下 (2009), Waiting in Beijing 北京等待 (2008) and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan 雪花秘扇 (2011) to be attended by the film's producer, Wendi DENG MURDOCH 鄧文迪.

China is one of the biggest movie markets globally, and also the one with the greatest potential growth. The number of films produced in China grew from 82 in 2000 to 526 in 2010. Box office, which passed $1.5 billion in 2010, is forecast to reach $5 billion by 2015. The number of cinema screens has increased to 6,200 and is expected to more than double to 16,500 by 2015.

 
Look out for Film Business Asia's report on China-US relations and analysis of Asian film distribution in North America in our upcoming American Film market special issue available in Santa Monica from 2 Nov.

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