China's only international film festival is working to attract
more participants from the world film industry and to create a
market-friendly environment for joint projects between Chinese and
foreign filmmakers, the festival organizers said here on
Thursday.
Kicking off the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF)'s
international promotion efforts in Beverly Hills, officials said
the festival's affiliated Film Mart will be expanded later this
year to cater for more international buyers, film sales companies
and filmmakers. "With the sound development of Chinese economy,
Chinese film industry is focusing more on serving the needs of the
market, and the Shanghai International Film Festival is at the
forefront of these initiatives," said Yan Kang, the executive
vice-chairwoman of the festival's organizing committee.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the SIFF is looking
to facilitate increased collaboration between China and the rest of
the world in the coming years, Kang told a gathering of Hollywood
journalists, including those from entertainment publications like
the Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
Kang said the SIFF, which is hosted by Chinese State
Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT) and the Municipal
Government of Shanghai, has become the preeminent gateway to the
burgeoning Chinese film market. As a top-class festival, SIFF is
now recognized for its diverse programming and market initiatives
and attracts world-renowned Asian and international filmmakers and
talent to Shanghai. In 2006 the festival held its first
China-Europe Cooperation Forum, which led to 11 joint production
deals and was instrumentalin securing the joint project deal for
the critically acclaimed The Painted Veil, between Warner
Bros. and China Film Group Company.
The 2007 Shanghai International Film Festival, which runs from
June 16 to 24, will increase audience participation by establishing
new Audience Awards for Chinese and foreign films. The festival's
Asian New Talent Award, introduced three years ago, will provide a
Grand Prize of US$40,000 this year to encourage the international
film community to recognize recognize young Asian film makers.
Many A-list stars, including Meryl Streep, Sophia Loren and
Catherine Deneuve, as well as famous filmmakers like Oscar-winning
producer Arnold Kopelson (The Platoon, 1987) and French
director Luc Besson, who was the festival's jury chairman last
year, have attended the festival.
Through the Shanghai International Film Festival, which
attracted over 1,000 journalists from across the world last year,
the Chinese film industry is gaining more and more attention from
filmmakers home and abroad, Kang said.
"We expect there to be more worldwide attention than ever this
year, with the introduction of our new initiatives and the added
attraction of the celebrations for the festival's 10th anniversary,
a landmark occasion for the Chinese film industry," she said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2007)
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