Co-Production Forum Achieved Big Success

http://www.chinacoproduction.com 2008-06-25 China Film Co-Production Corporation

Written by Susan Xu

Chinese-Foreign Film Co-Production Forum was initiated in 2005, Beijing by China Film Co-Production Corporation and European Producers Club. It started with a two-day run event featuring one-day panel discussion and one-day individual meetings between 15 European producers and 40 Chinese producers. The first fruit of the forum was JADE WARRIOR, the first co-production between China and Finland which made great success both critically and commercially. From 2006, this forum was transferred to SIFF where greater platform and larger audience can be found, and expanded to non-European participants. Year 2007 witnessed an unprecedented booming of co-productions, a proof of forum achievement as well as matured market for Chinese-foreign film co-production.

Poster of JADE WARRIOR

During the 11th SIFF of 2008, CFCC together with SIFF have continued to set up a similar platform to discover and present projects proposed by both Chinese and overseas directors\producers, as to promote medium and low budget co-production projects to investors both at home and abroad. This year we received 162 submissions for CO-FPC and CFPC from different parts of the world and, after jury selection, 8 were announced for CFPC and 32 for CO-FPC respectively, with CO-FPC being focus on international co-production and CFPC on Chinese new directors.

During the panel discussion, 8 industry veterans from different parts of the world shared their hands-up experiences in working with Chinese crews in mainland China. They are Jiang Ping, Deputy Director-General, Film Bureau of State Administration of Radio, Film & TV; Michael Stephens, Chairman of New Zealand Asia Pacific Film Fund; Yu Dong, President of Beijing Poly Bona Film Distribution Co., Ltd£»See-Yuan Ng, Director, Chairman of Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers; Jason Reed, Executive Vice President, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production; Terence Chang, Producer of RED CLIFF; Satoru ISEKI from Tara Contents Inc, Producer of THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN and BATTLE OF WITS; Wang Tianyun, Vice President, Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Jiang Ping, on behalf of the Film Bureau, delivered a message of further opening up of industry policy to overseas partners. Zhang Xun, President of China Film Co-production Corporation, moderated the panel and expressed the warm welcome to overseas filmmakers and promise of excellent service provision for broader cooperation and better attainment.

On the second day of the forum, 40 selected projects participated in Co-Pitch & Catch. All project presenters had a chance to engage in one-day individual meetings with 45 potential investors and buyers. Over 30 pitching projects have reached co-production intent at the end of day. At the closing ceremony two projects were rewarded as "Most Promising Project" after evaluation by industry veterans and buyers. The two winning projects won 150,000RMB each, and each of the 8 CFPC projects won 80,000RMB, both provided by Technicolour, a major sponsor to the 11th SIFF. 

 

Scene of CFPC

This co-production forum attracted filmmakers including Wang Chao, director of DAY AND NIGHT and LUXY CAR, Sherwood Hu, director of KING OF LANLING and LANI LOI STORY, Yang Shupeng, director of BITTER BAMBOO GROVE, which won the “Most Promising Project” of 2007’s Co-FPC. It is expected that through Co-FPC more foreign projects and capital will be brought into Chinese market, creating a broader horizon for Chinese industry people to work with international partners.

 

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