Twenty foreign films being shown in Sanya are bringing brand new
images to Chinese audiences during the on-going national film
festival in this beach resort of China's southernmost province of
Hainan.
These foreign films from 16 countries will compete for eight
awards -- two of each for the most popular foreign films,
directors, actors and actresses -- which will be granted by the
common Chinese audience at the 14th Golden Rooster and Hundred
Flowers Film Festival, China's most prestigious film contest, held
annually.
The 20 foreign films, including
The Aryan Couple directed
by John Daly from the United States,
Blood Tears by Kim
Dae-Seung from the Republic of Korea,
Love's Brother by
Jan Sardi from Australia, and
Schiller by Martin Weinhart
from Germany, were produced during 2004 and 2005 and are being
shown in China for the first time.
Steven Roeder, a film producer from the United States,
said that he had not expected to win an award at the festival, but
he did try to seek business opportunities for cooperation with
Chinese partners.
"Given the huge market in China, I want to find out what kinds
of films Chinese audiences like and I want to expand distribution
of my films in China," said Marek Vesely, a film maker from
Czechoslovakia.
Films from different countries and with different cultural
backgrounds can provide Chinese film makers access to better
understanding of foreign movies and bring broad views and
inspiration to Chinese film makers, said Kang Jianmin, executive
vice chairman of the China Film Association.
These films can also provide the Chinese common audience easy
access to understanding foreign cultures, said Qi Song, an official
in charge of the international films show of the 14th Golden
Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
Awarding foreign films at the national film festival will prompt
more international films to come to China, said a foreigner present
at the film festival.
Since feature film The Fugitive was introduced into
China in 1994, overseas blockbusters have been imported to the
country by 20 each year and the number has risen to 26 after
2004.
China has the world's biggest film market, with its market
potential standing at 15 billion to 20 billion yuan (US$246
million), which is expected to grow to 50 billion yuan in ten
years, said Tong Gang, head of the State Administration of Radio,
Film and Television.
Many foreign film makers regard China's movie market as a
"diamond mine." Some foreign film firms such as Warner Brothers
Inc. have cooperated with Chinese companies to launch cinemas in
Shanghai, Tianjin, Dalian, Wuhan and other Chinese cities as China
loosens control on foreign funds flowing into film screening
industry in the country.
"It is understandable that foreign filmmaking firms are urgently
finding out what the Chinese audience likes, to explore the great
potential of the China market," said Liu Jun, a research fellow
with the Film Research Institute of the Beijing Film Academy. "The
national film festival is no doubt the best 'touchstone'."
From a different point of view, Liu said, granting foreign
movies awards at China's national film festival also demonstrate
the ambition of Chinese filmmaking circles to explore the
international market, which is good to both Chinese movies and the
national film festival.
Due to lack of exchange with the foreign movie
markets, almost no Chinese film was shown in western countries in
the past.
The international film show at the current film festival was an
initial step for Chinese movies to "melt into" the international
filmmaking industry, said Yu Lan, a prestigious actress in
China.
"With the first step taken, the second and third steps will
surely follow," she said.
?
(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2005)