Lucasfilm president talks films, China at festival
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 26, 2013
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Kathleen Kennedy |
Renowned American film producer and president of Lucasfilm shared her lifetime of filmmaking experience and also voiced her opinion on the development of China's film market at a symposium during the 3rd Beijing International Film Festival.
Kathleen Kennedy, the renowned American producer and president of Lucasfilm shared her lifetime of filmmaking experience and also voiced her opinion on the development of China’s film market at a symposium during the 3rd Beijing International Film Festival.
At the symposium titled "Where Creativity Meets Innovation," Kennedy commented that China’s film industry is developing faster than any other, except for the U.S. which has larger audiences and upgraded cinemas. And 75 percent of Chinese cinemas are capable of screening 3D films. “This is amazing and I'm willing to partner with Chinese friends," she said.
Kennedy added that Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm had ensured that two of the world’s leading film production companies could nurture young filmmakers. Currently the Walt Disney Company is cooperating with the National Animation Center of Innovation Research & Development in Beijing to cultivate Chinese domestic animators and develop original animation works.
"I feel pretty excited about working with China and hope to export Chinese stories and culture during this cooperation, which is really very meaningful to the Disney Company," she said.
The producer also revealed that Lucasfilm is in China partly in search of ideas but that there were no substantial plans as yet. Commenting on the ability of Chinese films to go global, Kennedy revealed that the key lies in storytelling and working on "how to move people's hearts."
Having worked with Hollywood giants such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Kennedy said that she has seen lots of films which have pushed technological boundaries, and with it pushed the boundaries of people's storytelling ability.
"Each year new technology is materializing a world which we could only imagine before," she said.
With Lucasfilms and Disney co-producing the new -- and final -- Star Wars trilogy, Kathleen Kennedy, as the co-producer of the previous series, also discussed her ideas regarding innovation and filmmaking. "How to make it an efficient process, how to do it better or how to present unprecedented experience to the audiences, that’s what we should think about for the business," she explained.
Kathleen Kennedy became president of Lucasfilm in October 2012 and the brand manager of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises after The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for over US$4 billion in December 2012. It was then announced that the first project under her stewardship will be Star Wars Episode VII which is scheduled for release in 2015.
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