Taking on Hollywood from China's Silk Road
- By Daniel Xu
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 8, 2017
Forming an alliance
Each day of the weeklong film festival in Fuzhou this year included forums, promotional activities or signing ceremonies, where organizers aimed to connect industry professionals and establish "cooperation" agreements among representatives from over 60 countries participating in the event.
Film industry representatives from nine countries formed the Silk Road Film Industry Trading Platform and Alliance in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, on Dec. 3, 2017. [Photo by Sun Tao/China.org.cn]
On Dec. 3, the last day of the festival, industry representatives from nine countries including France, Sierra Leone and Singapore formed the Silk Road Film Industry Trading Platform and Alliance, agreeing to co-produce 19 pictures and helping to establish a foundation for future collaborations.
"As this platform continues to mature, I believe there will be even more film production cooperation between countries along the Belt and Road routes," said Miao Xiaotian, CEO of the China Film Co-Production Corporation and organizer of the alliance.
Zhu said there are practical advantages to co-productions and other such joint projects between Chinese and foreign industries. For one, these movies circumvent the import quota set by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, as they are considered to be domestic productions by regulators.
For another, these co-productions go beyond location shooting and involve filmmakers on two or more sides collaborating throughout the creative process. Zhu said this creates a basis for meaningful cultural exchange, which can lead to the success of the production in both markets.
He brought up the example of "Kung Fu Yoga," a union between two of the largest movie markets -- China and India -- that grossed over US$250 million worldwide. At the film festival in Fuzhou, Jackie Chan was named the Golden Silk Road Actor of the Year for his performance in the leading role.
Despite its overall financial success, the movie only managed a meager US$362,000 in the United States according to tracking site Box Office Mojo, demonstrating the persistent struggles of Chinese movies attempting to break into American theaters. Foreign critics received the film poorly as well, scoring it a dismal 53 percent on film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.
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