New Zealand film festival opens in China
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 18, 2018
The ninth New Zealand Film Festival, which will screen 12 films in three Chinese cities in the coming weeks, opened Tuesday in Beijing.
From April 17 to May 6, those 12 films from New Zealand will be exhibited in Beijing, Ordos and Chengdu, organizers announced at a sideline event of the Eighth Beijing International Film Festival.
The festival will screen eight feature films and four short films, with the 2017 comedy "Pork Pie" as the opening film. Other films include "The Changeover," "The Stolen," "3 Mile Limit," "Pirate Radio," "Chronesthesia" and "Possum."
Organized by New Zealand's Pacific Culture and Arts Exchange Center and coordinated by the China Film Archive, the festival has become an exchange and cooperative platform for filmmakers from both countries.
China's State Film Administration, the sponsor of the festival, released a congratulatory message stating that it hoped audiences in Beijing, Ordos and Chengdu will "enjoy New Zealand's unique local customs and film charms through these films, thus promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries."
Late last year, New Zealand and China marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two countries' film industries have already grown bigger and started working together on many projects since nine years ago. This relationship has been flourished over recent years, most notably with the signing of the Film Co-production Agreement in 2010 and the inking of the landmark Television Program Co-production Agreement in 2014.
New Zealand Ambassador to China John McKinnon said on behalf of the New Zealand Film Commission in China that he has seen the strength of the screen-sector relationships in China, most evidently through the large delegation of leading New Zealand film companies such as Weta Workshop and Park Road Post that visited Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing last November.
"Film festivals, such as the New Zealand Film Festival in China, are not just an opportunity for filmmakers and industry, but also play a valuable role in strengthening ties between our two countries," McKinnon said, pointing out that the selection of films this year will impress people across the three cities and allow them to gain a better understanding of New Zealand society, culture and humor.
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