An initiative launched by uniFrance films, these professional meetings between key players of the French and Chinese movie sectors were held in Beijing from December 18 to 19, 2013.
In the wake of a visit to Beijing by the French Minister for Culture and Communication, Aurélie Filippetti, in June 2013, uniFrance films decided to organize a series of professional meetings focusing on issues relating to the diversity of film production in France and China, and exploring ways in which to facilitate Franco-Chinese collaboration on film productions.
Despite differences in scale, both countries are currently facing similar challenges in the film distribution sector. France and China are both committed to defending their strong national movie industries, and participants at these meetings were able to exchange views on regulation systems that would allow both countries to maintain this commitment within the context of a global market. The subject of the diversity of film programming in theaters against a background of rapid expansion in the number of movie theaters in China at this time was particularly highlighted in discussions.
Two major issues of shared concern to both France and China were identified:
• Co-productions
The Nightingale by Philippe Muyl (which will be released in France in February 2014 and in China in the spring) will be followed by Wolf Totem by Jean-Jacques Annaud, which has just completed shooting in China and is slated for release in both countries at the end of 2014. Other co-production projects are currently in various stages of development and production.
• Film Distribution
The French delegation received a positive response from the Chinese authorities regarding increasing French films' access to Chinese audiences, notably as part of the French Film Panorama and the distribution of French films in special circumstances. The French movie professionals highlighted their intention to offer greater visibility to Chinese films distributed in France, notably concerning current co-production projects.
