Jean Reno and Jérôme Seydoux will lead the French delegation at China’s 3rd Panorama of French Films.
Unifrance will launch the 3rd Panorama of French Films on Thursday February 9 in Beijing. This third edition of the event, which is part of continued initiatives in action since 2003 aimed at boosting French film distribution in China, is hosted by Unifrance, with support from the French Embassy in China. It is to be held from February 9 through 14 in three cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.
The selection of the 12 films showcased at the event was made in conjunction with the Chinese film sector authorities.
"Empire of the Wolves" by Chris Nahon, distributed by Huaxia/Star Image, will open the Panorama, in the presence of Jean Reno and Jocelyn Quivrin. Three films acquired by Tang media are also included in the program: "Merry Christmas" by Christian Carion, "Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé" by Stéphane Brizé and "Zaina, Rider of the Atlas" by Bourlem Guerdjou. Two films acquired by Champs Lis, "Hidden" by Michael Haneke and "By the Pricking of My Thumbs" by Pascal Thomas complete the selection of films acquired in China.
The 6 other films in the Panorama program, which will no doubt find a buyer before the close of the event, are: "The Child" by Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, "Le Courage d’Aimer" by Claude Lelouch, "Frankie" by Fabienne Berthaud, "L’Avion" by Cédric Kahn, "Nina’s House" by Richard Dembo and "L’Anniversaire" by Diane Kurys.
The delegation led by Jérôme Seydoux, President of Pathé, will include five directors - Fabienne Berthaud, Stéphane Brizé, Bourlem Guerdjou, Cédric Kahn and Claude Lelouch - and five actors and actresses, headed by Jean Reno, Co-President of the French delegation, a highly popular name with Chinese audiences. He will be joined by Anne Consigny, Maiwen Le Besco, Jocelyn Quivrin and Florence Thomassin.
All members of film crews present at the event will take part in a busy program of promotional activities with the Chinese media, with the Beijing Cinematheque also presenting a retrospective of films starring Jean Reno. The Panorama will be held in two multiplexes in each city, with attractive ticket prices set at the equivalent of 2.5 euros (average ticket prices in China vary between 3.5 euros and 7 euros in multiplexes for weekend screenings). It is worth noting that in 2005, 30,000 spectators attended screenings at the Panorama.
There are nowadays around 2,500 movie screens operating in China, and, according to the China Film Office, 200 million movie tickets were sold last year. The Chinese cinema industry remains under state monopoly, with the production sector controlling the production, distribution and exhibition sectors.
The number of foreign films reaching audiences in China remains extremely limited. In 2004, 9 French films gained theatrical distribution in this territory, attracting 2 million spectators; in 2005, 7 films registered a total of 1.5 million spectators.
We must offer our congratulations to Chinese distribution companies such Tang Media, Champs Lis and Domo Media, who, alongside China Film and Hua Xia, show great commitment to bringing French cinema to Chinese audiences.
Finally, it is also important to remember that a large number of French film titles are broadcast on Chinese television, with CCTV6 devoting a considerable share of its programming to films.
The Panorama, an event that has been established thanks to the joint determination and efforts of the French Foreign Ministry and Unifrance, benefits from support from SG Private Banking, Air France, LVT, Groupama, Peugeot, Novotel Beijing, Sofitel Shanghai, Sofitel Chengdu, Tang Media, Vins de France, Carrefour and Mushi.
