From April 1 through 30, Unifrance and the French Embassy in China are hosting the 2009 French Film Panorama, to be held in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Canton.
The festival will present a selection of recent French feature films and short films put together in collaboration with the Chinese film authorities. Chinese audiences will have the chance to see a high quality collection of new titles that reflect the current diversity of French film genres. Films will be screened at several theaters and multiplexes around the country in original French version with Chinese subtitles, followed by discussions with audiences.
An artistic delegation of a dozen internationally renowned French actors and directors led by Juliette Binoche will be in China for the first leg of the festival. They will also be joined by distributors and producers. All the film crew members attending the event will take part in an active schedule of promotional events organized with the Chinese media. Sina.com and CCTV6 will be responsible for covering the festival, with television studio events and an internet platform devoted to French actors and directors.
The opening ceremony will take place in Beijing on April 9, featuring a screening of Paris by Cédric Klapisch, in the presence of Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris and the film’s director. After this event in the Chinese capital, the artistic delegation will travel to Shanghai, Chengdu, and Canton to meet with Chinese audiences.
These promotional activities for French films with Chinese film buyers, media, and audiences will also provide an opportunity to introduce the latest generation of French "icons", with the aim of boosting the distribution of French films in the Chinese market.
The Panorama event benefits from support from the Société Générale Group, LVT, Groupama, the Gan Cinema Foundation, Air France, China Southern, Carrefour, Novotel Peace Beijing, Sofitel Hyland, The French Cultural Center, and the Alliance Française.
