Filmmakers Champion Development Of China’s Film Industry At MPA Film Workshop
BEIJING/SINGAPORE – The Motion Picture Association (MPA) joined today with the Beijing International Film Festival and the Beijing Film Market to host the MPA BJIFF BFM Film Workshop. The masterclass brought together local and international industry experts to identify and assess how China’s film industry continues to mature and evolve. The event was staged as a hybrid affair at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Centre with international guests joining by video link.
Opening remarks were delivered by Charles H. Rivkin, Chairman & CEO of the MPA and Joe Russo, Director of Captain America: Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Delivering the first keynote, William Feng, Head of Greater China & Vice President Asia Pacific, MPA, spoke about the close collaboration between the U.S. and China film industries: “In recent years, the MPA and its member studios have contributed in various ways to assist with the modernization of the Chinese film industry. By organizing numerous co-production forums and film screenings, we not only promoted co-production films, but also helped nurture a new breed of industry professionals for the Chinese film industry.”
Liu Chun, President of China Film Co-production Corporation (CFCC), noted in his keynote that CFCC had assisted with providing services to international co-production projects over the past few years. “We have engaged with the MPA member studios’ Beijing offices to get to know their co-production ideas. We are very pleased to see that there are several well-established production companies and studios with intentions to co-produce projects with considerable budgets. So, I think co-productions will have an even broader market in the future, and CFCC will extend as much help as possible to the filmmakers.”
This year’s masterclass discussion focused on the continuing expansion and industrialization of the Chinese film industry. Moderator James Li, Co-founder of Fanink, was joined by Ellen Eliasoph, President and CEO of Perfect Village Entertainment Group, André Morgan, Producer of Million Dollar Baby and Warlords, Jerry Ye, Founder & Chairman of Qing Song Films, and Gillian Zhao, President of Warner Bros, China.
Ellen Eliasoph said she had witnessed the improvement of the Chinese film industry throughout her career, saying that Chinese filmmakers had made great progress across all facets of the industry. “They have already found the winning formula to produce high quality films. Take the Chinese blockbuster film, The Eight Hundred, which just released over the weekend. It is a 100% Chinese story with Chinese investment, but they invited a foreign visual effects team to assist with the post production – which made for a very successful formula.”
Andre Morgan agreed. “When I look back at the last 20-25 years of working in China, I think it’s safe to say that the Chinese film industry has made great progress in all regards, from the quality of the screenplay, to the quality of the technicians, cinematographers, the production designers, and the actors. I think it meets an international standard.”
Looking to future challenges, Jerry Ye, said, “I think there are two ways that we need to improve the Chinese film production system: Talent training and production creativity. The market needs diversified talents, filmmakers with a wide-ranging knowledge and ability to perform their roles. Similarly, understanding an audience’s tastes, interpreting data analysis, and having a feel for film investment could be vital to the success of young filmmakers. We are really thankful that MPA has launched several training programs to this end.”
“Co-productions can be a great solution for talent training,” says Gillian Zhao. “We co-produced The Meg in 2018, which gave us an opportunity to experience the Hollywood production system. While young Chinese filmmakers are provided with the fundamentals at film school, they don’t get enough opportunities on physical productions. It would take a long time for them to figure out how to use the technology and develop the shooting methods by themselves; however the chance to join a Hollywood production would fast-track their learning experience.”
Belinda Lui, President and Managing Director Asia Pacific MPA, said, “MPA is proud to have been a partner of the Beijing International Film Festival since its inception, and we offer our warmest congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the Festival. Today’s informative conversations highlighted the incredible resilience and innovation in China’s film industry over the last decade, and signal a future pathway for even greater collaboration, creativity and success.”
The film workshop was also the perfect platform to launch the 11th funding round for the feature film development fund offered by the MPA and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Belinda Lui said, “We are also delighted to open the 11th MPA APSA Academy Film Fund once again during the Beijing International Film Festival. This region is flourishing with exciting stories, bursting to be told, and our expert Jury looks forward to receiving another terrific round of diverse submissions.”
Heading the Jury in 2020 is esteemed Australian film distributor, historian and documentary filmmaker Andrew Pike OAM. He is joined by returning panelist Kiki Fung (Hong Kong, PRC) renowned film curator, film critic and current Programmer for Hong Kong International Film Festival, and Meiske Taurisia, and award-winning producer and champion of Indonesian independent cinema.
The fund awards four development grants of US$25,000 annually in the region’s storytellers to help develop and showcase the rich storytelling traditions of the region. To date, 40 projects from 22 countries and areas of the Asia Pacific have been supported through the initiative, with recipients including both emerging talent and established auteurs.
Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and its Academy Jaclyn McLendon, said, “There has never been a more urgent time to support the creative voices of Asia Pacific, and by opening the 11th round of the fund at this time, we hope to send a message of solidarity across the region. Over the last ten years, the consistent feedback we have heard from our fund recipients is that, over and above the resources to help develop the project, it is the backing and endorsement of the MPA and APSA that has assisted filmmakers in attracting investors, creating confidence in the project and its market potential.”
View images from the MPA FILM WORKSHOP here.
View the message from Joe Russo, Director of Avengers: Endgame, here.
View the 2020 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund launch video here.
View the 2020 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund trailer here.
Find out more about the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund here.