China is looking to re-establish international movie collaborations after a increasingly sour relationship with Hollywood has come into the spotlight.
The China Film Co-Production Corporation indicated the country's entertainment industry was ready to "restart international exchanges and cooperation in the field, including participating in [sic] festivals," Variety reported. The China Film Pavilion will be present at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 to encourage those relationships to reform. Despite the renewed interest, no Chinese representatives were present due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Hollywood's relationship with China has become increasingly strained over the last decade, after increased shifting regulations and strict policies in China have indirectly forced filmmakers in the West to arguably censor themselves, according to certain analysts and organizations. Failure to comply with Chinese policies, along with the Chinese government's apparent desire to promote national films, has resulted in blockbuster films such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness being banned in the country. In addition, features like Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore have been forced to undergo censorship edits. The China Film Pavilion at Cannes hopes to inspire "confidence in the development of the industry."
To encourage the formation of new international entertainment exchanges, China will introduce 24 "production companies, studios, festivals, copyright agencies and film academies" at Cannes and stream some of its recent blockbusters, including The Battle at Lake Changjin II.
The state of the Chinese film industry will also be discussed in forums at Cannes by prominent Chinese directors. The conversations will cover an “overview of the Chinese film industry in 2021, how art house films are imported and distributed in China, international distribution of Chinese films, experiences of project development shared by young producers from China, as well as how the Chinese film community will boost opportunities for future international collaboration after the COVID-19 shock.” The recordings are also available on the China Film Pavilion's online platform.
During what appeared to be a ban on the majority of Hollywood films, China's domestically produced blockbusters have seen notable success. These films include The Battle at Lake Changjin, a World War II action movie that, at the time of writing, has grossed over $913 million; and Too Cool To Kill, a comedy about an actor pretending to be an assassin, that netted $390 million worldwide.
Even prior to the pandemic, the Chinese film industry was performing well and was on track to surpass the value of the U.S box office. It broke multiple records in 2019 with box office figures hitting $9.3 billion, the number of films produced topping 1,000, and attendance numbers reportedly rising above 1.727 billion people. The China Film Co-Production Corporation has made some progress in returning its industry to pre-pandemic levels. In 2021, its box office intake was $7.4 billion and audience numbers were up to 1.167 billion.
Source: Variety