Opening up boosts China's Film Industry

Photo:Annabelle Sheehan attended the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance Signing Ceremony

"New Zealand has been at the Shanghai International Film Festival multiple times with many films being shown here and we are proud of being part of The Belt and Road Film Week this year,” she added. The Belt and Road Film Week, which has received more than 1,300 film submissions from 50 countries, is a new program launched by the SIFF this year, based on the “Belt and Road” Film Culture Exchange Memorandum of Cooperation signed last year by countries including Hungary, Greece, Egypt, Philippines, Lithuania and India. According to Ms. Sheehan, New Zealand will introduce its co-production policies to Chinese film prodcution companies and guests from other markets during the Belt and Road Film Week.

Post-production cooperation with New Zealand boosts China’s film industry

Photo: Annabelle Sheehan at the release ceremony of The Meg

Cooperation with foreign film production companies has gained momentum with Chinese movies’ efforts to enter the global market and New Zealand has been a good partner. “Indeed, there are a number of Chinese films that have worked with New Zealand partners for visual effects, like Animal World, which is the opening night film of the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival and used a New Zealand visual effects company, Weta Digital and Weta Workshop. Other projects which have involved Chinese and New Zealand counterparts include The Meg, which was shot in New Zealand and starred by Chinese actress Li Bingbing, and “The Colors of China”, a project which is an official China and New Zealand co-production. We have co-production treaties with China for both film and television, so we can work via that treaty in a range of ways."

Documentary The Colors of China, a China-Germany-New Zealand co-production