China uses the Cannes film market to promote domestic films to "go out to sea"

The 70th Cannes International Film Festival is in progress. Although no Chinese-language films are participating in the competition for the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest award, the booths of China companies are particularly eye-catching in the film market, with new faces and new models appearing frequently, actively promoting domestic films to "go out to sea."

The 70th Cannes International Film Festival is in progress. Although no Chinese-language films are participating in the competition for the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest award, the booths of China companies are particularly eye-catching in the film market, with new faces and new models appearing frequently, actively promoting domestic films to "go out to sea."

China Film Overseas Promotion Company is an important platform for promoting domestic films to "go to sea". This year, it has brought more than 50 films including "Hundred Birds Facing the Phoenix","Juvenile Babylon","Heart Maze" and "Bloody Battle of Xiangjiang River", which have attracted the attention of many foreign buyers.

Gu Guoqing, the company's general manager, told reporters that the films promoted include the main theme of "Bloody Battle of Xiangjiang River", the anti-corruption theme of "Different Fireworks", and the animated film "New Big Son and Small Big Dad", which collectively represent the mainstream film market in China. It has received more than 60 buyers in two days.

He said that China action films and martial arts films have always been sought after in foreign markets, but with the development of film production in China, various types of films are attractive to foreign buyers. At present, buyers from India and South Korea have expressed interest in purchasing "Bloody Battle of Xiangjiang River".

There are some new faces in China in the Cannes film market this year. According to industry insiders, with the rapid development of China's film market, the number of films produced in China has exceeded 700 each year, and export demand has increased. Many practitioners are no longer limited to introducing foreign films, and have begun to set up booths to represent original films to join the "sea army." Lemon Tree Culture Communication Co., Ltd. is one of them.

This year, the company has set up a booth in the film market for the first time with domestic films such as the documentaries "I Repair Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City" and "The Gate of Life", the drama films "Holding the Heart with the Heart" and "The Picture of the Yangtze River", and the animated films "Firefly" and "The Hedgehog Boy 2"., seeking international buyers.

Li Tianqi, the company's overseas sales assistant, told reporters that these works have attracted the interest of many buyers in North America, Japan, South Korea, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. For example, although "Keep the Heart in Mind" is produced at a low cost, it is very popular, and buyers such as Australia and New Zealand hope to purchase and distribute it.

In addition, the domestic popular documentary "I Repair Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City" had a strong response when it was previously unveiled at the Hong Kong International Film and Television Exhibition. This time, it came to Cannes and hoped to be distributed in overseas theaters. Li Tianqi said that sales performance is not the only consideration during the process of "going out to sea", and how to enhance the overseas influence of China culture will also be considered.

Li Tianqi said that domestic animated films and action films have the highest international recognition, while the overseas distribution of artistic films and documentaries is influenced by many factors such as film themes and awards. The rapid improvement in the quality of domestic films in recent years, coupled with the widespread spread of China culture, have had a positive impact on the overseas distribution of domestic films.

It is worth mentioning that this year, in addition to seeking international distribution of films, China exhibitors have also begun to export on platforms. The domestic live broadcast platform-Dream Live came to the Cannes Film Market to set up a booth to promote its mobile client and the "live broadcast + film and television" model.

Wu Yunsong, president of the company, said that live streaming is becoming a new generation of social networking and has a far-reaching impact on the film and television industry. The "live broadcast + film and television" model can intervene from film and television promotion, movie box office, fan gathering, star development, IP incubation, etc., involving the entire industry chain, and provides ordinary people with star dreams with the opportunity to grow into "Internet celebrity" participating in film and television performances. Although this model is currently not well known to international filmmakers, it has attracted the interest of many foreign mainstream media.

This year's Cannes International Film Festival film market attracted nearly 12,000 film industry insiders from more than 100 countries and regions. Official statistics show that the number of participants in China has increased significantly in recent years. In 2016, nearly 500 people in China registered to participate in film market-related activities, a year-on-year increase of more than 30%.

Editor: Nancy