Movie going is expanding rapidly in China with the rise of middle-class incomes. Currently, there at 30,000 screens in China vs 39,000 in the US with 15 being built every day, included in most shopping complexes. A trip to the cinema is an annual event in China vs four times a year in the US, so there is enormous market potential.There are three ways Australian filmmakers can get involved in the Chinese film industry:
- make a film for release in China, however, the number of foreign films are currently limited to 34 a year
- partner with a local film production company
- explore options under treaty’s such as the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA)
A local Australian company LJM Productions currently has a number of films in the making under the third option. Founder Lesley Hammond says that with very few films suitable for audiences in China as well as the west, their films aim to bridge cultural challenges for broader audience appeal.
For example, the comedy “Beijing Cowboy” sees a Chinese graduate working on an Australian Dairy farm, and with a boy meets girl scenario is torn between his family responsibilities in China versus his new lifestyle in Australia.
How to get involved
Lesley and the team at LJM Productions are currently looking for financing for their four films. They are exhibiting at the ABF Australian Pavilion at the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) held in Xiamen, China from 8-11 September 2016.
