Chinese filmmakers are struggling with bureaucratic hurdles and different audience expectations in international co-productions, according to panelists at a “Belt and Road” discussion at SIFForum, the Shanghai International Film Festival’s industry dialogue sessions.
Yan Peng, deputy general manager of state-owned Huaxia Film Distribution suggested major regulatory and copyright issues impact Chinese producers seeking co-productions abroad.
“Differences exist across different regions regarding regulations on co-production project approval qualifications, lead-to-supporting actor ratios, investment proportions, and film censorship content,” said Yan. “From copyright to derivative IP rights, issues of inconsistency often exist. Also, distribution cycles and currency settlements across theatrical, streaming, and TV ends also differ which leads to cumbersome cross-border accounting.”
Yan also went on to suggest that differences in audience preferences, working customs and societal taboos often led to extended production cycles and fragmented release strategies.
Xie Meng, founder of arthouse distributor Rediance, emphasized that audiences preferences were moving from the global to the local.
