International cooperation

In the era of the global village, international exchanges and cooperation have become easier and more frequent. Ranging from shooting coproductions to recruiting foreign talent and exploring overseas markets more deeply, the Chinese film industry has flexed its muscles to seek a bigger presence within the world's cinematic landscape.

The latest available figures show China has signed film coproduction agreements with 22 countries, including the United States, France, Russia, New Zealand, Japan and India. Nearly 250 coproductions were made between 2000 and 2019, 49 of which surpassed the 100 million box-office mark, according to China Film Co-Production Corp.

China Film's general manager Liu Chun says it has become common in recent years to see Chinese studios traveling abroad to shoot scenes or inviting foreign filmmakers to take part in domestic projects, especially in the areas of music, special effects and direction.

Some such projects have garnered attention from such world filmmakers as Danish two-time Palme d'Or winner Bille August, who directed the World War II film, The Chinese Widow, starring Liu Yifei in 2017, and British director Simon West－best known in China for his Lara Croft: Tomb Raider－who helmed the disaster film, Skyfire, in 2019.

Backed by bigger budgets or enticed by exotic flavors, more Chinese directors have been traveling overseas to film major scenes, as in Chen Sicheng's Detective Chinatown franchise with the three installments shot in Bangkok, New York and Tokyo.

But with the world still battling the pandemic, Liu says the company has received applications for 41 coproductions but none of them have yet started shooting.

Yu Dong, founder and chairman of Beijing-based studio Bona Film Group, says the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 had a huge impact on the Chinese film industry. He estimates around 10,000 small and medium-sized Chinese film companies have closed.