Film week spotlights future of Chinese online movies

The 2nd China Online Movie Week opened Wednesday in Anren ancient town on the outskirts of Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

Themed "A Promise of the Future", the three-day event, which will end on Friday, convenes filmmakers, academics and production companies from across the country to share views on the standardization and high-quality production of Chinese online movies.

It's also looking for ways to promote an innovative integration of big screen movies and online movies, as well as search for online film talents to inject new vitality into the development of China's film industry.

The idea of "online movies", widely referring to those screened on the internet instead of cinemas, first emerged in China in 2014. Broadcasted on China's Netflix-like service iQiyi, Tencent Video and Alibaba's Youku, such movies became popular among young people in a short time, especially those in third- and fourth-tier cities where access to theaters is not as easy as in big cities.

For a long time, Chinese online movies were centered around cheaply made comedies, eye-catching monk zombie movies and fantasy dramas until more realistic themes emerged in 2018.