Experts call for filmmaking alliances

Industry experts at the ongoing 25th Shanghai International Film Festival are calling for the creation of new alliances for filmmakers at home and abroad to produce more efficient movie shooting and the promotion of films among Belt and Road countries and regions.

The Shanghai government called for the establishment of an alliance for film and TV shooting venues in the Yangtze River Delta region three years ago. Since then the alliance has been recommending shooting venues for TV and film projects, helping to allocate resources and providing other services for film and TV production.

It also strengthened communications between shooting venues, invited member institutions to important fairs and events, and bridged film projects with shooting venues and production services, according to Yu Zhiqing, secretary general of the alliance. Last year, the alliance published guidance for shooting film and TV in the Yangtze River Delta region. At a conference on June 10, Yu and members of the alliance shared with representatives from more than 30 Chinese cities the alliance's experience providing services for film and TV shooting.

According to Wang Chengmei from Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang province: "We opened a service hotline that provides 24-hour-a-day service, to answer questions about the shooting demands from TV and film productions, and respond to complaints and suggestions.

"No matter where you are or whatever time it is, we are right there to ensure filmmakers have good experiences shooting in Hengdian, and we have won high praise in the industry," she said.

Members of the alliance agreed that expanding collaboration with more institutions, corporations and film production service platforms is essential for the improvement of the market. Also, each shooting base should develop and highlight its unique advantages, and coordinate different institutions in the production chain.

The alliance also released a public proposal calling on film shooting bases and service providers all over China to build a unified system of service and a shared information center to achieve precision management and efficient allocation of resources for film and TV production.

An important part of the festival, the Belt and Road Film Week, kicked off on Saturday, with 20 outstanding films from countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative being showcased in Shanghai. It has been five years since the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance was founded at the SIFF, when the alliance expanded to 55 member institutions in 48 countries.

In 2017, the Chinese films Absurd Accident and Soul on a String were recommended for participation in the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia. Since then 115 films have been screened at various festivals.

Supported by the SIFF and under the framework of the alliance, Chinese film Anima Moerdaoga participated in the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival main competition in 2020 and the Iranian film Capernaum won the nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.

This year the Chinese film Absence, directed by Wu Lang, was screened on Saturday at the opening of the Belt and Road Film Week, and Wu spoke of his gratitude to the SIFF for its support for young filmmakers.

In 2019, the film script was presented at the SIFF Project, an integrated part of SIFF aimed at helping outstanding film projects get funding for production. This year, Absence premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival's Encounters section and received invitations to several other festivals.