Movie co-productions show value of cultural relations
Chinese and French film companies have fine history of cooperating to create masterpieces
Sino-French co-productions, beginning in the 1950s, have played an important role in promoting cultural communication and exchanges between the two countries, industry insiders said.
They have also been praised for high artistic standards and distinctive Chinese elements.
In 2010, China and France signed an agreement in Beijing on film co-production. The initiative has provided legal-level support for the cooperation between the two countries in the sector and helped increase related projects.
Since then, more quality films have been produced via the agreement.
The Nightingale, a Sino-French co-production released in 2014, is one of them. The film was shot in China and produced in France. Director Philippe Muyl said he spent a year in China observing the Chinese people’s way of life before shooting.
The Nightingale tells a story about an elderly man’s unexpected journey with his 8-year-old granddaughter in mountainous southwestern China.
Muyl said the focus on family, a big part of Chinese culture, can resonate with people in other countries too.
The film was shown in France for five months. It has been shown in more than 20 international film festivals and its copyright has been sold to over 10 countries and regions worldwide.
Wolf Totem, screened in 2015 and adapted from the popular Chinese namesake novel, serves as another example of the SinoFrench film cooperation.
French director Jean-Jacques Annaud said the film explored the harmony between humanity and nature, as well as traditional Mongolian culture.
This year, Annaud has brought to Chinese film fans Notre-Dame On Fire, which was released on the Chinese mainland on April 7.
The film was recommended by French President Emmanuel Macron at his speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the 17th Croisements Festival, which kicked off on April 5 and will end in July.
Since its launch in 2006, the festival has continued to foster Sino-French cultural dialogues with exceptional scope and diversity.
Annaud told the Global Times newspaper that it was an honor for him to release the film on the Chinese mainland and he hoped audiences gain some insights from watching it.
After the massive Notre Dame Cathedral fire in 2019, cultural relic protection agencies around the world have been watching its developments. The iconic building in Paris is still under renovation and is expected to fully reopen in December 2024, according to the French government.
The French Cinema Panorama, which is a major part of the Croisements Festival, will lift its curtain on May 5 in Beijing as its first site in China.
The panorama, co-organized by UniFrance and the French embassy in China, will bring eight French films to Beijing audiences this year. These include The Family, Close, L’Innocent and Les Choses humaines.
Covering genres like comedy, tragedy and animation, these films tell the confusion of growth, the struggle of survival, unspeakable love and other topics. Many of them have won a number of awards at Cannes, Venice, Locarno and Beijing international film festivals, UniFrance said.
They will be shown at Beijing’s Broadway Cinematheque and a Broadway cinema at APM Shopping Mall from May 5 to 14.