As international films target China as the next big audience, filmmakers are getting careful not to offend the Chinese audience. (Photo : Reuters)
As China becomes the next market for international films, the Chinese audience gains centerstage attention from producers and directors wanting to gain entry to this vast market. All manner of concerns about the Chinese audience are currently being taken into consideration, from cultural offensive to political neutrality. Filmmakers are getting careful not to offend the vast target audience.
Rob Cain, a film expert behind Chinafilmbiz.com said: "The centre of gravity is shifting so rapidly from Hollywood to China."
Cain's pronouncement implies that not only the audience is coming from China but the capital as well.
The Chinese government supports most of the movie deals, aiming to enhance China's image by way of how the Chinese people are depicted in the films. The deals are in line with President Xi Jinping's overall cultural program, which aims to promote cultural harmonies among neighboring countries and cultures.
TJ Green, a former Warner Bros. executive who is now building theaters across China, said: "Because of the importance of the Chinese market to Hollywood, no one wants to make movies that offend China."
Local Chinese studios are seen to have grown in number. Among these studios are Alibaba Pictures, Bona Film, Huayi Bros., and the state-run China Film Group.
The man considered to be the architect of these media deals is former Shanghai media official Li Ruigang. Li said that they are talking to all the major Hollywood studios.
Li added: "But we're also developing our own original Chinese stories. We want it to be high-quality animation that can be distributed globally."
