Observers note that the 10th edition of the film market further strengthens its role as the gateway to China, the world’s fastest-growing film market. (Photo : China Entertainment News)
With a record attendance and increased participation from companies, the recently concluded 2015 Busan Asian Film Market’s 10th anniversary edition was pronounced successful. The four-day event was attended by 208 participating companies.
Observers noted that the 10th edition of the film market further strengthens its role as the gateway to China, the world's fastest-growing film market.
This year, leading film experts from South Korea taught Hollywood and other film markets a thing or two about entering China's film industry. South Korea has long been one of China's veteran partners, with investor-distributor CJ Entertainment having been in Beijing for the past decade.
Former CJ Entertainment insider Jacky Y.H. Liu shared his experience working with their Chinese counterparts during a forum on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
"Many countries want to enter China," said Liu, who now works as CEO of Huace Union Pictures. "The point of international co-productions is mostly sharing costs and foraying into a bigger market. But making the entry alone is not enough. Korea has been successful because joint film projects have helped diversify the genre of Chinese films and revamped the quality of local films."
Other top producers also spoke in the forum to provide a comprehensive introduction to not just a fast growing film market, but an ever-evolving one as well.
"While it is important to continue pursuing traditional film sales, we must play the role as a gateway to China in a solid way using various methods, and the intellectual property and star casting events are designed to serve those purposes," shared Busan-based director Jay Jeon.
Aside from advice on how to enter China's film market, the 2015 Busan Asian Film Market also introduced bilingual actors and actresses with promising talent, such as Taiwanese-Canadian Mark Chao, Taiwanese-French actress Sandrine Pinna and China-raised Korean actress Kim Go-eun.
Comparatively smaller than Cannes, the Busan film market provides plenty of opportunities for industry folks in Asia to stay on top of filmmaking trends.
