Roundup: Chinese cinema on campaign to win over French public

The fifth Festival of Chinese Cinema in France (FCCF) is underway through June 30 here, the city where the event was first initiated nine years ago.

The opening night on Wednesday brought together cinema professionals, French and Chinese officials, and performers, as well as a full house of people for a screening of director Zhang Yibai's 'Fleet of Time,' a Chinese box office hit. The evening gave partners from both countries the opportunity to renew their mutual commitments for an ambitious and rich cultural exchange.

Launched on May 11 on the Champs-Elysees of Paris at the historic Cinema Gaumont-Marignan, the FCCF chose to begin its tour of France in Strasbourg before screenings in cinemas in the Hexagone: Lyon, Marseille, Cannes, Biarritz, as well as on the French territory of the Island of Reunion. Ten films, all previously unreleased in France, will be shown during the festival.

Strasbourg was not chosen by accident to be the first city outside Paris to show 'Fleet of Time', 'Brotherhood of Blades', 'Blind Massage,' or 'The Great Hypnotist.'

"It has already been nine years since, thanks to a very good relationship with the Chinese Consulate in Strasbourg, we wanted to establish an event around Chinese film. In France, this kind of festival doesn't exist other than an Asian film festival in Deauville, and the one for three continents in Nantes," Xinhua learned from Faruk Gunaltay, the director of Odyssee cinema, which is hosting the FCCP in Strasbourg.

"Although still in the minority on the French scene, Chinese cinema is meeting today with keen interest," affirmed the director. "It has developed greatly both in terms of quality and quantity."

The president of the Confucius Institute in Alsace, Michel Cheray holds the same perspective on "the profound evolution" of Chinese cinema and underlined his "ambition to renew the appetite of the French public."

The Consul General of China in Strasbourg, He Yanjun, was delighted: "This event was a grand success. Among my French friends, but also in the consular corps, there is a growing interest."

"The Chinese cultural presence in Eastern France is no longer limited to Peking duck and egg rolls!" the Consul General joked.

"Strasbourg, at the heart of Europe, plays a pioneering role. Thanks to events such as this, China and France, two millennial cultures which have natural and reciprocal attraction, show that, beyond commercial trade, cultural exchanges are a priority for the two countries," he explained more seriously, adding, "Cinema is a tool, a bridge which reinforces the friendship between our two peoples."

The director of the Cultural Center of China in Paris, Yin Fu, who presides over the FCCF alongside Jerome Seydoux of Groupe Pathe, shares the same enthusiasm: "This festival has become a date not to be missed for cinephiles. We have been working already in partnership with local media toward the next edition in order to extend its influence."

As well, Franco-Chinese meetings during the Cannes Film Festival in cooperation with the CNC has given very positive results, Yin said.

"Seven coproduction projects under consideration are now in the course of development," said Yin.

Chinese cinema is in full expansion, reminds the president of the FCCF: "The Chinese market is already the second in the world after the United States. It has undergone a very strong and rewarding growth. According to forecasts, it should become number one in two years."

Standing as an example, Zhang Yibai's 'Fleet of Time', featured on the FCCF publicity posters, was a box office smash, earning nearly 585 million Chinese yuan (around 94 million U.S. dollars).

The generational comedy, adapted from a popular novel by Jiu Yehui, and also having been adapted into a television series, tells the story of five friends who meet in high school during the 90s and take a sentimental journey up until modern times. Representative of a genre that is very popular with Chinese moviegoers, the film was also released in the United States under the title, 'Back in Time.'

"A romantic film which, I hope, will remind you of your youth," commented supporting actress Zhang Zixuan, who came from Beijing for the express purpose of presenting the film in France. Endit