Venice Days and Bridging the Dragon for the China Film Forum at Venice

What makes this year’s third edition of the China Film Forum so special is that it is the fruit of a partnership between Venice Days and international network Bridging the Dragon, together with Doc.it. The event is due to be held at the Venice Film Festival on 2 September, and will be dedicated to themes, stories and creative projects linking Europe and China.

Every year, Venice Days reserves a special part of its programme for exploring the dramatically changing film and audiovisual industry in China in relation to European and Italian creativity. The China Film Forum (which has been organised for the last three years in conjunction with In Thinker Studio and Youthminds) has, thanks to this partnership with Bridging the Dragon – an international organisation set up to bring European authors and operators together –, become a key event for developing ideas and forms of expression shared by cultures as different as they are in favour of working together more closely.

The event will kick off on 1 September with the arrival in Venice of the participants of the second round of development and co-production projects launched with the support of Bridging the Dragon, following two days of workshops hosted in Italy thanks to the support of the Trentino Film Commission, for an evening of ‘matchmaking’ at the Villa degli Autori.

On 2 September, in the Spazio dell’Ente dello Spettacolo at the Excelsior Hotel, the third edition of the China Film Forum at Venice Days will be held, and will be attended by Italian and Chinese authors such as screenwriter Lu Wei (Farewell My Concubine, Tuya’s Marriage), Shu Huan (the creator of Lost in Thailand, Lost in Hong Kong, two of the biggest box office champions in the history of Chinese cinema) and screenwriter Yuan Yuan (Goodbye Mr Tumor, the Chinese nominee for the 2015 Oscars). Attending the event with them, among others, and representing Italian film authors, will be the president of 100 Autori, Francesco Bruni, along with the president of ANAC, Francesco Ranieri Martinotti.

On the same day, Bridging the Dragon will run a professional training workshop for Italian producers and authors on the current context, potential for and ways of engaging in co-production with China, which will also be open to documentary producers.

Finally, at this year’s China Film Forum, Venice Days will announce its twinning with the Silk Road Film Festival, an event which celebrates film, culture and art from countries on the old Silk Road every year in Dublin.

The complete programme for the China Film Forum and what the exchanges will revolve around will be announced on 26 July at the press conference presenting the 13th edition of Venice Days (Venice, 31 August – 10 September 2016).

(from Vittorio Scarpa – Cineuropa.org)

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