Comprehensively Upgrade SIFF Project Market

The 18th SIFF Project Market declares the lists of nominees lately. This year all together 35 excellent projects with various types and rich themes are nominated, including love comedy, suspense film, black humor, adaptation from true stories, road film, family ethics, etc. Among them, the latest original film project involving about 10 new-generation Chinese directors, such as He Jia and Xing Jian, will debut the sub-unit of “New Talents Project”. Besides, another 25 mature projects will participate in relevant project negotiation activities, including 8 co-production film projects between China and South Korea, India, Canada, New Zealand, etc.

Huang Jianxin, a well-known director and supervisor, will act as jury president of “New Talents Project” and senior supervisors Madam He Yunming and Mr. Xu Xiaoming will act as judges. Chairman of Europe Filmmaker Association, Mr. Ronan Girre, and four famous tutors including filmmakers Jiao Aimin, Han Xiaoling and Ye Rufen will help to set up Master Class and Project Diagnostic Workshop for the project parties, so as to offer advices and guidance. These professional filmmakers and over 20 top investment institutions will jointly help the young filmmakers to incubate new force for Asian film and TV industry, and enhance new opportunities for international cooperation.

Assemble Excellent New Talents and New Projects, Introduce Multi-type Capitals,

Boost Cooperation between Project Parties and Investors

After development of 9 years since its establishment, SIFF Project Market has become the most influential film and TV creation and investment platform in Asia. During the past 10 years when Chinese film industry has been quickly developed, it has become an important platform for the world to discover new talents of Chinese films.

On the excellent industry platform of SIFF Project Market, what the SIFF should do is to boost the confirmation of excellent projects and introduction of excellent filmmakers. In the past 8 years, SIFF Project Market has been widely focused on and recognized. During the period, various new-generation directors have been cultivated, such as Chen Zhengdao, Zhang Meng, Han Jie, Quan Ling, Li Xiaofeng, Xu Ang, Song Fang, Xu Wei, etc., who just started their careers from here. Meanwhile, some projects have also been successfully introduced, such as “Black Coal, Thin Ice”, “Hello, Mr. Tree”, “The Piano in a Factory”, “Forgetting to Know You”, “Scrape My Bone”, “12 Citizens”, “The Master”, etc.

 “New Talents Project” initiated last year is an important measure adopted by SIFF organizing committee to incubate new talents of Chinese film. This unit aims to discover excellent and unique young directors and organize a collective debut in the industry circle for them. Although it may be the first or second long film produced by them, it’s indeed their excellent works after careful preparations for a long time. By means of professional training, project diagnosis, public statement and roundtable negotiation, the organizing committee will pave the way for the new talents.

In fact, during the process of participating in SIFF Project Market, for all the nominated projects, it will provide more direct and long-acting assistance to obtain professional experience and accumulate industry resources than being awarded with only bonuses. The SIFF Project Market not only provides professional training and opportunity to contact with top buyers and filmmakers, but also helps project parties to make the first step to the market and the audiences. In 2014, eight young directors nominated by New Talents Project for the first time debuted on the red carpet of the SIFF.

The projects nominated this year include some new works of reputable Chinese directors in recent years, such as “Joke” made by director Zhang Bingjian, whose film “North By Northeast” was nominated in Tokyo and Shanghai International Film Festivals, “Grand Hotel” made by Xu Ang whose film “12 Citizens” was awarded best film in Rome Film Festival, “Under the Mountain” made by Xing Jian whose film “Winter” received good appraisement for its unique style, “Ice Field” and “Café Waiting Love” made by He Jia whose works were nominated in International Rotterdam Film Festival, “Goodbye, Debussy” newly made by director Jiang Jinlin, etc. There are also a batch of new talents and works emerging in the industry circle, such as Hu Jia, Ding Pei, Yang Nanqian, Pan Zhixin, Liu Anqi, Yang Zhe, etc. who have brought their creative works. Meanwhile, famous filmmaker in Hong Kong, Lam Chi Chung, also brings his sports inspirational comedy “Winning Eleven”.

Assistant general manager and marketing department director of the Shanghai International Film & TV Festival Co., Ltd. Yang Lele said, “We will not aim for breakthrough in quantity, but success rate improvement.” So-called success rate refers to the “cooperation” between project party and the investor so that the project can be successfully started. Yang Lele took “Lost in White” as an example, which was awarded most market potential last year. He introduced the reasons why the project could be completed at the fastest speed. “Lost in White” combines arts and type elements. Its screenplay has been modified and consolidated for many times, so the producing ideas are very clear. Its investment belongs to medium and small one and cast arrangement is also very pragmatic. The filming of “Lost in White” was completed this April and it will be released very soon.

Yang Lele also said, “The investors we have invited are very powerful and professional. Apart from cash income, they can also add values to overall quality of the project.” It’s reported that apart from some traditional film production companies, such as Bona, Wanda, EEG, Hengye and Heyi, the SIFF Project Market has even attracted the capitals from financial and real estate background, such Sova Capital, DT Capital, LeBox Capital, etc. More diversified investors will further promote professionalization of the whole industry and improve fast development of young filmmakers.

Establish Three-dimensional Support Platform

For SIFF Project Market, investors and project parties are all main service objects. Yang Lele compared their work to “match-maker”. In order to be recognized by the young filmmakers on the project market platform and introduce the platform values to more people, SIFF Organizing Committee further improves their services this year to deepen project tracing mechanism, so as to gradually know and implement the real difficulties and demands faced by the young filmmakers during the process of actual film production and issue treatment. “Make use of new policies released in Shanghai to provide the young filmmakers and their project with more solid and definite assistances such as project approval, site application, outreach support, examination, contact organization, etc.”

Guided by such an idea, the SIFF Project Market this year will invite professional experts who devote to train and assist young filmmakers as the trainers and judges, check on strictly on potential film projects and conduct further assistance. This year, Mr. Ronan Girre, director of Europe Filmmaker Association, is invited to open Master Class to teach skills of negotiation and statement. Three professional cross-Strait filmmakers, Jiao Aimin, Ye Rufen and Han Xiaoling, will act as trainers to give project diagnosis one by one on the New Talents Project. Meanwhile, the Organizing committee will invite representative professional filmmakers across the Strait, such as Huang Jianxin, Xu Xiaoming and He Yunming, to attend the “New Talents Project” for further interactions and advices for the project parties.

Moreover, the strategic cooperation between SIFF and new media companies, such as Alibaba, will bring more vigor to SIFF Project Market. Being an innovative method for film issuing nowadays, the platform of Entertainment Pay will provide more useful experiences on propaganda and issuing for the project parties. In turn, it will also help pre-planning and operation of the projects.

WATSON & BAND Law Office, Phenom Films and Sova Capital will set up named awards in SIFF Project Market to provide legal consultancy, visual effects production and project development for the project parties.

Introduce Excellent Co-production Projects

Nowadays, China has signed “Film Co-production Agreement” with many foreign countries, such as South Korea, France, New Zealand, Great Britain and Italy. The trends of co-production films also have new opportunities and new situations with the fast development of film industry in China. The SIFF Project Market always encourages cooperation between China and foreign countries. This year, we make use of our own activity platform to respond to the policies and directly promote communication and exchange between Chinese and foreign film industries. We have introduced the film “Goodbye Calcutta” co-produced by China and India, “Variation in Crisis” and “2054” co-produced by China and Canada and introduced by Vancouver Film Academy, “East of Eden” co-produced by China and New Zealand as well as “Five Star Billionaire” co-produced by China and Malaysia.