Exploring new partnerships between China & Hollywood

The Asia Society of Southern California has held its fifth annual U.S.-China Film Summit, featuring a variety of different speakers from major companies from both countries. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

It's no secret that many of Hollywood's big action blockbusters have exploded in Chinese box offices. Reaching new heights with audiences in China, the success stories of movies like these are redefining the landscape for creative partnerships between China and Hollywood. This was the main, prevalent topic at the 2014 U.S.-China Film Summit.

Industry professionals and entertainment leaders from the United States and China are packing the all-day event with insightful panel discussions and individual presentations. Attendees can look forward to hearing about the newest trends in US-Chinese co-production and the ever-changing dynamic of partnerships in film, TV, and new media.

One particular panel focused primarily on the process of making US-China crossover films. Fittingly titled "Transformers and Beyond," panelists included Wei Han, the President of Bliss Media and Dede Nickerson, from Sony Pictures Entertainment in China. They shared their thoughts about the future of making films together and what the creative journey might entail.

"I'm looking for very international movies that has Chinese elements, hopefully; if not, our appetite is very global. So we're looking to a much more global approach that we can combine the two markets and have the distribution in China and the US and it's a great business model, but we've got to find the right content," Wei Han, president of Bliss Media, said.

"It's an extremely exciting time working in China. It's an industry that's developing in a very different way from here in the sense that the industry in the United States was developed pre-Internet and the Chinese industry is really taking off in the digital age," Dede Nickerson with Sony Pictures Entertainment, China, said.

The flow of information did not slow down at all during the jam-packed day. Other panels dealt with overall big-picture strategies for US-China film cooperations. Panelist and CEO of Sun Seven Stars Entertainment, Bruno Wu, spoke about the importance of attending the summit to share opinions and experiences.

"I'm very happy to participate in any effort to bridge the mutual understanding between the US film industry with the Chinese film industry," Bruno Wu, CEO of Sun Seven Stars Entertainment, said,

Organizer of the Summit, Peter Shiao, summed up the significance of the annual event.

"his is a very momentous time. It's important to articulate the issues that I think people in this industry are thinking about. Challenges we're facing. We need this kind of dialogue to learn from each other. To learn best practices in this ever-changing dynamic. Forging the right partnerships is also critical so we offer this as a service to people like myself who are devoted to this industry. We like the chance to collaborate closely together," Peter Shiao, CEO of Orb Media Group, said.

With speakers emphasizing the fertile ground for co-productions, attendees felt more than sparks of encouragement. Not only did they learn more about new facets of the present film industry frontier, they also got a chance to participate in discussion with each other.

"It's such a great event. They do such a great job putting it together. They bring the top speakers, the best people in the world who really know what they're talking about because they're the people doing it, who are responsible for it, who make the rules, who break the rules, who make the shows. It's the people who really do, so it's an amazing event," Attendee Jeff Gund said.

"I think the cross-border collaboration is the future because the most important thing for people to work together is to communicate. And we got the best people in entertainment from both China and America and they can exchange their experiences in production," Attendee Jiaoying Liang said.

In its fifth year, the US-China Film Summit continues to grow and develop with even more cutting-edge topics, leading the conversation on cross-border collaboration.