SARFT Tightens Rules on Sino-US Film Co-Productions
Shanghai Evening Post, 8/27/12
Zhang Pimin, deputy director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's (SARFT) Film Bureau, said at a recent symposium for CCTV's China Movie Channel (CCTV-6) that Sino-US co-productions will be strictly reviewed according to relevant guidelines. Future co-productions will require that the Chinese partner to put up no less than one-third of the film's budget, that the film to cast a Chinese actor in a major role, and that part of the film take place in China.
Zhang enumerated the problems with "Sino-US co-productions" in his remarks at the symposium. "Many foreign films these days have a completely American story, but they'll take a small investment, add a couple of Chinese touches, put in a Chinese actor, and call it a 'co-production.' In fact these are just cut-and-paste jobs - a dismal prospect." The labeling of some foreign films as "co-productions" thanks to domestic investment has allowed them to enter the Chinese market without being limited by the normal restrictions that apply to foreign films, Zhang said, occupying space in the market and siphoning off large volumes of funds that could be used for domestic films.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "Chinese Gov't-backed Firm to Produce English-language Films" MD 6/20/12 issue.
Keywords: Zhang Pimin government policy film investment television CCTV SARFT China Movie Channel
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