Sino-UK filmmakers planning to collaborate at festival

Jiang Wen promotes 'Gone with the bullets' in Cannes

Italian woman director competes for best film

A new China-UK film event will be held on the banks of the Thames in September, following a bilateral co-production deal last month.

The event, Screen China, will be part of the Thames Festival, the annual largest outdoor art festival in London. About10Chinese films will be screened from Sept12to16.

The organizers, Allied China Europe Society, also announced the British Chinese Film and TV Summit will take place on Sept 15.

"China will take part in the Thames Festival for the first time. About 1 million visitors come to the festival every year, so it's a good opportunity to showcase Chinese culture through films, food, handicraft and fashion," says Huilin Proctor, director of ACES.

She says the summit will provide unparalleled networking and business opportunities for filmmakers and producers from China and Britain.

A number of events promoting China have recently taken place in the United Kingdom.

From June to October, the British Film Institute will present A Century of Chinese Cinema, during which about 80 Chinese films will be showcased.

A delegation, including professionals from the British film industry, attended the 4th Beijing International Film Festival last month and signed a co-production treaty, which many believe can push forward cooperation and development of each other's film industry and markets.

"I think it's a very special moment because there's a real sense of energy behind the desire both from the UK side and from China to really make something very special and important happen," says Amanda Nevill, CEO of the British Film Institute.

"Britain and China have very different cultures. If they make films together and tell each other's stories, it's a really great way of developing and sharing each other's understanding of country and culture," she adds.