Chinese film industry wants to show new angle to S Koreans

The Chinese Film Festival in Seoul draws A-listers like Kwon Sang-woo (left) and Zhou Dongyu.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Eyeing anime

In 2014, the two countries signed a film coproduction agreement to promote closer cultural ties.

"It's better to usher more coproduction than to directly introduce Korean films into China, and vice versa," says Park Keun-tae, the president of CJ Group China. "Differences in culture, history and moviegoers' habits may be obstacles, but coproduction can look for a balance."

The group is among South Korean conglomerates that are also in the business of films.

South Korea's all-time highest-grossing The Admiral: Roaring Currents, an epic produced by CJ Entertainment & Media, an affiliate of CJ Group, recording the Koreans' fight against Japanese invasion in 1597, met with little commercial success in China last year.

Miss Granny, a coproduced fantasy derived from the Korean film of the same name, earned more than 350 million yuan ($55.56 million) from the Chinese box office, making it the most successful Sino-Korean film so far.

Thriller Peaceful Island, another CJ project with Korean director Chang Yoon-hyun and a Chinese cast, is scheduled for release in China in December.

The group also opened an industry park on the outskirts of Beijing earlier this year to help Chinese filmmakers.

"A typical case of cooperation ... is Korean technical support in Chinese films," says Han, adding that it isn't enough.

"We will probably have more two-way technical exchanges in the future," he says.

In 2012, the Korean Film Council opened its business center in Beijing to offer small-scale film companies from South Korea an opportunity to attract Chinese investors. Four to five projects have been simultaneously in operation each quarter since then.

China and South Korea launched Share Your Dream, an annual short film festival, in Beijing last year to facilitate exchanges among young filmmakers.

During last week's Chinese Film Festival, officials from both countries also held their first meeting on jointly promoting animation films.

"The common Asian culture will help our animation productions to march to overseas markets together," Han says.