International
China a hotbed for Asian filmmakers
MUMBAI: After becoming an economic power, China has become the hotbed for filmmakers in Asia with many filmmakers from Hong Kong and South Korea have made their base in the country for its growing impact on the Asian film industry.
Hong Kong has seen several of its biggest name directors relocate to the Chinese capital, also the capital of China‘s film industry. These directors include John Woo, Peter Chan, Tsui Hark and Gordon Chan. Others including Teddy Chen and producer Raymond Wong are making big films in China.
The world‘s most populous nation now has answer to nearly every question about the Asian film industry and also has become a cinematic powerhouse and filmmakers there are not only turning the global box-office charts on their heads but they are also redefining the meaning of the word ‘co-production‘.
Nowhere is the mystery of China‘s film industry better illustrated than at the top of this year‘s Chinese box-office charts. Released in late 2008 If You are the One went on to become a hit and played through January. The film grabbed $47.7 million to elbow out Titanic from the popularity it has enjoyed for more than a decade. But only a few months later the new record was wiped out by the performance of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
According to estimates of Chinese film industry, there are more than a dozen Chinese-language movies with the realistic potential to each make it to the top, the symbolic figure that only a couple of years ago barely accounted for two or three films, reports Hollywood Reporter. The films comprise those from China, Hong Kong talent working in China and even a Taiwanese film.
This has led to a worry that Hong Kong has suddenly lost its place in Asian film. But the truth is that its influence has been diminishing for several years as big studios like Golden Harvest withdrew from production and Cantonese-style pictures have struggled to compete in Asian territories where tastes have turned more sophisticated and globalised.
From the summer‘s box-office performances, July and August saw eleven Hong Kong films or its co-productions with China, compared with five films last year, thus enjoying a combined gross up by 80 per cent. These films included Overheard by Alan Mak and Felix Chong and Turning Point.
Things may be looking up at the box-office in South Korea as well. The country became a global cinematic powerhouse at the beginning of the decade but its fortunes slumped two years ago as budgets got out of control after which both its local and overseas audiences lost faith in the ‘Korean wave‘.
The Japanese film industry, termed as the world‘s second-largest entertainment market, has been often written off as waning and about to be overtaken by either China or India.
But in the first half, a year without a Hayao Miyazaki animated blockbuster, theatrical box-office went up by 17 per cent and a strong crop of local titles last year lifted the market share of local films to roughly 60 per cent after which Hollywood movies again look set to sell less than one in two tickets.
This year‘s hits include Rookies that grossed $85 million and the latest animated film Detective Conan made $37 million, April Bride garnered $33 million, Crows Zero II made $31 million and 20th Century Boys went on to make $31 million.
The biggest overseas hit of the year is Red Cliff: Part 2 that made $58.5 million was co-distributed with Avex that also invested heavily in the film, thus making it a Chinese-language multinational co-venture and the most expensive Asian film ever made.
Film financing conditions within Asia have looked relatively stable during the past years compared with Europe and the US Films are getting made and, especially in the case of China, with big budgets.
The first cause is Asian filmmakers‘ heavy reliance on equity funding and their only small use of bank finance, something which dried up elsewhere last year.
Nor does Asia have the widespread soft money that is now being questioned by anxious finance ministries in Europe and the US. Singapore and Korea are the exceptions to that pattern where tapping public money appears to be getting tougher.
The other explanation is the ‘China factor‘. Chinese film benefits and suffers from an unstructured pool of “angel” financing flowing from investors in other industries. Those Chinese companies that are in it for the long term — such as Peter Chan‘s Cinema Popular, Enlight Media and the Shanghai Media Group — appear to have a chance of making some real money.
The ability to produce, distribute and invest in the Chinese film market has become a sore point in relations between the US and China to the extent that market access issues were the subject of a World Trade Organization investigation.
International
Moskino and Bollywood: Moscow Film Cluster and Film City Mumbai signed a cooperation agreement
Moscow Film Cluster has signed a cooperation agreement with Film City Mumbai. The parties agreed to cooperate in developing the film industry, promoting shooting locations and supporting filmmakers.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the India International Film Tourism (IIFTC) Conclave in Mumbai. At this forum, the Moscow Film Cluster presented Moscow’s opportunities for film shooting, including infrastructure projects such as Film City Moskino and Film Factory. Special attention was paid to the Moscow rebate system – up to 45% – and the co-production development.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Film City and Moscow Film Cluster provides for the establishment and development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the film industry development, including joint promotion of shooting locations, support for filmmakers, implementation of marketing and industry events, development of incentive support measures and strengthening of economic and cultural interaction between India and Moscow.
The parties also intend to promote the development of the audiovisual sector through the exchange of experience, joint initiatives and the search for opportunities to create new industry partnerships and clusters.
Moscow Film Cluster is a major city initiative led by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to develop the capital into a global cinema hub. It brings together key production infrastructure – such as the Moskino Film Сity, Film Factory and Gorky Film Studio – along with the Film Commission, digital platform and cinema chain to streamline shooting, support productions and attract international filmmaking to Moscow.
Also, Moscow offers a rebate of up to 45%: 30% as direct production cost compensation, up to 15% for visa and accommodation support. The Moscow Image Grant provides up to $255,000 for films showcasing iconic city views.
The Moscow Film Cluster booth attracted considerable attention from Indian producers and studios. Over 80 business meetings were held, including those with major Indian companies.
One of the booth guests was the famous Indian actress Khushboo Sundar, known to Soviet and Russian audiences for her role in My Soul and considered the leading star of Tamil cinema, in whose honor one of the local temples was even built. Prithul Kumar, representative of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of the officials responsible for regulating the film industry in the country, also expressed interest in the development of the Moscow Film Cluster.
One of the highlights of the India International Film Tourism Conclave was the awarding of The Greatest of All Time in the For Cinematic Excellence category. The movie was shot in Moscow. The jury members noted the project’s contribution to the development of tourism.
The shooting of The Greatest of All Time AGS by Entertainment was organized with the assistance of the Moscow Film Cluster and the Moscow Film Commission and took place in April 2024 on the streets of Moscow. The scenes were shot in such famous locations as Patriarch Bridge, Teatralnaya Square, Manezhnaya Square, Kazarmenny Lane, Podsosensky Lane, Nikolskaya Street and one of the festival venues of Moscow Seasons.
The Greatest of All Time became a landmark event in Indian box office history. It ranked fourth in box office earnings among all movies released in India in 2024 and is one of the most successful Tamil-language movies in history.
At the same time, the shooting of another joint Russian-Indian movie started at the Moskino Film City in Moscow. A film project dedicated to badminton became one of the first participants in the Moscow rebate program.
A project by Smena & WISH Media (Russia) and Kartina Entertainment And Sports Private Limited (India) will tell the story of a badminton player who travels to India with the Russian national team to compete in a tournament. Russian viewers will see for the first time the scale of sporting competitions in Asia, where badminton is a cult sport and draws packed stands of fans.
The agreement on the joint production of the Smash movie was signed st the Moscow International Film Week in August 2025. And as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, a rebate application was also submitted at that time to reimburse part of the costs incurred during the shooting process in the Russian capital.
