China Film Forum promotes cooperation in Venice

Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore (1st L) addresses the 2nd edition of China Film Forum on the sidelines of the 72nd Venice Film Festival at Lido island in Venice, Italy, Sept 6. [Photo/Xinhua]

The second edition of China Film Forum took place Sunday on the sidelines of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where professionals from China and Europe gathered to exchange views on the Chinese film industry.

Organised by the Venice Days section of the festival, the event brought together directors, producers, investors, film critics and journalists for intensive discussions under the theme "Reasons of Creativity".

Giuseppe Tornatore, one of Italy's most influential directors, delivered a keynote speech and joined debates at the forum, expressing strong interest in Chinese films.

"I think the Chinese film market is full of potential. I'm curious about it and I look forward to future cooperation with Chinese filmmakers," he said.

A major topic at this year's forum is "how to create stories for other cultures."

To explore on it, the participants watched the trailer of Forgotten War, an upcoming war-themed film brought to the forum by young Chinese producer Han Yi and director Zhang Duanyang.

Zhang said the goal of the film was the demonstrate a historical period of China in a way that Western audience can understand and connect with.

The forum also covered other topics such as co-production and documentary films.

Established in 2014, the forum aims to help insiders of the European film industry better understand the Chinese market, and boost cooperation on film production and sales between China and Europe.

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