UK-China Screen Forum Highlights Collaboration

The announcements were made during the fourth edition of the UK-China Screen Forum, held in conjunction with Hong Kong’s Filmart. This year’s forum saw the participation of key players from the UK’s Department of Business and Trade (DBT), the British Film Institute (BFI), BBC Studios, and various Chinese media organizations, including Phoenix TV and Bilibili. Looking ahead, a subsequent UK-China Screen Forum is scheduled for this October at the BFI London Film Festival.

Strengthening Production Ties

During the forum, representatives from both nations stressed the importance of enhancing co-production and co-development opportunities in the entertainment sector, emphasizing the need for refined distribution strategies to gather clearer market insights.

Phil Hardman, the Executive VP and General Manager of BBC Studios Asia, pointed out that the new six-part series of Walking with Dinosaurs aims to revitalize a cherished intellectual property from the BBC’s Science Unit that originally debuted in 1999. He noted the successful reception of the BBC’s Planet Earth, Bluey, and Inside No. 9 in China, highlighting ongoing collaboration with Tencent Video on the production of Supertato.

A Focus on Investment and Infrastructure

Rupert Daniels, Director of Creative, Services, and Skills at the DBT, outlined four primary goals for boosting UK-China relations within the entertainment industries:

• Fostering innovative co-productions.
• Attracting Chinese investment in UK infrastructure.
• Leveraging the UK’s intellectual property across various creative fields.
• Positioning the UK as a preferred partner for scaling businesses and fostering collaboration.

Daniels emphasized the UK government’s commitment to improving conditions for international partnerships, stating, “We’ve invested hugely in our production facilities, and this is something we actually want to encourage Chinese companies and investors to work with UK production partners on.” He also mentioned the introduction of a new Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC), which will be available starting April 1.

Challenges and Opportunities for UK Sales Companies

Despite the potential for cooperation, Grace Carley, Chief Executive of Film Export UK, acknowledged ongoing challenges faced by UK sales companies in navigating the Chinese market. “It’s been very difficult to sell, particularly into China, for the last five or six years, but with more co-productions, partnership and collaboration, this will be more possible,” she said. Carley aims for increased presence in future forums, anticipating that enhanced collaboration will facilitate a more significant exchange of content between the two regions.

Bilibili’s International Strategy

Cura Zhang, Vice-General Manager and Head of Factual Content at Bilibili, expressed enthusiasm for expanding international collaborations. “We are also welcoming and importing more British content to China to satisfy our users. We have a huge demand for international content on Bilibili by the younger generation,” said Zhang, highlighting the platform’s focus on internationalization in the upcoming years.