'Bridging the Dragon'

By Mariella Radaelli

Yuan Yuan, Shu Huan and Cristiano Bortone at the China
Film Forum in Venice.
With China on track to overtake the U.S. as the biggest movie market next year, European filmmakers are increasingly working with Chinese partners.

 The 73rd Venice International Film Festival, which ran until Sept 10, featured a rich edition of the China Film Forum on Sept 2, a collateral event that opened with a Sino-European content lab.

 Twelve projects in the forum from China and Europe benefited from tutors, including writers Yuan Yuan and Shu Huan, one of China's most in-demand screenwriters and author of the blockbuster hits Lost in Thailand and Lost in Hong Kong.

 Shu is working on the script for My Best Friend Andersen, the first China-Denmark production, based on the works of 19th-century writer Hans Christian Andersen. The project, a fantasy romcom primarily targeted at Chinese audiences, is backed by Zentropa China.

Yuan is the screenwriter of last year's successful Goodbye Mr Tumor, China's entry for the Academy Awards.

The China Film Forum was organized by Bridging the Dragon, an international association that connects European and Chinese film professionals.

"Our main focus is bringing companies and professionals together to know each other, build trust and trigger collaboration," says Cristiano Bortone, an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer and a founder of Bridging the Dragon.

The association also hosted a full-day workshop at the forum to coach international professionals on how to approach the Chinese market.

 The rest of this story published on Aug. 9 in the China Daily European Edition is available here.

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