Georgia: The Members of the Georgian delegation held several important meetings at the 26th Shanghai Film Festival. The 26th International Film Festival (SIFF) is held in Shanghai from June 14 to 23. This is the most important film event in Asia, during which the film market was held from June 16 to 18.
The National Cinema Center, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, presented for the first time a Georgian stand. This stand represents the richest heritage of Georgian cinema and modern Georgian films and promotes Georgia as an important country for filmmaking.
During the film festival, the Georgian Emergency and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Paata Kalandadze, visited the stand of Georgia. During the meeting with the Georgian delegation led by Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports Koba Khubunaia, the ambassador noted the importance of the Shanghai film market and, in general, the fast-growing Chinese market for Georgian productions.
To properly present and promote Georgian cinema, directors, and producers, members of the Georgian delegation participate in several meetings, get to know representatives of different production companies, and hold negotiations both for joint productions and for the development of the Georgian film industry.
Representatives of the Georgian delegation discussed the issue of placing Georgian short films and purchasing full-length films on streaming platform Hi-Video with Beijing Goobird Technology founder and CEO San Bing. The conversation also touched upon the presentation of Georgian films at the company’s film festival.
Ren Tian Yu, the international sales manager of Lianray Pictures, met Georgian directors and film center representatives, who expressed his desire to distribute Georgian films in China and buy full-length films.
A meeting was held with Na Beyongjun, assistant producer of South Korean content and creative company Moo Am. He expressed his desire to co-produce and create Georgian adaptations of Korean scenarios and implement Korean “reality shows” in Georgia.
An interesting meeting was held at the Georgia Stand with the partners of Highland Law Firm, Michelle Liu and Wei Hi. They are interested in making films in Georgia, creating joint productions, and buying contemporary Georgian films.
Siamen Film Festival programmer Bryce Chen, during a working meeting, offered the Georgian Film Center the opportunity to participate in and cooperate with the festival.
Representatives of the Georgian delegation discussed the issue of presenting modern Georgian films in Kyrgyzstan State Cinema Center, “Kyrgyztasmasi”, director Talantbek Tolobekov. At the same time, the director of the Kyrgyzstan Cinema Center expressed the desire to create joint productions.
Founder and CEO of Indian company Mountain River Films Chandra Jam spoke to Georgian colleagues about importing Georgian films to India, funding Georgian projects from the Indian Film Fund, and presenting Georgian films at Indian festivals.
A meeting was held with Japanese producer Kyoko Dan, with whom the topic was Georgian-Japanese relations in the film industry, the distribution of Georgian films, and the holding of the Georgian Film Festival in Japan.
The Indonesian State Cinema Center was interested in the festival and commercial screening of Georgian films in their country and held talks with their representative, Chang Chen Ling, about the possibilities of joint production.
An interesting meeting was held with Shanghai Film Group representative Anyu Wang, with whom the talk was about creating Georgian-Chinese animations.
Meetings with foreign colleagues are essential for strengthening Georgian filmmakers’ international connections and for the success of their current or future projects. This allows the National Cinema Center of Georgia to take an interest in the Asian market, which has been gaining popularity over the past decade and thus contributes to the popularization of Georgian cinema.
Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) is the largest film festival in Asia. It was established in October 1993 and is the only Chinese festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). The FIAPF is responsible for organizing international film festivals, including the most important festivals in the world.
FYI: This year, film associations and companies from 64 countries were represented at the Shanghai International Film Festival. Unlike in 2023, the representation of Western countries, including the South American continent, has increased.
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