娱乐英语新闻:Experts call for more int'l cooperation in Chinese film industry

VENICE, Italy, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China and other countries should grasp opportunities and work out strategies to strengthen cooperation in the motion picture industry, film professionals and experts say.

At a forum held on the sidelines of the 71th Venice International Film Festival, which opened Wednesday, participants discussed challenges and strategies for the Chinese film industry.

The China Film Forum, the first of its kind entirely dedicated to the Asian country's film market during the film festival, would serve as a bridge for the global development of Chinese cinema, experts said.

"A few months ago a co-production agreement between Italy and China entered into force. Now we have to make movies together. Movies are done when you have the capacity of gathering professionals; that's why I would like to focus this conference on the stories and on the 'meeting' of stories," Maurizio Sciarra, a member of the Directors and Screenwriters Association of Italy, told the forum.

According to Roberto Barzanti, president of the Venice Days, an event at the film festival aimed at drawing attention to high-quality cinema, this kind of meeting is established in a balanced spirit of cultural exchanges.

"We don't want any fusion or chaotic cooperation, but we want to establish a concrete dialogue," he said. "Now we are here to discuss about commercial and rights protection aspects."

Giuliano Montaldo, director of the mini-series "Marco Polo," also called for more co-production with China.

"The actual growth of the Chinese cinema is extraordinary and our motivation to cooperate with China is very strong. We are then impressed by the box office numbers in China, but also about how the Chinese population loves cinema," he said.

Conchita Airoldi, international coordinator of ANICA, an association that represents the Italian film and audiovisual industries, stressed the importance of details on the two countries' co-production agreement.

"I would like to develop here some topics like the contractual phase, the choice of our collaborators, and the distribution of the different roles; these are very practical but important issues," Airoldi said.

She added that Italy can offer some incentives to its film co-production with China.

"In Italy we have tax credit and it's working very well. In the case of a co-production, the Chinese movie, holding the majority, can get all the incentives and supports provided to an Italian movie," she said.

In the view of Xu Lin, vice president of Inlook Media, a Chinese media group, China should learn from Europe on how to work in the production phase.

"The ideal partner should be strong, credible, reliable, influential and professional. It's then important to create a cultural 'meeting point' between the public of the two countries," he said.

Giorgio Gosetti, general delegate of the Venice Days, said internationalization is important for China's film industry.

"The Chinese cinema has a lot of resources and potentials, which have to be developed more out of China. China needs to build more bridges and better promote its movies," he said.