The 77th Festival de Cannes is scheduled to be hosted from May 14 to 25, 2024. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to France, the China Film Pavilion, which was set up by China Film Co-production Corporation of China Film Group Corporation under the guidance of the China Film Administration, once again debuted at this year's Festival de Cannes with excellent Chinese films of different types and genres, such as drama, documentary, opera, animation, etc. The China Film Pavilion displayed the latest achievements of Chinese cinema, and promoted policies in Chinese film industry, helping Chinese films go global at a faster pace. The delegation of the BJIFF also participated in this joint booth, and actively introduced the latest achievements of the 14th BJIFF to film professionals attending the Festival de Cannes.

　　China Film Pavilion

In 2023, a total of 971 films were produced nationwide, including 792 feature films, which attracted almost 1.3 billion audiences to walk in cinemas, and grossed approximately 55 billion yuan (approximately 7.7 billion US dollars) at the box office, making China the second-largest film market in the world.

In 2024, the Chinese film market has shown strong momentum. Influenced by various factors such as quality content, continuous market expansion and robust audience support, the box offices during the New Year, Spring Festival and Qingming Festival periods have all hit new heights. As of May 5, China’s 2024 box office was 20.251 billion yuan (approximately 2.8 billion US dollars), accounting for 35% of the global box office, temporarily ranking first in the world. The flourishing Chinese market has sparked the interest of global filmmakers. At the China Film Pavilion, the brochure introducing Chinese films and Sino-foreign co-production policies attracted many visitors, and the promotional video repeatedly played on the big screen of the pavilion also attracted the eyeballs of many overseas counterparts. 

　　China Film Pavilion & Booth

On May 15, the China Film Pavilion organized the Sino-Foreign Film Cooperation and Exchange Meeting at the China Pavilion of the international village, aiming to envision new directions and futures for international film cooperation. Mao Yu, Executive Deputy Director of the China Film Administration, attended the meeting, shared China’s film practices and achievements in recent years, and conducted discussions with guests. Mao Yu said that more efforts will be made to introduce foreign films to the Chinese film market. “We will optimize film introduction policies, encourage and support introduction business, and extensively introduce more diversified and abundant films from other countries with an open and inclusive attitude, allowing Chinese audiences to see the best films in the world,” Mao added.

　　Sino-Foreign Film Cooperation and Exchange Meeting

Present at the meeting were Wang Mingzhu, Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Film Bureau, Wang Jian’er, Chairman of Shanghai Film Group Corporation, Zhao Wentao, Chairman of Xiying Group, Deng Wugui, Film and Television Art Director of Bauhinia Culture Group, Zhang Jun, Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and Director of the Hainan Provincial Film Administration, Du Xinshan, Member of the Standing Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, Chen Jiacheng, President of Guangzhou Radio & Television Station, Yu Dong, President of Bona Film Group Limited, Chinese directors Jia Zhangke, Guan Hu and Zhang Li, actors Huang Bo and Kris Phillips, Wu Yanyan, Director of the Wutianming Film Fund for Young Talents under the China Film Foundation, Roberto Stabile, Head of Special Projects, Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual of the Ministry of Culture (DGCA-MiC) of Italy, Ellen Y.D. Kim, Director of the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) of the Busan International Film Festival, French film producers Aton Sounmache, Suzel Pietri and Frédéric Auburtin, French directors Philippe Muyl and Gilles Thompson, and other guests. At the exchange meeting, where the atmosphere was warm and all the seats were occupied, Chinese and foreign filmmakers carried out discussions to further promote the international cooperation on cinema, looked into the future with an international vision, and explored cooperation and development.

　　A group photo of Chinese and foreign filmmakers

Later during the festival, Chinese film companies will also host several special events such as film promotion activities for the documentary Kangxi and Louis XIV, a Chinese-French co-production, and Fade Away Pastoral, a film about the migration of pastoralists in Xinjiang, China, and a special promotion activity for the Hainan International Film Festival. In addition, this year’s Annual Report on Development of Global Film Industry will be unveiled. The pavilion will also host China Film Foundation’s “China’s New Talents Going Global Program” series activities, including the Global Young Film Talent Exchange, Roundtable on Programmers of International Film Festivals, Seminar on the International Distribution Strategy of Youth Films, Women-focused Film Forum, etc.

For its third appearance at the Festival de Cannes this year, the China Film Pavilion invited 64 Chinese film companies to jointly recommend over 180 excellent Chinese films, including films exemplifying the allure of traditional Chinese culture such as The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero, White Snake III, and Zheng He's Voyages to the Western Ocean I, films depicting the daily lives of ordinary Chinese people such as Gold or Shit, Lighting Up the Stars and B for Busy, and classic restored films like Street Angel, Suzhou Classical Garden, etc. During the exhibition, a large number of industry guests and overseas counterparts visited the pavilion for consultation and exchange, and reached cooperation intentions on a few films.

　　Promotion site of China Film Pavilion