ASEAN—China Film Festival Awards Regional Filmmakers

Wang Fang

Inaugural festival seen as catalyst for future film co-production between China and ASEAN countries

After winning a number of awards both within China and abroad， Chinese blockbuster Wolf Warrior II was awarded Best Film at the ASEAN-China Film Festival 2017， the most important prize of the event. Aimed at elevating China-ASEAN ties to a higher level and building a platform for long-term cooperation in movie production， the inaugural ASEAN-China Film Festival kicked off on Dec. 2， 2017， in Putrajaya， the administrative center of Malaysia.

“Film is both a popular art form and an important vehicle for cultural transmission，” said Yang Xiuping， secretary-general of the ASEAN-China Center （ACC）， at the welcoming ceremony of the event. She pointed out that enhancing China-ASEAN cooperation in the field of cinema helps promote people-to-people understanding， cultural exchange as well as common development of cultural industries of the two sides.

Film as a Vehicle

In the context of the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the success of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation hosted by China， the event was initiated by the ACC as a China-ASEAN cultural exchange program and co-organized by the ACC， the China-ASEAN Association and the State Administration of Press， Publication， Radio， Film and Television of China.

A total of 30 movies from both China and ASEAN countries were screened and recommended to the festival judging panel for the prize competition， with awards including Best Film， Best Director， Best Actor， Best Actress and the Judges Special Award. Wolf Warrior II， Saving Mr. Wu， Shock Wave and four other Chinese productions were featured at the event. In addition to movie screenings， a series of other events were also held during the festival， including the opening ceremony， the awards ceremony and exchange and cooperation forums.

Wolf Warrior II， directed by and starring Wu Jing， was a massive commercial success in China. Wu said at the award ceremony that as filmmakers all over the world are engaging in fields of cultural communication， a higher number of quality China-ASEAN co-productions are expected in the future. Such productions can showcase their respective cultures and the profound friendship that exists between the two sides.

Released in China on July 27， 2017， Wolf Warrior II is an action movie that tells the story of a dismissed Chinese soldier named Leng Feng who finds himself involved in a civil war in an unnamed African country. He leaves his new-found peace behind and returns to his duties as a soldier to save his compatriots.

With total domestic box office earnings of 5.58 billion yuan （US$852.5 million） as of Nov. 20， 2017， Wolf Warrior II is the highest-grossing Chinese film ever， and is also the first and only non-Hollywood film ever to be included in the list of 100 all-time highest-grossing films worldwide.

Also at the festival， Singaporean director Jack Neo was awarded Best Director for his work Long Long Time Ago II. Malaysian actor Jack Tan won Best Actor for his performance in the movie Shuttle Life， and Philippine actress Laila Ulao won Best Actress for her performance in the movie Women of the Weeping River.

Chinese actress Jiang Wenli， the co-chair of the festival judging panel， concluded that catalyzed by this event， more cooperation between China and ASEAN in the movie industry is expected in the future. Malaysian director Saw Teong Hin， another jury co-chair， spoke highly of the nominated works as they highlight cultural similarity between China and ASEAN countries. He also said he wishes the festival every success in its future endeavors.

Mutual Learning

With a total population of over 2 billion， China and ASEAN member states enjoy huge market potential and broad prospects in movie co-production. As the movie industry booms on both sides， cinema exchange between the two sides has become more frequent in recent years.

According to S. Letchumanan Shanmugam， undersecretary of the International Division of the Malaysian Ministry of Communications and Multimedia， over the past few years， fruitful results have been achieved in ASEAN-China cooperation in film and creative industries through co-production and exchange programs in diverse forms， which has greatly improved people-to-people understanding.

“Currently Malaysia is working on building a major international cinema base， and we are looking forward to further expanding cooperation with China and enhancing mutual learning on both sides，” Shanmugam said.

In November 2017， the first Chinese-Indonesian co-produced film Tsunami was initiated in Jakarta. As a start-up project under the Sino-Indonesian film collaboration agreement， it highlighted cultural ties between the two countries. Moreover， many Chinese movies shot in Southeast Asia have been proven to be big hits and have also boosted local tourism.

“I believe the ASEAN-China Film Festival will serve as a platform for us to promote excellent ASEAN movies along with our respective cultures in the Chinese market，” said Indonesian filmmaker Asun Mawardi.

Jiang noted in an interview during the festival that she hopes this event plays a positive role in facilitating cultural exchange between China and Southeast Asian countries. She said the festival not only helps Chinese moviegoers learn more about Southeast Asian culture， but also enables people in ASEAN countries to gain a better understanding of China.

“In the new era， we will give full play to the role of movies as a cultural ambassador，” Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian said. “We need to tell Chinas stories well， present a true， multidimensional and panoramic view of China， and introduces more quality Chinese films to people with different cultural backgrounds in ASEAN countries.”

From Dec. 3-4， 2017， all movies shown at the event were screened at Golden Screen Cinemas in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur， Mid Valley Kuala Lumpur and MyTown Cheras. Eight of them were from China， including Wolf Warrior II， Shock Wave， Kung Fu Yoga and Xuanzang.