Alibaba Pictures pledges fund for young filmmakers

Zhou Tong, in his early 20s, so far had only his girlfriend's moral support and his mother's money to make short films on tight budgets.

But now he thinks Chinese filmmakers, especially aspiring ones, may see better days.

Zhou's confidence comes from Alibaba Pictures' recent announcement that it will provide 1 billion yuan ($158 million) in funds for young filmmakers in the next three years.