Chinese and Australian companies sign 7 movie deals

While the Chinese movie market has attracted Australian filmmakers over the past decade, only eight coproduction projects have taken off since 2006, when the two countries first signed a treaty to encourage film partnership. But with seven new coproduction deals signed in Beijing on April 20, the number is expected to rise.

Under a program called Red Billion, co-launched by Australia China Film Association and Sydney Films Production Company, some 30 feature films are being targeted for joint production by 2020.

Covering a wide range of genres, the lineup includes the sci-fi drama Dream Reader Union, which is about a young hacker's adventure to unite warriors with a connection to China's first emperor Qin Shihuang, and the money-themed drama Trader Behind the Scenes about the crisis of China's stock market in 2015.