Festival plots reruns of British film classics

Screen favorites and characters, both old and modern, set to win over a new generation of fans

The best of British film classics, some previously unavailable for release in China, will be coming to screens near netizens in the next two months.

A select choice of more than 50 top British feature and short films are on view across the country via the video portal, LeTV, during the GREAT British Online Film Festival, co-launched by the British embassy in Beijing, VisitBritain, Britain's national tourism agency and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The festival includes a number of films that were unavailable for release in China. Many of the films, including hits such as The King's Speech, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Shaun of the Dead, Brief Encounter and Oliver Twist, have either won, or been nominated for, major international awards and are available to view through filmisgreat.cn from the launch on Oct 9 to Dec 12.

Sebastian Wood, British ambassador to China, says: "I hope that through the GREAT British Online Film Festival, audiences across China will rediscover British classics and discover new favorites. In many cases, the location also has a starring role, and I hope viewers will be inspired to visit the UK to explore the locations from their favorite films."

Film and, increasingly, television is a growing driver of tourism in Britain. When Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, as James Bond and M, stood surveying the lush landscape of Glencoe in Skyfall, millions of cinemagoers admired it too and the glen has seen visitor numbers increase by 40 percent.

After Harry Potter dipped and dived on a broomstick at his first Quidditch lesson, Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, better known as Hogwarts, saw a 230 percent rise in the number of visitors, and their spending power boosted the local economy by 9 million pounds ($14.5 million). The castle now hosts Quidditch lessons.

VisitBritain research indicates that 40 percent of potential visitors would be "very likely" to visit places they've seen in films or on TV, and this "film-trail" sector accounts for nearly 10 percent of all tourism.

"It seems there's a direct link between people seeing the film and wanting to visit the destination," says Anthony Fabian, director of the short film, Freeze Frame, which is set against the backdrop of picturesque London, Edinburgh and Shanghai.

In April, the Sino-UK Film Co-Production Treaty was signed in Beijing, sparking the creation of a series of cross-cultural projects to produce creative, quality film.

"The agreement has been a huge boost for both industries," Fabian says. "China has lots of fantastic locations, technicians and actors and we have very experienced people who the Chinese may wish to access and work with, at the same time, you have an enormous market."

Carter Pilcher, chief executive of ShortsTV, says that they are looking for partners in China and hope to introduce British short films to China.

"Britain and China are two of the world's oldest and most transcendent story-telling cultures, and both are exploding with new creativity. Nowhere is there more excitement or interest than in both Britain and China in the world of movies - and for young, hip Chinese and Brits, the coolest movies to watch are short movies," Pilcher says.

chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/17/2014 page26)