Venice International Film Festival: Spotlight on China

World
Europe

02:58

The 75th annual Venice International Film Festival is underway and this year, the world's oldest film festival is once again putting China in the spotlight. CGTN's Li Yaoyang tells us how the world's biggest country is turning heads in Venice, and getting people talking.

The jury for the main competition is presided by Oscar-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. His movie "The Shape of Water" won four Academy Awards earlier this year, including Best Director and Best Picture. It also grabbed the top Golden Lion award in Venice last year. Also on the main jury this year is Taiwan writer and director Sylvia Chang.

While no Chinese films have entered the competition section, some are still creating quite the buzz, like Zhang Yimou's "Shadow", Tsai Mingliang's "Your Face" and Yang Zhengfan's "Down There".

LI YAOYANG VENICE "Plenty of talented Chinese filmmakers have brought more and more of their works to the Venice International Film Festival. As the Chinese film industry grows rapidly, it is also becoming a major focus on the international stage."

The special section "Focus on China" is returning to Venice for its third year, with an aim to bring more Chinese films to Europe. European experts and film professionals have spoken highly of the recent development of the Chinese market, saying they look forward to deepening cooperation.

CARLO GENTILE RAI CINEMA ASIA "It's important to note that the Chinese public today has higher expectations when it comes to films. They don't just go and see any film, and that motivates Chinese producers to reach new heights and make bigger productions. This is working well, because not only the number of screens has increased but also the quality of Chinese films."

ROBERTO STABILE, INTERNATIONAL DEPT. CHIEF ANICA "China has achieved exponential growth in the field of cinematography, which really impresses filmmakers from around the world, even those from the United States."

"I am convinced, and of course my Chinese colleagues were convinced before me, that we should join forces with the powers of the Chinese market and Italian creativity. The Italian cinema, with neo-realism for example, influenced global cinematography. So, the combination of the two, in their creative, economic and commercial powers, would enable us to make co-productions."

The festival runs through September 8. Li Yaoyang, CGTN. Venice, Italy.