00:00We're joined now by Hu Man Chan, founder and executive director of the UK-China film CoLab.
00:06Hu Man, thanks so much for joining us. That looks like a fantastic movie.
00:09And we have seen some wonderful releases from China, a lot of really fantastic animation.
00:15But how close are movies from China to achieving the success that we've seen with Chinese gaming internationally?
00:26I think it depends on how companies and studios can combine film as an IP or game as an IP
00:35and transfer them to a film.
00:37So sometimes when you look at the success of gaming internationally, of course, Chinese games have really taken off in
00:44the past few years.
00:45But then the next question is whether they can then convert the IP into a film or potentially a CD
00:50series that can reach a wider audience as well.
00:52So that they can keep the fans and the players and the young audience for a longer journey of engagement.
01:00What genres of Chinese films work best outside China, do you think? Is it animation?
01:08At the moment, it seems that animation is the genre that is getting a lot of international attention.
01:13I think largely because of the domestic, the home office record that it has reached.
01:18The previous one before, the current one is NARJA.
01:22I think everyone is looking at NARJA, why was it successful in China, and so on and so forth.
01:28But I want to pause it there, though, because I don't want to limit it just to one genre.
01:33If you look at films, how can they be successful internationally?
01:36I don't think we need to limit into genre any good story, whether they're in an animation form or any
01:42other genre.
01:42So as long as they tell a good story, I think it has a potential to reach a wider audience,
01:47especially the young audience around the world.
01:50Jinwa spoke so very well about those universal stories that touch all of us.
01:56But there are differences, whether it's what makes us laugh or the stories that define our particular culture.
02:04Do you think that we're ever going to truly have an international hit that works on every continent?
02:12At the moment, I think it's looking likely, especially with several successes already up until this point.
02:20But I think instead of telling the mythical Chinese story or the folklore story, perhaps the filmmakers and producers can
02:27try something more futuristic,
02:28looking into the future rather than telling a historical story or folklore or heritage that sometimes might be a little
02:37bit difficult for young audience to understand the depth of the history and the philosophy and culture.
02:43But leaving that alone, I think young people nowadays, I think we have possibly the most imaginative young audience around
02:52the world than ever.
02:53They have received a lot of information than the previous generations.
02:57So I do think their minds are open and they have lots of options to watch online and also on
03:02different streaming platforms.
03:05So if any time this is the time for filmmakers from around the world, for Chinese filmmakers to try to
03:11tap into the global young audience, the young audience of the future.
03:14I think the more imaginative they are, the more kind of different cultural perspective that they are being showcased, then
03:23the better hope that we have.
03:26Wonderful. Thank you so much for chatting to us.
03:28That's Hugh Manchan, founder and executive director of the UK-China Film Collab.
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