‘Guardians of the Tomb’ director Kimble Rendall and DOP Brad Shield.
Arclight Films has officially launched Chinalight, a new development division focused on Australian-Chinese co-productions.
Chinalight is currently looking for proposals from writers, producers and directors, with successful applicants to be invited to take part in a ‘hothouse’ script lab to develop their ideas into potential co-pros. While there, creatives will receive input from both Chinese and Australian production partners on producing movies with international appeal.
China is currently the world’s second largest film market, with a box office that has grown significantly in recent years and is predicted to eventually eclipse the US. Australian-Chinese feature collaborations have slowly grown since the official co-production treaty was entered into force in 2008.
Arclight Films is one of the production companies behind Kimble Rendall’s Guardians of the Tomb, which shot on the Gold Coast last year and is the largest official Chinese-Australian co-pro to date. Produced by Gary Hamilton, Ying Ye and Mark Lazurus, the film stars Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz, Kelsey Grammar and Wu Chan.
“Chinese studios have never been more willing to engage with the West both creatively and commercially, and Australia’s entertainment industry stands to reap huge gains, spearheading a new era of storytelling for global audiences,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton said Chinalight is designed to have far-reaching international benefits. “Our aim is to work with Chinese partners to create content that satisfies Australian, Chinese and international audiences and generate revenue that expands our screen industry and nurtures emerging Australian talent.”
Driving the Chinalight program will be creative executive Jenevieve Chang whose memoir about growing up in Australia and returning to China as an adult, The Good Girl of Chinatown, was published by Penguin Random House this year.
“For me, China is one of the most exciting places in the world right now. The rate of change there is as fast as its history is rich and varied. Engaging with the culture on a story level means connecting to an incredibly diverse palette of human experience, as well as investing in the next hot spot for screen stories.
Submissions to Chinalight should take the form of a one to two page synopsis, with the deadline for round one of the program September 1.
To apply, visit: http://www.arclightfilms.com/chinalight/