In the last two years the Chinese film industry experienced a difficult period, with box office falling to an 11-years low and the number of both imported and co-produced films declining to their minimum. However, with the abandonment of the Covid-Zero policy, it has immediately shown signs of recovery with a strong performance during the Lunar New Year holidays. It is foreseen that it will soon return to the pre-pandemic growth, thus re-activating the great opportunities of collaboration with this region.

But meanwhile other Asian regions have developed an incredible vitality, proposing new, exciting, and daring perspectives on audiovisuals. In 2022, Japan has become the world’s third largest box-office market, while Korean contents have received enormous attention in the international film festivals and on global streamers. Regions like Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia, although with a smaller internal market, are attracting more and more international productions by introducing co-production funds and local incentives.

The producer’s association Bridging the Dragon is always offering to the international film community a regular insight into this landscape. This year, in collaboration with the European Film Market (EFM), for the first time it will expand its traditional Sino-European forum to include a wider angle, in order to discuss the triangular synergies between Europe, China and other regions of Far East Asia.

The event will be kicked off on the 19th of February with the panel “Moving East: Perspectives of collaboration between Europe, China and Far East Asia”. The head of International Operation of the renowned Japanese Animation studio Production I.G. (Ghost in the shell franchise) Francesco Prandoni, the CEO and producer of Korean company BlessU Pictures Eunjung Yoo, the Director of the Film division of Chinese-backed Spanish group Mediapro Studio Carles Montiel, and the founder and producer of Taiwanese company Flash Forward Entertainment (with operations also in Mainland) Patrick Huang, will be sharing with the audience their perspective on what is currently happening in their territories and what can be expected in the near future in terms of interaction with Europe but also among themselves. The panel will be moderated by Variety’s Asia Chief editor Patrick Frater.

The Forum will continue on the 21st of February with five roundtables, exploring in detail the regions of Mainland China, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Mongolia. Each table will be headed by an experienced local expert. Among tutors are above mentioned Patrick Huang, Eunjung Yoo, Fan Zhang (Head of Bridging the Dragon’s China operations) Eiko Mizuno-Gray, Japanese producer who has worked in the past with Koreeda, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Chie Hayakawa, and Nomuunzul Turmunkh, producer and Board Member of the Mongolian National Film Council.