The Rise of the C-Wave in the Film Industry
You’ve heard of the K-wave and the J-wave. Now, there is a C-wave taking over the film industry. Thanks to the cooperation between the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) and Marché du Film, another international film festival, in France, Chinese directors are starting to take to the word stage in film. Not only that, but 2021 marked the third year of partnership between SIFF Young, an initiative for young Chinese directors, and Cannes Film Festival. Not only that but 5 emerging Chinese directors were selected for the festival itself, showing the rise in talent in the Chinese film industry. All of this is pointing to an international recognition of the Chinese film market, and its potential growth. In fact, there are many signs that the C-Wave is starting to take over, and we’ll show you what some of them look like.
The A.D.R & Shanghai International Film Festival Partnership
A.D.R is a communication agency, in the film industry, based in Paris, Cannes and Singapore, and their support of the SIFF in their partnership with Marché du Film, one of the major partners for the Cannes is what bolstered the presence of Chinese filmmakers at the Marché du Film international gathering, as well as the Cannes Film Festival. It bridged the gap between the two markets, and according to Antoine Dray, it connected “two sides of a single coin”, with two major powers in the independent film industry: one being the European film market and the other the Asian film market (JingDaily, 2022).
With the collaboration between these two major film festivals, it’s clear that the international film market is opening its doors to the vast world of Chinese cinema. Not only that but with the boom in international attention, this could open doors across other sectors in China, and luxury brands should start taking notes into the impact of the Chinese culture around the world. In fact, according to SIFF (2021) themselves, it should start opening doors in the beauty and fashion industries too. So, with the growing presence of Chinese filmmakers at the Cannes film festival, not only should filmmakers be watching, but luxury brands should too.
Chinese Cinema Has Banked More Box Office Gross Than The USA
While Hollywood is still a big, international industry, its box office gross, at the beginning of the year had just missed the mark for first place. It had garnered over $550 million, which is a healthy start for the first 6 weeks, but it just couldn’t top the Chinese market, which had gained under $2 billion, from the 1st of January to the second week of February (Celluloid Junkie, 2022). This was not only for Hollywood releases but for local and national film releases. With the release of films like Hi Mom, The Battle Of Lake Changjin and Detective Chinatown, the market for Chinese cinema had been going strong, even on the international stage.
Even with pandemic crises hitting the country, the Chinese cinema industry hasn’t slowed down. It has remained steadier than most other cinemas in the world. In fact, Comscore has shown that while most other countries are slowly building traction again, the Chinese box office gross had reached almost pre-pandemic levels, in 2021 (Comscore).
Interest In Chinese Cinema In The UK
The UK is known for the talents it’s brings to the film industry, from directors like Christopher Nolan to actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen. However, in recent years, it’s been showing interest in international filmmakers, particularly Chinese filmmakers. In fact, Odyssey, a film organisation in the UK, has even opened up a new section called “The Emerging Waves”, which showcases works by Chinese talents, based in the UK (UK-China Film Collab, 2022).
It even showcased films like Being Mortal (2020), Lan Yu 4K (2001) and River of Salvation (2020), this May in major independent cinemas across the UK. Not only that, but Odyssey itself has prided itself in bringing awareness to the independent, arthouse, and documentary productions, produced in China to wider audiences. In fact, the showcase in May was the biggest the UK had ever seen in Chinese cinema history. It hopes that more filmmakers will be drawn to Chinese themes and genres, from the likes of epic storytelling to action-packed martial arts films (UK-China Film Collab, 2022).
The Invasion Of Chinese Blockbusters
Of course, all of this is to say that the Chinese film market is slowly taking over the world, and may soon even rival Hollywood itself, as a major blockbuster industry. After all, with actors and actresses, like Awkwafina on the big screen, it’s no surprise that more Chinese talents are encroaching on the Hollywood scene. In fact, even some Chinese films have made it to Hollywood, without even getting the major studios involved. You only need to think about the likes of The Farewell (2019), Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and Shang-Chi (2021), to really see the impact of the C-Wave in Hollywood.
Not only that but coupled with the growth in cinema chains around the country itself, it is no wonder that China’s cinema industry is booming. For example, Wanda Group, one of China’s biggest cinema operators, have been steadily acquiring smaller-tier cinemas, which means that more and more blockbusters, from both the domestic film industry as well as international film industries, are being seen by more people (Newsweek, 2021). That’s why China’s domestic industry has grown exponentially, in the last two years alone.
Will We See More C-Wave Cinema In Hollywood?
For now, it seems the growth of the C-Wave is slow, but with more exposure, comes more attention. So, you can bet that in the near future, we may see more Chinese movies invade the international film market as a whole. And, possibly, bring with it a whole new angle to creating movies, documentaries, and TV shows. After all, with the K-Wave, we saw dramas and thrillers hitting both the big screen and small screen. Imagine what the C-Wave could bring. Would we see more epic storytelling? Would we see more martial arts? The possibilities are endless, just as they are for Chinese cinema around the world.
