Robert Montgomery, Chairman of the Banff International Media Festival Organizing Committee, delivered a speech at the "Beijing Day" event.
Scene of the opening ceremony of the "Beijing Day" event.
From June 10 to 12, the Banff International Media Festival officially commenced in Banff, Canada. Every June, senior executives from over two thousand television stations and film production companies from thirty countries gather in the beautiful Rocky Mountains to discuss television program collaborations and seek trading opportunities.
Unlike previous years, this year's Banff International Media Festival has seen a wave of Chinese influence, with a delegation from Beijing's film and television industry adding vibrant "Chinese Red" to the picturesque Banff. The festival specifically hosted the "Beijing Day" event, organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio and Television and undertaken by Hairun Media Group, with the theme "Beijing Film and Television Conveying the Chinese Dream." Ding Baizhi, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio and Television, personally led the delegation, which included Kelly, President of the Canadian Film and Television Bureau, the Director of CBC Television, Jeff, Director of the Alberta Film Bureau, and the Deputy Director of the British Columbia Film Bureau, all of whom attended and highly praised the event.
The Banff International Media Festival aims to facilitate exchanges in the film and television industry and high-level discussions, thus the event is not limited to project transactions and plays an important role in the dissemination of Chinese culture.
Building a Bridge for "Going Out"
Every year, the Banff International Media Festival is held at the renowned Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, which has a history of 125 years. After some renovation, the Western architecture blends harmoniously with Eastern charm, creating a unique atmosphere. In such an environment, the "Chinese Dream: Beijing Day" was officially launched.
Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen, Robert Montgomery, Chairman of the Banff International Media Festival Organizing Committee, and Vice Chairman Zachary Goberman welcomed the Beijing film and television delegation and praised the "Beijing Day" event for its strong Chinese characteristics. They expressed hope that through this exchange, good communication could be established with Chinese television media, creating more cooperation opportunities. Robert Montgomery expressed gratitude to Deputy Director Ding Baizhi for her visit in fluent Chinese. Due to his long-standing love for Chinese culture, he is also very familiar with Chinese film and television works. Robert also stated that he hopes the Banff International Media Festival can become a bridge for communication and cooperation between Canada, North America, and China.
Beijing Film and Television Conveying the "Chinese Dream"
The Beijing film and television delegation includes several well-known domestic representatives with excellent overseas sales performance, such as Hairun Media Group and Xijing Cultural Media (Beijing) Co., Ltd., representing the forefront of domestic film and television culture going global.
In this regard, Deputy Director Ding Baizhi expressed her affirmation, stating, "In the past three years, Beijing's film and television 'going out' has made significant strides." In 2012, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio and Television first attended the Banff International Media Festival and gained a lot. This year, at North America's largest television exchange platform, a large-scale "Beijing Day" event was held. She mentioned that the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio and Television views Banff as a new field for entering North America. Although they have not been here long, they have already felt the attention and expectations from their peers. The audience on-site was also strongly influenced by the atmosphere of Beijing.
Zhao Zhijiang, Executive President of Hairun Media Group, revealed in an interview that through exchanges at the Banff International Media Festival in recent years, they have discovered a significant change in the North American market's attitude towards Chinese television works. They are now accepting a broader range of Chinese themes and content, no longer focusing solely on historical dramas, but also showing great interest in modern dramas and urban dramas. Due to China's rapid economic growth, various foreign groups, whether in business or cultural industries, are eager to understand contemporary China, and television dramas and documentaries are an important way for them to learn about the country.
Vice Chairman Zachary Goberman provided some suggestions for the "going out" of Chinese film and television in an interview. He believes that "both China and Canada have strong cultural characteristics. How can we share a piece of the pie in the international market? The key is communication. By engaging with different countries and cultures internationally and integrating their own characteristics, they can create works that are internationally recognized. Currently, some lighter themes in Chinese film and television works are very well received in Canada."
Embarking on the Path of Overseas Expansion
At this year's Banff International Media Festival, television program buyers from countries such as the United States, Canada, and New Zealand showed great interest in the "Beijing Day" event. A buyer from New Zealand expressed a strong desire to collaborate with Chinese film and television companies on projects.
In recent years, seven major companies from Beijing have established a presence around the world, among which Propeller TV is the first and only British local television station owned by Chinese people to enter the mainstream broadcasting system in Europe. Its self-produced programs "UKLIFESTYLER" and "China Creates" have gained favor from foreign media. To better disseminate Chinese culture and expand overseas platforms, Ms. Zhou Jing, Deputy General Manager of Propeller TV, stated that with the support of the Beijing Radio and Television Bureau, they have the opportunity to connect with many excellent production companies and advanced media communication experiences from abroad, which is a great learning opportunity. They also hope to reach intention agreements with outstanding domestic film and television production companies to spread excellent domestic television and film works with international cultural elements to Europe, which is both their responsibility and obligation.
Zhao Zhijiang also stated that Hairun's television dramas will continue to increase their output of film and television works, maintaining the cultural strategy of "going out". They will leverage the advantages of the industrial group to focus on creating high-quality works in both historical and modern drama genres. At the same time, they will inherit the successful experiences of going out, following the advanced model of exporting television dramas overseas through channel cooperation with PCCW in 2012. Currently, Hairun Media Group is in discussions with countries in North America and Australia, hoping to increase the output of television and film works through channel cooperation in the next year or two, conveying the Beijing film and television Chinese Dream to more places.
In today's rapidly developing global media landscape, Beijing film and television will carry the hope of the "Chinese Dream" while inheriting China's excellent traditional culture, placing greater emphasis on international expansion, and continuously strengthening exchanges and cooperation with international film and television, allowing Beijing film and television to integrate more international elements and merge with global film and television.