In a town where China is mainly seen as the largest foreign market for American studios and filmmakers to capitalize upon, the Los Angeles Chinese Film Festival has decided to bring a more nuanced China to people in Hollywood.
Founded in 2017, the LACFF will raise its curtain on November 1 at the Downtown Independent Theater. Thoughtfully curated film screenings, industry panels and special events are dotted throughout the four-day event, leaving time for audiences to check out other film events, such as the concurrent American Film Market, without missing the films they want to see at the LACFF.
This year, 21 films are nominated from a total of 255 film submissions from 11 countries. Of the festival line-up, nine films will be making their North American and/or Los Angeles Premiere. The feature film, E.T. Made in China, as well as stop-animation short, The Quintet of the Sunset, will be making their World Premiere. Themes of this year’s films are universally comprehensible yet distinctly Chinese, focusing primarily on the directors’ thoughts on the ever changing Chinese society and global landscapes. For example, opening film Walking Past the Future, which had its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, follows a daughter of aging migrant workers, as their dreams of a better future crumble in an era of drastic change in China; E.T. Made in China looks at the modern Chinese rural reality in the presence of actual extraterrestrials; Speculator features the ride-sharing app, Uber and the foreign capital flowing into the Chinese market; People’s Republic of Desire explores the financial and personal conflicts behinds live internet streaming platforms; and Hanzi explores Asian culture and identity through a typographic lens.
In addition to film screenings, the festival will present two panels discussing the collaboration and future of US and Chinese entertainment, in both the business and creative fields. Panelists include executives from leading companies, such as Perfect World Pictures, Arclight Films and East West Bank, and producers and actors from this year’s hit films, such as The Meg and Crazy Rich Asians.
The LACFF is organized by Chinese in Entertainment (CIE), a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that supports Chinese talent and culture in entertainment and the arts.
For additional information on the 2018 LACFF, including screening times, locations, featured guests and ticketing details, please visit https://www.lacff.org/
