A Look at China’s Non-Commercial Cinema Lines
Most cinemas in China are under commercial cinema lines, such as Wanda Cinema, Bona Cinema, and state-owned China Film Stellar Film Chain, which mainly show newly released commercial films. So where can people go for other types of movies, such as art house films, old classics and educational movies? Here we take a look at China’s non-commercial cinema lines. First, when it comes to arthouse movies, there are two theatre alliances that focus on art films: National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas and Shanghai Art Film Federation. Led by China Film Archive, National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas now has over 100 theaters in 48 cities. Domestic and foreign arthouse films, old classics, and second-run flicks are normally arranged to screen under the banner of the Alliance. Shanghai Art Film Federation (SAFF) is comprised of local theaters in Shanghai. In addition to film screenings, SAFF also hosts filmmaker retrospectives, masterclasses, and other filmmaking related educational programs. Broadway Cinematheque and UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing are also important venues that showcase art films. Besides arthouse movie theaters, China also sees community theaters and “red” cinemas growing in recent years. Community cinemas are usually located in residential areas or university campuses to serve specific audience groups. “Red” cinemas are built to show educational movies that tell heroic stories in the history of PRC. Read more on Douban Pro
American Sci-fi Film ‘Ad Astra’ Scores China Release
Ad Astra, an American Sci-fi adventure film starring Brad Pitt, has been set to release in China. Directed by James Grey, Ad Astra was selected into the competition section for the Golden Lion Award of the 2019 Venice International Film Festival. Then since September 20, the film has been released in countries all around the world. Although Ad Astra received positive reviews from film press, it only scored 45%/100% on the Rotten Tomatoes site. The movie’s opening date in China has yet to be announced. Read more on Mtime
