China and India map out accords
Commission to look into increasing import quotas, exchange technical know-how
An agreement to constitute an India-China Film Cooperation Commission was among 12 pacts inked in the Indian capital during a day of talks last week between visiting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The commission will look into increasing import quotas for each nation's films, as well as exchanging technical know-how, providing location and studio facilities, and extending marketing and distribution facilities to each other.
The commission will also explore co-operation in developing animation.
China and India, Asia's two fastest growing economies, also agreed to conduct joint film weeks, organize joint international film markets, seminars and film festivals, and work toward implementing a Sino-Indian co-production agreement.
With domestic B.O. falling, Bollywood has been eyeing China in recent years as a potential new market; a special focus at this month's annual Frames media confab in Mumbai was on India's giant neighbor.
But while Bollywood musical numbers are popular in China, the movies themselves have yet to make major inroads in commercial theaters.
Similarly, while Hong Kong-made action movies have a following in India, traditional Chinese movies don't sell that well, and the joint entertainment market of the Asian giants remains largely untapped.
Onkar S. Kanwar, president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) which organized Frames, bemoaned the lack of joint entertainment.
"We are doing business with China in every sector today, but not much in entertainment. There is a great potential," he said.
Observers said that with piracy rampant in both China and India, and both markets hard to crack, the film commission will have its work cut out trying to sell each country's fare across the border.
