Sino-US film fest moves online amid pandemic

LOS ANGELES－The upcoming 16th Chinese American Film Festival and Chinese American TV Festival will become a fully digital event next month due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, organizers say.

It's the first time the festival will be held online. Founded in 2005 by EDI Media Inc, the annual China-US cultural event is held in Los Angeles to connect two of the world's largest film markets.

Nearly 400 film and television works will be featured at the festival, which will run from Nov 7 to 13.

The organizers will inaugurate the "Love and Hope Humanitarian Award" to recognize excellent film and TV works about healthcare workers and other first responders, says James Su, chairman of the CAFF, the CATF and EDI Media Inc.

Dozens of mainstream Chinese and US film and TV companies and institutions, including Warner Bros, Paramount, Universal, Sony, Disney, Lionsgate, IMAX, China Film Co Ltd and Shanghai Film Group, sent congratulatory letters in support of the festival.

Nearly 30 honorable guests from the Chinese and American film and television industries, including many Oscar and Emmy winners, will share their views on such topics as "the challenges and opportunities of the film industry in the post-pandemic era" at the online summit.

Hundreds of Chinese and US film and television companies have released film and television works in the online market and will negotiate business cooperation there, according to a news release.

"The festival has been a major communication-and-exchange platform for Chinese and American filmmakers," says Gu Jin, cultural consul of the Chinese Consulate-General in Los Angeles.

"Although the event has to be moved online this year due to the pandemic, it still reflects the organizers' tireless efforts and persistent pursuit in promoting cooperation between the Chinese and US film industries."

Festival co-chair and renowned Hollywood producer Andre Morgan says he has watched the struggles of the organizers over the past 16 years and believes the event is "a bridge between the East and the West, between China and Hollywood and, most importantly, between the Chinese film industry and Hollywood".

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