Titles of five films directed by renown Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai: (from top) Days of Being Wild, Happy Together, 2046, Chungking Express and Fallen Angels [baidu.com]

"We have a lot of respect for the Hong Kong directors we have worked with," said Ren. "There are many things we can learn from them, especially in terms of special effects, something that can have a great impact on foreign audiences," he said.
With Ren's encouragement, the SFG took the lead among Chinese film producers to cast foreign stars in its movies. For example, the multinational cast of "My Blueberry Nights" includes Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Rachel Weisz, Oscar nominee Jude Law, and Grammy winner Norah Jones.

Despite its occasional bold moves, Ren understands that the SFG cannot hope to compete head-to-head with the Hollywood studios in the international market, at least in the foreseeable future. "We are not well capitalized to take big risks," he said. "We may never be able to pick ourselves up after one major flop," he added.

Learning a lesson from South Korea, Ren believes that there is an attractive niche market internationally for relatively smaller budget, well-made movies with country-specific themes. This niche market used to be dominated by French and German films. But in recent years, Hong Kong filmmakers have made inroads into this market with kung fu films that delight cinemagoers around the world with their carefully choreographed hand-to-hand combat action.

But Ren said that kung-fu action films from Hong Kong and the mainland are facing stiff competition from Hollywood filmmakers who have "learned these tricks and are doing it better than us." Chinese filmmakers will just have to find other ways to survive, he said.

Ren believes that Chinese films reflecting the nation's dramatic social and economic changes will have a wide audience both inside and outside the mainland. The growing popularity of modern Chinese paintings, particularly those that highlight conflicts brought about by the fast-changing social landscape, is an indication of overseas interest in the latest developments on the mainland. "We need to tell a good story about modern-day life in China to attract foreign movie fans," Ren said.

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