FEF offers opportunities for experienced, debut and student filmmakers. At FEF you will be able to meet with many filmmakers, commissioners, broadcasters, distributors and other buyers from both of China and the UK.

FEF09 offers screening sessions, in-depth filmmaker masterclasses, controversial discussion panels and incisive interviews. Guests include representation from all parts of the Chinese film industry. Stay tuned to the website for details and deadlines relating to the 2009 film and session programme.

 Finding Shangri-la

In 2006, Variety Magazine named Lola as one of China’s Twenty Most Influential Female media personalities. She will attend our event and answer audience and press questions after the screening of Finding Shangri-la? RSVP

 Panel 2009

Thinking of working with a Chinese partner, filming in China or want to know more about selling a UK film to a Chinese distributor? Then join the 3^rd Filming East Festival @ BAFTA for this event at 17:00 at 195 Piccadilly on Saturday 3 October.China is an increasingly important player in the global film industry: for UK based sales companies, China is one of the world's biggest untapped markets; for producers, it's a source of potential new partnerships and co-production funding. Yet of course, even a co-production isn't a guarantee of release in the partner territory -- a film must also meet the standards of the Chinese film authorities before it can be considered for a release. In this discussion event, filmmakers and rights holders will offer their experiences of navigating this new terrain and answer audience questions.Session chaired by Isabel Davis (Head of International, UK Film Council) with speakers including BAFTA-winner Phil Agland (director/producer of Shanghai Vice), Natasha Dack (producer of Locarno's Golden Leopard winning, She, A Chinese). Other speakers will be announced shortly.

 Panel 2008

Dr Rossella Ferrari  (SOAS)

Professor Harriet Evans, Co-ordinator of Asian Studies research at the University of Westminster

She is a expert of Chinese Culture, especially the contemporary documentary arts and the Chinese politic studies. She got her degrees in China and can speak good Chinese. She is one of the top scholars in this area. She would like to talk about the contemporary Chinese Independent film/ documentary as she knows a few filmmakers and is now organising an exhibition. And she knows Hu Jie, the director of the film ‘Though I have gone’ which will be screened during our festival.  

Mr. Graham BENSON, Chairman of Screen South

He is coming to say HI and some nice word about the FEF. He is the boss of the Screen South, UK Film Council. He would say something about the diversity policy etc.

Jo NOLAN, CEO of Screen South

She knows us quite well. She is going to talk about the growing of the FEF during these two years and announce her continuing support in next year.

Mr. Gavin MAXWELL, Producer / Director of BBC ‘Wild China’

His ‘Wild China’ is well-known. He can definitely give us some back ground story of making a film in China.

Mr. Richard Mann, Manager of Odeon Cinema

The Covent Garden Odeon Cinema is famous for delivering international and independent film festivals. He will talk about his experience and his main idea of supporting FEF.

Prof. John Ellis, Professor of Royal Holloway University of London

It seems that it might be a good idea if he talks about the new appreciation of the history of cinema in China: he has undergraduates from the PRC doing their dissertations on the leftist films of the 1930s and on Shaw Brothers Hong Kong films. Also he can mention his visit to Shanghai Studios in 1981 and the documentary we made about the history of Chinese cinema (1983).

Thank you to all of the filmmakers who contributed!

Yuan Zhang,

Independent film director and producer Zhang Yuan was born in Nanjing (Province of Jian Su), P.R. China, in 1963. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinematography from the Beijing Film Academy in 1989. In 1990, Zhang produced and directed his first feature film, Mama. In 1999 Zhang Yuan also directed a feature film Seventeen Years, a family drama of hate, crime and reconciliation, which won the Best Director award at the 56th Venice Film Festival.

Major Works:
Mama (1990)
Beijing Bustards (1992)
Sons (1995)
East Palace, West Palace (1996)
Demolition and Relocation (1998)
Seventeen Years (1999)
Green Tea (2002)
Little Red Flowers (2005)

Zhangke Jia,

Born in 1970 in Fenyang, Jia Zhangke is a leading figure in the Chinese film directors. In 1998 his first feature film Xiao Wu made a major success on the international film circuit. Since then Jia had scored a string of internationally acclaimed independent features including 2000's Platform, 2002's Unknown Pleasures (Ren xiao yao) and 2004's The World. This foreshadowed his winning the 2006 Golden Lion award for his film, Still Life (Sanxia haoren). In 2006 Jia released his first documentary, East (Dong).

Major Works:
Xiao Shan Going Home (1995) - Short film
Dudu (1996) - Short film
Xiao Wu (1997) - Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Awards
Platform (2000)
In Public (2001) - Short film
Unknown Pleasures (2002)
The World (2004)
Still Life (2006) - Golden Lion Award for Best Film.
East (2006) - documentary
Useless (2007) - documentary
Age of Tattoo (2008, planned release)
Shuang Xionghui (planned)

WangWang Wang,

Graduated from Tsinghua University in 1988, he is a designer, a painter, a poet and an advocate of Chinese contemporary art. He has done image design for numerous celebrities and has been acclaimed as one of China’s top designers. His clients include Pepsi, Motorola, CCTV, Phoenix TV, etc. He is the only designer in China to have published three personal albums of his works.

Video Arts:
Music of Ink (2006)
Disappear (2006)