London and Shanghai have announced a new city-to-city partnership to support film culture,education, and industry.

London iscurrently hosting a number of Shanghai film industry players during theShanghai On Screen film festival, part of China In London 2006; the newpartnership was announced at a press conference by Film London CEO Adrian Wootton and Mao Shi An, deputy director general of theShanghai Administration of Culture, Radio, Film & TV.

The ShanghaiInternational Film Festival (June 17-25) will organize a London On Screen sidebar, a retrospective for a UK director, and will potentially host aLondon-based director on the jury. During that festival, the UK's new Film Business Academy will organize a symposium to kick-start alonger-term link between the cities' film educators.

A delegationof about 15 UK film-makers and industry executives willvisit Shanghai during the festival in a visit sponsoredby UK Trade & Investment.

This newsbuilds on the UK government's plans to sign an officialco-production treaty with China.