EXCLUSIVE: Chinese distributor Hishow is taking on a new curating role, heading into Cannes as a buyer of international films for China’s Golden Panda Awards.
A theatrical release for some of the films is also on the cards through the company’s recently launched We Love Cinema initiative.
“We will focus more on prestige international titles as this is an international award,” said Wang Haiyi, a co-founder and CEO from Hishow. “We’re aiming for new films from Cannes and Venice and a few studio titles too.”
The second edition of the Golden Panda Awards will be held from September 12-13 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, following its launch as a biennial event in 2023. There will be four categories: film, series, documentary and animation. Hishow is curating the film category only.
“Our intention is to provide a platform for more quality international films to enter the Chinese market,” said Wang. “The films screened at the awards will go through the festival system, which is different than the stricter theatrical system, so there’s more freedom for our selection.”
During the Golden Panda Awards, the international feature films will be screened under Hishow’s We Love Cinema banner, which is the Sichuan-registered company’s latest initiative to promote and distribute arthouse films in China.
Wang hopes that some selected titles will also receive theatrical distribution, subject to securing distributors. Hishow has plans to release some as part of We Love Cinema for titles that it eventually acquired. Hishow’s recent acquisitions include Oscar-winner I’m Still Here, Oscar-nominated animated feature Memoir Of A Snail and La Cocina.
Organisers for the Golden Panda awards are the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the People’s Government of Sichuan Province.
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