The Caribbean Film Industry and China: Seeking New Markets

Studying Cinematography at the Communication University of China, Beijing

Sometime between 2012 and 2014, I was an extra in a Chinese movie of which I will never know the name. My job was to be a part of a shouting mob of international journalists who were trying to get the attention of the main character and then to deliver one line, asking a question when the director told me to. At the time, I was just a student who was up for anything and earning some extra pocket money on the side. What I didn’t realise was that this happenstance Chinese - Caribbean collaboration might have been setting the tone for the future.

In recent years, several initiatives have sprouted in the Caribbean to aid in the development of the film industry. A burgeoning industry means more jobs for locals, more resources allocated to homegrown productions and more demand for local content. It also means seeking out new markets while maintaining relationships with existing markets. Due to our proximity, commonality in language and large diaspora, the main markets for Caribbean films have usually been focussed on North America and the UK. 

China, with a 2nd place ranking on the list of the world’s largest economies, a population of 1.4 billion people and an ever deepening relationship between the Caribbean and China, should the Caribbean look to China as a potential market for our Caribbean content and is there demand in the Chinese market for this content? 

Background of the Caribbean and Chinese Film Industries

The Caribbean with its melting pot of cultures and scenic islands has been a location of choice for international film productions since the early 1900s, paving the way for stimulated growth and sustainability of an ecosystem which supports a Caribbean film industry.

Although international productions support the Caribbean ecosystem of industry professionals, local talent and businesses, in the last few years, attention has been placed on developing the capacity of Caribbean citizens to tell authentic live action and animated stories through initiatives such as The Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) Propella program and The Caribbean Film Project.

On the other hand, since the late 1800’s, filmmakers in Mainland China have been telling Chinese stories through film. With a state controlled film industry, only 34 international (non-Chinese) films being released in Chinese cinemas each year, and the two regions so separated by history, language, culture and distance can there really be opportunity for Caribbean films to make it in the Chinese market? 

The Caribbean Film Festival in China

Pictured with Ms. Ayesha Wharton, Chargé d' Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago at the 1st Caribbean Film Festival in China in 2016

In 2016, four countries from the Caribbean Caucus of Embassies (Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and The Bahamas) organised a Caribbean Film Festival in China which was well attended by Chinese and Caribbean citizens alike. The media was abuzz with excitement at this new opportunity for cultural exchange.

Caribbean Filmmakers and Officials at the Caribbean Film Festival in China during the Changsha Media Arts Festival in 2019

Since then the embassies have attempted to make it an annual event and this year, the 2019 edition was hosted across 2 different Chinese cities, Changsha and Beijing. The Changsha leg of the festival was held in conjunction with the Changsha Media Arts Festival where the featured film was “Finding Samuel Lowe” directed by Jeanette Kong. In Beijing, the festival was held in conjunction with the Beijing College Student Film Festival and held at the School of Arts and Communication of Beijing Normal University.

Rommel Hall, award winning Barbadian filmmaker, attended the festival to participate in the screenings of his teen dramedy Abiola and his documentary Liquid Gold: the Story of Rum in Barbados. “The audience was enthralled with the rum documentary.  I assume it is because most of them did not realise that rum originally came from Barbados…The general consensus was that they were happy to have a glimpse into Caribbean life through the film.  It is not often that a Chinese person could sit and see films depicting scenes in a patty shop or in a Jamaican public service vehicle and they found the whole exercise very intriguing…They were also disappointed that the event was only one day,” said Hall.

2nd from left: Barbadian Filmmaker, Rommel Hall interacts with the audience after the screening of a film at  Beijing Normal University on April 23, 2019. / Photo courtesy of the organiser of Beijing Caribbean Films Take II

While Caribbean films are not yet well known in Mainland China and may not be seen on the big screen in theatres anytime soon, at a grassroots level, interest is building. The “Belt and Road Initiative” led by President Xi Jinping of China is aimed at building a new silk road which has led to renewed interest and opportunities for exchange of culture, knowledge and goods including intellectual property (IP). I experienced this grassroots interest first hand in 2015 when I organised 2 film screenings as fundraisers for the Bread of Life Bakery. My classmates from Afghanistan, England, Kenya and Madagascar all kindly contributed their thesis films to assist with this fundraiser, and although the majority of attendants were international residents in China, there was a small group of Chinese citizens that came out to support.

Hall believes that “Despite the differences in our cultures, many of our stories are universal and can resonate with people globally.  If we could start a movement where Caribbean films become trendy, similar to Nollywood films, and 0.01% of the Chinese population gravitate towards them, that would be a massive victory for Caribbean creatives. I think the general atmosphere is conducive to the Caribbean film industry because of the novelty. However I believe that we in the Caribbean could aid that by formalising co-production deals...or create content which have Asian and Caribbean characters.”

Film Festivals and private screenings will play a big part in generating that interest and with a mutual understanding of the modern Chinese market, and how to package content for the market, I do believe there is an audience waiting with open arms.

Subscribe for more articles, opportunities and resources

Sources

1. The Caribbean Film Project

2. CGTN: Caribbean films screened in Beijing to promote cultural exchanges by Wu Yan

3. Cinema in China: A Brief History by James Wicks

4. China quietly opens door to more foreign films by Sarah Zheng

  Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Linked-In