VENICE 2014: CHINA WANTS THE STREAMING ONLINE FILM festival-goers

Among the many industry companies present here the 71th Venice Film Festival in Venice, there is also the Chinese colossus iQiyi, which specializes in online video. The aim of the home is to be able to bring important film festival-goers to the Chinese public; how to do it? Through a new platform currently under development, which will bring Chinese films selected stream on the same day of the festival circuit projection. In short, pretty much like the Hall’s Web Show, but with broader ambitions as engaging more in international festivals in the same container.

“It is important that we are able to have the largest number of films as possible, but it is difficult for us to buy film abroad. We believe that the international festivals are an opportunity, “said Gong Yu, founder of iQiyi. Recall that at present, the company is the largest video platform in the Chinese territory, and can be considered a case of Netflix Asian. As noted by Yu, limitations on foreign films in China are regulated only for the exits in theaters, but not for the world of the web. According to this, the new project of iQiyi would allow moviegoers Chinese foreign films to look without some sort of limitations.

“The Chinese public is curious about European cinema,” says Song Jia, business director of the house, who pointed out that the idea can do good on both sides, both the Chinese audience that the European producers and distributors . The iQiyi has already carried out a similar experiment during the last Festival of Shanghai, bringing streaming almost thirty titles in conjunction with the event. “Now – he continues – we are looking for a way to continue in this direction.” According to rumors, the project is about to sign a deal with important events: in addition to Venice, even the festival in Tokyo and Pusan​​.
In short, this initiative is definitely interesting to watch, although further evidence of how the visions of movies online is increasingly becoming an area on which to focus, rather than the more traditional outlets in the rooms. That the future of cinema also includes this apocalyptic vision?