An initiative of the EU MEDIA Programme with the support of the Italian Government Since 1992 MEDIA Salles has been promoting the European cinema and its circulation at theatrical level
	Italian Cinema Worldwide

 

PRESS RELEASE Milan, 14 December 2005 IITALIAN CINEMA WORLDWIDE MEDIA Salles at CINEASIA 2005 (Beijing, China, 13-15 December) In Beijing yesterday, MEDIA Salles was present with thirty minutes of Italian film trailers at the opening of CineAsia, which comes to China for the first time, as a significant homage to the centenary of Chinese cinema. The event, endorsed and hosted by two Government organisations – SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Films and Television) and China Film – is the most important for Asian cinema exhibition. In fact it is attended by operators coming not only from Asia but also from the Pacific Area, from India to Australia, from Korea to Thailand and China itself. In addition, the leading suppliers of equipment and services for theatres, both from China and the rest of the world, such as THX, Cinemeccanica, Dolby, Barco, exhibit their latest products here. It is Chinese cinema itself that “acts the host” to this edition: amongst the films screened, as well as The Promise by Chen Kaige, there is also a homage to the first Chinese film, Dingjun Mountain, a documentary on the Opera of Beijing, shot in 1905 by Ren Jingfeng, which obtained such success at the time and which the young journalist Jiang Wei decided to re-write and bring up to date. The China Film group liked the idea and decided to make it the spearhead of their 2005 productions. With this new leg of Italian Cinema Worldwide 2005 – which follows those at Cinema Expo International in Amsterdam, Kino Expo in Moscow and ShowEast in Orlando and which, like its predecessors, has been made possible by the support of the Italian Government, MEDIA Salles has provided the perfect response to the invitation by the Vice-Minister Zhao Shii, who, on behalf of the SARFT, in the opening ceremony held in the prestigious venue of the Great Hall of the People, in Tiananmen Square, emphasised the importance of initiatives which, like CineAsia, create a “bridge between Chinese cinema and cinema from the rest of the world”. The trailers, selected by MEDIA Salles from Italian productions soon to be released in cinemas on the continent of Asia, and which are listed below, will be available for viewing throughout the event on a screen situated in the space in front of the conference hall. This room draws many visitors, since numerous seminars and meetings are held there. Yesterday, for example, it was the venue for an exchange of opinions on piracy measures, with speakers from Hong Kong, Malaysia and China, countries in which the production of false copies has assumed worrying dimensions and where circulation has reached gigantic proportions amongst the leading world markets. Not only films, though, but also figures and data, for MEDIA Salles’ Asian appointment: there was in fact a large demand for the first copies of the 14th edition of the “European Cinema Yearbook – 2005 advance edition”, which this year has been extended to cover the cinema market in as many as 34 European countries, with over 40 statistical indicators, a section devoted to the main world cinema markets, one on multiplexes and one on digital cinemas throughout the world. Copies are available at the Cinemeccanica booth (Trade Show no.1053), which has contributed to producing them. Produced especially for participants at Italian Cinema Worldwide in Beijing, there is also the “Special CineAsia” edition of the MEDIA Salles’ Newsletter “European Cinema Journal” no. 4/2005, with fact cards on the films presented in the trailers and an insert entirely in Chinese. For further information on Italian Cinema Worldwide: infocinema@mediasalles.it The MEDIA Salles’ trailers at CineAsia: Once You're Born (Quando Sei Nato Non Puoi Più Nasconderti) by Marco Tullio Giordana Come Into The Light (Alla Luce del Sole) by Roberto Faenza Good Morning, Night (Buongiorno, Notte) by Marco Bellocchio The Days of Abandonment (I Giorni dell'Abbandono) by Roberto Faenza The Keys to The House (Le Chiavi di Casa) by Gianni Amelio The Tiger and The Snow (La Tigre e La Neve) by Roberto Benigni All The Invisible Children by Mehdi Charef, Emir Kusturica, Spike Lee, Kátia Lund, Jordan and Ridley Scott, Stefano Veneruso and John Woo Tickets by Ermanno Olmi, Abbas Kiarostami and Ken Loach Crime Novel (Romanzo Criminale) by Michele Placido Don't Tell (La Bestia Nel Cuore) by Cristina Comencini The Newsletter and trailers for which authorisation for publication over the Internet has been obtained, are also to be found on the MEDIA Salles’ website in the section “Italian Cinema Worldwide”. MEDIA Salles, a project operating within the framework of the European Union's MEDIA Programme, with the support of the Italian Government, fosters theatrical distribution of European audiovisual products, both by high profile campaigns involving Europe's cinema exhibitors and by initiatives to raise the visibility of European productions with industry players and potential audiences, creating specialized information channels on a global scale. Thus the current initiatives from MEDIA Salles dovetail in a program with a triple focus - training, promotion and information - and maximum combined effect. Italian Cinema Worldwide is a MEDIA Salles’ initiative, held thanks to the support of the Italian Government. MEDIA Salles Via Soperga, 2 – I-20127 Milan Tel.: +39.02.66984405 – Fax: +39.02.6691574 E-mail: infocinema@mediasalles.it