Films can promote people-to-people ties, says Chinese director

Dr. Hou says there was a need for better representation of Indian films in China to encourage people-to-people contact

Chinese director and jury member at the 18th International Children's Film Festival of India Hou Keming. — Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

Thanks to Kung fu, many of us are familiar with Chinese movies. But do you know that in the last 20 years, the only Indian movie that made a mark in China was Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots ?

For most Chinese, India is almost non-existent. Whatever they know are through news channels that broadcast their own interpretations of events, president and chairman of the China International Children’s Film Festival Hou Keming said.

A jury member at the ongoing International Children’s Film Festival here, Dr. Hou says there was a need for better representation of Indian films in China to encourage people-to-people contact.

“I had a chance to see some of the wonderful Indian children’s films and these should be screened in China too to know more about Indian culture,” he said.

“We should begin screening Indian films in Chinese film festivals, especially children’s films,” Dr. Hou said. China had opened up the film sector in 2002 to private companies to fund film production. Since then, the number of films from China have risen exponentially.

“About 47 children’s movies were released last year,” he revealed.

“We are grappling with problems like economic inequality and our movies highlight these problems too,” Dr. Hou said.