Visit of the Secretary General of Media and Communication, Lefteris Kretsos, in Beijing

Visit of the Secretary General of Media and Communication, Lefteris Kretsos, in Beijing

Meetings with representatives of Chinese Creative Industries in Beijing (26-27 April 2018).

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Greece's investment incentives in the audiovisual sector were presented by the Secretary General of Information and Communication, Lefteris Kretsos, during his meetings with representatives of Chinese Creative Industries in the context of his visit to Beijing on 26 and 27 April 2018.

The Secretary-General discussed the new legislative framework (L.4487 / 2017) and exchanged views during separate meetings on the possibilities for cooperation in the ever-growing field of audiovisual productions, with:

        Mr. Yang Shuo, head of Beijing Media Bureau of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television,

        The Secretary-General, Mr Xu Honghai, of the China International Culture Exchange Center (CICEC),

        The President of the Chinese Co-Producers' Corporation Mr Miao Xiaotian,

        The President and the Secretary General of the China Film Producers' Association, Mr Ming Zhenjiang and Mr Wang Fenglin,

        The Vice President, Mr Jing Shuiqing, of the China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC),

        The President of the China National  Culture Industry Fund, Mr Li Hui,

        The CEO of the Chinese company Kaixin Mahua, Mr. Liu Hongtao, whose company ranked top in China's box office during the China cinema "Golden Week" last year, 

        Executives of the Alibaba Group (Alibaba Movies).

At the same time, Mr. Kretsos visited the Beijing Film Academy, the largest film and television university in Asia and the only one in China, and had a meeting with Academic Council President Hou Guangming and the Vice-President of the Academy, Zhang Jian and discussed prospects for strengthening cooperation on cinematography education, and introduced the comparative advantages of Greece in terms of attracting film productions following the above mentioned  legislation. He also discussed the possibilities of jointly organizing film festivals, seminars, workshops and promoting  collaboration on film script-writing. Mr. Kretsos subsequently gave a lecture to postgraduate students at BFA and highlighted the many advantages of Greece, and itsnew film-friendly environment. emphasizing at the same time the strengths of the country in terms of cultural assets, inspiring history, excellent quality of experienced filming crews, and a natural environment of unparalleled beauty.

During his last day in Beijing, Mr. Kretsos also visited the China National Digital Cinematography Base, under the China Film Group, the largest film studio in Asia.

The Chinese side has shown strong interest in cooperation with Greece as well as strong interest in initiating film (co)productions in Greece.