China, British firms ink TV, film deals

SHANGHAI - Chinese and British cultural firms signed five deals on games development education as well as TV and film production Monday in Shanghai.

At the signing ceremony on the China-UK Creative Innovators Forum, Tong Gang, deputy head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said China pays high attention to the development of cultural industries and gives priority to Sino-British cooperation.

The two countries signed a deal to co-produce films in 2014 and so far this year, six co-produced films have hit screens, said Tong, adding that the two have huge potential to cooperate in creative industries.

Unanico Group, an international award-winning independent production company and animation studio based in London and Shanghai, agreed with China Lion Entertainment Production on a 40 million pound co-production and distribution of animated feature films. The start of production for the first film will be announced in the first half of 2017.

Unanico also announced a three-year strategic partnership with Hunan Mango Entertainment for a slate of live action films.

Cloth Cat Animation, based in Cardiff, and Chinese company Magic Mall announced collaboration on a 52 episode animation series based on Magic Mall's successful character Luo Bao Bei. The series will be produced in Britain for Chinese broadcast in June 2017, and then distributed around the world.

Lion Television and China-based Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation announced an agreement to co-produce Tales from Modern China, a program aiming to explore the civilization of ancient and modern China from a global perspective.

Abertay University signed a partnership agreement with Perfect World to increase learning opportunities in computer games for Chinese graduates.

Over 150 senior executives and industry players from both China and Britain attended the one-day forum.