In Mainland China is the audience who dictates what kind of films the public want, said Peter Ho-Sun Chan at a press conference today.
The Hong born director and producer is the International Film Festival and Awards Macao (IFFAM)’s International Competition Jury president.
“From the marketing perspective, it’s very interesting that in China the audience really dictates what kind of films to be made, instead of by the studio system, as it is supposed to be in Hollywood. All the world is very market-driven, but in China the voice of the audience is really strong”, he said.
Meanwhile, “because everything is subject to the online platforms, where the audience actually has a say, you look at the numbers and the audience actually gets to vote. It’s a very democratic process and that process is taking off in China”, Peter Chan added.
“People in China actually go to the cinema based on the scores by the audience and it is completely one vote, one person. However, when the audience gets to vote, like all democracies, it doesn’t mean they are going to vote in the best film or the best person. Sometimes we really hate the film that ends up in the top of the box office, but that’s the public choice”, he admitted.
The times are interesting not only in China but also in other Asian countries, according to the director and producer.
“It’s a very interesting time in Asia, in different parts of Asia. I have also worked with different Asian filmmakers, with Korean filmmakers, Thai filmmakers. We just saw an Indonesian film this morning which is kind of new to me and I think the world is becoming more and more interesting”, Peter Ho-Sun Chan concluded, after watching Homecoming, by Adriyanto Dewo, one of the films in the IFFAM’s International Competition.
By Cláudia Aranda
