More cinemas for second and third tier cities: CPPCC members

Feng Xiaogang. Photo: CFP
During the third session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) that is currently underway in Beijing, six CPPCC members have proposed to further develop the construction of cinemas in China's second and third tier cities, stating that the current 5,000 screens do not meet people's growing requirements.

The CPPCC members who presented the proposal are directors Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, Yin Li, Feng Xiaoning, Chen Guoxing and Zhang Huijun, dean of Beijing Film Academy. In their joint proposal the members outlined that cinemas should be considered part of a city's overall planning and construction, especially in medium and small cities.

Zhang Yimou told local media that many second and third tier cities neglect to develop cinemas when focusing on economic growth, which is not helpful when building these cities' cultural im-ages and enriching people's lives.

Feng Xiaogang said that the proposal was based on Guidelines on Promoting the Development of Movie Industry released by the State Council on January 21. He said a focus on cities in central and western China, with larger populations and fewer cinemas than other parts of the country, is needed. Local and foreign capital can be introduced for the use of cinema construction when necessary.

Responses to the proposal have mostly been positive. Gao Jun, manager of distributor New Film Association said the future of China's film industry lies in second and third tier cities. He explained that cinema-saturated big cities are not expected to have significant box office growth while in smaller cities many potential cinemagoers have few choices when it comes to watching films. He advised that at least 2,000 to 3,000 screens should be installed in second and third tier cities over the next five years.

President of local film company Polybona, Yu Dong, also expressed his support for the proposal, saying it is the mutual expectation of people involved in China's film industry. He also suggested that the government issue preferential policies for cinema constructors.

Public comments online have raised concerns about a potential increase in the price of cinema tickets if new facilities are built, pointing out that if tickets become as expensive as in big cities, around 50 yuan ($7.35), they would be out of reach for people on low incomes.

Source: Global Times/Agencies