Short Form Filmmaker Heads to Los Angeles Courtesy of MPA
Winner receives film pitch prize at Shenzhen Film Workshop during the China International Kingbonn New Media Shorts Festival
- 16May 2013
SHENZHEN/SINGAPORE: The winner of the Motion Picture Association (MPA)-sponsored feature film pitching competition was announced on May 15 at the 4th China International KingBonn New Media Shorts Festival, held in Shenzhen from May 13-16, attracting filmmakers from China and the international screen community for a series of competitions, forums and master-classes in filmmaking.
Chen Xifeng, an experienced animator, was chosen from four high quality finalists for successfully pitching his feature film concept, Pig Digging, a story about a young boy left to fend for himself in a small Chinese village who finds friendship and inspiration from the animals at the local farm. Chen will attend a five-day film immersion course in Los Angeles sponsored by the MPA where he will have the opportunity to learn about the film and television industry and introduce his project to film executives.
Following his win, Chen Xifeng said, “The presentation by David Freeman and the script mentorship session were extremely valuable to me and my colleagues. I’ve been working on this script for a year and the suggestions I received will help me improve my script in many ways. I’m really excited about the trip to Los Angeles for the film immersion course and thank the MPA for a new beginning to my career.”
Commenting on the script pitching competition, David Freeman said, “It is very difficult to stand up in front of a group and share your creativity with a group of people. All of the projects were thought-provoking and had something emotional at their core, and the participants did a wonderful job of getting to the heart of their stories. All are films I would like to go and see sometime. I congratulate all of the participants and wish them the best in their future careers.”
Freeman’s presentation was followed by an afternoon of script mentoring by highly-established film practitioners such as Zhang Dasheng – director at the Shanghai Film Studio, Wang Shuibo – Co-director of the National Film Board of Canada, Steve Solot – Chairman of Rio Film Commission, Heinz Hermanns – Chairman of the Berlin International Short Film Festival, Lau Shing Hon – renowned film critic and Herman van Eyken - the Head of Griffith Film School in Brisbane, Australia. They provided expert advice on how best to improve screenplays and tips for pitching their feature film projects in an engaging way.
Mike Ellis, President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, MPA, said, “This is a terrific event that pays special attention to nurturing filmmakers in the early stages of their career, providing them with a dynamic platform for engaging with established film industry representatives and filmmakers from all over the world. David Freeman’s excellent presentation highlighted the complexities and layers of character and relationships that form the substance of a quality screenplay, and the large filmmaking audience were inspired by the master-class. The film project pitch finalists were of a very high standard which suggests that there is a great depth of creative skill in Shenzhen, and we hope that their creativity will be able to shine in front of audiences around the world. Congratulations to the organizers of the 4th China International KingBonn New Media Shorts Festival – it’s a pleasure to be involved in such a dynamic and exciting film event.”
The 4th China International KingBonn New Media Shorts Festival was hosted by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government. It was organized by the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Shenzhen Media Group and co-organized by Shenzhen Times Network Media Co.
Download File (PDF)For more information, please contact
Stephen Jenner
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
June Tan
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
About the MPA: Promoting & Protecting Screen Communities in Asia Pacific
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Motion Picture Association International (MPA-I) represent the interests of the six international producers and distributors of filmed entertainment. To do so, they promote and protect the intellectual property rights of these companies and conduct public awareness programs to highlight to movie fans around the world the importance of content protection. These activities have helped to transform entire markets benefiting film and television industries in each country including foreign and local filmmakers alike.
The organizations act on behalf of the members of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc (MPAA) which include; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. The MPA and the MPA-I have worldwide operations which are directed from their head offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. and overseen in the Asia Pacific by a team based in Singapore. For more information about the MPA, please visit www.mpa-i.org.
