The Distribution and Exhibition of Chinese and Asian Cinema in the UK

A Chinese Film Forum UK Symposium 28th – 29th March 2012
Cornerhouse, Manchester

Day 1: Wednesday 28th March 

12.00 Registration

12.45 – 1.00 Welcome and Opening Address 
1.00 – 2.00 Keynote Lecture
‘In absentia: marketing the Asian film author’
Dr Valentina Vitali, Reader in Film Studies, University of East London
Supported by the Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures [RICC], the University of Manchester

2.15 – 3.00 Practitioners’ Panel I

‘Asian cinema and the UK arthouse market’
Jason Wood, Director of Programming, Curzon Cinemas

3.00–3.15 Coffee

3.15–4.00 ‘Issues concerning the distribution, exhibition and reception of “Pan-Asian” Cinema both within Asia and in the UK’
Roy Stafford, independent scholar

4.15–5.15 Practitioners’ Panel II

‘The role of specialised festivals and seasons’
Dr Sonali Joshi, Artistic Director, Pan-Asian Film Festival
Sarah Perks, Programme & Engagement Director, Cornerhouse, Manchester

6.00 – 8.00 Screening in conjunction with the Pan-Asian Film Festival, London

11 Flowers / Wo 11 (Wang Xiaoshuai, 2011)

‘An absorbing coming-of-age drama set during the waning stage of China's Cultural Revolution, 11 Flowers takes its place among Wang Xiaoshuai's finest films.’ Variety

We hope to welcome actor Wang Jingchun for a Q&A following the screening

Day 2: Thursday 29th March

10.00 – 10.45 ‘Pirates and Professionals: The Attitudes of Filesharers to Film Distribution Companies’
Dr Virginia Crisp, Middlesex University

10.45 – 11.00 Coffee

11.00 – 12.00 Practitioners’ Panel III
‘Issues in Distribution and Exhibition’
Mark Cosgrove, Head of Programming, Watershed Media Centre, Bristol
Ian Wild, Chief Executive, Showroom & Workstation, Sheffield

12.00 – 1.00 Lunch

1.00 – 2.00 ‘Pink Fans and Subversive Monsters: The Cultification of Japanese Cinema in the UK’
Joe Hickinbottom, University of Exeter
‘NEO Magazine and the Foregrounding of DVD’
Jonathon Wroot, University of East Anglia
2.00 – 2.45 ‘The Uncanny Disruption of British Chinese Cinema: Why British Chinese filmmakers find it hard to get their work distributed’
Rosa Fong, director and producer; and senior lecturer, Edge Hill University
2.45 – 3.15 Closing Remarks: Chinese Film Forum UK

Registration and Fee

The symposium fee includes the cost of refreshments, a buffet lunch on Thursday, 29th March, and admission to the screening of 11 Flowers, Wednesday, 28th March, 6:00pm.
Full £15 / Concs £10
Tickets are available from 9th March via the Cornerhouse box office or website at
http://www.cornerhouse.org/booking-information-prices
*Please note that numbers are strictly limited so early booking is strongly advised.*
For further information about the Chinese Film Forum UK, visit our website at www.cffuk.org
Chinese Film Forum UK events are supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.