Film partnership to strengthen ties between South Australia and China
An agreement between a local production company and SA’s sister province in China will help develop much more than just cultural relations.
South Australia’s 57 Films, Shandong Radio and Television Station (Shandong TV) and the Australia China International Film Festival (ACIFF) have signed an agreement to create an Oriental Screening Room in Adelaide and to find co-production and broadcasting opportunities.
57 Films CEO Paul Ryan said they will manage the screening room program that will feature a biannually curated catalogue of Chinese films and documentaries in both English and Mandarin that focus on cultural and lifestyle themes.
Ryan said negotiations are currently underway to determine its location, with the physical venue of the Mercury or community broadcaster Channel 44 being considered.
The initiative has emerged as part of the South Australia and Shandong province sister state relationship that began in 1986.
Ryan said his company has “always embraced” this connection as a chance to share South Australian culture with Chinese audiences, partnering with Shandong TV on numerous projects over the past decade.
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Their 2016-2018 television show Chef Exchange, which followed late chef Jock Zonfrillo and Jianmin Qu from Australia to China as they shared each other’s local food and customs, is a “great example” of future content planned under the new five-year term, Ryan said.
Although Ryan recognised the strict content guidelines within China’s media landscape, he doesn’t think it will create any significant barriers to making “good, interesting, informative content”.
“I’m not concerned because of the nature of the subject matter… we would be doing documentaries on real circumstances, real people and real situations,” he said.
Films produced by 57 Films and ACIFF will also be eligible for broadcast on Shandong TV’s Lightning News Client, which attracts an average of 124 million daily users.
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Ryan highlighted the importance of such a “huge international audience” to South Australian industries, including the promotion of produce, businesses and education.
“For us to provide content that helps the Shandong audiences go ‘oh wow that’s where the wines are grown, that’s where the lobsters are harvested, or that’s where my kids go to university’,” he said.
“It’s incredibly important from a trade point of view.”
China continues to be South Australia’s largest two-way trading partner, with South Australia exporting $4.43 billion to China in 2024.
Ryan said international exposure will also provide the South Australian film industry with an expanded market and revenue opportunities.
Deputy Director of Shandong TV Xu Longhe acknowledged the deepening ties between China and Australia, highlighting the new agreement as a step towards reinforcing their “commitment to mutual prosperity”.
Ryan echoed this sentiment by highlighting the importance of rebuilding relations impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s great opportunities for both the South Australian and the Shandong people to get to know each other,” he said.
“It’s bound to have a positive outcome.”
Adelaide audiences can expect the first Oriental screening to occur in the coming months.