Yingying, Zhenzhen, and Fenfen? China at the Festivals

Abstract

The chapter focuses on an array of Chinese film festivals and dedicated programs that take place in the West, with examples primarily from France, the UK, and the USA. Adapted from a longer study that explores the determinants of global circulation of cinematic material as related to film festivals, Iordanova’s chapter argues that it is the stakeholder configurations, the context of reception, and the projected/desired relationship outcomes that ultimately shape the nature of the festival and the material that will be screened at it. It offers a categorization that distinguishes between different types of festivals depending on the interests of major stakeholders: in this case, represented by the cultural diplomacy festival, the “corrective” festival, and the business card exchange festival.