Online Reporter
Ruth Butaumocho recently in Beijing, CHINA
CHINESE film schools are keen to collaborate with Zimbabwean artists in curating content that can be showcased in the two countries on various topics, a Chinese official has revealed.
Speaking during a lecture for Zimbabwean media professionals, who were recently in China on a two-week visit at the Academy for International Business Officials, the Director of Cooperation and Exchange Division of the China Film Group Corporation (International Office) Jiayang Sangzhu, said his country was keen to collaborate with Zimbabwe on documentaries on tourism, cultural aspects and subjects and issues that demystify the long-held notions of the two countries.
“We are keen on having local (Zimbabwean) artists who are in the arts and film industry collaborate with their Chinese counterparts on various areas of mutual interests such as how people live and their cultures as well as on tourism.
“Zimbabwe has progressive cultural norms and values that define its people, yet little is known about them because the story has not been captured correctly. What we hear and see is a negative narrative, a Western one, and that alone calls for a correct narrative that captures the current Zimbabwe.”
“Your tourism sector is a positive story that needs to be captured through films and documentaries. Zimbabwe boasts various tourism attractions which should be documented and distributed between the two countries and even beyond,” said Mr Jiayang.
Musicians, sculptors and thespians should also identify areas of collaboration between the two countries as part of the deliberate efforts to strengthen mutual relations between Zimbabwe and China.
He said through these collaborations, China-Zimbabwe cooperation can move from “seeing each other” to creating together.
“By having these collaborations, we can advance co-production, location shooting and talent exchange. We can connect with the Zimbabwe film strategy 2025-2030 and existing Chinese production experience.
He called on the Zimbabwe film industry to take a leaf from the Chinese film sector, which has successfully managed to use film to promote cultural dialogue, industrial learning and building trust among societies and communities.
“Film exchange can stimulate tourism and consumption, but its most value is human understanding, through stories, images and professional dialogue.
China’s film industry has been growing over the years, and its use of the latest technological innovation, like the use of Artificial Intelligence has propelled the sector to its all time high.
The industry now merges cutting edge tech with its 5000 years of rich culture, creating visually stunning narratives that have brought them accolades at various film festivals.
A number of Chinese films have embraced technological advancement including AI animation and virtual as well as 3D printing.
Beyond technology, Chinese filmmakers are reviving the country’s liberation struggle narrative, retelling it to a global audience in a captivating and riveting way.
Media professionals had a rich experience at the museum of the Communist Party of China, where they had an opportunity to watch a 5D movie of the liberation struggle of the Chinese against their aggressors.
The narrative was vivid and highly emotive, and the use of technology was so powerful that the line between reality and imagination was obliterated. Every gesture, from a sword swing to a battle cry, was rendered in real time into hyper-realistic digital epics, where ancient warriors clash amid storms of fire and lightning.
