Film industry insiders India emphasized the potential of films to foster more cultural understanding and boost tourism exchanges in the region.

Representatives from India and Australia shared their ideas on the topic during the 29th Hong Kong International Film and TV Market, or FILMART, industry event, which was held earlier this week in Hong Kong, while showcasing projects for potential collaboration.

“What we are seeing now is war and issues in lots of regions, but I believe movies can bridge the cultures, because movies have no language, no barrier, and they show stories which are same in every country,” said Shyam Kurup, director of Indywood Distribution Network, an Indian film distribution and sales company that aims to serve as a unified gateway for the nation’s filmmakers.

ALSO READ: Filmmakers from Gulf nations eye co-productions with China

“So, these movies can connect people, bring tourism through international co-productions,” Kurup said, as he advocated collaborations between Chinese and Indian filmmakers.

With India and China having the world’s biggest populations, joint productions “can conquer the whole world”, he said.

He said that in the post-COVID era, Indian films have shifted focus from song and dance to content-driven stories, which seem to have more acceptance from the Chinese audiences.

“This is exemplified by the release of Maharaja on 40,000 screens in China,” Kurup said, referring to a blockbuster hit movie from India.

The film expert believes that shared cultural values, like family relationships and emotions, contributed to the movie’s huge success, and he hopes that in the future there will be co-productions with Chinese films that address common social issues.

READ MORE: Arab movie sector eyes China

“I understand that Chinese audience likes a lot of suspense. They also like some emotions, like our Indian audience. So we have a common culture about family relationships, family values, good and bad.”

Alan Mathew, an assistant manager at Indywood Distribution, said the firm is connected with almost 200 plus production houses from India.

‘In China, our aim is to give a massive introduction to Indian movies because it has many languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali Kannada, and a

great variety of cultures and it is important that our movies bring those cultures to international audience.”

India’s National Film Development Corporation Ltd (NFDC) — a government entity that promotes good cinema, organizes film festivals and film markets, and also produces films on its own — encourages collaborations with overseas filmmakers and production houses.

READ MORE: Films can foster Sino-Indian understanding

In May, with support of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi India will be hosting the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), which hopes to draw the attention of Chinese filmmakers, too.

The Indian government’s “Film in India” program, which offers incentives of up to $3.6 million for film production in the country, was featured at the Indian Pavilion during the FILMART.

Currently, India has co-production agreements with 16 countries including China.

Contact the writer at vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com