Asia Society Southern California Announces Full Speaker Lineup for 2016 U.S.-China Film Summit in Los Angeles, Nov. 1-2

Speakers include director Jon M. Chu, top executives at Alibaba Pictures and Amblin Partners; Presented in partnership with Beijing Film Academy; Honorees include BFA graduates, directors Cao Baoping and Lu Chuan


LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - October 25, 2016) - Asia Society Southern California today announced the full agenda for the seventh annual U.S.-China Film Summit. The 2016 Summit will highlight animation, digital and immersive entertainment, China's global quest for talent, and Hollywood's quest for financing.

"Spotlight" speakers include director Jon M. Chu, whose film adaption of Crazy Rich Asians was just picked up by Warner Bros. for distribution, and the executives behind the recently announced partnership between Jack Ma and Steven Spielberg, Alibaba Pictures President Wei Zhang and Amblin Partners President and Co-CEO Jeff Small.

Asia Society Southern California will also honor Huayi Brothers Media Vice Chairman and CEO James Wang (Wang Zhonglei), Oriental DreamWorks Head of Studio and Chief Creative Officer Melissa Cobb, and directors Cao Baoping and Lu Chuan.

The summit will take place at the UCLA's new Luskin Conference Center (Nov. 1) and the gala dinner will be at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel (Nov. 2).

The current program agenda follows. Media interested in learning more or registering for the Summit should contact Juan Machado at Asia Society (jmachado@asiasociety.org).

The event is organized by Asia Society Southern California. The Beijing Film Academy is the China Educational and Cultural Partner, and the Presenting Partner is China Screen Biennial. Supporting organizations include the Association of Film Commissioners International, CAPE (The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), China Hollywood Society, Hong Kong Association of Southern California, Motion Picture Association of America, Producers Guild of America, USC US-China Institute, and Women in Film.

2016 U.S.-China Film Summit

Program Details and Agenda

  • Date: November 1-2, 2016
  • Location: UCLA Luskin Conference Center (Nov. 1); Millennium Biltmore Hotel (Nov. 2)
  • Media RSVP: Juan Machado, Asia Society (jmachado@asiasociety.org)
  • Website: asiasociety.org/us-china-film-summit

(Note: All programming is subject to change. All times denoted in PDT)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1

UCLA Luskin Conference Center

9:00 AM: Opening Remarks

9:10 AM: Keynote: The World's Two Biggest Film Markets – a Contrast in Styles

  • Michael Ellis, Asia-Pacific President and Managing Director, Motion Picture Association

9:25 AM: Treasure Hunt: China Seeks Global Talent, Hollywood Seeks Sources of Finance

  • Daniel Manwaring, Corporate Development Executive, Creative Artists Agency
  • Michelle Yang, President, Vantage Entertainment
  • ZHOU Yuan, Founder and Executive Vice President, Linmon Pictures

Moderated by Lindsay Conner, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

10:20 AM: Executive Spotlight

  • Jeff Small, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Amblin Partners
  • Wei ZHANG, President, Alibaba Pictures

In conversation with Janet Yang, Managing Director of Creative Content, Tang Media Partners

10:45 AM: Talent Spotlight

  • Jon M. Chu,director of Now You See Me and Step Up movies

In conversation with John Penotti, Co-Founder, Ivanhoe Pictures, and President, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

11:10 AM: Animation's New Realm: The Rising Opportunities and Stakes

  • Bob Bacon, CEO, Alpha Animation
  • Melissa Cobb, Head of Studio and Chief Creative Officer, Oriental DreamWorks
  • Harley Zhao, CEO, Original Force

Moderated by Stephen Saltzman, Partner, Entertainment Practice, Loeb & Loeb

1:20 PM: Doing the Right Thing: The Evolving Art of Making International Co-Productions

  • Charlie Coker, Managing Director, Dasym Media
  • Sheri Jeffrey, Partner, Hogan Lovells
  • Mark Lazarus, Head of Creative and Acquisitions, Arclight Films Australia
  • LIU Kailuo, CEO, Heyi Pictures
  • MIAO Xiaotian, President, China Film Co-Production Corporation

Moderated by Sanjay Sood, Director, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports

2:15 PM: U.S.-China Film Talent Award

  • CAO Baoping, Writer, Director, and Producer

Introduced by WU Manfang, Dean, School of Management, Beijing Film Academy

In conversation with Tom Nagorski, Executive Vice President, Asia Society

2:40 PM: Executive Spotlight

  • Stuart Ford, CEO, IM Global

In conversation with Bennett Pozil, Executive Vice President, East West Bank

3:30 PM: The Future of Filmed Content: Virtual Reality, Location-Based Entertainment and Beyond

  • Ray Braun, Principal, Entertainment + Culture Advisors
  • Michael Corrigan, Managing Director, CP Enterprises
  • Lisa Wang, General Counsel, Huayi Brothers Media Corporation
  • Joshua Wexler, Chief Executive of Fun, iP2Entertainment

Moderated by Thomas E. McLain, Chairman, Asia Society Southern California, and Attorney, Hogan Lovells

4:25 PM: Talent Spotlight

  • LU Chuan, Writer, Director and Producer

In conversation with Jonathan Landreth, Managing Editor, ChinaFile

4:50 PM: Film's Digital Frontier: China's Digital Content Promise and Lessons for Hollywood

  • Victor Wang, Co-Founder, ZhenFund
  • YANG Dan, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, Beijing Weiying Technology Co.
  • Ming YANG, Co-Founder and CEO, Papi
  • Andy Zhang, COO, Panda TV

Moderated by Bing CHEN, Digital Pioneer and Entrepreneur

5:45 PM: Closing Remarks

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Millennium Biltmore Hotel

6:00 PM: Gala Reception

7:15 PM: Gala Dinner Honorees

U.S.-China Film Industry Leadership Award

  • James Wang, Vice Chairman and CEO, Huayi Brothers Media Corporation

U.S.-China Film Collaboration Award

  • Melissa Cobb, Head of Studio and Chief Creative Officer, Oriental DreamWorks

U.S.-China Talent Award

  • LU Chuan, Writer, Director and Producer

About Asia Society

Asia Society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future. Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution with major cultural centers in New York, Hong Kong, and Houston, and offices in Los Angeles, Manila, Mumbai, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Washington, DC, and Zurich.

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Asia Society Southern California Presents Seventh Annual U.S.-China Film Summit and Gala Dinner, Nov. 1-2