VII. Specifi c Regulations for the Subject of Movie Projection (Theater / Enterprise or Individual)
According to the Film Industry Promotion Law,film projection subjects refer to enterprises and individual industrial and commercial household engaging in film projection at fixed projection venues such as cinemas, and enterprises and individuals engaging in mobile film projection.
Whoever projects a film shall be in compliance with the State-stipulated proportion of the projection time of a domestically produced film to that of an imported film. A cinema shall reasonably arrange the numbers and times of projection of films made by domestic legal persons and other organizations, and the projection time thereof shall not be less than two thirds of the annual total film projection time. Chinese domestic films, including domestic feature films (including children's films), documentary films, popular science films, art films, special topic films, and various Chinese and foreign joint-produced films (excluding assisted film and entrusted film). It can be seen that the joint-produced films are actually domestic films, while the assisted films and entrusted films are essentially foreign films whose status are imported films when entering China. The issue of quotas for imported films or the limitation of the length of the projection reflects that the Chinese film market protects domestic films. T herefore, domestic films can avoid projection restrictions, which is why joint-produced films are currently more popular and accepted.The Film Industry Promotion Law stipulates that if a joint-produced film conforms to the ratio requirements in screenwriting, capital contribution, and distribution of earnings, among others, the film shall be deemed a film shot by a domestic legal person or other organization.In order to obtain the same treatment as domestically produced films, joint-produced films should meet the requirements of Chinese laws and regulations for joint-production projects. Only standardized joint-produced films can have the status of domestic films. Readers can follow the guidance of professionals to c onfi rm whether the specifi c standards for joint-production are met.
Film projection activities are encouraged by the state, and the barriers to entry are low. Approval authority is delegated to the administrative film department of the people's government at the county level. Some projection activities only need to go through the archival filing procedure. Domestic companies, enterprises, other economic organizations, individual industrial and commercial households, and even individuals can invest in setting up movie theaters and engage in fixed-venue projection activities.
The entry barriers of engaging in mobile projection activities are lower than that of engaging in fixed-venue film projection activities, which only need to go through the archival filing procedure while the approval procedure is not required. An enterprise or individual engaging in mobile film projection only need to file the name, address, contact information, and projection equipment, among others, of the enterprise or individual with the film department of the people's government of the county where the business is located.
A dmission to rural film projection business is also relatively loose. A people's government at or above the county level shall include rural film projection for the public good in its construction of the rural public cultural service system, and subsidize rural film projection for the public good according to the relevant provisions issued by the state.