Pinewood Studios opens China office

“It is great to see Pinewood, one of the UK’s premier creative businesses, strengthening their presence in China,” said Dame Barbara Woodward, the British Ambassador to China.

“As the Chinese film market evolves there are more and more opportunities for British enterprises, from animation and post-production, to collaborating on high-quality content with their counterparts in China.”

Pinewood Studios Group has already worked with several Chinese production companies through its joint venture Song Lin. The company also advised on China Film Group’s studio facilities in Chedun, a district of Shanghai, and has been involved with the design and construction of the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis in eastern China, a major new studio complex that will offer 45 stages on completion.

Big-budget fantasy sequel Pacific Rim: Maelstrom is set to film scenes at the Qingdao facility in the coming months, ahead of the studio’s official opening.

Hollywood and other western production industries are shifting more decisively towards investing in China’s burgeoning film sector and helping develop local Chinese talent. The approach is likely to become lucrative more quickly for outside investors and is a lesser challenge than trying to tap into the country’s market by filming western content on location in China.

For more on filming in China see our production guide.