Recently, the topic of "Another Hit TV Series Shot in Chongqing" went viral on Chinese social media platforms.

Chongqing Grand Theater, Qiansimen Bridge, Hongyadong, and other scenic spots showed in the teleplay, arousing comments of viewers' love and praise for Chongqing.

In recent years, a sea of filming crews have flocked to the city. According to the Chongqing Film Bureau, Chongqing received more than 200 crews in 2021 alone.

Chongqing's three-dimensional terrain is the preferred location for many films. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

A city born with perfect shooting locations

Chongqing, an 8D Magic City, is renowned for its mountains and bridges, which makes it a favored place for directors.

"Massive criss-cross flyovers, towering buildings, and the labyrinth of alleys constitute Chongqing. Setting the story here helps present the desperation of characters and the melancholy the youth usually feel during adolescence," said Derek Tsang, director of Better Days.

Director Wen Muye has been to Chongqing three times, and what impressed him most was its multi-layer structure. He said, "This is a very 'cinematic'' location. I will definitely come to Chongqing for filming."

From the name, it is not difficult to identify that Chongqing Hot Pot tells a story about the hot pot with scalding red soup boiled from beef tallow. It is filled with greatly direct Chongqing dialect, showing the real daily life of Chongqing people.

Director Zhang Yibai once said that Chongqing had been an interesting city, a great place for romantic films or stories about ordinary people. That's why he filmed Run For Young in residential buildings commonly seen in the 1980s.

Dialects are a distinctive feature of one city, and the Chongqing dialect is a special one.

Many popular films or TV series have lines in the Chongqing dialect, which was praised by the audience as "being local" or "being funny." Later, tourists always try to learn some Chongqing dialect when they visit the city.

Remarkable achievements in excellent local resources

According to Chongqing Film Bureau, Chongqing films celebrated high-speed and -quality development from 2019 to 2021, when 193 films were registered and 61 completed.

Among them, some films were shortlisted for the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival, the 77th Venice International Film Festival, and the 4th Pingyao International Film Festival.

Chongqing has become a more sought-after destination to hold film festivals and exhibitions and a more preferred partner in film-related international cooperation with increasingly famous film brands.

Li Guanyi, Director of Chongqing Meidian Pioneer Film Studio, introduced that since 2018, Chongqing Pioneer Art Film Festival has been held three sessions. It solicited nearly 1,000 full-length and short art films from China, and foreign countries exhibited over 150 films.

The scene of Chongqing Pioneer Art Film Festival in previous years. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

The fourth Chongqing Pioneer Art Film Festival, estimated to be held in May 2022, has solicited 18 international full-length films. Focusing on New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, it is designed to strengthen the cultural exchanges and cooperation on films between Chongqing and ASEAN and countries along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC). "The event is to attract more competent film enterprises to Chongqing, to shape a collaborative development trend, build a complete industrial chain, and introduce more opportunities to Chongqing films," said Li.

The film & TV industry to transform

Although Chongqing's film and television industry trends upwards, the city needs to boost policy and industrial support and local talent training to catch up with Beijing, Shanghai, and surrounding cities and provinces.

Chongqing will optimize the service capability of the one-stop film and TV shooting platforms. It plans to train and woo professionals, especially skilled technicians, from the whole industrial chain and attract more domestic and foreign crews to Chongqing for filming and post-production. As a result, it can achieve the goal of helping film producers worldwide "come to Chongqing with an idea; leave Chongqing with a film."

Chongqing will also stimulate the integration of big data intelligence with film production to develop "(smart) made-in-Chongqing films." By bringing in research institutions and manufacturers of high-tech equipment, the city looks forward to building a new film and television creation and production center featuring 8K, 5G, high resolution, VR, and AR, to offer powerful technical support for future film and television production.