African connection 

Kadiatu Jalloh, 28, and Joel Mba, 33, are two African entrepreneurs in Beijing whose love of Chinese films has seen them become active in the nation's film industry.

A native of Sierra Leone, Jalloh studied media technology in London before coming to China three years ago to work as a freelance movie editor.

"Originally, I began watching Chinese films to improve my language skills, albeit with English subtitles scrolled at the bottom. It was after finding that watching Chinese movies had given me a greater understanding of the culture and mindset of the country that I decided to move to China to try and make it in the industry. Working in this field as a foreigner is very demanding, but I have the aim of wanting to show Africans Chinese films, as I feel that it will deepen the cross-cultural exchange that we are going through at the moment," said Jalloh. 

Mba, a native of Nigeria who currently produces films and documentaries in both English and Chinese, sees Chinese films as not so much educational, but as a light form of entertainment.

Mba loves the films that China has produced, but he feels that the industry still has a long way to go. "They are purely for an entertainment value and I feel that it could be so much more," said Joel.

He said more films need to tap into the trends of China's youth, tackling globalization and the trends that these kids are inheriting from the West. "I feel that Africans in China can contribute so much to the industry. Many of us are fluent in Mandarin and have set up businesses here. It is time for us not only to be recognized, but also to have us give some insight," said Mba.

Wang Zibo, a native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, moved to Luanda, Angola in 2001 to take on an administration role at a construction company. An avid movie buff since his youth, he found that the expat Chinese community in Africa needed to get in touch with films from their home country.

"At first, I began showing Chinese movies on VHS (Video Home System) to friends. Within a few years, I had to rent some office space due to the sheer number of people that began coming."

With Angola now hosting the largest number of overseas Chinese in Africa, Wang purchased a small property downtown and converted it into the first Chinese language cinema in Africa. Originally catering to just Chinese nationals, the films have now been professionally translated into Portuguese, English and French, and he now distributes these films throughout Africa via various companies in China.

The profits from the distribution, which last year took in almost $1 million, has allowed Wang to become one of the most talked about success stories in both China and Africa.

"I believe that the growth of China's film industry will have an impact on Sino-African relations. It is not all about oil and infrastructure. I feel that entertainment is what will bring us closer together," added Wang.