Order No. 31 of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) - Provisions of Administration on Sino-Foreign Joint Films Production (the Provisions)

2004/08/26

国家广播影局令第电电视总号《中外合作制影片摄电31管理定规》

Issued: July 6, 2004

Effective: August 10, 2004

Issuing Authority: SARFT

These rules regulate a number of issues: 1) foreign investors may co-produce films with Chinese firms in the three categories of joint production, collaborative production and designated production; 2) no Chinese organizations or persons are allowed to co-produce films with foreign organizations or persons without procuring a Sino-Foreign Cooperative Film Production License and other documents of approval, and no foreign organizations or persons are allowed to independently produce films in China without approval; 3) major foreign producers can only be hired upon SARFT approval; 4) joint production films cannot be publicly shown inside or outside of China until permission is granted after examination, while films produced under the category of collaborative or designated production can only go through Customs procedures upon permission following examination; 5) the development of the negatives of co-produced films and post-making of such film thereafter should be completed in China; 6) these rules also apply to co-production efforts in China by firms in Mainland China and those from the Hong Kong and Macao SARs and Taiwan.



	Article featured in Business Beijing, September 2004 Publication sponsored by Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Development & Reform Commission of Beijing Municipality, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (Beijing Sub-Council)