In 1953, Masaichi Nagata, chairman of the Japanese Cinema company, invited Run Run Shaw and others to co-found the Southeast Asian Film Producers Association, and planned to organize a regular film exhibition. The initial members included Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines.Southeast Asia Film Festival takes "Film Festival" as a platform, hoping to raise the level of film art in the whole Asia-Pacific region and promote the development and exchange of art, culture, economy, industry, trade and friendship among cities of different countries through the competition and viewing of excellent films from different countries. held the first "Southeast Asia Film Festival" in Tokyo, Japan, the following year. in 1983, Australia and New Zealand joined the association, so it was renamed "Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific". It was about eight years before Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Awards made their debut. The Tokyo Film Festival, Busan Film Festival, Hong Kong Film Awards and other well-known Asian film awards are still many years away. Therefore, in terms of time, the Asia Pacific Film Festival is definitely one of the oldest film festivals in Asia. As a non-government, non-profit international civil organization, the alliance's members are not countries but Film and television cultural societies in cities in the Asia-Pacific region, and its annual event has been renamed the Asian Pacific Film Festival.

"Asian Pacific Film Festival" is one of the core activities of the alliance. It is the only international film festival in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia Pacific Film Festival is held annually and rotates among the member's representative cities. It features films from Asia and the Pacific region. The aim of the Asia Pacific Film Festival is to raise the standards of film art in the Asia Pacific region, and to promote friendly relations among urban areas through the dissemination and exchange of films in the Asia Pacific region.

Current president of the alliance: Yang Shiyan

Photo of Mr. Yang Shiyan

What the alliance means for the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia Pacific Film-Makers Alliance provides a platform for film-makers in the Asia Pacific region to communicate. The Asia-Pacific Film Festival, which rotates among the member countries every year, has brought huge economic and cultural benefits to the host cities. Moreover, as one of the earliest and most geographically extensive film-makers' alliances in the world, the development and expansion of the Asia Pacific Film Producers' Alliance is of pivotal significance to improving the international status of the Asia Pacific film industry and promoting the Asia Pacific film industry to the world. It has to be admitted that the international film market is still dominated by European and American countries, and countries in the Asia-Pacific region, especially Asian countries are in a competitive disadvantage compared with European and American countries. In fact, due to the unique historical and cultural background and profound cultural accumulation of Asian countries, Asian films are unique in artistic style and have distinct national and regional cultural imprints, which makes Asian films have great market potential. However, due to the relative lack of film production experience in Asian countries, the film market is not perfect and other reasons, this part of the market potential is still untapped to a large extent. The Asia Pacific Film and Television Producers Alliance is conducive to the joint efforts of countries in the Asia Pacific region to build distinctive Asian film brands and form their own unique competitive advantages in the competition with European and American films. At the same time, within the alliance, members can exchange the successful experience of national film production and share the excellent film works of each country. The filmmakers of each country can fully draw inspiration from the works of members of other countries to enrich their own film creation, which is of great significance to the development of the film industry of each member of the alliance. It is no exaggeration to say that the position of the Alliance for the Asian film industry can be called "AIIB of the film industry".

The significance of the alliance to the host country

The alliance gathers outstanding achievements of the world's films, enhances international film exchanges and cooperation, promotes trans-regional and cross-cultural film communication, realizes cross-cultural cooperation between filmmakers and film capital, and at the same time contributes to the economic development of the city and builds the cultural brand of the city.

Status quo of alliance development

With 23 members from different countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, the Asia Pacific Film Producers Alliance is one of the most geographically diverse film producers' alliances in the world. 

Mr. Yang Shiyan, chairman of the Alliance, at the Asia Pacific Film Festival