In the Zimbabwean capital Harare, a Chinese production company has begun shooting a film called When Africa Meets Chanel. This will be the first Chinese film that will be fully-shot in this beautiful Southern African country. The film aims to improve China-Africa cultural exchanges.
When Africa Meets Chanel is an interesting romantic comedy set in Zimbabwe. The film will display the picturesque natural sights in Zimbabwe, its local foods, customs and culture.
“So far our country has no film fully shot in Africa at all, so we hope that this will be an innovation,” Wan Minfang told CGTN Africa.
“What’s more, some of my friends are working in Chinese-funded enterprises in Zimbabwe and I think they’re hard-working for promoting China’s image and local economy as well as local culture, so I hope that this film will show all the positive energy like these. Generally speaking, this film will also provide the subject of positive energy for ‘ the Belt and Road’ Initiative.”
With help from the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwe-based Chinese institutions and organisations, this film is expected to improve mutual understanding between the two countries and their people.
Nan Gengxu, co-executive producer of the show, told CGTN Africa that the film was important to modernize Africans perception of Chinese culture.
“The friendship between China and Africa needs to be consolidated, and their people too. We know, in their concepts that African people’s understanding of Chinese people in the past was basically through films, like martial arts etc., but now it’s quite different, we have more than Kung-fu, we have modern national construction and many other aspects worth for them to learn and admire.”
The film crew are set to finish the shooting by the end of July. When Africa Meets Chanel will be shown in China and in over 20 countries in Africa in 2018.
