PRESS RELEASE

Beijing, November 3rd, 2015 – Chinese entertainment investment fund China Film and TV Capital (CFATC), together with leading independent European filmed entertainment distribution company Wild Bunch, announced the formation of the China Europe Film Fund.
The China Europe Film Fund (CEFF) has been officially launched on Tuesday November 3rd at the occasion of the official visit of French President François HOLLANDE to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The signature has taken place in the presence of Mrs. Frédérique BREDIN, President of Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, Mr. ZHANG Hongsen, President of SARFT Film Bureau, Mr. Jean-Paul SALOME, President of Unifrance, Mr. ZHANG Pimin, Chairman of China Film Foundation and former Vice-President of SARFT, and Ms. XU Shujun, Vice-President of China Film Coproduction Corporation.

The agreement signed during this ceremony creates a unique entity dedicated to the development and financing of pictures co-produced by Chinese and European producers. Benefiting from the clout and ambition of CFATC, and of the know-how and European presence of Wild Bunch, CEFF is poised to become an active and major player in the cooperation between the Chinese and European cultural industries.
CFATC, a private equity fund, has been created by the most prestigious and influential organizations in China, which are China Film Foundation, the State-owned Cultural Assets Supervision and Administration Office of Beijing Municipal Government, Beijing Cultural Investment Development Group, Sparkle Roll Group and CITIC Asset Management Corporation Ltd.
It aims to support cultural industry with creative financial tools and cutting-edge VC investment concept, focusing on films, TV dramas as well as cinema chains and equity investment in companies on the film and TV industrial chain.

In its strategy, CFATC has always included developing specific links between the Chinese and the European movie and TV worlds. As a truly European company, and a long time partner of Chinese movies, Wild Bunch definitely appeared as the right associate for this venture.

This agreement also allows Wild Bunch AG, listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange, to confirm its strategy and its ambition. This partnership, as well as the recently announced development in TV content, are significant steps to transform the company into an undisputed leader in the filmed entertainment industry, growing fast and profitably.

Says Mr. ZHOU Maofei, Head of State-owned Cultural Assets Supervision and Administration Office of Beijing Municipality, and on behalf of China Film And TV Capital, “Thanks to the valuable experience and expertise of China Film & TV Capital in integrating capital operation with cultural industry, and Wild Bunch’s strong distribution network and influence in Europe, as one of the investors of China Film & TV Capital, I believe, the China Europe Film Fund will greatly advance the development of both the Chinese and the European film industry, and strengthen the cultural exchange between the two lands.”

“We are honored to be associated with CFATC and with such an ambitious project”, says Vincent Grimond, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Wild Bunch. “For Wild Bunch, this is a natural evolution, as we have always had strong connections with China, which we view both as a formidable market and as an amazing source of talents and movies. The coproduction possibilities between China and Europe, resulting from the constant efforts of the Authorities of several European countries, with France at the forefront, create the perfect environment for this partnership. This is definitely extremely important for Wild Bunch’s development strategy and growth, but we also hope to make it an example of success, at the key confluence of cultural and industrial cooperation.”

CEFF will start by focusing on financing coproductions to be commercialized internationally and on the PRC territory. It will gradually increase its financial resources by attracting other investors, while expanding its field of investment to other private equity segment in the entertainment world.
The deal was initiated and facilitated by Eastward Entertainment’s Vincent Fischer, who furthermore acts as an advisor for Wild Bunch in China, and a member of the Board of CEFF.

About China Film and TV Capital      

China Film and TV Capital is a Beijing-based private equity fund management company, specialized in content and corporate financing in the film and TV industry. It was launched to accelerate the cooperation between financial capital and cultural industry. The scale of the Fund is RMB 2 billion (US$322 million).

About Wild Bunch (www.wildbunch.eu)

Wild Bunch is the leading independent European film distribution and production services company, listed on the German market, active in the acquisition, co-production, direct distribution and international sales of movies and TV series. A major player in international sales, the company has developed a pan-European distribution network in France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Austria. Wild Bunch currently manages a library of more than 2200 titles. Furthermore, Wild Bunch has positioned itself on the market of direct electronic distribution via its VOD/SVOD service FilmoTV.

About Eastward Entertainment (www.eastwardent.net)

Based in Beijing, Eastward Entertainment provides Chinese market fundraising, development and agent services for Western film projects, live shows, entertainment companies and talent.

Contacts:

WILD BUNCH
Louise de Monjour
Mobile: +33 6 03 47 68 77
Email: ldemonjour@wildbunch.eu

CHINA FILM AND TV CAPITAL
Ming LU
Mobile: +86 150 1138 0625
Email: ming@cfatc.cn

EASTWARD ENTERTAINMENT
Vincent Fischer
Mobile: +86 156 5252 3281
Email: vincent@eastwardent.net