Asia Society and First Run Features Join in New Film Distribution Collaboration on Chinese Cinema

First Run Features and the Asia Society are proud to announce an exciting new collaboration to bring films from China to theaters, DVD and television markets in the United States and Canada. The first of their collaborative efforts will be Xiao Jiang’s debut feature Electric Shadows, which recently won the Audience Award at the Deauville Asian Film Festival. Both organizations are particularly excited to have Electric Shadows as the premiere title of their new relationship, as the storyline focuses on the importance and love of film in China.

First Run Features and Asia Society believe that film is a critical medium to engage audiences in understanding diverse cultures. At a time when China is undergoing rapid economic and social changes, the films in this collaboration will provide a timely and unique window into the world’s largest nation. Through a wide range of contemporary and classic films, both fiction and documentary, American audiences will be able to see inside China through the eyes of some of the most innovative and daring filmmakers working today.

A true independent since its 1979 beginning, First Run Features has been a leading distributor of acclaimed foreign and documentary films. Asia Society has been at the forefront of presenting Asian cinema to American audiences for over thirty years, as part of its broader educational mission. With the release of Electric Shadows, First Run and Asia Society will combine their expertise and resources to bring greater awareness of Chinese culture and society – and exciting new films – to a broader North American audience. Working together, the two organizations will create joint marketing and promotional campaigns for all titles, from their theatrical release to their later DVD release and television broadcast.

Vishakha N. Desai, President of Asia Society says, “We are delighted to be partnering with First Run Features on the Chinese cinema series. As China continues to be a global force, it is critical that we provide a nuanced understanding of China’s diversity, history and cultural richness. Through this new partnership we aim to bring to a broader public films from China that both educate and entertain.”

Seymour Wishman, President of First Run Features, adds, “We at First Run are honored to be collaborating with such a prestigious organization as the Asia Society. We are excited about bringing to the American people quality films from China, that great and changing part of the world.”

ASIA SOCIETY: Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the Asia Society is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening relationships and deepening understanding among the peoples of Asia and the United States. The Asia Society presents a wide range of public programs, including major art exhibitions, films, performances, lectures, international conferences, and K-12 educational initiatives about Asia. Headquartered in New York City, the organization has offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. www.AsiaSociety.org

FIRST RUN FEATURES: First Run Features was founded in 1979 by a group of filmmakers to advance the distribution of independent film. Under the leadership of the late independent film pioneer, Fran Spielman, First Run Features quickly gained a reputation for its controversial catalog of daring independent fiction and non-fiction films. First Run Features remains one of the largest independent theatrical and home video distributors in the United States, releasing 12 to 15 films a year in theatres nationwide and more than 40 DVDs annually. www.firstrunfeatures.com