Oriental DreamWorks, the new joint venture from DreamWorks Animation and a Chinese state-backed consortium, will be the flagship company at a new high-tech media center being developed in Shanghai’s West Bank Media Port, according to Variety.
Chen Chengquan, chief of the district’s culture bureau, made the announcement at a news conference in the city last week, adding that there have been discussions with Sony Pictures and Hong Kong’s TVB to join the media center—a project set to redevelop a 47-acre site on the bank of the Huangpu River into a cultural center for film, TV and digital entertainment production. The center will also include cinemas, restaurants, bars and theaters, Chen noted. No construction start date has been announced.
As previously announced, Oriental DreamWorks is a joint venture of DreamWorks Animation and Chinese state-backed organizations China Media Capital, Shanghai Alliance Investment and Shanghai Media Group for the purpose of producing animated and live-action content for the Chinese and global markets. The proposed plan is to release one animated film a year from 2016, and two per year after 2018. DreamWorks hopes to combine its storytelling experience with locally fostered talent to produce films with local and wide appeal.
