Filming begins of first China-Mexico co-production

film crew

public domain image pic...

Filming is expected to start of Bi'an, the first Chinese-Mexican cinematic co-production. 

The movie, set both in the current time period and during the 1960s, focuses on the contrast between both countries and their respective cultures. Actors will speak a blend of English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. 

According to the film's directors, Martí Torrens and Pablo Mendoza, Bi'an is meant to create a juxtaposition of life in the desert city of Sonóra in Mexico and life in the northern Chinese city of Harbin, which is often referred to as the city of ice given that temperatures can drop to 20 degrees Celsius below zero. 

One of the characters, Emilio, is an airplane pilot who makes the last direct programmed flight between Latin America and China. The only direct flight that currently exists between the two regions is the route between Tijuana and Shanghai. 

The project is a joint endeavour between the film department of the National Autonomous University of México (UNAM) and the Beijing Film Academy, qualified as third best in the world. The film thus debuts the work of both countries' new generation of cinematographers. 

Filming begins in China and moves to Sonóra in April 2013, with the film's release expected for the beginning of 2014.