AACTA Partners with National Foundation for Australia-China Relations

AACTA Partners with National Foundation for Australia-China Relations to Showcase Award-Winning Film Better Man at the Beijing International Film Festival

BEIJING, CHINA — The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), in partnership with the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR), will present an exclusive gala screening of the AACTA Award-winning Australian film  as part of the official program of the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) on Friday, April 25.

The high-profile screening will take place at the IMAX Emperor Cinema in Sanlitun, Beijing, and will be followed by an exclusive on-stage discussion with Australian producers Paul Currie and Coco Ma. They will be joined by a delegation of key figures from Australia's VFX and post-production sector, including Andy Taylor of Weta FX (who oversaw the VFX for Better Man), Mark Millar, Executive Producer Film & TV at Alt.VFX, and Geng Ling of Soundfirm. 

Key Chinese studios, producers and filmmakers will be invited to the gala to see the award-winning Australian film and hear directly from the visiting delegation. The event aims to strengthen industry ties and highlight the world-class capabilities of Australia’s post-production sector, driving new opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Following its China premiere at BJIFF and ahead of its national release, AACTA will take Better Man and its Australian filmmakers on a national tour across China, supported by the Foundation. The tour will introduce the film to new audiences and showcase Australia's screen expertise through a series of screenings, on-stage discussions, and networking events, further strengthening connections between the Australian and Chinese screen industries.

Better Man received major equity funding from Sina Studios — a Chinese film studio that invests in and produces international films, especially in Australia. It stands as a powerful showcase of the cooperation between China and Australia’s film industries.

Directed by Michael Gracey, Better Man dominated the 2025 AACTA Awards with nine wins, including Best Film, Best Direction, and Best VFX. It also earned BAFTA and Oscar nominations for its groundbreaking VFX, created by Weta FX in Melbourne, Australia. Given the film’s exceptional achievements in visual effects and post-production, AACTA has assembled a delegation of Australia’s leading VFX and post-production companies to speak at the Beijing Film Festival alongside the screening, and to showcase the world-class capabilities of the sector to new audiences and potential partners.

 “This initiative is all about opening new business opportunities for Australian film and TV companies and strengthening their ties with one of the world’s most important screen markets. We look forward to travelling alongside them to Beijing and beyond as we showcase Australia’s world-class expertise.”  Sam Buckland, Director of Programming and International Engagement, AACTA.

 This initiative marks the launch of a three-year cultural and industry exchange program, supported by NFCAR, aimed at strengthening creative and professional ties between Australia and China. Each year the program will spotlight a major Australian film at a leading Chinese film festival, accompanied by an Australian screen industry delegation. Following the festival premiere, the film and its filmmakers will embark on a national tour across China, supported by screenings, on-stage discussions, and networking events designed to foster collaboration between screen professionals from both countries.

This initiative forms part of the AACTA Asia International Engagement Program, which launched in 2017 and champions the skills and achievements of Australia's screen practitioners to the rapidly growing industries of Asia, developing meaningful pathways for collaborations between Australia and the region.

 Past initiatives have included Access Australia, a dedicated portal of Australian content launched on the Chinese streaming platform Bilibili, a Masterclass in Animation & VFX with Animal Logic presented at the Shanghai International Film Festival, an Australia-China Co-Production Forum, and in 2023, AACTA made history by presenting Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson at the Beijing Film Festival — the first time an Australian Indigenous film has been included in the festival’s official program.

AACTA looks forward to building its partnership with NFACR and expanding the program’s reach, helping to showcase the best of Australia’s screen content, creative and technical expertise, and world-class screen services to audiences and industry leaders across China.

For more information, visit aacta.org.