Short dramas, wide reach: Hengdian World Studios co-hosts cross-cultural film exchange

/EIN News/ -- HENGDIAN, China, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hengdian Group subsidiary, Hengdian World Studios, and Shanghai-based Spanish film company, Dalynn Studio, co-hosted the International Short Drama & Cross-Cultural Film Cooperation Exchange last month in Hengdian. The event brought together filmmakers, producers and other industry professionals from around the world to explore China’s film scene and dive into its burgeoning short drama industry. 

The event took place at Hengdian World Studios, one of the world’s largest film studios and film service providers. Recently, Hengdian’s film sets have also experienced a massive surge in the volume of short dramas produced for both domestic Chinese and international audiences.

“Hengdian is transforming from a traditional filming base into a global hub for short drama production,” said Caroline Guo, Hengdian World Studios’ International Business Division general manager. Hengdian World Studios, a subsidiary of Hengdian Group, expects to produce over 3000 short dramas this year alone.

Dalynn Studio, located in Shanghai, is a Hengdian World Studios partner that adapts Chinese short dramas for the Latin American market. According to its co-founder Mary Lynn, “the future belongs to short videos, and the micro‐drama market holds tremendous opportunities.”

At the event, Dalynn Studio and Hengdian World Studios signed an agreement to grant Dalynn use of Hengdian's film sets and resources, while Dalynn would help to distribute content to Spanish-speaking audiences. A “Latin Film Night” was also proposed for this year’s Hengdian Film Festival in October. 

Lynn also noted that many people around the world don’t yet know about Hengdian, including industry insiders. “This event aims to introduce everyone to Hengdian and China,” she said, “to uncover more opportunities for collaboration and to bring high‐quality Chinese film and television works to global audiences.”

Others who joined the event included film industry professionals from Spain, Uruguay, the United States, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Serbia, and Belarus. Many were in Hengdian for the first time and were keen to learn more about China’s film scene.

Visitors at the event toured Hengdian's virtual production facilities to learn more about available resources. Among them was Shanghai-based Venezuelan 3D director Carlos Tinto, who has worked on commercials for L’Oréal, Standard Chartered, Free Fire, and Disney. Tinto noted, “with its mature ecosystem and favorable costs, Hengdian is ideal for large‐scale international productions.”

For Hengdian World Studios, the broader strategy is to strengthen its filmmaking industrial chain, by improving expertise in all areas from talent recruitment to content distribution. Going forward, it aims to further globalize its short drama industry to better reach and connect with audiences overseas. Last November, the Hengdian International Short Drama Alliance (HISDA) was established to scale up the production of short drama production for international viewers. 

“At this time, Hengdian World Studios is greatly increasing its construction of authentic international film sets and aims to involve more foreign actors,” said Caroline Guo of Hengdian World Studios. “Hengdian hopes this will help it to become a more attractive destination for high-quality content production for global audiences,” Guo said.

During the exchange, industry professionals discussed different forms of cross-cultural collaboration and storytelling. American actress Sarie J Bott discovered that she had a long‐time online acquaintance was already a part of HISDA. “Film is a powerful medium for cross‐cultural dialogue,” said Bott, who was visiting Hengdian for the first time. “Stepping onto these stages means truly becoming part of China’s film ecosystem.”

Dalynn Studio’s co-founder Mary Lynn expressed pride at her company’s first project with Hengdian World Studios, which hopes to become a hub where creators from diverse cultures can meet, learn and co-create.

“This is just the beginning,” Lynn said. “We will harvest abundant results and co-production projects very soon.”

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/30f75191-1c71-4daa-b28b-fa4ce5077b8e

Contact information: press@hengdian.com