Filmart: French Editor Matthieu Laclau Talks China Industry Changes, Looming Shadow of AI

The Chinese entertainment industry has been out in force across Filmart this week, with major companies such as Cmc Pictures and the various provincial governments including the sprawling metropolis of Shanghai looking to pitch their locations to the film world.

About two decades ago, French film editor Matthieu Laclau was going in the opposite direction. Laclau, fresh from film school in Paris and looking for work, was told by one veteran cinematographer that he had “no chance to work in the film industry” so he decided to expand his horizons and head east.

As luck would have it, the move to Beijing was quickly followed by a call, virtually out of the blue, to come work with auteur Jia Zhangke on what would become A Touch of Sin (2013), winner of Cannes’ best screenplay award. “He was a hero of mine so of course I said yes, instantly,” Laclau says.

In the years since,…