State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, Measures for the Administration of the Distribution and Exhibition of Digital Films (Trial Implementation)

Issued: July 19 2005

Main contents: Foreign and domestic enterprises and other economic organizations are permitted to invest in digital cinemas (theatres) by various forms. Investment in digital cinemas (theatres) by domestic enterprises and other economic organizations shall be handled in accordance with the Tentative Provisions for Business Access Qualifications for Film Enterprises; investment in digital cinemas (theatres) by offshore enterprises shall be handled in accordance with the Tentative Provisions for Foreign Investment in Cinemas (Item Four). Domestic enterprises and other economic organizations (excluding foreign investors) are encouraged to establish digital cinema circuits (Item Five). Import of digital films shall comply with the provisions relating to administration of imported films under the Regulations for the Administration of Films. Digital film import business shall be solely handled by film import work units approved by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). National distribution of imported digital films shall be carried out by distribution companies with the right to national distribution of imported films approved by SARFT (Item Nine).
Related legislation: Several Opinions on Speeding up Film Industry Development, 2004; Outline on the Development of Film Digitalization, 2004; Tentative Provisions for Business Access Qualifications for Film Enterprises, Oct 10 2004, CLP 2004 No.10 p.11; Tentative Provisions for Foreign Investment in Cinemas, Nov 25 2003, CLP 2004 No.1 p.8; Regulations for the Administration of Films, Dec 25 2001, CLP 2002 No.1 p.15 and Circular on Encouraging Cinemas to Exhibit Domestically-produced Digital Films, 2004