“Eagles & Chicks” – Take Flight from Hong Kong
International film distributors gathered at the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) on 13 -16 March 2023. The premium industry event was bustling once again after its physical edition resumed following the three-year pandemic.
Booth IB-C02 marked the location of the Jiangsu Pavilion, where the founder of Suzhou Pegasus Liangzi Film Co. Ltd (“Pegasus Liangzi”) found herself in a tricky situation. Liang Hong-mei (“Liang”) brought with her an original cartoon Eagles & Chicks to FILMART with the intent to distribute overseas. She then found it difficult to decide between two film buyers, one from the United Kingdom and the other from Russia, competing for the cartoon’s rights in the Nordic market. Both were willing and capable of mobilising strong distribution resources and offered similar advance deposits.
After repeated communications, how will Liang decide?
Liang Hong-mei, CEO of Suzhou Pegasus Liangzi Film Co. Ltd (Bottom Right) meeting with a client from the Middle East in 2019
“Eagles & Chicks”
Back in March 2019, Jiangsu Province organised provincial enterprises on film and TV animations to make their debut at the Jiangsu Pavilion during FILMART. Pegasus Liangzi was one of them. That year also marked Liang’s first attendance at FILMART. She travelled to Hong Kong with her animated film Eagles & Chicks which was still in production.
Eagles & Chicks takes its name from a popular Chinese childhood game. Based on this foundation, Liang led her team to create multiple animations that were broadcast on China Central Television’s children’s channel. The animations received positive feedback but Liang did not stop there. She was determined to develop the IP series for theatrical release to share the wisdom and Chinese sentiment embedded in the game.
This gave rise to Liang’s search for the best people to help realise her ambition. She invited some of the biggest names at home and professionals from Hollywood to equip Pegasus Liangzi with a promising team. They then worked on re-designing the characters and building a story universe. They also created a bird kingdom for the animation and expanded the plot to cover love, courage, unity and ways of overcoming personal obstacles between the mother hen and baby eagles.
During that time, other Chinese animations such as Monkey King: Hero is Back and Big Fish & Begonia received great success in the box office. Yet before the craze from blockbuster Ne Zha, Chinese animated films only had a small domestic audience, let alone a big market abroad. That is why Liang thinks Chinese animations should take into consideration the overseas audience’s preferences and viewing habits for running publicity campaigns if productions are to be exported. It is evident that Hong Kong is the best testing ground for her theory.
When Liang brought her animated film to Hong Kong, she was filled with unease as the project was still in production. What she did not expect was how quickly she would receive good news.
On 18 March 2019, with less than half an hour to spare before the opening of the 23rd edition of FILMART, the Eagles & Chicks caught the attention of a Middle Eastern film distributor who wanted to sign a contract immediately. “Actually, we knew little about the Middle Eastern market. We did not expect the distributor to be that interested in our story. It really was a nice surprise,” Liang recalled.
Her luck continued. Liang went on to receive different foreign guests such as from Poland, the United States, Canada, Vietnam and Malaysia. She was still in business talks up until the end of the event.
As the film was still under production, Liang did not sign any distribution agreements with potential clients. However, Hong Kong did open a window of opportunity for Liang to see the vast market potential overseas. It also boosted her confidence in her work and she became evermore keen to speed up production so Eagles & Chicks could be shown on silver screens.
Who knew that a bigger challenge would come her way.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the film and television industry faced a “film shortage”. The production progress of Eagles & Chicks suffered a setback which worried Liang.
During the pandemic, FILMART shifted entirely online to facilitate industry exchanges and cooperation between mainland Chinese and overseas firms. Between 2020 and 2022, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) worked closely with the Department of Commerce of Jiangsu Province and arranged hundreds of one-to-one business matching sessions in support of Jiangsu’s entertainment industry to expand internationally via this Hong Kong platform. It was through FILMART that Wuxi Jiujiu Animation Production secured funds from a Canadian film investment company in 2021. Investors promised to provide 50 percent of the investment for the production of the Chinese company’s original 3D animation film, A Twilight Odyssey, which is currently under production.
In the last three years, Liang never once missed FILMART. Whilst focused on opportunities FILMART may bring, she has also poured her heart into producing Eagles & Chicks. With animation, it is often hard to bring intricate details to life such as with birds’ feathers. China’s animation industry has made few attempts in this field so Liang and her team were repeatedly challenged. To portray lively feathers, the team referenced over a hundred different feather colours and shapes before settling down with the most suitable combination for each bird category. They also kept adjusting their feather designs based on different parts of the birds’ bodies until a satisfactory outcome. In the end, the way in which the animated feathers reflected sunlight gave Liang great relief.
Eagles & Chicks finally hit national cinemas on 1 October 2021. Liang gave it her all to make that happen.
Unfortunately, her animation fell short of The Battle at Lake Changjin at the local box office that year.
Fast forward to 2023 and Liang returned to FILMART again with Eagles & Chicks. This time though, she is on the lookout for overseas distribution. To her surprise, those she spoke to back in 2019 came back.
For private companies like Pegasus Liangzi, every opportunity is important. This is why FILMART’s organiser, HKTDC, put together a global premiere for Eagles & Chicks and invited overseas buyers along. Ultimately, a British agency and a Russian agency reached out to Liang for distribution opportunities. As both buyers cover similar markets, that threw Liang into a dilemma over which to choose. It also started a bidding war where the Russian agency raised the price after learning of the competitor’s bid, only to be later surpassed by the British firm.
After rounds of negotiations, Liang finally signed a deal with the British buyer and received a US$155,000 deposit for release in more than 30 countries and regions including the United Kingdom, France and Russia. At the moment, Eagles & Chicks has secured distribution agreements with more than 50 countries and regions.
Liang Hong-mei signing an overseas distribution agreement for Eagles & Chicks with a British agency in 2023.
Pegasus Liangzi was not the only Jiangsu enterprise to have signed an agreement on site. Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation International Co., Ltd also reached a licensing agreement with a Korean agency on its drama series The Starry Love. In fact, it was also through FILMART that Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation International Co., Ltd and Hong Kong’s PCCW launched “Now Jelli”, showing popular mainland Chinese programmes from Jiangsu TV to audiences in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. This is also a classic example of trade cooperation between Jiangsu and Hong Kong.
The National 14th Five-Year Plan highlights support for Hong Kong to develop into a hub to foster cultural and artistic exchanges between China and overseas countries. China’s Ministry of Commerce has rolled out plans to cultivate a group of cultural enterprises with strong international influence and competitiveness, to promote cultural trade. When it comes to cultural communication, Hong Kong has the support of China and is well connected to the world. Without a doubt, Hong Kong plays a crucial role in the country’s new development strategy to better tell China’s story.
This year, Liang’s journey has taken her across the globe from Suzhou to Hong Kong and then Cannes. She is actively working towards the global distribution of Eagles & Chicks. In an exclusive telephone interview with HKTDC, Liang revealed that preparations are underway for Eagles & Chicks 2, which has already been listed as one of the most anticipated animated films at an industry forum in the Greater Bay Area region. “We will make good use of this Hong Kong channel to bring our Eagles & Chicks series to the world,” Liang said with much delight.