At the sound of the tolling midnight bell, a brand new year begins. It’s the very beginning of 2020. The year 2019 has been a mixed platter for most of us, with whether amazing or sad movements. We wish a great new year to all our friends all over the world. Let's raise our hopes, to the promise it ushers in. May the new year bring you happiness and success. Take a quick look on this year’s ORI GROUP, along the number of the Chinese box office 2019 is $9.23 billion USD with almost 70,000 screens in total. The industry will chronicle a Group of unprecedented staying power of development and expanding forces of creation. For the last year’s major plans part, ORI has enacted many plans on international cooperation including vigorously develop the international co-production, strengthening worldwide sales, and realizing the international network sharing. Based on the current global situation, ORI has launched into production model 3.0 era. For this upcoming new year, everybody and every project seems so vibrant and the progresses will be phenomenal. The Group plans to expand our business and cooperation to the next level as well as producing more accredited projects, ORI might find possibility and invest in other fields. More importantly, The 70th Berlin International Film Festival is coming, we will be the best of ourselves during the whole Festival. Certainly, ORI will make the best entrance in this year’s EFM and seek a cooperative style with more creative and effective partners. The year just begins, we will steadily head to the mutually beneficial relations with friends from across the world. Again, happy new year!

The 40th AFM (The American Film Market) was held from November 6th to 13th in Santa Monica, California. ORI team back to its office at Suite #502 Loews again. Produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, The American Film Market is the most efficient film acquisition, development and networking event in the world. Unlike a festival, AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. More than US$1 billion in deals are sealed every year — on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production. Though claimed that industry professionals from more than 70 countries converge here during the market, this AFM was not that thriving compared with previous years. Participants felt ‘a burst of cold’ and the slack global economy was accused to be one of the culprits. Being affected, the total number of participants in this year’s AFM decreased by 30%, among which the number of registered enterprises and individuals from Europe and China were cut down by about half. In this ‘cold current’, ORI still progressed to its mission and exhibited at AFM with its new animated feature films HOCKEY KING and ONE DAY and the nearly finished film - RETURN. ORI’s office became one of the most flourishing offices during the whole market. In just eight days, ORI had talks with 80+ enterprises around the world, gained 10+ cooperation intentions and closed dozens of sales contracts.

From Oct 16th to 18th, the 4th China-Arab States Forum on Radio and TV Cooperation was held in Hangzhou, jointly organized by National Radio and Television Administration, People's Government of Zhejiang Province, League of Arab States and Arab States Broadcasting Union(ASBU), which drew over 300 representatives from governments, Arab agencies, press medias and enterprises. Huang Kunming, a member of Political Bureau, Minister of the Publicity Department of CPC Central Committee, read the Congratulatory Letter from the President, Xi Jinping and delivered a keynote speech. In his speech, Huang Kunming mentioned the animated series Hakim & Kong Xiaoxi co-produced by ORI and Ministry of Culture and Information of Saudi Arabia, the first animated series co-produced by China and Saudi Arabia. Before the meeting, Huang Kunming visited the achievement exhibition of China-Arab audio-visual cooperation on Broadcasting, Television and Internet and had a cordial talk with ORI’s representatives at the exhibition booth of ORI. ORI was invited to attend this Forum. Feng QIAN delivered a speech themed as ‘Building A Bridge of Sino-Arab Film & Series Communication & Cooperation’ who shared ORI’s experience in cooperation with Arabic countries and had a prospect for more levels of collaboration in the future, aiming to make a further contribution to promoting the communication and cooperation between each other. Feng QIAN said that since its foundation in 2006, ORI has been committed to spreading Chinese culture and has established the content distribution and cooperation network covering more than 70 countries around the world. In the process of ORI’s overseas development, ORI chose Arab states as the first step with great achievements. In May 2014, ORI officially signed a contract with Ministry of Culture and Information of Saudi Arabia about co-producing the animated TV series - Hakim & Kong Xiaoxi, which is the first animation project between China and Saudi Arabia, launching a new journey of cultural cooperation between the two countries. As a pioneer of China-Arab cooperation, all animation produced by ORI are already aired in MENA. During the Forum, ORI also had further talks with Chinese and Arab representatives at this forum on copyright trade, IP cooperation and talent exchange, further exploring the cooperation potential and strengthening the culture exchange of film and television between China and Arab states.

The 69th Berlin International Film Festival is drawing to a close, ORI’s trip to the event has been successfully concluded today with all the conversations have continued. Expanding international co-production is the major task of ORI this year in Berlin. Through exhibiting at EFM, attending the official activities such as Berlinale Co-production Market and Bridging the Dragon Sino-European Project Lab, ORI is vigorously promoting a number of co-production projects, such as HOCKY KING, RETURN 2 – FREE SEAN, and ODRI. The growth potential of Chinese film market has attracted the attention of more and more international industrial players in recent years, which has brought a new opportunity for international co-production. We look forward to gathering the excellent creation and production talents and powers all over the world in the future through the format of co-production, to create more beautiful titles.

At the invitation of China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Co., Ltd (CMSK), the delegation of ORI GROUP led by Mr. Feng QIAN, the President, visited CMSK Headquartered in Shekou, Shenzhen on February 8th, and talked about the positive cooperation between two parties during the meeting. Mr. QIAN and the delegation visited i-Factory, CMSK Exhibition Center, Sea World Culture and Arts Center, Net Valley, NH E-Cool and other demonstration parks that showcase the unique “Port-Park-City” mode and corporate culture. At 4pm the same day, a business meeting was held. Mr. QIAN, President of Ori Group, Mr. Gang SHANG, General Manager of CMSK, and Ms Jin GUO, Deputy General Manager of CMSK, gave talks about respective business segments, operation overview, strategic planning, and development plans. Seven important topics were presented and intensively discussed between the two parties, covering animation IP development, animation tourism, animation industrial park and etc. ORI’s strong inventive capability in IP development and unparalleled international cooperation network resources were well-recognized by CMSK and hence paved the way for further partnership. In the near future, based on both parties’ deep expertise in respective industries, core competencies and competitive advantages, ORI and CMSK will seek closer collaboration in animation crossover projects to promote Chinese animation, improve China’s cultural confidence, and to contribute to international cultural cooperation. CMSK is a flagship subsidiary under the China Merchants Group, a leading state-owned enterprise with three pillar business, industrial park development and operation, residential community development and operation, and cruise industry development and operation. By the end of 2018, the total asset of China Merchants Group reached $1200 Billion USD with a net annual profit of $25 billion USD, ranked No.1 among all Central Government owned Enterprises. Ori Group enters a new era in 2019 with a strategic mission to explore cross-industry collaboration. Animation & tourism, film and series & multi-platform, culture & capital, are ORI’s three core business elements, which facilitates ORI in international business development and global strategic management. The visit to CMSK signifies ORI’s attempts to explore cross-industry collaboration and dedication to making a fundamental breakthrough.