CHINESE American Janet Yang first worked on film production in Shanghai as liaison for Steven Spielberg's 1987 film "Empire of the Sun," shot partially in Shanghai.

A few years later, Yang cofounded Ixtlan with Academy Award-winning writer-director Oliver Stone and produced numerous award-winning movies such as "The People vs Larry Flynt" (1996).

Born in New York and now living in Los Angeles, she has always stayed close to her Chinese heritage through films. For example, she was executive producer of the 1993 film "Joy Luck Club," an adaptation of Amy Tan's best-selling novel, one of the first windows for many Westerners to learn a little about China.

Her most recent project as producer is "Shanghai Calling," a China-US coproduction and romantic comedy, featuring young Chinese American lawyer Sam's ups and downs as he moves to Shanghai to establish a branch for his firm. He speaks no Chinese. The screening of the bilingual and bicultural film was sold out during the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival. It will be released in China later in the year and in the US early next year. Dates have not been announced.

"I was very inspired by watching Chinese TV and films back then, when I worked in Beijing for a year and half in 1980s. I was inspired by seeing Asian faces on screen. Growing up in America, we never saw people looking like us on the screen at that time," Yang told Shanghai Daily.

"I also really empathized with the new generation of Chinese artists and directors who were trying to express themselves after the 'cultural revolution' (1966-76)."

Born and raised in the States, Yang decided that she needed to bring these films out of China and show Westerners, "so that they will have a different impression of Asia in general and China in particular."

In the 1980s, she worked in film distribution, introducing Chinese films to the North American market. She helped obtain acquisition rights for movies by Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Liu Tianming, all of them established today but only emerging at the time.

Next week Yang she will speak at a five-day, executive leadership exchange curriculum class in Shanghai for US film and entertainment industry representatives who want to meet Chinese government officials and industry figures.

She talked with Shanghai Daily about bridging different cultures, her faith in China-US coproductions, her hope for the Chinese film industry and her suggestions to Chinese filmmakers.

Q: Was it difficult introducing Chinese films to North America in the 1980s?

A: Yes, absolutely. There are a lot of misconceptions now, but there were even more back then. Some people didn't even believe they made films in China. I was not just promoting Chinese films. I was promoting all of China, trying to give it a friendlier face, to humanize it for people outside China, who had very specific ideas about it at the time.



Q: You also sold US films to China. What were some of the first?

A: It was around 1986-87. We carefully picked films that had a good message for China. Officials approved and bought four for the first time. They were "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "Love Story" (1970), "Roman Holiday" (1953) and "Spartacus" (1960).



Q: Chinese filmmakers have been trying very hard in the overseas market, especially US, but haven't been very successful. Why not?

A: There are several handicaps.

First, there isn't a strong structural (plotting) literary tradition in China as in the West from the Greeks. I've read a lot of Chinese novels and plays and the story-telling structure tends to be more episodic and loose. Some people complain that Hollywood is too formulaic, but it (structure) works and it really helps. It's good that a lot of people recognize now that Chinese screenwriters really need to look at the structure.

Second, language is also a handicap, not only for Chinese but European movies as well. It's very difficult to break into the American market. But Hollywood is losing its dominance now, and many people are interested in making Chinese-language films just for the Chinese market, which will probably be the biggest market in the future.

Third, there haven't been really huge Chinese movie stars, not on the level of Hollywood stars. Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi have come closer than anyone, but it has been very hard.

Fourth, China and Chinese are a little burdened by the long and rich history and culture, by the desire to always show the best faces and the best parts of the country. This self-consciousness makes it dramatically difficult. Without the bad guys, you can only tell stories with all good guys.

Last, marketing is something Americans have become very good at. Chinese are getting much better. They are very good at domestic marketing, but when it comes to marketing for Western film and other audiences, they are still not getting it.

In general, it will be hard for Chinese commercial films to penetrate the American market. When Americans want to see a commercial movie, they don't have to watch a Chinese film. When they watch a movie from other places, they expect something different, something artsy.

Q: What are they not "getting" about PR for Western audiences?

A: They are always being too serious and too earnest. They are trying too hard to tell Westerners how good it is and Westerners just run the other direction. It has the opposite effect because they are so didactic in general. People don't like being taught. They want to draw their own conclusions, so it needs to be subtle and they are just so obvious.



Q: Speaking about big stars, you cast Korean American actor Daniel Henney as Chinese American attorney Sam in "Shanghai Calling." Why not a Chinese actor?

A: Two-thirds of the film is in English and the rest in Chinese, and Sam doesn't have to speak Chinese in the movie. We did get in touch with some Chinese actors, but it just didn't work out, due to cost and scheduling problems. Language was a big problem. The character has to be convincingly American born and raised, which means the actor will have to speak and act in English. No Chinese actors born and raised here can do that.



Q: Then how can China make international stars?

A: It's a collaborative effort. Stars often pop up with one very good role, so we need to work together to create good roles for people. We need writers to be engaged to think of more interesting characters to write. We also need more actors and actresses to really learn English. I encourage them to go abroad to live for a while to learn the language and get a different perspective.

I encourage all people in the Chinese film industry to do that, to become more international. They don't have to worry about losing Chineseness because it's such a strong identity. But they do have to get more international and to step outside the strong self-consciousness. They are so stuck in their own minds that they don't know how to tell the rest of the world what's good about China.



Q: China's quota for imported films and shares for foreign filmmakers are increased. What's your take?

A: It makes me happy that for the first time all the studios in America are seriously interested in Chinese places, Chinese talents and true collaborations. Now they feel handicapped that they don't speak the language and they don't understand the culture. They don't know whether they can ever penetrate this market. That's a great opportunity for Chinese directors to be the ones who can act like the bridge. People are genuinely interested in what they have to say.



Q: Will you consider using Chinese directors in future projects?

A: I will absolutely consider Chinese directors. I only hope they have more Chinese directors. The problem is that China doesn't grow its directors quickly. Only a few get out and you keep seeing the same names all these years. All the directors are from the Beijing Film Academy and all the actors and actresses are from Central Academy of Drama. They need to shake it up a little bit.



Q: Many say that Hollywood is not a particularly kind place for minorities or women. As an Asian woman producer, how did you become so successful?

A: I feel lucky. One thing that set me apart from other Chinese Americans at the time was that I went to China, I learned Chinese and I always felt more empowered being Chinese. Other Asian Americans or Chinese Americans in Hollywood tried to hide a little bit and tried to be more white because they wanted so much to belong and to fit in. They were afraid that being a minority would be a disadvantage and people wouldn't trust their taste or their sensibility. They wanted to diminish the differences, and I was highlighting them and able to use them.

And as for women, now there are many women producers in Hollywood, so that is not too difficult. But the problem is that there aren't many women directors, and I think we definitely need more of them.



Q: Is it hard to get American investment for a contemporary Chinese movie?

A: Yes, definitely. This whole ancient action movie thing has created a very strange image about Chinese films. It's so maddening that they think that's the only movie Chinese people make. I'm trying to prove the opposite. Americans are more comfortable to think that Chinese are very different from them, while in reality, it's quite the opposite. They are really not so different. It's important to challenge that misconception, which is why we made "Shanghai Calling," a film that's entertaining, authentic and enjoyable, set in contemporary Chinese society.



Q: What are the biggest misconceptions about China?

A: There are two. They think China is such a gray place. But it's actually very colorful and very lively. And they think it's highly controlled. But it's just the opposite. It's so big and sort of chaotic. Government feels they have to impose some rules, but people are so individualistic and they don't naturally want to be the same. They don't conform.

It's possible to get them very disciplined as in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, but that's not true in day-to-day life. The Western press focuses on only a few hot-button (control) issues, but a thousand of other things are so free.