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Media Decoder Blog: Beijing International Screenwriting Competition Announced for U.S. Writers

March 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

LOS ANGELES — What can be built for almost nothing, usually can’t find a buyer and may soon put a dent — a small one, anyway — in the United States trade deficit with China?

Screenplays.

On Sunday, the Cultural Assets Office of the Beijing municipal government announced the Beijing International Screenwriting Competition. Screenwriters who live in the United States are invited to submit feature film proposals or completed short film scripts in a contest that aims, ultimately, to get movies made from some of them.

The only condition: All of the stories must be about Beijing.

Zhang Huiguang, director of the municipal Cultural Assets Office in Beijing.Chong Liu Zhang Huiguang, director of the municipal Cultural Assets Office in Beijing.

Otherwise, writers should just follow their muse — at least as far as the city limits. “What interests them is what matters most,” said Zhang Huiguang, director of the cultural assets office.

“We hope a feature film will be born out of the competition,” added Ms. Zhang, who spoke by telephone through a translator last week. “Once we have a good script, we will try to find investors.”

Any writer, professional or otherwise, is invited to submit a feature film proposal by April 7 under guidelines posted on the competition’s Web site. Short film scripts are due by April 20 and may be submitted only by students in the United States. Feature finalists will then move to the script stage. All of the finalists will be flown to Beijing in June, when cash prizes totaling more than $100,000 will be awarded.

As many as seven of the short films will receive production financing, while the feature film contestants will be introduced to potential investors who might make a movie.

If everything works as planned, Ms. Zhang said, the contest will become a regular affair. It was proposed, she said, by people associated with Harvardwood, a nonprofit run by Harvard University alumni, faculty members and others who have an interest in entertainment, media and the arts.

The scripts will be judged by two Americans: Mark Harris, who won Oscars for his documentaries “The Redwoods” and “Into the Arms of Strangers,” and Tracey Trench, a producer whose credits include “The Pink Panther” and a consultant to Oriental DreamWorks.

Asked about her own movie preferences, Ms. Zhang, who is president of the competition, said her favorite Hollywood film lately was Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi.” But contestants shouldn’t be too quick to mimic Mr. Lee’s big-budget, effects-driven fantasy.

“We will select the most interesting script, rather than the most expensive,” she said.

Article source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/beijing-international-screenwriting-competition-announced-for-u-s-writers/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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U.S. Trade Deficit Narrows, as Imports Fall

December 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

 

The United States trade deficit narrowed in October to its lowest point of the year as Americans bought fewer foreign cars and imported less oil. Exports of American-made autos also fell.

The Commerce Department said Friday that the trade deficit shrank 1.6 percent, to $43.5 billion. That’s down from September’s revised figure of $44.2 billion.

American exports slipped 0.8 percent, to $179.2 billion, the first drop after three months of gains. Shipments of industrial supplies, like natural gas, copper and chemicals, fell. Exports of autos and agricultural goods also dropped.

Imports fell 1 percent to $222.6 billion, reflecting a 5 percent decline in oil imports. The average price of imported oil fell for the fifth consecutive month to $98.84, the lowest since March.

A lower deficit can boost economic growth because it typically means foreign nations are buying more American goods. That can lead to more jobs and higher consumer spending, which fuels 70 percent of economic activity.

The deficit shrank every month in the July-September quarter, as exports grew. That contributed almost a half-point to the economy’s 2 percent annual growth rate in the quarter.

Rising consumer demand in the United States could push imports higher, particularly as the holiday shopping season gets under way. Retailers reported that shoppers got off to a robust start over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. And consumer confidence rose sharply last month, though it is still below levels that are consistent with a healthy economy.

There are also signs hiring is picking up. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits last week fell to its lowest level in nine months. That suggests companies are more confident about the economy’s growth and are laying off fewer workers.

In October, Congress approved free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, after four years without any new trade deals. The Obama administration says the three deals will boost United States exports by $13 billion a year.

The politically sensitive trade deficit with China narrowed in September after setting an all-time high in August. So far, it is on track to set a record as the highest imbalance the United States has ever recorded with a single country.

 

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=bf416c8458956040146bb534fbdcd29d

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U.S. Hit a Record for Exports in April

June 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Commerce Department report said that exports of goods were $126.4 billion and services $49.1 billion, while total imports were $219.2 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $43.7 billion, the lowest since December. The deficit in March was revised down to $46.8 billion from $48.2 billion, the department said.

The gap had been forecast by some economists to widen to $48.8 billion.

In recent months, a weaker dollar has made goods from the United States less expensive overseas, while exports have also climbed in price as demand rose in developing countries.

The department said the March-to-April increase in exports of goods reflected greater sales of industrial supplies and materials, capital goods and consumer goods. The decline in imports was caused, in part, by a decrease in automotive parts, vehicles and industrial supplies and materials, the department said.

The data was the first to reflect the impact of the supply chain disruptions from the natural disasters in Japan, as well as the impact of commodity prices in April, when the average price per barrel of crude oil was $103.18. That was the highest since September 2008, when it was $107.30.

The United States imported 8.41 million barrels of crude per day on average in April, the lowest amount since last October.

Imports from Japan dropped by $3 billion, shrinking the American trade deficit with that country to $3.5 billion in April from $6 billion the month before.

The data also showed that the United States trade deficit with China continued to widen, to $21.6 billion in April from $18 billion in March, but still below January’s $23 billion. The trade deficit with China was $273 billion in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department said Thursday that the number of Americans who filed initial claims for unemployment edged higher in the week ending June 3, to 427,000, up by 1,000. Economists usually interpret any level above 400,000 to mean a lack of job growth.

Economists say that domestic demand in the United States is still weak. And while the rise in exports of goods was helping to offset that weakness, exports compose only about 9.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Thursday’s report was the first to reflect trade statistics for the second quarter, and economists gave a range of effects from the data on their estimates for gross domestic product.

Gregory Daco, the United States economist for IHS Global Insight, said the trade numbers helped raise the company’s estimate for real gross domestic product growth to slightly above 2 percent.

“Over all, this report was a good one for the U.S. economy,” he said.

Kevin Logan, the chief United States economist for HSBC, said forecasts should take into account that the deficit declined mostly because of a drop in oil imports of $3.7 billion, while the non-oil trade balance actually worsened.

“Normally, an improvement in the trade balance leads to an increase in estimates of G.D.P. growth in the quarter,” he said in a research note. “But if the trade balance is improving because of an across-the-board drop in demand for oil products, there should be little impact on G.D.P. growth.”

Economists from Capital Economics said that they expected little contribution to second-quarter growth.

“Pretty much all of the sharp fall in the trade deficit in April will eventually be reversed as the temporary effects caused by disruptions from Japan’s earthquake fade,” the economists said in a research note.

“Nonetheless, a modest positive contribution to second-quarter G.D.P. growth may at least offset part of the slowdown in other parts of the economy.”

Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=19fd806f891a82574f4d818cfab09cac

Filed Under: Economy News Tagged With: , ,