More funds to boast film production activities in Nigeria are underway... the Nigerian motion industry has demonstrated its ability to play critical role in the global economy, with its great potential as a tool for empowerment, cultural growth and international diplomacy.

This month, Indonesians will get a chance to learn more about their neighbors to the north through a special cultural exchange program called "Experience China"...A series of cultural events, including music performances, film screenings, kung fu exhibitions and book fairs, will be held throughout July in the cities of Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Semarang.

The stakes are high for China as it seeks to penetrate the global film market. The government and private companies are pouring significant resources into the film industry; officials are eager to boost their country's cultural exports in a way that matches the already booming business in factory goods. Yet Chinese movies have remained a largely local affair, experts say.

The latest issue of PDiN Monitor delves into the concept of Film Diplomacy in China.

Youku Inc., China’s top online video site, said Tuesday it had signed a deal with Warner Bros. to stream hundreds of the studio’s new and old movies. Warner Bros. has been among the forefront of Hollywood’s efforts to gain access to China’s booming movie-going market. China currently limits the number of foreign movies for theatrical release to 20 per year.

Work is set to begin building a new town inspired by the writing of Yugoslavian Nobel literature laureate Ivo Andrić, following plans by film director Emir Kusturica and the Republika Srpska's government. Andrić, who won the Nobel in 1961, is best known for his novel The Bridge on the Drina, the inspiration behind the new town of Andrićgrad.

In the midst of the current global tumult, I decided to take an afternoon’s break and escort my young children to the local movie theater to watch the new animated feature film Rio. As the first brightly colored 3-D computer-generated images flashed up on the screen, I felt assured of at least ninety minutes’ respite from the so-called real world.

With the establishment of its first academic research center on public diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University and a well-publicized International Forum on Public Diplomacy in 2010, China has been taking some major steps forward as it tries to, in Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying’s words, “effectively present its image to other countries” and overcome a lack of experience “in handling relations with the media and the public in foreign countries”.  T