"Understanding can be difficult for Western audiences. In Chinese period dramas, for instance, story lines can be unfamiliar and the types of drama, romance and comedy popular in developing countries might not translate well into English."

Some Chinese filmmakers have been exploring better ways of appealing to international audiences, she says, by adopting more Hollywood-style production values. But that can be expensive and sometimes create nondescript productions.

Sun and her team are now planning similar awareness programs in other Western countries too, and have received positive responses so far from Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States.

"After more than a decade of breakneck economic growth, China is now firmly on the world economic stage, but more effort is still needed to improve its cultural influence.

"No matter how much we invest in making a movie, if our audience is restricted to just Chinese it is still a long way from becoming an international success," adds Sun.

"Chinese filmmakers cannot expect overnight success and instant returns－it takes time to develop a successful big-budget movie formula.

"It might still take a while to build up confidence in the Chinese movie industry, but we are here for the long term to try and make that happen."