The Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed at an event hosted by the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) in Beijing, which aimed to showcase Wellington as New Zealand’s ‘creative capital’.
Julia Innocente-Jones, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (International), says the University has expanded its creative and digital programmes in recent years, including with the establishment of the Miramar Creative Centre in 2017. The Centre, which is situated on Park Road alongside Weta Digital, Weta Workshop and Park Road Post Production, strengthens the University’s connections with the film, animation and game design industries.
Ms Innocente-Jones says the agreements with the Beijing Film Academy mark a significant creative educational milestone for the University.
“The Beijing Film Academy has an international reputation for distinctive and professional film education. There are exciting synergies between the two institutions, and we are looking forward to developing a number of opportunities that will benefit both institutions, as well as students and scholars that work in in the creative industry.”
The first MoU is a general agreement that the two institutions will work together to explore key areas of mutual collaboration. The second MoU is focused on study abroad opportunities, and will allow Beijing Film Academy students to spend a semester studying at Victoria University. The agreements were signed by Julia Innocente-Jones and Sun Lijun, Vice President of Beijing Film Academy.
The event in Beijing featured a number of industry practitioners, including representatives from Weta Workshop and the World of WearableArt. A prosthetic technician from Weta was on hand to turn a Victoria University alumnus into a Lord of the Rings-like dwarf, and the audience was given the opportunity to have their own prosthetic ears and noses attached.