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Film Studios Around China
Across mainland China entire towns have been constructed around producing movie and TV content. For “Once Upon a Time in Shanghai,” I visited over a dozen major film production sites, though many more exist. The title refers to the origin of China’s film industry in Shanghai, but film and tv […]
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Beijing Book Presentation with the RASBJ
In the fall of 2025, I was back in Beijing for the first time post-COVID and 10 years after I first started photographing Chinese film sets. I shared my photobook project at an event organized by the Royal Asiatic Society of Beijing and hosted at La Maison Lyonnaise. In conversation […]
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A Day at the Shanghai Film Studio
Several years ago while visiting the Shanghai Film Studio, I photographed these actors on their lunch break. All dressed in identical black suits, they were part of a gangster film set in 1930s Shanghai. On this day, the studio was buzzing with activity. The gangster film was shooting a car […]
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New Photobook: Once Upon a Time in Shanghai now available from Daylight Books!
My latest photobook, Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (Daylight Books, 2019), documents the movie industry in mainland China. The book is now available for order from the publisher Daylight Books. You can also find it at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington DC. Or ask your local bookstore to […]
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Press for ‘Once Upon a Time in Shanghai’
My new photobook ‘Once Upon a Time in Shanghai’ has already been generating some media buzz. Here are a few links interviews and stories about the book: Bloomberg: Behind the Scenes of China’s Multibillion-Dollar Film Studios Wired: China’s Sprawling Movie Sets Put Hollywood to Shame New York Times: These Books Take […]
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New Photobook: Once Upon a Time in Shanghai available now from Daylight Books!
My latest photobook, Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (Daylight Books, 2019), documents the movie industry in mainland China. The book is now available for order from the publisher Daylight Books. You can also find it at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington DC. Or ask your local bookstore to […]
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Press Release: Artist Talk – Mark Parascandola: China Film
BRINK DC – 1516 U St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20009 WASHINGTON, DC – Massey is incredibly pleased to announce new photographic work by artist Mark Parascandola. Following along his previous series, Once Upon a Time in Almeria, China Film documents film sets and locations around Beijing, Shanghai, and […]
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China Film Project Statement
China is poised to become the largest motion picture market in the world. A set of images documenting enormous exterior film sets constructed around China.
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“China Film”: Upcoming exhibition at Black Rock Center for the Arts
The exhibition “China Film” documents film sets, locations and the vast outdoor movie sets around Beijing, Shanghai, and Hengdian, China. The images provide a window into an evolving movie industry and global media culture. The exhibition will be on view November 18-December 19, 2015 at Blackrock Center for the Arts. […]
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“China Film” at Black Rock Center for the Arts
China is poised to become the largest motion picture market in the world. Entire towns have been devoted to making movies in order to feed the growing demand. And Hollywood studios are teaming up with the Chinese industry on big budget productions. In China Film, photographer Mark Parascandola documents the […]
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