Jackie Chan set for TIFF Asian Film Summit

Action film star Jackie Chan will be a guest of honour at an Asian Film Summit slated for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival this fall.

TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey announced the inaugural edition of the industry-directed initiative, sponsored by the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto.

"As both a key launch pad for films in North America and home to huge audiences for Asian cinema, we think Toronto can be a prime meeting place for the Asian and western film industries," Bailey said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Chan started his career as a child actor in Chinese martial arts films in the 1960s and 70s. As an actor, stuntman, fightchoreographer anddirector, herose to fame with action-centred titles like The Young Masterand theDrunken Master and Police Story series.After multiple attempts, hecrossed over to success in the West with movies such as Rumble in the Bronx, Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, Mulan and Kung Fu Panda.

The Toronto event, set for Sept. 10 at the Shangri-La, will bring together representatives from the movie production, finance, distribution, exhibition and policy communities with the goal of building bridges between film industries in Asia and the West. Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) CEO Chris Dodd is among the industry figures to participate.

The summit is an attempt to offer "a platform where industry leaders can foster deeper relationships, generate new ideas and find new business opportunities,"Bailey said.

Considered the world's largest publicly accessible film festival and a key Oscar-race launch pad, TIFF is also an important film-industry marketplace and hosts a wide range of events, workshops and industry sessions for professionals.

The 2012 Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 6-16.