Lindsay Conner is your consummate Hollywood lawyer, but for one thing. Lately, the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips partner hass been working on deals between his domestic film industry clients and Chinese film studios and distributors. The two groups were notoriously at odds for years over intellectual property and piracy issues. China was an open market for DVDs of pirated new Hollywood releases, and the country's leaders were seemingly overwhelmed or unwilling to do anything to curb the billion-dollar traffic.

But Hollywood, ever on the lookout for new audiences (and, culture analysts would say, new ways to spread American culture into formerly resistant markets), now sees the Chinese as a giant consumer of its blockbusters, in a legitimate way. It is potentially the largest audience in the world.

What's in it for the Chinese companies? After all, China and the former colony of Hong Kong have a long history of filmmaking. In a few words, they're looking for expertise, both in how Hollywood studios construct narratives and in how they manage to sell their wares worldwide. And of course, there are the potential profits to be made.