All Asia articles – Page 487

  • News

    Festival preview: Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema

    2008-07-04T00:00:00Z

    Now the Indian film industry is making more noise on the world stage, its film festivals are also starting to attract a more international crowd. One of the best known outside India is Mumbai-based Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema, which this year takes place July 10-20 in ...

  • News

    New Zealand adjusts its 40% grant for local films

    2008-07-03T07:59:00Z

    The New Zealand Government has dropped the expenditure threshold by $760,000 (NZ$1m) to $3m (NZ$4m) for New Zealand films and New Zealand co-productions wanting to claim back 40% of this expenditure under the new Screen Production Incentive Fund (SPIF). The initiative was announced in May and, since then, the government ...

  • News

    Kung Fu Panda breaks China record for animated features

    2008-07-03T04:40:00Z

    Paramount Pictures International's Kung Fu Panda has become the highest-grossing animation ever in mainland China, raking in $14.6m (RMB100m) in ten days. The film is also the first animated feature film that has grossed over RMB100m, which is generally seen as a benchmark for blockbuster films in China.Previously, the best-selling ...

  • News

    In Focus: World cinema arrives in India

    2008-07-03T00:00:00Z

    Despite its huge population, India is still classed as a tiny territory by international sales agents, one where even the US studios have failed to make much of a dent in the Bollywood juggernaut.But whereas Indian buyers used to pick up occasional genre films to squeeze in around local product ...

  • News

    Toronto adds world premieres including Disgrace, Miracle Of St Anna

    2008-07-02T16:11:00Z

    The Toronto International Film Festival has added six films to its Special Presentations line-up for 2008.The films include four world premieres: Steve Jacobs' Disgrace, Vicente Amorim's Good, Spike Lee's Miracle At St Anna, and Peter Sollett's Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.North American premieres are Paolo Sorrentino's Cannes jury prize-winner Il ...

  • News

    Japan's Boys Over Flowers is highest non-US opener

    2008-07-02T15:28:00Z

    Japanese romantic comedy Boys Over Flowers was the highest non-US entry in this weekend's international chart, generating $9.5m in its home territory. The top 40 international films generated $188.8m from 49,945 screens for the period of June 27-29.For the full chart, compiled by Len Klady, click here.The film, based on ...

  • News

    Lionsgate, CJ Entertainment join forces for Korean Wedding

    2008-07-02T08:17:00Z

    South Korea's CJ Entertainment has partnered with Lionsgate and Vertigo Entertainment, best known for re-making Asian films, on original cross-cultural comedy Korean Wedding. The project is based on the real-life experiences of scriptwriter Jason Filardi's cousin who married into a Korean family. The story, which will be predominantly shot in ...

  • News

    Korea's Marine Boy splashes down in Cebu

    2008-07-02T04:51:00Z

    Korean production Marine Boy has wrapped a five-day shoot at Bigfoot Studios' recently completed underwater shooting tank in Cebu, the Philippines. The film about drug trafficking on the open seas, is directed by Yoon Jong-suk and stars Kim Gang-woo (Le Grand Chef) and Park Shi-yeon. It is also shooting in ...

  • News

    Beijing New Film Association expands into production

    2008-07-01T04:03:00Z

    Beijing-based cinema management company, New Film Association, is stepping into film production and investment via a new outfit Shengshi Huarui Film Investment and Management Ltd. The company's first project is a $500,000 (RMB3m) satirical comedy The Debt Of 105,000 by first-time feature filmmaker Ji Yu, about a farmer coming to ...

  • News

    Japan's Boys Over Flowers knocks Indy from top spot

    2008-06-30T15:38:00Z

    Tokyo Broadcast System's Boys Over Flowers earned a huge $9.55m (Y1bn) on 805,000 admissions over the weekend, knocking Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull out of the top spot after only one week. Released on 400 screens by distributor Toho, per screen averages topped $23,880, the highest ...

  • News

    Reliance Big Entertainment signs five-picture deal with Puja

    2008-06-29T13:53:00Z

    In yet another announcement of an affiliation, Reliance Big Entertainment's (RBE) Big Pictures has joined hands with Indian producer Vashu Bhagnani's Puja Films for a five-picture slate to be completed over the next two years. Shooting has already begun on the first two projects. David Dhawan is directing Do Knot ...

  • News

    Cinefan film festival to open with Johnnie To's Sparrow

    2008-06-29T13:40:00Z

    Johnnie To's Berlin competition title Sparrow will be the opening film of the 10th Osian's-Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema (July 10-20) in New Delhi. The film, which stars Simon Yam, Kelly Lin and Ka Tung Lam, will screen on the second day of the festival on July 11. ...

  • News

    Chaser sprints off with top awards at Korea's Grand Bells

    2008-06-29T13:03:00Z

    Na Hong-jin's The Chaser scooped up six prizes at Korea's 45th Grand Bell Awards on Friday night (June 27), including three major awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Kim Yoon-suk's performance In accepting the latter, Kim said to his younger co-star and rival in the category, ...

  • News

    Toho-Towa extends Universal contract, unveils line-up

    2008-06-27T09:17:00Z

    Japanese distributor Toho-Towa has announced the extension of its exclusive contract with Universal Pictures, as well as its line-up, until 2010. Toho-Towa's slate of 18 films consists predominantly of Universal titles. Upcoming 2008 releases include The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (August 16) and Wanted (September).Announced for 2009 are ...

  • News

    Festival review: Shanghai International Film Festival

    2008-06-27T00:00:00Z

    It was always going to be a difficult year for the Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff). The festival is striving to re-invent itself but China has recently suffered a series of calamities, both man-made and natural, that inevitably cast a shadow over this year's event.Chief among these was the May ...

  • News

    Davaa's new documentary project begins shooting in Mongolia

    2008-06-26T12:16:00Z

    Principal photography on the Oscar-nominated filmmaker Byambasuren Davaa's new feature documentary project Two Horses Of Genghis KhanstartedMonday(June 23) in the Mongolian city of Ulaanbaatar.Shooting on the musical and mystical journey by the internationally renowned singer Urna will continue in Khentii Aimag, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, on the holy mountain ...

  • News

    Balibo to start shooting in Australia on Monday

    2008-06-26T11:25:00Z

    Political thriller Balibo will start principal photography in Darwin, Australia and East Timor on June 30 (Monday).The cast features Anthony LaPaglia and Oscar Isaac.Robert Connolly directs from a script co-written with David Williamson. The story is based on true events during the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975.LaPaglia plays ...

  • News

    Bollywood.tv launches Bindies online film festival

    2008-06-26T08:37:00Z

    South Asian cinema online platform, www.bollywood.tv, is launching an internet film festival for independent filmmakers, dubbed the Bollywood Indies (The Bindies). The online fest welcomes independent films in any Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan language, theme or flavour.The content will be uploaded, and made available for sales agents and ...

  • News

    Reliance forms joint venture with the Bachchan family

    2008-06-26T07:31:00Z

    Just one week after news broke that Anil Ambani's Reliance Big Entertainment (RBE) is in talks to invest in DreamWorks, the Indian company has announced a joint venture with India's first family of Hindi cinema, the Bachchans. The tie-up covers the production of films, TV series, reality shows, internet and ...

  • News

    Korea's Chungeorahm announces Chinese sequel to The Host

    2008-06-25T08:58:00Z

    Korea's Chungeorahm Film, producer of Bong Joon-ho's The Host, has announced it will be co-producing a China-based sequel to the mutanthit with Chinese director Ning Hao's newly-established Stoneman Films. Choi Yong-bae, CEO of Chungeorahm, and Daniel Yu, producer of Ning's sleeper hit Crazy Stone, will take producer credits on the ...