All Asia articles – Page 507
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Reviews
The Black Balloon (2007)
Dir: Elissa Down Aust. 2007, 97 minsThe Black Balloon is notable for its graphic, not-for-the-squeamish depiction of adult autism. But, more importantly for its box office potential, the youth-oriented movie introduces a glowing young Australian actress with true star potential - the international model Gemma Ward. Plus there's a showy ...
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Reviews
In Love We Trust (Zuo You)
Dir: Wang Xiaoshuai. China, 2008. 115 mins.With In Love We Trust, Sixth Generation director Wang Xiaoshuai presents what can only be described as natural tearjerker material - leukaemia, divorce, infidelity - in the milieu of the Chinese middle class and delivers an uneven picture which attempts the impossible and fails ...
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News
Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata sold to Japan, France
Japan's Entertainment Farm - Fortissimo Films' producing partner on Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata - has secured Japanese distribution for the film via PiX Inc, a subsidiary of Avex Entertainment founded in December last year. In addition, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners has come on board as a Japanese partner and Fortissimo ...
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News
Soros acquires 3% stake in India's Reliance Entertainment
Billionaire venture capitalist George Soros has bought a 3% stake in India's Reliance Entertainment for $100m. The move values the company, owned by the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, at $3bn and highlights increasing investor interest in Indian entertainment firms. In 2006, Walt Disney took a minority stake in Mumbai-based UTV ...
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News
KOFIC launches fund to support Korean films overseas
The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) is launching a $420,000 fund to support the overseas theatrical release of Korean films. Distributors in select foreign countries who have acquired the theatrical rights to a Korean film can apply to the fund to cover up to 50% of release expenses, in accordance with ...
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News
Chesuto! to have world premiere at Hong Kong Filmart
The Tokyo International Film Festival and TIFFCOM market will hold the world premiere of Toshiro Saiga's Chesuto! at this year's Hong Kong Filmart on March 18. Set in the south-western prefecture of Kagoshima, Chesuto! is a coming-of-age story about a female swimming instructor coaching a team of elementary school children ...
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News
Japan's Toei lands in Berlin with Orochi: Blood
Japanese studio Toei has made a last-minute decision to attend the European Film Market, and will be selling the new horror title from Norio Tsuruta, who previously directed the J-Horror Theatre title Premonition. Tsuruta's new film, Orochi: Blood, stars Yoshino Kimura (Sukiyaki Western Django) in a story about two sisters, ...
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News
Rialto takes Australian rights for Young@Heart
Rialto has taken Australia/New Zealand rights to Stephen Walker's Young@Heart, the documentary about a New England senior citizens' chorus.Mirjam Wertheim of Orange Entertainment brokered the deal on behalf of Rialto CEO Kelly Rogers with Rena Ronson at William Morris Independent.Sally George produced for Walker George Films; the UK's Channel 4 ...
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News
Suh slices through international market with Fine Cut
Cineclick Asia founder Youngjoo Suh is leaving the company to establish a new international sales outfit, Fine Cut, to handle a more diverse slate of international projects. Suh explained that the move would give her the freedom to invest in and co-produce projects from overseas filmmakers. Cineclick merged last year ...
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News
Cinema Libre welcomes Zombie to the US
Grace Lee's American Zombie, the first English-language film from Korean producer-distributor iHQ, has been acquired for US distribution by Cinema Libre Studio. The horror comedy will be released theatrically in select US cities starting with a platform release in Los Angeles on March 28.Shot entirely in the US, American Zombie ...
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News
Korea's Sponge enters sales with Beautiful, Chungking
Major South Korean arthouse distributor Sponge Entertainment is launching international sales at the European Film Market (EFM) with Panorama title Beautiful - directed by Kim Ki-duk protege Juhn Jaihong - and Cannes and Berlin director Zhang Lu's upcoming Chungking. 'We're leaving the bigger films like Lee Yoon-ki's My Dear Enemy ...
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News
CJ7 has mighty opening weekend despite snowstorms
Stephen Chow's Chinese New Year offering CJ7 raked in $13.5m over its opening weekend in the Greater China region, topping the box office in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In China, the biggest challenge for the picture was the unpredictable weather as an on-going snowstorm, the worst to hit China ...
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News
Poon quits Fortune Star, produces digital series
Peter Poon has quit as general manager of regional broadcaster Star TV's Hong Kong-based content arm, Fortune Star Entertainment, to pursue his own projects. His first venture since quitting the company - a digital series made for wireless and broadband platforms and featuring pro-wrestler Paul Heyman as a motor-mouthed video-blogger ...
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News
Pusanfestival co-directors to oversee Asian Film Market
The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) has announced that festival co-directors Kim Dong-ho and Lee Yong-kwan will now head up the Asian Film Market. Former co-director Park Kwang-su bowed out of the market position last December to focus on his filmmaking work as previously planned.PIFF deputy director and World Cinema ...
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News
Malaysian box office hits all-time high of $100m
Continuing on an upward trend, Malaysia's 2007 box office crossed RM300m for the first time with its revenues hitting an all-time high of $100.64m (RM325m), up a whopping 22.55% from the previous year. In addition to the three record-breaking Hollywood blockbusters - Transformers, Spider-Man 3 and Pirates Of The Caribbean: ...
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News
Warner Bros boosts post-production with Prime Focus alliance
Warner Bros has broadened the reach of its Motion Picture Imaging post-production division in a strategic alliance with India-based Prime Focus.The agreement allows the companies to work seamlessly across time zones on projects and offers film-makers access to services throughout locations on the sub-continent and London as well as New ...
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News
Golden Network signs seven-picture deal with Sidus FNH
Hong Kong-based sales agent Golden Network Asia has signed a deal with major South Korean production house and start-up local distributor Sidus FNH for worldwide rights excluding Korea to seven pictures. The films include hit Olympic drama Forever The Moment (aka Women's Handball Team), which was produced by MK Pictures ...
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Reviews
Wonderful Town
Dir: Aditya Assarat. Thailand, 2007. 92 minsAditya Assarat's first feature, a tragic, melancholy, minimalist love story taking place in what was once a Thai beach resort before the 2004 tsunami hit, offers a poignant portrait of a place grappling with the loss of its main source of income amid the ...
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News
Polybona, EMP set up talent company with Jackie Chan
Beijing-based Polybona Film Distribution, Hong Kong's Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) and international star Jackie Chan have launched a joint venture artist management company, Bona Yinglong Artist Management. Chan will be the chairman of the new Beijing-based company with EMP's Albert Yeung as vice-chairman. Chan and Yeung are already partnered through ...
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News
Assembly becomes China's second biggest local film
Feng Xiaogang's The Assembly has become the second highest-grossing local film in mainland Chinese box office history, according to figures released by producer-distributor Huayi Brothers, with revenues reaching $36.16m (RMB260m) as of Jan 31. The record surpassed that of Zhang Yimou's 2002 film Hero, which made $34.77m (RMB250m).Zhang's 2006 imperial ...