All Asia articles – Page 531

  • News

    Simon West starts shoot for $51m Purple Mountain in Nanjing

    2007-08-02T13:50:00Z

    Purple Mountain, a feature film about the Nanjing massacre during WWII, started shooting yesterday in Nanjing's Pukou train station with Con Air director Simon West working off a script by Jeffrey Caine, who previously adapted The Constant Gardener. The project is budgeted at $51m (RMB400m), co-produced by Jiangsu Province Cultural ...

  • News

    FUNimation acquires three live-action Shochiku titles

    2007-08-02T11:03:00Z

    US-based FUNimation Entertainment has acquired three live-action titles produced by Japanese major Shochiku. The titles include Yoji Yamada's Love And Honour, Hirokazu Kore-Eda's Hana and Haruki Kadokawa-produced Genghis Khan. The deal signals FUNimation's further expansion into live-action Japanese features, as well as contents of a more serious nature. Released in ...

  • News

    China Film decides not to import Rush Hour 3

    2007-08-02T11:01:00Z

    While Chinese actors Jackie Chan and Zhang Jingchu make their red carpet appearances at the premiere of Rush Hour 3 in the US, it looks unlikely that the film will receive the same treatment in their home country. According to China 's sole film importer, China Film Import and Export ...

  • News

    Imagi appoints Cheung to head Hong Kong animation

    2007-08-02T09:38:00Z

    Imagi International Holdings has appointed former DreamWorks CGI animator Tim Cheung as vice president, animation. According to Imagi deputy chairman, co-CEO and chief creative officer Francis Kao, Cheung will oversee the animation for all of Imagi's CGI feature films and will manage company's team of around 400 Hong Kong-based animators. ...

  • News

    Thai horror Alone finds company in Taiwan

    2007-08-01T14:36:00Z

    Thai horror film Alone has scored the biggest opening ever for a Thai film in Taiwan. The Phenomena and Dedicate production from the directors of Shutter opened in Taiwan on July 27 and made $187,000 over the three-day weekend in Taipei. In its first five days on release, it has ...

  • News

    Showbox boards Lee Jun-ik's Vietnam War drama

    2007-08-01T12:32:00Z

    Major Korean investor and distributor Showbox Mediaplex has signed with hit director Lee Jun-ik to back and distribute his upcoming Nimeun Mon Gotsae (original title), a $7.5m film set during the Vietnam War. In the film, a woman joins a troupe of entertainers sent to build soldiers' morale in Vietnam ...

  • News

    Ahead of Locarno premiere, Vexille sells to 75 territories including US

    2007-08-01T11:41:00Z

    As the androids in Japanese director Fumihiko Sori's animated sci-fi thriller Vexille invade the Piazza Grande for tonight's opening of the Locarno International Film Festival 2008, the $10m CGI feature has already been sold to 75 countries, including the US. According to vp international sales and licensing Aki Harimoto, of ...

  • News

    UK financier to set up joint venture with Shanghai Film Group

    2007-07-31T12:57:00Z

    Chinese state-owned Shanghai Film Group Corporation (SFGC) is setting up a joint venture with UK-based finance house Nations Trust to invest in film production, post-production and an animation production centre, SFGC president Ren Zhonglun confirmed today. The two sides had quietly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in February to ...

  • News

    Korean ad agency Hancomm launches content fund

    2007-07-31T12:43:00Z

    Korean advertising agency Hancomm, a subsidiary of Korea 's 16th-ranked conglomerate Hanhwa Corp, has announced a $13m fund for cultural content - 70% of which will be used for films. The fund will also invest in television dramas and performances. Among others joining the fund are Hanhwa Venture Capital Corp, ...

  • News

    Bollywood star Dutt sentenced to six years in prison

    2007-07-31T12:01:00Z

    The Hindi film industry was reeling on Tuesday afternoon (July 31) following the news of actor Sanjay Dutt's prison sentence on the final day of the on-going Mumbai bomb blasts case. The judge sentenced the popular 48-year-old actor to six years 'rigorous imprisonment' for possessing arms and ammunition (a 9mm ...

  • News

    Korea's Jang Hyuk joins Dance Of The Dragon cast

    2007-07-31T11:35:00Z

    Korean sensation Jang Hyuk and Singapore actress Fann Wong have joined Jason Scott Lee in the cast of Easternlight Films' inaugural project, Dance Of The Dragon, which began shooting today in Singapore. In his first English-speaking role, Jang (last seen in Korean smash hit Windstruck) plays a Korean country boy ...

  • News

    Australian Film Institute Awards shortlists 15 films

    2007-07-31T11:06:00Z

    Fifteen films are in the running for the Australian Film Institute Awards, which will be held in Melbourne on December 5 and 6, with Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush hosting. The films that have already been released are Burke & Wills, Clubland, Gone, Irresistible, Like Minds, Lucky Miles, Noise, Razzle Dazzle, Romulus, ...

  • News

    Korean film exports down by 57% in first six months

    2007-07-31T07:23:00Z

    Korean film exports in the first half of the year dropped by 57% compared to the same period in 2006, according to figures from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). In total, 148 films were sold to 45 countries for a total of $7.48m in the past six months. The decrease ...

  • News

    Japan's box office remains flat in first half of 2007

    2007-07-30T16:00:00Z

    Japan's overall box office earnings for the first half of 2007 totalled $778.22m (Y92.52bn), a tiny 0.7% increase over the same period last year, according to data from Japan's top 13 largest distributors. Toho, Japan 's largest distributor, topped the list with earnings of $194.13m (Y23.79bn), but managed only 75% ...

  • News

    Asmik Ace takes on Japanese distribution for Shadow Of The Moon

    2007-07-30T15:38:00Z

    Channel 4 International has brokered a deal for Asmik Ace Entertainment to handle the Japanese theatrical release for In The Shadow Of The Moon. Asmik Ace plans a 2008 launch for the Sundance hit documentary, which is being released by ThinkFilm in the US, Vertigo Films in the UK and ...

  • News

    UTV strikes co-production pact with Karol Bagh

    2007-07-30T15:31:00Z

    Indian media conglomerate UTV today announced a co-production deal for the entire slate of productions to be launched by Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik, under their banner Karol Bagh Film and Entertainment. The deal follows UTV's recent signing of three film contracts with actress Priyanka Chopra, actor Shahid Kapur and ...

  • News

    Schepisi and Sardi on board for adaptation of The Secret River

    2007-07-30T14:49:00Z

    Director Fred Schepisi is working with Jan Sardi on the adaptation of Kate Grenville's novel The Secret River. While a script has yet to be written, the Australian producers have announced they have acquired the three-year option. 'It is a landmark book and we just wanted it known how excited ...

  • News

    Desert Dream wins best film at India's Cinefan festival

    2007-07-30T11:08:00Z

    Korean-French co-production Desert Dream , directed by Zhang Lu, was awarded best film in the Asian-Arab competition of this year's Cinefan film festival, which wrapped in New Delhi on Sunday night (July 29). The film, which premiered in competition at Berlin this year, follows a mother and son who escape ...

  • News

    CinDi fest gives top prizes to Lumberjacks, Elephant

    2007-07-30T06:55:00Z

    The inaugural Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival (CinDi), which has a focus on discovering new Asian talent, closed July 27 with both the Directors' and Critics' juries giving the best film award jointly to the same two films - Yu Guangyi's The Last Lumberjacks and Woo Ming Jin's The Elephant ...

  • News

    Bangkok wraps amid rumours that event may fold

    2007-07-30T06:19:00Z

    The 5th Bangkok International Film Festival closed on Sunday night with the world premiere of Thai action drama Muay Thai Chaiya amid widespread rumour that it was the last time the curtain would fall on the event. 'It is not definite that we won't have another one,' says Chattan Kunjara ...