All articles by Liz Shackleton – Page 165
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Huayi Brothers' Matrimony wraps in Shanghai
Teng Hua-tao's The Matrimony (working title), producedby Beijing-based Huayi Brothers Film Investment, has wrapped after a two-monthshoot in Shanghai.Starring Leon Lai (Seven Swords) and Rene Liu (A World Without Thieves), the $2.5m filmis a supernatural thriller set in 1930s Shanghai. The story follows a recently-wed couple whosemarriage is in trouble ...
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UIP signs with Intercontinental for Hong Kong and Macau
Hong Kong's Intercontinental Film Distributorshas signed an agreement with United International Pictures (UIP) for theatricaldistribution of its slate in Hong Kong and Macau. UIP previously worked with distribution and exhibition group GoldenHarvest to release its product in these territories. Intercontinental isalready the sub-distributor for Buena Vista International in Hong Kong. ...
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Sundream sells package to Sahamongkol
Hong Kong producer-distributor Sundream Motion Pictures has solda package of three titles - Battle OfWits, 49 Days and Eye In The Sky - to Thailand's Sahamongkol Films. Sundream, which is attendingCannes for the first time this year, also sold 49 Days and Eye In The Sky to Brazil's China Video ...
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Fortissimo serves up Waiter to France...
Fortissimo Films has sold Waiter, the company's fourth venturewith Dutch director Alex van Warmerdam, to France's BAC and Israel's United King. The Dutch/HK-based companyhas also closed a slew of sales on John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus which has gone to BIM (Italy), Central Partnership (Russia), Oro (Norway), Ster Kinekor (South Africa), ...
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Magnolia strikes three-territory deal for The Host
Magnolia Pictures hasswooped on Bong Joon-ho's left-field monster movie The Host, acquiring rights for the US, UK and Australia to thefilm that screened in Director's Fortnight.Sales agent Cineclick Asiahas also sold the film to France's Ocean Films, Spain's Notro Films andDiscovery for former Yugoslavia. Other territories closed in Cannes includeBrazil ...
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Emperor closes raft of sales on Rob-B-Hood
Emperor Motion Pictures hassold action comedy Rob-B-Hood,starring Jackie Chan and directed by Benny Chan, to Italy's Minerva, Germany'sSplendid and Korea's ShowEast. The Hong Kong-based companyhas also sold all Eastern Europe territories on thefilm to Central Partnership and SPI. Produced by Chan's JCEMovies and Beijing-based Huayi Brothers, the $17m film is ...
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Mandarin closes Gate on Cannes deals
Hong Kong's Mandarin Films has sold Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate, one of the hotChinese-language titles in the market, to Germany's Splendid Film and Spain's Tot Media. The martial arts actionthriller, starring Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue, was sold earlier inthe market to Japan's Gaga and a raft ...
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StudioCanal takes a seat at Feng's Banquet
Beijing-based Huayi Brothershas sold Feng Xiaogang's period drama TheBanquet to France's StudioCanal.The period drama, starringZhang Ziyi, has also gone to Portugal (Eco Filmes), Source Investment (Benelux, Scandinavia), Femeway (Greece, Cyprus), Alexandra (Bulgaria), Shapira Films (Israel), Atasagun Films (Turkey) and Korean Screen (Korea). Momentum Pictures has rights for the UK and ...
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Pusan's Asian Film Market lines up companies
The upcoming Asian FilmMarket will have a focus on Asian talent and talent agencies with companiessuch as Korea's Namoo and IHQ, Japan's Stardust and Hong Kong's Jet Tone set toattend the four-day market (October 15-18).The market also hopes tosign up agencies from the US and other Asian territories including China ...
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Rapid Eye gets German rights to two from UTV
India's UTV has sold twotitles - Rang De Basanti and Don - to Germany's Rapid Eye Movies.Rang De Basanti, starring Indian superstar Aamir Khan, will have afull theatrical release in Germany on June 16. The film has broken new groundin India by becoming a massive hit despite its political theme, ...
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Stella Sze takes key role at Global Entertainment Group
Global Entertainment Group(GEG), the recently formed production and financing arm of Hong Kongentrepreneur Johnny Hon's Global Group, has appointed Stella Sze to oversee itspush into the Chinese market.The company, which listedyesterday (May 23) on London's Ofex index, aims to produce and finance film andTV productions aimed at Asia and in ...
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Fortune Star sells remake rights to A Better Tomorrow
Korean production companyFingerprint Pictures has acquired remake rights to classic Hong Kong actiontitle A Better Tomorrow, directedby John Woo in 1986, from Hong Kong-based Fortune Star Entertainment.Fingerprint, founded byKorean producer Park Hyung-jun (My Boyfriend Is Type B), is currently recruiting scriptwriters and adirector for the Korean remake which is planned ...
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PolyBona readies Sky Fighters release in China
China's Beijing PolyBona hasscheduled a June 23 theatrical release for Gerard Pires' Sky Fighters, one offour French titles recently acquired by the company which is stepping updistribution of foreign films.The air force thriller willbe premiered at the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival (June 17-25)before receiving a wide theatrical release across ...
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Shane and Romano plan $120m Buddha biopic
Producers Michel Shane andAnthony Romano have boarded Indian billionaire Bhupendra Kumar Modi'slong-gestating biopic about the life of Buddha.In addition, Modi hasoptioned the rights to Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh's book about Buddhism, OldPath White Clouds, on which the$120m Buddha will be based.Shane and Romano, whoexecutive produced I Robot and CatchMe ...
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SPO strikes Japan deals for Go Master and Invisible Waves
Japan's SPO Entertainmenthas snapped up two titles from Fortissimo Films - Tian Zhuangzhuang's The GoMaster and Pen-ek Ratanaruang's InvisibleWaves, which premiered incompetition at this year's Berlin.Go Master, which stars Chang Chen and Sylvia Chang, tells thelife story of Wu Qingyuan, the world's most renowned player of the ancient gameof Go. ...
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Rapid Eye takes German rights to Yo-Yo Girl Cop
Japan's Toei has pre-soldGerman rights to Kenta Fukasaku's Yo-Yo Girl Cop, starring Japanese pop diva Aya Matsuura, to RapidEye Movies.Based on a legendary 1980sTV series, about a deadly yo yo-wielding girl detective, the film is alsowhipping up buyer interest from the UK and France. Fukasaku previously directedToei's record-breaking Battle Royale ...
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Fortissimo sells Solondz happy return
Fortissimo Filmshas boarded the as-yet-untitled new film from Todd Solondz, a companion pieceto his earlier break-through piece Happiness,and will commence pre-sales immediately in Cannes.The film, knownas The New Todd Solondz Film, will be produced by Ted Hope (21 Grams), Mike Ryan and Derrick Tseng (Chasing Amy) with Fortissimo Films'co-chairmen Michael ...
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Match Factory, Emperor to handle The Drummer
Michael Weber's The MatchFactory and Hong Kong-based Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) will handleinternational distribution of Kenneth Bi's The Drummer, set to star Simon Yam and Lee Sinje.EMP will handle distributionto select Asian territories on the drama, which revolves around the art ofChinese zen drumming, while Munich and Cologne-based The Match ...
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Match Factory lights up German-Asian Drummer
Michael Weber's The MatchFactory and Hong Kong-based Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) will handleinternational distribution of Kenneth Bi's TheDrummer, set to star Simon Yam and Lee Sinje. EMP will handle distributionto select Asian territories on the drama, which revolves around the art ofChinese zen drumming, while Munichand Cologne-based The Match Factory ...
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Gaga enters Dragon Tiger Gate
Hong Kong's Mandarin Films has sold Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate to Gaga Communications(Japan), Flashstar (Brazil), Indofilm (India), Italia Film (Middle East), and Cinebox (Vietnam.) A co-production between MandarinFilms and Beijing Polybona Film Publishing, the film is based on a well-knowncomic book, created and designed by Tong Wong, about three ...