All articles by Liz Shackleton – Page 169
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Asia Focus: China and the international market
Due to its location and perhaps also timing, the recent CineAsia conference in Beijing (Dec 13-15) turned out to be an opportune platform for the US studios to air some of their long-held opinions and grievances about the China film market. Likewise, China's major film organisations didn't hold back on ...
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China box office, production levels up in 2005
China's box office grew by 30% to $248m (RMB2bn) in 2005, according tofigures announced on Wednesday by the Film Bureau of the State Administrationof Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). The growth is lower thanlast year when box office receipts increased by 50% to $186m (RMB1.5bn). Localfilms accounted for 55% of ...
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Chen's Promise has record-breaking China opening
Chen Kaige's fantasy epic The Promise (aka Master Of The Crimson Armor) scored a record-breaking opening of $9m (RMB74m) in its first four days of release in China (Dec 15-18), according to revised estimates. This makes the film thebiggest opener ever in China breaking the previous record set by Kung-fu ...
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Exhibitors call for clarification on Chinese cinema ownership
Exhibitors speaking at aCineAsia panel on Wednesday said they're urgently seeking clarification on China's regulations concerning foreign investment in thecinema industry. In a session entitled "ChinaExhibition: Applying the Global Experience to the China Market", Warner BrosInternational Cinemas (WBIC) and South Korea's CJ CGV spoke of the challengesthey face in the ...
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Disney unveils first China co-production
Disneyhas unveiled its first Chinese co-production - family-themed feature The Secret Of The Magic Gourd - which iscurrently shooting in Hangzhouin southern China. The film, which wasannounced at the CineAsia conference today in Beijing, is a co-production between Disney's internationaltheatrical arm Buena Vista International, Hong Kong-based visual effects houseCentro Digital ...
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Piracy high on the agenda at Beijing CineAsia
China'srampant piracy was a recurrent theme during the first day of the CineAsia trade show and conference which is being held forthe first time in Beijing(Dec 13-15).Duringhis keynote speech at the opening night ceremony, Motion Picture Association ofAmerica CEO Dan Glickman spoke of the "common enemy"afflicting both the US and ...
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CineAsia opens in Beijing with Glickman address
CineAsia gets underway forthe first time in Beijing today (Dec 13) with an opening address from MPAA CEODan Glickman and a screening of Chen Kaige's The Promise which opens across China later this week.Zhao Shi, vice minister of China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television,is also a keynote speaker ...
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Hong Kong's Focus turns to Father And Son
Hong Kong's Focus Films has picked up international rights toPatrick Tam Ka-ming's Father And Son,starring Aaron Kwok (Divergence) andCharlie Young (Seven Swords), whichstarts shooting this month in Malaysia. The film marks Tam'slong-awaited return to directing after a stint teaching screenwriting anddeveloping the story of Father And Son.Regarded as one of ...
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Kadokawa partners with Hong Kong's Intercontinental
Japan's Kadokawa Holdings has made an aggressive move into the Chinese andSouth-East Asian film markets by forming a wide-ranging partnership withIntercontinental Group in Hong Kong. The tie-up - announced by Kadokawachairman Tsuguhiko Kadokawa and Intercontinental chiefs Terry Lai and Rigo Jesutoday in Hong Kong - covers every stage of the ...
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Legal download sites launched in Hong Kong
Two legal movie downloadsites are being launched in Hong Kong - by government-ownedIT flagship Cyberport and private film company Mei Ah Entertainment - amidindustry discussion about their feasibility and audience demand.Mei Ah's service, M@TV, has accessto a library of more than 1,000 movies including acquisitions and a few hundredtitles produced ...
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Hong Kong lines up Chinese New Year blockbusters
A live-actiontake on popular animated character McDull, martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia and a comedy about shopping are set to battle itout in Hong Kong and other Chinese-speaking territories next Chinese New Year.Peter Ho-sun Chanand McDull creator Brian Tseare producing McDull, The Alumni,which combines live-action and animated sequences to recount ...
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Chan wins best actor at Golden Roosters
Hong Kong star Jackie Chan was awarded best actor for his rolein Benny Chan's New Police Story atthis year's edition of mainland China's Golden Rooster Awards.This year marks the firsttime that the awards have been open to talent from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. In a departure from his usual ...
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Warner Japan buys Korean weepie My Girl And I
Warner Bros Japan hasacquired Korean romantic drama My Girl And I from start-up Korean sales company iHQ. The film, which is a remakeof Japanese hit Crying Out Love In The Centre Of The World, stars Cha Tae-hyun (My Sassy Girl) and Song Hye-gyo. It was also sold to Hong Kong'sCelestial ...
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Gold Circle to remake Breaking News
Gold Circle Films hasacquired remake rights to Johnnie To action movie Breaking News from Hong Kong's Media Asia. The film, about a policestakeout that turns into a live televised event, screened in anout-of-competition slot at the Cannes film festival in 2004. Gold Circle president PaulBrooks will produce the project. Executive ...
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Core Studio unveils Yoichi Sai gangster thriller
Start-up South Koreanproduction and sales outfit Core Studio has unveiled its slate for 2006, whichincludes the first Korean production from Japanese-Korean director Yoichi Sai (Quill, Blood And Bones).The project, which has theworking title Double Casting, isbased on a popular manga about a gang boss who poses as his dead twin ...
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Weinstein Co snatches SPL
The Weinstein Company hasacquired rights for North America, the UK and Ireland to Hong Kong actionthriller SPL.Arclight Films is sellingthe film which stars action veterans Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen and Simon Yam alongwith up-and-coming wushu star Wu Jing. Directed by Wilson Yip (Bullets OverSummer), the film premiered at thisyear's Toronto ...
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Film Messenger beams Pusan winner to Lighthouse
Singapore's LighthousePictures has acquired its first Korean film by snapping up Pusan winner TheUnforgiven from Korea's FilmMessenger.The debut feature of YoonJong-bin who also has a role in the film, The Unforgiven examines the dehumanising effect of Korea'smandatory two-year military service. The independent productionpicked up three major awards at the Pusan ...
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Goldview sells Camus to North America
Japan's Gold View has soldNorth American rights to Who's Camus Anyway', directed by Mitsuo Yanagimachi, to LarryMeistrich's Film Movement. The film, which screened inthe Director's Fortnight section at Cannes this year, follows a group ofstudents in Tokyo making their first movie. The director's first film in morethan a decade, it ...
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Japan's Nikkatsu snaps up Welcome To Dongmakgol
Korean major Showbox hassold drama Welcome To Dongmakgolto Japan's Nikkatsu for a sum ofaround $2m. The $5.5m film has racked upmore than 8 million admissions since its local release in August and is nowKorea's fourth biggest ever film. It was also selected asSouth Korea's entry for the foreign-language category of ...
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Taiwan's CMC rolls out Silk for market debut
Taiwanese distributor CMCEntertainment Group is attending AFM for the first time as a seller followingits recent move into production with big-budget sci-fi horror Silk. The $5m film is written anddirected by Taiwan's leading screenwriter Su Chao-pin, whose credits includethriller Double Vision and PeterChan's Three: Going Home. Su'ssecond film as director ...