All articles by Liz Shackleton – Page 181
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SARS-effect still disrupting production
Two big-budget Hong Kong projects - Time Breaker, which is set to star Jackie Chan, and Hua Mulan, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh - have been delayed, partly due to the impact that SARS has had on production in mainland China.Media Asia's US$40m Time Breaker, which was scheduled to ...
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Postponed Filmart attracts increased interest
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) has unveiled details of this year's Filmart (September 24-26), which looks set to be the biggest yet, despite being postponed for three months due to the SARS outbreak.According to the TDC, the number of exhibitors registered to attend has increased by 26% to ...
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Hong Kong pair benefit from bank loan guarantees
The Hong Kong government has approved the first two projects under its Film Guarantee Fund (FGF) initiative, designed to help local production companies secure bank loans for film production. The first project, Shaolin Vs Evil Dead (working title), produced by My Way Film Company, has secured a loan of US$320,000 ...
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Chen back on track with Jin Chuan slate
Former Applause co-founder Teddy Chen has unveiled the debut slate of his start-up production outfit, Jin Chuan Pictures, including Aubrey Lam's romantic drama Hidden Track.The film, which started shooting on July 25 in Hong Kong and mainland China, stars mainland newcomer Popo and a host of Hong Kong stars including ...
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Hong Kong indies Go for local films
Three Hong Kong distributors - Golden Scene, Edko Films and Panorama Entertainment - and local exhibitor Newport have set up a joint venture distribution company, Go Film Distribution, which aims to specialise in locally produced films.The company - which has been set up in response to the shrinking market share ...
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Columbia Asia takes world rights to Sylvia Chang's 20:30:40
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia (CPFPA) has acquired worldwide rights to Taiwanese feature 20:30:40 directed by and starring Sylvia Chang.The romantic drama, which is currently in post-production, also stars Lee Sin-Je and Rene Liu who won best actress and best supporting actress respectively at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards ...
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Kurt Rieder joins UIP Asia
UIP has appointed Kurt Rieder as vice president, sales and marketing of its Asian operations, replacing Roger Pollock who relocated from Singapore to London earlier this year.Rieder will oversee the release of all UIP product in the region, excluding Japan, from early September. He is currently managing director of Singapore-based ...
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Singapore government backs Raintree's international slate
As part of an attempt to drive growth in the Singaporean film industry, the country's Media Development Authority (MDA) is planning to invest an estimated US$5.7m (S$10m) in a slate of 10 international features from local production house Raintree Pictures.The government agency plans to co-invest in the slate with Raintree ...
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Hong Kong/China trade agreement heralds production boom
The Hong Kong film industry is looking forward to a surge in production activity following the signing of a trade agreement that exempts Hong Kong movies from the mainland's import quota of 20 foreign films a year (Screen Daily, June 26). The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), signed by the ...
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Hong Kong box office succumbs to Twins Effect
Two diminutive vampire-slayers are kicking Charlie's Angels' butts at the Hong Kong box office.Emperor Multimedia Group's The Twins Effect, starring Hong Kong pop sensation Twins and a special appearance by Jackie Chan, grossed $2m in the week ending July 2 - more than four times the opening week gross of ...
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Raintree, Spaceworks team for English-language co-productions
Singapore's Raintree Pictures is teaming up with Toronto-based production company Spaceworks Entertainment to co-produce two English-language films. The first to go into production will be romantic comedy Leap Of Love, adapted from the novel by Singapore author Catherine Lim. Seah Wee Thye, who previously directed two of Singapore's top-rating TV ...
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AOL Time Warner reduces Chinese TV stake
AOL Time Warner has sold a controlling stake in Chinese Entertainment Television (CETV) to Hong Kong's Tom.com, less than two years after the channel was granted broadcast rights in mainland China.Diversified media company Tom.com, owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-Shing, is paying US$6.8m for a 64% stake in CETV. ...
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China to lift quota restrictions for Hong Kong films
The Hong Kong and Chinese governments are close to signing a trade agreement that could give Hong Kong movies greater access to the mainland market, according to Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-Hwa in a statement made on Wednesday night. Senior officials from Hong Kong and the mainland are scheduled ...
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Pineapple Bun Prince to follow animated McDull
Bliss Concepts, the Hong Kong animation house behind popular animated feature My Life As McDull, is producing a second film - Pineapple Bun Prince - which it plans to release in Hong Kong this Christmas.The first McDull movie, directed by Toe Yuen and written by Brian Tse, recently scooped the ...
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Hong Kong banks on post-SARS box office recovery
Now that the SARS outbreak appears to be under control, Hong Kong exhibitors are hoping that a strong summer line-up of foreign and local releases will restore the box office to pre-SARS levels.Hong Kong box office receipts plummeted by around 47% during the peak of the crisis in March but ...
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Filmko up and running with Star Runner
Hong Kong's Filmko Entertainment is starting production next Monday (June 16) on $3m action romance Star Runner, a co-production with Hong Kong-based Sil-Metropole Organisation and South Korea's Polestar.Directed by Daniel Lee (A Fighter's Blues), the film will star Vanness Wu, from Taiwanese boy band F4, and popular Korean actress Kim ...
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China prepares to break film distribution monopoly
Chinese film officials have unveiled details of the territory's long-awaited second distributor, Huaxia Film Distribution Company, which is designed to break China Film Group Corp's monopoly on the distribution of imported films. The new company will be launched next week and start distributing movies next month, according to the China ...
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Hong Kong's eSun ups Media Asia stake, eyes Golden Harvest
Hong Kong's eSun Holdings is increasing its stake in local film producer and distributor Media Asia Holdings and is also reportedly in informal talks to acquire an interest in rival film studio, Golden Harvest Entertainment.eSun is spending $6.4m (HK$50m) to raise its stake in Media Asia from 35.13% to 49.77% ...
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Japan's King Records signs deal for Shaw titles
Hong Kong's Celestial Pictures has signed a licensing agreement with Japan's King Records for distribution of more than 20 titles from its world-famous Shaw Brothers library. Among the titles included in the deal are Hong Kong Nocturne, from Japanese director Inoeu Umetsugu who joined the Shaw Brothers studios in 1967; ...
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Columbia Asia to back new film from Stephen Chow
Columbia Pictures FilmProduction Asia (CPFPA) has announced that it is backing the next film fromHong Kong megastar Stephen Chow, an action comedy tentatively titled Kung FuHustle, which is scheduled to startshooting in China on June 27. One of Asia's hottest stars,Chow has directed and acted in a string of hits ...