All Asia articles – Page 537

  • News

    J.A. Media unveils cast of Tsui Hark romantic comedy

    2008-01-08T19:41:00Z

    Mainland Chinese actresses Zhou Xun and Zhang Yuqi and Taiwan's Gui Lunmei will star in Tsui Hark's upcoming romantic comedy She Ain't Mean, which will be the first production this year from Beijing-based J.A. Media. At a press conference held today in Beijing, Tsui said the film will start shooting ...

  • News

    Indian production Victory drawn into test cricket controversy

    2008-01-08T10:31:00Z

    There are conflicting reports on whether Victory, an Indian film shooting all this month in Australia, has been affected by a controversy that has greatly intensified in the last 24 hours around the current test cricket series being played between India and Australia. Producer Vivek Aggarwal said none of the ...

  • News

    Eros-owned Ayngaran to back Robot starring Rajnikanth

    2008-01-08T10:29:00Z

    After much speculation on who would star in his next project, sci-fi feature Robot, Indian director Shankar has confirmed that he is reuniting with the Tamil-language film industry's biggest star, Rajnikanth. Rajnikanth starred in Shankar's Sivaji - The Boss which grossed an estimated $38m-$43m last year from domestic and overseas ...

  • News

    Shochiku lines up sequel to Gegege No Kitaro

    2008-01-07T17:21:00Z

    Japan's Shochiku Studios is producing a sequel to its biggest hit of 2007, action fantasy Gegege No Kitaro. Director Katsuhide Motoki will again direct and singing idol-turned-actor Eiji Wentz will reprise his role as Kitaro, a half-human half-yokai (creatures and supernatural beings).He is joined by returning cast members Rena Tanaka, ...

  • News

    Korean admissions down for first time inadecade

    2008-01-07T15:59:00Z

    Leading South Korean exhibitor CJ CGV has announced its year-end statistics for 2007, with nationwide admissions taking a dip for the first time in 11 years. Total admissions numbered 157,525,412, down 5.5% since 2006, but still the second highest on record. Korean films market share fell to 50.8%, down 25.7% ...

  • News

    Hong Kong box office up 11% due to multiplex expansion

    2008-01-07T14:15:00Z

    After years of falling revenues or at best flat growth, Hong Kong was back on its feet in 2007 with total box office revenues at $129.63m (HK$1.01bn), the best in recent years, according to local industry body, the Motion Picture Industry Association (MPIA). It not only represented a big jump ...

  • News

    Lost In Beijing film-makers banned for two years

    2008-01-05T20:48:00Z

    China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) hasblocked distibution of Lost In Beijing in cinemas or online, and banned producer Fang Li and his Laurel Films from making movies for two years.It has also suspended the film's screening permission and confiscated print and promotion material following an alleged ...

  • News

    Malaysia's 2007 box office to hita record $91m

    2008-01-04T12:55:00Z

    Malaysia is on track to produce yet another record-setting year with the total box office expected to sail past the $91.2m (RM300m) mark for the first time in its history.A growth of at least 20% year-on-year is estimated, which would make it the seventh consecutive year with double-digit growth in ...

  • News

    Ian Maycock promoted to MD of Technicolor Thailand

    2008-01-04T12:53:00Z

    Technicolor (Thailand) has named Ian Maycock as the new managing director of its Bangkok facilities, a key hub for servicing filmmakers and distributors in the pan-Asian region.Maycock who has worked in Australia, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Malaysia, has a background in the production and post-production businesses of Asian films ...

  • News

    Olympic challenge for international film in China

    2008-01-04T00:00:00Z

    As the finishing touches are being made to Beijing's sports venues, there is an air of nervous anticipation in the Chinese capital.The Beijing 2008 Olympics (August 8-24) will either be the biggest international coming-out party that China has ever seen, or a public-relations nightmare, with human-rights protesters spilling onto the ...

  • News

    Keinohrhasen leads non-US films in Screen international chart

    2008-01-03T15:48:00Z

    German film Keinohrhasen was this weekend's highest non-US performer in the international top 40, generating a robust $7.6m over the three-day period.The top 40 international films generated $269.1m from 49,546 screens for the period of December 28-30.For the full international chart, compiled by Len Klady, click here.The romantic comedy was ...

  • News

    Western Australian mining boom helps funding for thriller Crush

    2008-01-03T10:23:00Z

    Few feature films are made in Western Australia but producer Deidre Kitcher said that profits from the area's mining boom lead to the thriller Crush going into production yesterday.She and co-directors John V Soto and Jeff Gerritsen convinced six investors to put up the $1.76m (A$2m) budget with the help ...

  • News

    Japan, Korea make strong showing in HAF 2008 line-up

    2008-01-02T21:30:00Z

    Japan's Nakata Hideo (Ring series) and South Korea's Park Chan-wook (Old Boy) and Bong Joon-ho (The Host) are among the world-renowned Asian filmmakers who have had projects selected for the 2008 edition of the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF). A total of 25 projects have been selected for the ...

  • News

    Yip rejoins Hong Kong's Emperor Motion Pictures

    2008-01-02T12:22:00Z

    May Yip has rejoined Hong Kong's Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) as general manager for distribution. Yip left EMP in 2003 to join Fortune Star Entertainment in which she spent the next four years heading up distribution. In her new role at EMP, she reports directly to chief executive Albert Lee.Lee ...

  • News

    Li Kai wins top Beijing Projectprize

    2007-12-27T16:40:00Z

    Chinese filmmaker Li Kai has taken the top Beijing Project prizeat the Second Forum on Young Generation in Filmmaking in the Chinese capital. Li's debut project August Unfinished was awarded a $1,364 (RMB10, 000) cash prize and a grant of $136,400 (RMB1m) by Chinese film investor Idealink Entertainment for the ...

  • News

    Seven number one openings for I Am Legend

    2007-12-23T22:31:00Z

    I Am Legend consolidated on last weekend's promising launch in Asia with seven new number one debuts through Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) that contributed to an estimated $25.3m weekend haul from 15 markets.The sci-fi horror adaptation currently stands at $54.3m and is well poised to build throughout the holiday ...

  • News

    Feng's Assembly enjoys strong opening in China

    2007-12-22T09:22:00Z

    Feng Xiaogang's war movie The Assembly grossed $2.03m (RMB15m) on its opening day in China yesterday, according to producer and distributor Huayi Brothers Pictures. The figure equals the record set by Zhang Yimou's 2006 hit, Curse Of The Golden Flower. The film, which opened on Thursday (Dec 20), was released ...

  • News

    US films' box office in China up by 37% in 2007

    2007-12-21T12:30:00Z

    The box office revenues of US blockbusters continued to grow in mainland China in 2007. The combined grosses of the 20 revenue-sharing foreign films reached $158.87m (RMB1.17bn), an increase of 37.6% on 2006. Based on statistics which combine the Chinese Film Bureau's weekly box office figures and Screen International's own ...

  • News

    Thai interim parliament approves controversial film act

    2007-12-21T11:47:00Z

    Thailand approved the controversial new Film and Video Act yesterday during the last days of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the interim parliament installed by the military junta until Sunday's general election. The new law will see the launch of a film rating system for the first time, which in ...

  • Reviews

    Loins of Punjab Presents

    2007-12-21T11:36:00Z

    Dir: Manish Acharya India/USA 2007. 88mins.A mostly hilarious screwball comedy set around a New York talent contest for expat Indians - or 'desis' - Loins of Punjab Presents has an infectious energy that makes up for the occasional lapse into self-indulgent cliche. With its wacky ensemble cast and its affectionately ...