All Asia articles – Page 573
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Thai director turns on Chinese-language Pleasure Factory
Thai writer-director Ekachai Uekrongtham has wrapped principal photography of his first Chinese-language feature, Pleasure Factory, financed by his new Singapore-based production company Spicy Apple Films. The HD feature, set in Singapore 's red-light district Geylang, stars Taiwanese Golden Horse best actress Yang Kuei Mei and up-and-coming Thai actor Ananda Everingham. ...
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Screen Index down 17% this week but Italy is booming
Collective global box-office takings of nine major territories fell 17% this week compared to the same week last year, largely due to drops in North America, France and South Korea, according to the Screen International Screen Index. This week, North America saw a 19.3% dip in its top 30 films ...
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New chairman for Korea Film Producers' Association
The Korea Film Producers' Association (KFPA) has voted in a new chairman - Tcha Seung-jai, head of leading production company Sidus FNH. He replaces Guardtec president Jonathan Kim, whose four years in the position have expired. Part of the first generation of Korean film renaissance producers, Tcha has shown increasing ...
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Oscar nominees Dreamgirls, Blood Diamond hit major territories
Dreamgirls, the recipient of eight Oscar nominations on Tuesday, gets its first major international push this weekend.Paramount/PPI executives will be looking to convert the recognition into healthy overseas returns when it opens the hit musical in Italy, Mexico and Spain on Jan 26.Meanwhile the family film Charlotte's Web opens in ...
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Asian locations: sets appeal
Asia has been attracting international productions for decades, but in recent years it has become a prime destination for footloose international producers in search of the cheapest and most exotic locations.In addition to low-cost labour, equipment and transport, the region offers stunning landscapes and architecture - but there are many ...
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Indonesian box office for US studios up 30%
Indonesian box office for Motion Picture Association (MPA) member films soared to new heights in 2006, increasing 29.5% to $33.8m (Rp307.55bn) from 67 releases. The strong results were mainly driven by two record-breaking titles: Superman Returns took $2.68m (Rp24.43bn) and Casino Royale collected $2.37m (Rp21.56bn), to become the highest and ...
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Films Distribution picks up Lost In Beijing
France's Films Distribution has acquired worldwide rights to Chinese female director Li Yu's Lost In Beijing (Pingguo), produced by Fang Li's Laurel Films, which has been selected for competition at this year's Berlin film festival. The film is currently in post-production and is scheduled to be submitted to Chinese censors ...
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Lionsgate to open Aus/NZ distribution outfit
After many rumours that it was seeking to buy an existing Australian distributor, US-based producer-distributor Lionsgate has confirmed that it is establishing its own operation to cover Australia and New Zealand. ' Australia is a key territory and to not be the person selling your own content is crazy,' said ...
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Shochiku picks up Kadokawa's Genghis Khan
Japanese major Shochiku has acquired international rights excluding Asia to legendary producer Haruki Kadokawa's $25m Genghis Khan - To The Ends Of The Earth And Sea. Shochiku will distribute the film in Japan and also handle all international sales, excluding Asia, which will be handled by co-producer Avex Entertainment. Domestic ...
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Korea's Showbox signs up for Confession
Hong Kong 's Media Asia Distribution has sold Korean rights to thriller Confession Of Pain to Showbox Mediaplex. Directed by the Infernal Affairs team, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, the film has grossed $8.8m (RMB68.4m) in China and a further $2.6m in Hong Kong since its release at Christmas. 'Media ...
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Dreamgirls leads Oscar nominees but shut out of Best Picture race
Dreamgirls led the Oscar race with eight nominations this morning but the hit musical was shut out of the best picture and director categories. It also took three nominations in the best song category, meaning that it could only win five Oscars at most. Best picture nominees were Alejandro Gonzalez ...
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CJE to invest $85m in local productions in 2007
Leading Korean distributor CJ Entertainment (CJE) has announced its 2007 business plan which includes investing $85m in more than 20 local productions this year, while at the same time expanding its global ties. 'While our local film industry was concentrating on sharing the pie instead of growing the market, domestic ...
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Death Note 2 passes $40m at Japanese box office
The second installment in Warner Bros Japan 's Death Note franchise, Death Note 2: The Last Name, has surpassed the Y5bn ($41.2m) mark at the Japanese box office from more than 4.15 million admissions. In a movie industry first, the sequel was released on Nov 4, following the first installment's ...
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King Naresuan tops Thailand's box office
Pegu's Hostage , the first part of the long-awaited Legend Of King Naresuan trilogy, raided Thailand 's box office over its four-day opening weekend, grossing $2.2m (80m baht) in Bangkok alone, according to distributor Sahamongkolfilm International. Although it was certainly the biggest opening weekend since 2005 action film Tom Yum ...
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Sakuran to premiere in Berlinale Special section
Mika Ninagawa's debut feature Sakuran will have its world premiere on Feb 9 as the opening film of the Berlinale Special section at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, distributor Asmik Ace has announced. It will be the only Japanese film to screen as an official selection at the festival. ...
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Rings producer Osborne signs up for Kiwi racing driver biopic
Barrie M. Osborne has signed up as producer of the planned biopic of New Zealand Formula One racing driver Bruce McLaren.Osborne, whose credits include the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and The Matrix, will work alongside co-producer and motor racing fanatic Michael Garlick, for whom the project has been a ...
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Eight major territories, led by Italy, show box-office increases this week
Eight major territories collectively saw box-office increases compared to the same week last year, due to the success of big-name studio films this week, according to Screen International's own Screen Index. Italy leads the increase - the territory was up 43% after The Pursuit Of Happyness grossed $4.7m in its ...
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Easternlight picks up worldwide rights to Fatal Contact
Arclight Films' Asia-focused label Easternlight has picked up worldwide rights to Hong Kong action film Fatal Contact, which stars wushu champion and up-and-coming action star Wu Jing. Wu, who trained at the same Beijing martial arts school as Jet Li, most recently drew notice for his role as a cold-blooded ...
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Universal picks up North American rights to Dororo
Universal Pictures has bought North American rights to TBS' period action-fantasy Dororo which has already sold to 20 countries throughout Asia and Europe. The film is based on a manga created by Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) in the 1960s, which went on to become a famous animated TV series. The ...
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Hwang Jin Yi gains permission to shoot in North Korea
South Korean production Hwang Jin Yi, based on a North Korean novel dramatising the life of Korea 's most famous courtesan, has been granted permission to shoot in North Korea 's Diamond Mountains for a week starting Jan 28. Directed by Chang Yoon-hyun (Tell Me Something), the film portrays the ...