Latest – Page 394

  • News

    Gran Torino races ahead in international box office

    2009-03-27T00:00:00Z

    It may have been overlooked during the awards season, but Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is outperforming all five best-picture contenders in North America. Since a wide release on January 9, Gran Torino has grossed $145.2m domestically and passed $65m internationally. This brings its worldwide tally for Warner Bros Pictures within ...

  • News

    Gran Torino poised to cross $70m internationally with Mexico launch

    2009-03-26T20:34:00Z

    Gran Torino should march on towards the $70m mark this weekend through strong holdover business and a debut in Mexico on March 27 through Warner Bros Pictures International.Clint Eastwood's drama has reached $63.9m to date and crossed $210mworldwide and its prospects are looking formidable with roughlytwo-thirds of international markets yet ...

  • News

    Young's Christmas Rose receives full financing at HAF

    2009-03-25T11:52:00Z

    Charlie Young's Christmas Rose received the HAF Excellence Award at the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) today, for managing to raise its entire $2m budget at the three-day event. Beijing-based Orange Sky Entertainment stepped up on the second day of the market to fully finance the film - ...

  • News

    Filmart takes on regional flavour

    2009-03-25T03:57:00Z

    As Filmart reached the half-way point on Tuesday, sellers were reporting that the market was relatively busy but much more Asia-focused than in previous years.'We've been quite busy but most of our meetings have been with Asian buyers - there are fewer companies from the US and Europe and substantially ...

  • News

    CJ scores Singapore, Malaysia presales on Haeundae

    2009-03-24T20:30:00Z

    Seoul-based distributor CJ Entertainment has pre-sold JK Youn’s tsunami-attacks-Busan filmHaeundaeto VSG for Singapore and Malaysia.’Haeundae is a concept film with high production values - Hans Ulrich who worked on A Perfect Storm, Star Wars 4 and 5, and The Day After Tomorrow is supervising the CGI, and so far it ...

  • News

    Fortissimo seals deals on Food, Mishima, Face

    2009-03-24T20:30:00Z

    Fortissimo Films has sealed a slew of deals on food industry documentary Food, Inc following its screening at the Berlinale and during Filmart, including a sale to A-Films for Benelux and Cafe Groove for Japan.The film, which world premiered at Toronto before it screened in Berlin, has also gone to ...

  • News

    Hong Kong Filmart news digest

    2009-03-24T14:53:00Z

    March 25Filmart takes on regional flavourYoung’s Christmas Rosereceives full financing at HAFMarch 24Fortissimo seals deals on Food, Mishima, FaceCJ scores Singapore, Malaysia presales on HaeundaeSalon’s pan-Asia alliance sets three new films led by Eat, Drink 2March 23Japanese cinema triumphs at Asian Film Awards in Hong KongFortissimo picks up rights outside ...

  • News

    Raintree, Wayne Wang prepare Singapore historical thriller

    2009-03-23T20:30:00Z

    MediaCorp Raintree Pictures has announced much-anticipated further details on its historical film 1965 - currently in development with Wayne Wang lined up to direct.Based on the turbulent title year that Singapore broke away from Malaysia to become independent, 1965 will be a mainstream political thriller with a projected budget of ...

  • News

    Dayyan Eng enlists Daniel Wu, Gong Beibi for Inseparable

    2009-03-23T20:30:00Z

    Chinese American filmmaker Dayyan Eng (Waiting Alone) is to produce and direct a black-comedy from his own script titledInseparable. Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu (Shinjuku Incident) and Chinese actress Gong Beibi (Call For Love, Waiting Alone) are heading the cast.The project is being planned as a mid-budget film under Chinese ...

  • News

    Sundream takes Hong Kong rights to TWC's musical Nine

    2009-03-23T20:30:00Z

    Hong Kong’s Sundream Motion Pictures has acquired all Hong Kong rights to Rob Marshall’s musical Nine from The Weinstein Company (TWC).Sundream has an output deal with TWC but, according to Sundream vice president of buinsess development, Tom Cheung, the expensive film was acquired outside that arrangement.Currently in post-production for US ...

  • News

    P.A.M. Korea Media enters sales with thriller Bloody Shake

    2009-03-23T20:30:00Z

    P.A.M. Korea Media has launched into international sales with the market debut of director Kim Jee-yong’s Bloody Shake, a psychological thriller with visceral and bloody imagery.The film follows seven characters - including a priest, a pickpocket and a lesbian butcher - in a relay of seven murderous stories, which all ...

  • News

    Fortissimo picks up rights outside Japan to Kore-eda's Air Doll

    2009-03-23T20:30:00Z

    Fortissimo Films has picked up all rights outside Japan to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Air Doll. Japan’s Asmik Ace Entertainment negotiated the deal on behalf of its co-production partners on the film - Engine Film, Bandai Visual, TV Man Union and Eisei Gekijo.Kor-eda won the Asian Film Award for best director last ...

  • News

    Hit Singapore director Jack Neo plans ghost story triptych

    2009-03-23T20:30:00Z

    Record-breaking Singaporean hit director Jack Neo (I Not Stupid)has announced a new projectGot Ghost Meh(working title) in development.Neo plans to make a 90-minute feature film made up of three parts - each a 30-minute-long ghost story filled with horror and comedy elements.Known for his poignant low-budget comedy hits, the director ...

  • News

    Thailand's Mono Entertainment returns to market after restructure

    2009-03-23T20:30:00Z

    Thailand’s Mono Entertainment returns to Filmart this year under the banner of motif+ after a major corporate restructuring. The company is now divided into production division motif+, headed by successful director and producer Pantham Thongsang, and home entertainment division Command N, headed by Jirun Ratthanaviriyachai, managing director of Mono Entertainment.The ...

  • News

    Japanese cinema triumphs at Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong

    2009-03-23T14:00:00Z

    Japanese cinema triumphed at the Asian Film Awards last night, with three Japanese dramas -Tokyo Sonata, Still WalkingandDepartures- clinching four of the top prizes.Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata walked off with best film and best screenwriter; Hirokazu Kore-eda took the best director prize for Still Walking, and Motoki Masahiro scooped best ...

  • News

    France bangs the drum for new tax incentive in Hong Kong

    2009-03-23T09:37:00Z

    The French consul general for Hong Kong and Macau declared on Monday that the future ‘belonged to co-production between Europe and Asia’ and urged Asian producers to look at shooting films in France. He made the comments at an information session outlining the new 20% tax rebate for international productions ...

  • News

    Cinema Popular unveils $23m historical epic Bodyguards & Assassins

    2009-03-23T06:00:00Z

    Start-up production and financing outfit Cinema Popular is unveiling its debut production today at Filmart - $23m historical epic Bodyguards And Assassins - to be directed by Teddy Chen.The film, which starts shooting in early April, features a host of Hong Kong and Chinese stars including Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, ...

  • News

    Hong Kong's 852 Films begins production on first feature Dream Home

    2009-03-23T02:06:00Z

    New Hong Kong production and financing outfit 852 Films has started production on award-winning director Pang Ho Cheung’s latest film,Dream Home, starring Josie Ho, Anthony Wong and Eason Chan.The film, in which Ho plays a woman who will stop of nothing to own her dream home, is Pang’s first foray ...

  • News

    Diaphana, Canal Plus take French rights to A Brand New Life

    2009-03-23T02:02:00Z

    South Korean sales company Finecut has announced the pre-sales of Korea-France co-productionA Brand New Life, directed by Ounie Lecomte. Canal Plus has taken French television rights while Diaphana has picked up other French-speaking rights.A PPP 2008 project, A Brand New Life, currently in post-production, is Lecomte’s feature debut, inspired by ...

  • News

    Painted Skin, Ip Man, Pleasant Goat to get new instalments

    2009-03-23T01:44:00Z

    New instalments of three Chinese-language blockbusters in 2008 - Painted Skin, Ip Man and Pleasant Goat - will go into production later in 2009, according to backers of the three films.Two investors in 2008 hit Painted Skin will reteam to produce the second film adapted from the 18th century book ...