Latest – Page 420

  • News

    Chin Hanjoins cast ofEmmerich's 2012

    2008-07-10T03:49:00Z

    Singapore-born actor Chin Han, who starred in 3 Needles and plays one of the main villains in The Dark Knight, has landed a role in Roland Emmerich's 2012. He has joined the ensemble cast to play Lin Pang, a character who becomes indispensable in the fight to save a group ...

  • News

    Toei, TV Asahi set to co-produce Partners spin-off

    2008-07-09T08:25:00Z

    Japanese studio Toei and regular television partner TV Asahi are planning to co-produce a spin-off to local hit Partners: The Movie. Entitled Partners: Investigator Mamoru Yonezawa's Case File (Aibo Series: Kanshiki Yonezawa Mamoru No Jikenbo), the story will focus on the character of the image and fingerprint expert who played ...

  • News

    Films chosen for Melbourne fest's first market screenings

    2008-07-08T12:53:00Z

    Paul Cox's latest film, Salvation, is one of 10 finished films that will be shown to buyers later this month as part of 37South, the market attached to the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).The films were chosen from a field of 20 and only one has a sales company attached ...

  • News

    Chow teams with Cathay United Bank group on Taiwan fund

    2008-07-07T12:41:00Z

    Hong Kong superstar Stephen Chow is advising Taiwan's Cathay Securities Investment Truston an investment fund which aims to pump $65m into listed film companies.The Cathay Global Entertainment Fund was announced at a seminar in Taipei on Friday (July 4) attended by Chow who is a senior advisor in the entertainment ...

  • News

    Oz producers Culley, Macgowan team on slate of local pics

    2008-07-07T12:23:00Z

    Australian producer Marian Macgowan (Death Defying Acts) has taken on a new producing partner in Miranda Culley, who has been director Phillip Noyce's Sydney partner for the past seven years. The move enables Macgowan to both produce and develop features simultaneously, which is difficult as a lone producer.'The business model ...

  • News

    Korean film market share slides to 38% in first half

    2008-07-07T10:34:00Z

    Leading South Korean exhibitor CJ CGV has reported first half statistics that bring local film market share to 37.6% - the lowest since 28.4% in 2000 and down 9.7% from last year. Nationwide admissions dropped to 70.4 million, down 2.1% year-on-year and the lowest in the last three years.The top ...

  • News

    Thai government plans tax incentives for foreign shoots

    2008-07-07T10:21:00Z

    Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports is planning to introduce tax incentives for foreign film productions, in a bid to increase the country's appeal as an international shooting location. According to local media, the cabinet has approved a proposal for the ministry to work with the Investment and Finance Ministry ...

  • News

    China box office up 55% in first half of 2008

    2008-07-07T04:54:00Z

    The first half of 2008 saw impressive growth at the China box office, with total receipts reaching $237.32m (RMB1.63bn), a 55% increase compared to the first half of 2007, according to government figures. Industry players estimate that the total box office for 2008 will reach $583.09m (RMB4bn). Despite several natural ...

  • News

    Taipei fest ups glamour but suffers from falling ticket sales

    2008-07-07T04:46:00Z

    The tenth anniversary edition of the Taipei Film Festival (June 20 - July 6) ended Sunday with an attempt to reinvent itself as a competitive event for local films amid plummeting ticket sales. The festival, which has recruited several former staff of the Golden Horse Film Awards, upped the glamour ...

  • News

    Festival preview: Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema

    2008-07-04T00:00:00Z

    Now the Indian film industry is making more noise on the world stage, its film festivals are also starting to attract a more international crowd. One of the best known outside India is Mumbai-based Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema, which this year takes place July 10-20 in ...

  • News

    New Zealand adjusts its 40% grant for local films

    2008-07-03T07:59:00Z

    The New Zealand Government has dropped the expenditure threshold by $760,000 (NZ$1m) to $3m (NZ$4m) for New Zealand films and New Zealand co-productions wanting to claim back 40% of this expenditure under the new Screen Production Incentive Fund (SPIF). The initiative was announced in May and, since then, the government ...

  • News

    Kung Fu Panda breaks China record for animated features

    2008-07-03T04:40:00Z

    Paramount Pictures International's Kung Fu Panda has become the highest-grossing animation ever in mainland China, raking in $14.6m (RMB100m) in ten days. The film is also the first animated feature film that has grossed over RMB100m, which is generally seen as a benchmark for blockbuster films in China.Previously, the best-selling ...

  • News

    In Focus: World cinema arrives in India

    2008-07-03T00:00:00Z

    Despite its huge population, India is still classed as a tiny territory by international sales agents, one where even the US studios have failed to make much of a dent in the Bollywood juggernaut.But whereas Indian buyers used to pick up occasional genre films to squeeze in around local product ...

  • News

    Toronto adds world premieres including Disgrace, Miracle Of St Anna

    2008-07-02T16:11:00Z

    The Toronto International Film Festival has added six films to its Special Presentations line-up for 2008.The films include four world premieres: Steve Jacobs' Disgrace, Vicente Amorim's Good, Spike Lee's Miracle At St Anna, and Peter Sollett's Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.North American premieres are Paolo Sorrentino's Cannes jury prize-winner Il ...

  • News

    Japan's Boys Over Flowers is highest non-US opener

    2008-07-02T15:28:00Z

    Japanese romantic comedy Boys Over Flowers was the highest non-US entry in this weekend's international chart, generating $9.5m in its home territory. The top 40 international films generated $188.8m from 49,945 screens for the period of June 27-29.For the full chart, compiled by Len Klady, click here.The film, based on ...

  • News

    Lionsgate, CJ Entertainment join forces for Korean Wedding

    2008-07-02T08:17:00Z

    South Korea's CJ Entertainment has partnered with Lionsgate and Vertigo Entertainment, best known for re-making Asian films, on original cross-cultural comedy Korean Wedding. The project is based on the real-life experiences of scriptwriter Jason Filardi's cousin who married into a Korean family. The story, which will be predominantly shot in ...

  • News

    Korea's Marine Boy splashes down in Cebu

    2008-07-02T04:51:00Z

    Korean production Marine Boy has wrapped a five-day shoot at Bigfoot Studios' recently completed underwater shooting tank in Cebu, the Philippines. The film about drug trafficking on the open seas, is directed by Yoon Jong-suk and stars Kim Gang-woo (Le Grand Chef) and Park Shi-yeon. It is also shooting in ...

  • News

    Beijing New Film Association expands into production

    2008-07-01T04:03:00Z

    Beijing-based cinema management company, New Film Association, is stepping into film production and investment via a new outfit Shengshi Huarui Film Investment and Management Ltd. The company's first project is a $500,000 (RMB3m) satirical comedy The Debt Of 105,000 by first-time feature filmmaker Ji Yu, about a farmer coming to ...

  • News

    Japan's Boys Over Flowers knocks Indy from top spot

    2008-06-30T15:38:00Z

    Tokyo Broadcast System's Boys Over Flowers earned a huge $9.55m (Y1bn) on 805,000 admissions over the weekend, knocking Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull out of the top spot after only one week. Released on 400 screens by distributor Toho, per screen averages topped $23,880, the highest ...

  • News

    Reliance Big Entertainment signs five-picture deal with Puja

    2008-06-29T13:53:00Z

    In yet another announcement of an affiliation, Reliance Big Entertainment's (RBE) Big Pictures has joined hands with Indian producer Vashu Bhagnani's Puja Films for a five-picture slate to be completed over the next two years. Shooting has already begun on the first two projects. David Dhawan is directing Do Knot ...