Latest – Page 422

  • News

    Japanese star Koji Yakusho makes directing debut

    2008-06-19T11:15:00Z

    Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, who starred in 1996 hit Shall We Dance', is making his directorial debut with drama Gama No Abura (Toad Oil), in which he also stars. Based on an original idea by Yakusho, the film tells the story of a father (Yakusho) whose son is seriously injured ...

  • News

    Chen, Zhu Wen win top prizes at Shanghai projects market

    2008-06-19T02:36:00Z

    Taiwanese filmmaker Leste Chen and China's Zhu Wen have won the top two awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival's projects market, China Film Pitch and Catch (CFPC). Chen's The Last Rainstorm, a prophetic story about humanredemption set in a city suffering from drought due to global warming,was awarded Most ...

  • News

    Reliance in talks to invest in DreamWorks

    2008-06-18T11:24:00Z

    India's Reliance ADA Group is close to a deal with DreamWorks' chiefs Steven Spielberg and David Geffen to launch a new venture that would enable them to split with Paramount Pictures, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Click here to see article.The Mumbai-based conglomerate would provide Spielberg ...

  • News

    Five Korean webhards prosecuted for copyright infringement

    2008-06-18T09:33:00Z

    Five heads of Korean webhard (online storage) sites were arrested yesterday (June 17) by the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office for alleged copyright infringement. The high-tech crimes investigation unit of the Prosecutors' Office took into custody five CEOs, including Moon Yong-shik of the company Nowcom which operates webhard portal sites Pdbox.co.kr ...

  • News

    Chinese developer close to deal to acquire Shaw Brothers

    2008-06-18T07:28:00Z

    Chinese property developer Yeung Kwok-keung is close to finalising a deal to buy a 75% stake in Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers from Sir Run Run Shaw. The deal would give Yeung, who is chairman of Guangdong-based development company Country Garden Holdings, control of Hong Kong's largest broadcaster TVB. Shaw Brothers ...

  • News

    Mei Ah, Guangdong Film Corp set up distribution joint venture

    2008-06-17T15:15:00Z

    Hong Kong's Mei Ah Entertainment and Guangdong Province Film Corporation have set up a joint venture, Hua Tian Xia Film Distribution, which aims to distribute 20 Chinese-language films a year in the mainland market. The Guangzhou-based distribution company has been established with capital of $2.9m (RMB20m). It will mainly focus ...

  • News

    Ning launches production, management outfit Stoneman

    2008-06-17T14:55:00Z

    Hot up-and-coming Chinese director Ning Hao has established a film production and artist management company, Stoneman Films. Daniel Yu, former COO of Andy Lau's Focus Films and producer of Ning's sleeper hit Crazy Stone, will serve as Ning's producer, overseeing his filmmaking projects. The young director is currently preparing a ...

  • News

    Melbourne film festival to open with Not Quite Hollywood

    2008-06-17T13:56:00Z

    The 57th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) will open on July 25 with the world premiere of Not Quite Hollywood, writer-director Mark Hartley's long-awaited tribute to the Australian films of the 1970s and 80s that were high on horror, nudity and car chases. This year's festival is a historic one ...

  • News

    Ng calls for changes to China's co-production policy

    2008-06-17T13:46:00Z

    The chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Ng See-yuen, called for a rethink of co-production policy at a seminar on Sino-foreign co-production at the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) on Tuesday. While highlighting positive developments in the China market, Ng said that Hong Kong filmmakers are 'worried that ...

  • News

    Investors assess risks, rewards in China film market

    2008-06-17T13:13:00Z

    China's booming film industry could provide huge returns to venture capitalists, funds and other investors, but the market is still in its infancy and it'sstill not clearin which areas to invest. These were some ofthe messages to emerge at a seminar at the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) on Monday ...

  • News

    Summit takes on worldwide rights to Imagi's Astro Boy

    2008-06-16T21:44:00Z

    Summit Entertainment has swooped on worldwide rights excluding Japan, Hong Kong and China to Imagi Entertainment's manga project Astro Boy.Summit is expected to plan a 2009 release on the animated tale of a young robot who embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Warner Bros and The Weinstein Company previously held ...

  • News

    Bangkok International Film Festival announces new dates

    2008-06-16T13:28:00Z

    The Bangkok International Film Festival (BKIFF) has announced that this year's edition will take place September 23-30. The festival announced in May that it was being pushed back from July to September, but hadn't decided the exact dates. The new timing overlaps with the Thailand Entertainment Expo, which kicks off ...

  • News

    Chiao's Arc Light, Polybona to co-produce Dream

    2008-06-16T13:07:00Z

    Peggy Chiao's Taiwan-based Arc Light Films and Beijing-based Polybona Films International will co-produce romantic drama Like A Dream, to be directed by Australia-based filmmaker Clara Law. Daniel Wu and Chinese actress Yuan Quan head the cast of the $2.3m (RMB16m) film, which is scripted by Eddie Fong. Polybona will also ...

  • News

    Hunger wins Sydney Film Festival's inaugural competition

    2008-06-16T12:45:00Z

    Hunger, UK artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen's portrait of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in his dying days, has won the inaugural A$60,000 Sydney Film Prize. The film won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and wowed audiences when it screened twice as part of the Sydney Film Festival just ...

  • News

    Disney teams with Castle Hero, Ying Dong on second Chinese film

    2008-06-16T01:19:00Z

    Walt Disney Studios is teaming up with China’s Castle Hero Pictures and Ying Dong Media on its second Disney branded Chinese collaboration, the tentatively titled nature drama Touch Of The Panda.The parties announced the project on Monday [June 16] at the Shanghai International Film Festival and said the film has ...

  • News

    Shanghai fest has muted opening in wake of earthquake

    2008-06-15T13:17:00Z

    The 11th Shanghai International Film Festival (June 14-22) held its opening ceremony at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on Saturday night, with a much quieter tone than at previous editions. As China is still engaged in relief and reconstruction work following the Sichuan earthquake, the atmosphere of the opening day was ...

  • News

    Festival report: Shanghai International Film Festival

    2008-06-14T13:16:00Z

    Shanghai-born Wong Kar-wai heads up the international competition jury for this year's Shanghai International Film Festival(SIFF), replacing the late Anthony Minghella.Sixteen films compete for the festival's main Jin Jue Award, which is heavy on European entries. Local films are represented by Hasichaolu's Urtin Duu and Gao Qunshu's Old Fish (a.k.a. ...

  • News

    Screen Australia appoints Fitchett, Brady to interim roles

    2008-06-13T09:41:00Z

    Chris Fitchett has been put in charge of production support and investment on an interim basis at the new super agency Screen Australia, while Tait Brady is temporarily in charge of marketing. Fitchett, whose responsibilities also include development, is the existing chief executive of the Australian Film Commission (AFC). This ...

  • News

    Malaysia's KRU Studio backs US thriller Deadline

    2008-06-13T05:31:00Z

    Malaysia's KRU Studio is co-producing US psychological thriller Deadline, starring Brittany Murphy, marking its first foray into financing Hollywood films. Directed by newcomer Sean McConville, the film is currently shooting in Louisiana and also stars Thora Birch, Tammy Blanchard and Marc Blucas.KRU, which is co-producing with US indie outfit Enso ...

  • News

    Ji appointed as head of Korea Media Ratings Board

    2008-06-12T07:58:00Z

    The Korea Media Ratings Board has named Ji Myung-hyok as its new chairman for the next three years. A professor at Kookmin University's school of performing arts, Ji was elected from among the nine new members of the presidentially-appointed ratings board.The other eight members include a writer from the major ...