Latest – Page 466

  • News

    Chengtian starts production on Wang's Dangerous Game

    2007-07-17T16:13:00Z

    Beijing-based Chengtian Entertainment has started shooting its first in-house production, Wang Guangli's The Dangerous Game, which cranked up yesterday (July 16) in the city of Hangzhou in South-East China. Co-financed by Hong Kong 's Mei Ah Entertainment, the contemporary black comedy follows a group of inter-connected Chinese yuppies who indulge ...

  • News

    Lim Teck joins Singapore's Scorpio East

    2007-07-17T07:39:00Z

    Singapore 's publicly listed Scorpio East Group has appointed Lim Teck as general manager of its subsidiary Scorpio East Pictures, effective from August 1. In his new role, Lim will manage and further develop film production and acquisition projects as well as oversee the home video and artiste management business. ...

  • News

    Potter shatters numerous IMAX records

    2007-07-16T23:59:00Z

    Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix: An IMAX 3D Experience broke several giant-format records this past week, including largest worldwide gross ($9.4m), largest domestic 5-day total ($7.3m), largest domestic per screen average ($80,500) and largest single day ($1.9m). It was also the widest-ever opening for IMAX, with 91 ...

  • News

    New Zealand boosts incentive for foreign producers

    2007-07-16T14:27:00Z

    Significant improvements have been made to the financial incentives available to foreign producers taking advantage of New Zealand's locations and filmmaking skills, the Government announced today. Films that spend over $11.9m (NZ$15m) in New Zealand on production can now claim back 15 percent, instead of the previous ...

  • News

    New Zealand makes production grants more attractive

    2007-07-16T12:01:00Z

    New Zealand's film industry got a boost today for both local andinternational film-makers as the country's economic developmentminister Trevor Mallard announced increased government incentives forfilms being made in New Zealand. The Large Budget Screen Production Grant has been increased from 12.5% to 15% ...

  • News

    Harry Potter weaves a magical international opening for Warner Bros

    2007-07-16T10:15:00Z

    Warner Bros weaved a magical opening for Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix at the weekend as the fifth episode in the fantasy saga conjured up an estimated $190.3m from 44 territories.Approximately 31m people overseas turned out to see the film, which amassed $330m around the world in ...

  • News

    Transformers has record-breaking opening in China

    2007-07-13T11:55:00Z

    Transformers has set a new opening day record for an imported film in China, taking in $2.95m (RMB22.4m) on July 11. Previously, the record was set by Spiderman 3 which took $2.34m on its opening day. Beijing 's multiplexes were packed from early morning on Wednesday for the 12am premiere ...

  • News

    Eros International acquires 51% of Ayngaran

    2007-07-12T13:53:00Z

    Eros International has made a foray into Tamil films, the second largest segment in India, by acquiring a 51% interest in Ayngaran International, a dominant force in the Tamil content and distribution industry.Eros announced today it will initially provide $33m in funding to take over and grow Ayngaran's existing business, ...

  • News

    TWC homes in on Chan's Invisible Target

    2007-07-11T15:00:00Z

    The Weinstein Company (TWC) has picked up all rights for North America, Australia and South Africa to Benny Chan's upcoming action drama Invisible Target from Hong Kong 's Universe Films Distribution. The $8m martial arts actioner is set to open in Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Malaysia on July 19. ...

  • News

    Salon Films' Charles Wang dies aged 74

    2007-07-11T04:30:00Z

    Charles Wang, managing director of Hong Kong-based production services group Salon Films, died from cancer last week (July 6) in a New York City hospital at the age of 74. One of Asia 's leading suppliers of production logistics and equipment, Salon Films was founded in 1958 when Wang's father ...

  • News

    Warner Bros International TV promotes Robertson in Asia Pacific

    2007-07-10T20:27:00Z

    Greg Robertson has been promoted to senior vice president and managingdirector of Asia Pacific at Warner Bros International TelevisionDistribution (WBITD).The 21-year company veteran will supervise all WBITD's programmelicensing operations in more than 24 territories in the region,including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, thePhilippines, and Singapore.Based in Sydney, he reports ...

  • News

    India's Vagabond secures release in Pakistan

    2007-07-10T13:38:00Z

    Hindi-language romantic thriller The Vagabond (Awarapan) opened in Pakistan last weekend (July 6) on 15 prints, marking the first time an Indian film has been released in the territory at the same time as its global roll-out. Indian films were banned in Pakistan in 1965, although pirated versions are widely ...

  • News

    Japan's BS-i, Tsutaya form joint production label

    2007-07-10T11:28:00Z

    Japanese digital satellite channel BS-i, owned by broadcaster TBS, and Tsutaya video chain parent company Culture Convenience Club (CCC) have jointly formed a label to produce feature films based on TV programmes. Dubbed Cinema Drive, the label will initially produce one to two features per year, with a stated goal ...

  • News

    Melbourne festival unveils participants for financing forum

    2007-07-10T10:32:00Z

    John Maynard (Romulus , My Father), Liz Watts (Little Fish) and Bridget Ikin (Look Both Ways) are among the 41 Australian producers pitching feature film projects at the Melbourne International Film Festival's (MIFF) inaugural film financing forum. The new sidebar, called '37 South: Bridging the Gap', has attracted about a ...

  • News

    Korean cable company takes control of MK Pictures

    2007-07-10T08:08:00Z

    South Korean producer-investor-distributor MK Pictures has sold a controlling stake to regional cabler Kangwon Networks. In deals totalling $16.3m, major stockholder Lee Eun sold his 11.76% stake, while his wife and partner Shim Jae-myung sold her 6.54%, both to Kangwon head Kim Young-kyun. Another founder of the company, filmmaker Kang ...

  • News

    Tokyo multiplex to screen hit TV show Winter Sonata

    2007-07-10T03:13:00Z

    A special version of Korean hit television drama Winter Sonata will be screened at Toho's flagship Roppongi Hills cinema in Tokyo. All 20 episodes of the series will be shown on Tuesday mornings from July 10 to September 11, featuring extra footage only shown once previously on NHK's BS satellite ...

  • News

    Witi Ihimaera to work on Matriarch adaptation with Binger Lab

    2007-07-09T11:22:00Z

    The Netherlands-based Binger Filmlab will welcome Maori novelist Witi Ihimaera as a writer in residence for six months, and Ihimaera will also follow Binger's Script Development Programme. The author, who previously wrote The Whale Rider, will be working on the screen adaptation of his 1986 novel The Matriarch, about the ...

  • News

    FIAPF defends film festival accreditation system

    2007-07-09T05:32:00Z

    International producers' association FIAPF has issued a statement in response to criticisms of its film festival accreditation system that were made in a public forum at the recent Shanghai International Film Festival. During a summit of film festival chiefs, Sundance director Geoffrey Gilmore accused FIAPF of perpetuating mediocrity with its ...

  • News

    Tsai Ming-liang takes top prize at Taipei Film Festival

    2007-07-09T04:15:00Z

    The Taipei Film Festival has awarded its $30,000 grand prize to Tsai Ming-liang's I Don't Want To Sleep Alone. Tsai, a regular competitor at the Taipei Film Festival, had withdrawn the film from last year's Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards. 31 recent Taiwan films competed for the grand prize ...

  • News

    Spider-Man 3 drives Sony to cross overseas $1bn in record time

    2007-07-08T21:01:00Z

    The apocalyptic robots of Transformers just about did enough to keep Bruce Willis at bay as Paramount/DreamWorks' Transformers ruled the overseas market at the weekend. The action epic grossed an estimated $43.6m from 3,503 venues in 29 territories following last weekend's robust take-off and now stands at $93.6m. ...