All articles by Silvia Wong – Page 17

  • News

    Sepet dominates at Malaysian Film Festival

    2005-07-18T00:00:00Z

    Sepet, an inter-racial lovestory by commercials director Yasmin Ahmad, won six awards including best filmat the 18th Malaysian Film Festival, which presents the country'stop film awards.Theother awards included best promising actor (Ng Choo Seong), best promisingactress (Sharifah Amani), best supporting actress (Ida Nerina) and bestoriginal storyline (Ahmad). ButAhmad was beaten ...

  • News

    Australia's RGM launches $100m Singapore facility

    2005-07-14T00:00:00Z

    In a bid to strengthen itspresence in Asia, Australian production and talent management company RGM hasopened a new Singapore office armed with a US$100m media financing facilityopen to international film producers.RGM is looking to backmainly English-language projects with international potential. 'We are on the constantlookout for new materials. Through the ...

  • News

    Three Dots makes a Catch with new distribution outfit

    2005-06-29T00:00:00Z

    Taiwan's Three DotsEntertainment has joined forces with new production and distribution companySerenity Entertainment International to produce Catch, the latestfeature from Formula 17 director DJ Chen.The $700,000 production,which will begin shooting in Taiwan next month, sees Chen re-team with Formula17 star Tony Yang, who will play a movie extra.Last year Yang ...

  • News

    EuropaCorp to co-produce tasty Thai title

    2005-06-24T04:00:00Z

    Luc Besson's EuropaCorp will co-produce Thai director Wisit Sasanatieng's (Tears of the Black Tiger) next project withFive Star Production Company, marking the French mini-major's first foray intoAsian film production. Titled NamPrix (which translates as hot chilli sauce), Nam Prix will start shooting early next year in Thailand for alate-2006 delivery ...

  • News

    EuropaCorp to co-produce tasty Thai title

    2005-06-24T00:00:00Z

    Luc Besson'sEuropaCorp will co-produce Thai director Wisit Sasanatieng's (Tears of the Black Tiger) next projectwith Five Star Production Company.The deal marks the French mini-major's first full-fleged forayinto Asian film production, having previously produced films such as the French/Japanese thriller Wasabi in the French language. Titled Nam Prix (which translates ...

  • News

    Tan heads first Singapore-Japan co-production

    2005-06-22T12:15:00Z

    Singapore writer/director Royston Tan's script 0430 has been chosen byJapanese broadcaster NHK as one of the four projects for its 6th AsianFilm Festival, making it the first Singapore-Japan co-production.NHK executive producer Makoto Ueda who is inSingapore for the filming of 0430says, 'I have been hoping to co-produce a film with ...

  • News

    Hong Kong clears way for rental licence fees

    2005-06-21T04:00:00Z

    Video rental shops may be requiredto pay licence fees for the first time in Hong Kong under government plans to extend copyright laws.The Hong Kong government proposedthe reforms, after a public consultation last December. The introduction of rental rightswould be highly significant for the film industry, meaning copyrightowners could demand ...

  • News

    Singapore's Cathay acquires 40 pictures at Cannes

    2005-06-10T04:00:00Z

    Singapore distributor Cathayhas acquired a record 40 titles at this year's Cannes Film Festival, includingDuncan Tucker's road movie Transamerica,Hans Canosa's drama Conversations withOther Women in split screen format and Pen-ek Ratanaruang's film noir Invisible Waves.Cathay has also bought therights to Kim Ki Duk's The Bow andKim Yong-Gyun's The Red Shoes ...

  • News

    Raintree revs up Stupid sequel

    2005-06-03T04:00:00Z

    Singapore's MediaCorpRaintree is cranking up production with two new projects set to shoot.Principal photography willbegin this month for I Not Stupid Too, sequel to 2002's smash hit INot Stupid.'I Not Stupid is a break-out hit and the most successful Singaporefilm. In Hong Kong alone, it was showing in theatres for ...

  • News

    Golden Harvest, Village Roadshow deal in doubt

    2005-05-26T00:00:00Z

    Through its subsidiaryGolden Screen, Hong Kong's Golden Harvest has filed a petition to wind upDartina Development, the holding company of Singapore's largest exhibitor chainGolden Village. Golden Harvest managingdirector CK Phoon said "We're not pulling out from Singapore. We just want tobreak up the joint venture with Village Roadshow, [like a] ...

  • News

    Chinese films fail to make main Shanghai competition

    2005-05-24T00:00:00Z

    Despite the centenary ofChinese cinema being the main theme of this year's 8th ShanghaiInternational Film Festival (SIFF) (June 11-19), no Chinese film has beenselected for its main competition.In each of the pasteditions, at least one Chinese film has been in the running for the Jin Jueprize, one of China's top ...

  • News

    Amelio's Star shines as Italian, Singapore co-production

    2005-05-17T04:00:00Z

    Gianni Amelio's new film LaStella Che Non C'e' (The Missing Star)has been set up as a Singapore/Italian co-production, with Sergio Castellito inthe lead role of an Italian worker trying to prevent an industrial disaster ina Chinese steel mill.Shooting will start nextmonth in Shanghai on the film, which is to be ...

  • News

    New Regency set to Shutter Thai remake deal

    2005-05-12T04:00:00Z

    Arnon Milchan's Fox-based NewRegency is expected to secure remake rights in Cannes for Thai blockbuster Shutter.The deal was brokered by RoyLee of Vertigo Entertainment who approached studio GMM Tai Hub last Octoberwhen Shutter, the top grossing Thai film of the year, was stillplaying locally. Lee is a matchmaker between Asia ...

  • News

    Iraqi cinema steals Singapore festival limelight

    2005-04-29T04:00:00Z

    Iraqi cinema stole thelimelight at the Silver Screen Awards Gala of this year's SingaporeInternational Film Festival (SIFF) when Oday Rasheed's Underexposure wasdeclared best film. Billed as the first featureshot in Baghdad after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Underexposure lets theaudience witness 'the powerful voice of cinema trying to understand post-warBaghdad', ...

  • News

    Khoo's Be With Me to open Directors' Fortnight

    2005-04-19T04:00:00Z

    Be With Me, directed by Singapore's Eric Khoo (12 Storeys),has been selected as the opening film for directors' fortnight at Cannes. The film weaves together threeinter-connected stories and is inspired by the life of Singapore's Theresa Chan- a blind and deaf woman.'It's almost a silent filmwith only five minutes of ...

  • News

    Hustle, 2046 tie at Hong Kong Film Awards

    2005-03-28T00:00:00Z

    This year's Hong KongFilm Awards was a straight tie between Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle and WongKar Wai's 2046, with eachwinning six prizes. Kung Fu Hustle took home the top honour of best film and the bestsupporting actor award for Yuen Wah. It also swept the awards for best actionchoreography, ...

  • News

    Sundream launches with $38.5m production war chest

    2005-03-23T21:59:00Z

    Sundream Motion Pictures, the new film venture of Hong Kong's pay TVoperator i-CABLE Communication, officially launched today at Filmart.Sundream plans to finance 15-20 feature films with a total investment of$38.5m (HK$300m) over two years.Tsui Siu Ming, executive director, programming services ofi-CABLE subsidiary Hong Kong Cable TV, will head the new ...

  • News

    Triad thriller Ah Sou unveiled at Hong Kong's Filmart

    2005-03-22T00:00:00Z

    Hong Kongproduction outfit Filmko Films announced its first 2005 project at this week'sFilmart: Ah Sou, a US$3m Hong Kong-China co-production by risingdirector Wong Ching Po.Ah Sou, which literally means the big gangster'swife, centres around a 16-year-old girl who gets involved in gang wars andpower struggles. Taiwanese newcomer Annie Liu is ...

  • News

    Thai production powerhouse unveils 2005 slate

    2005-03-11T04:00:00Z

    Following a successful firstyear of operation, Thai production powerhouse GMM Tai Hub has unveiled aline-up of 10 genre-driven films directed by young talent for 2005. Headed by CEO VisutePoolvoralaks, Thailand's best-known producer, GMM Tai Hub was created last Junewhen GMM Pictures, Tai Entertainment and Hub Ho Hin merged. It produced ...

  • News

    Singapore festival throws spotlight on Asian anime

    2005-03-09T04:00:00Z

    Asian anime is akey theme for this year's Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) (Apr14-30) which will be book-ended by two Japanese animations. Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy opens the festival while MamoruOshii's Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence isthe closing film. The 18thedition of SIFF will screen over 300 films from 40 ...