Today, Asian Pop-Up Cinema announced the full lineup of films and programs included in its 18th edition, running March 20 – April 21, 2024. Each week throughout the festival is dedicated to works from a different region, with films screened in person on weekends at AMC Newcity 14 (1500 N. Clybourn Ave.) and available via streaming on weekdays. This year’s festival also features an inaugural partnership with Northwestern University, Asian Pop-Up Cinema at the Block Museum, featuring special screenings and guest lecturers. Screening schedules and tickets are available now at www.asianpopupcinema.org.
The 18th season of Asian Pop-Up Cinema opens on March 20, 2024, with the Chicago Premiere of Charles-Olivier Michaud’s Ru, the story of a young Vietnamese girl adapting to life in Quebec and featuring an in-person appearance from lead actor Jean Bui. Closing Night features the Midwest Premiere of We Are Family, following the founder of a rent-a-family business navigating personal and professional conflicts,...
The 18th season of Asian Pop-Up Cinema opens on March 20, 2024, with the Chicago Premiere of Charles-Olivier Michaud’s Ru, the story of a young Vietnamese girl adapting to life in Quebec and featuring an in-person appearance from lead actor Jean Bui. Closing Night features the Midwest Premiere of We Are Family, following the founder of a rent-a-family business navigating personal and professional conflicts,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
When it comes to China, the discourse surrounding queer identities – like many other issues – can be placed in a gray area, on the fragile border with taboo. However, cinema is perhaps the most powerful visual medium for better understanding certain dynamics that are too often subject to useless labels and dichotomous discussions. For this reason, I have selected 12 works – including narrative feature films and documentaries – that explore and reflect on intimate queer representation. The list is presented in chronological order and includes titles from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan
1. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) Chor Yuan
“Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan” is a 1972 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Chor Yuen, known for its blend of elements from martial arts and erotica. The protagonist, Ai Nu (Lily Ho), is sold to a brothel at the young age of 18. She quickly becomes the favorite of the brothel's owner,...
1. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) Chor Yuan
“Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan” is a 1972 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Chor Yuen, known for its blend of elements from martial arts and erotica. The protagonist, Ai Nu (Lily Ho), is sold to a brothel at the young age of 18. She quickly becomes the favorite of the brothel's owner,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Siria Falleroni
- AsianMoviePulse
Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing delivered an electrifying masterclass to a sold-out ballroom full of screaming fans at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands on Friday.
The in-conversation event was part of the 34th Singapore International Film Festival where Fan is the recipient of this year’s Cinema Icon Award. The festival is screening three of Fan’s films, curated by her – the recent “Green Night,” “Buddha Mountain” and “Double Xposure” – and the star walked the red carpet on opening night, Nov. 30.
Fan spoke frankly – in Mandarin, which was translated live to English by an interpreter – on a range of topics including an in-depth analysis of Han Shuai’s “Green Night,” which comes to Singapore after Berlin and Busan. In the film, Fan plays a Chinese woman, trapped in an oppressive life with her Korean husband, and sets out on an adventure with a mysterious green-haired girl, played by Lee Joo-young (“Broker...
The in-conversation event was part of the 34th Singapore International Film Festival where Fan is the recipient of this year’s Cinema Icon Award. The festival is screening three of Fan’s films, curated by her – the recent “Green Night,” “Buddha Mountain” and “Double Xposure” – and the star walked the red carpet on opening night, Nov. 30.
Fan spoke frankly – in Mandarin, which was translated live to English by an interpreter – on a range of topics including an in-depth analysis of Han Shuai’s “Green Night,” which comes to Singapore after Berlin and Busan. In the film, Fan plays a Chinese woman, trapped in an oppressive life with her Korean husband, and sets out on an adventure with a mysterious green-haired girl, played by Lee Joo-young (“Broker...
- 12/2/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The 34th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) today announced the return of two of its awards, the Cinema Icon Award and the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) Award, which were last part of the Silver Screen Awards in 2019 and 2006 respectively.
This year, the festival is celebrating the largest number of awards in over a decade. The reintroduction of two prestigious awards, in addition to the Outstanding Contribution to Southeast Asian Cinema Award, highlights Sgiff's pivotal role as a platform that harnesses the vibrancy of the film industry.
“For many, an award is a stamp of recognition or a form of approval by fellow industry players but it does much more. In the film industry, an award sets the stage for better films to be produced, reinforcing it as a platform for not only recognising excellence but also shaping the future of the industry for the film ecosystem,...
This year, the festival is celebrating the largest number of awards in over a decade. The reintroduction of two prestigious awards, in addition to the Outstanding Contribution to Southeast Asian Cinema Award, highlights Sgiff's pivotal role as a platform that harnesses the vibrancy of the film industry.
“For many, an award is a stamp of recognition or a form of approval by fellow industry players but it does much more. In the film industry, an award sets the stage for better films to be produced, reinforcing it as a platform for not only recognising excellence but also shaping the future of the industry for the film ecosystem,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Space comedy Moon Man held on to the top spot at the mainland China box office for a third weekend. It has now accumulated 363 million.
Released on July 29, “Moon Man” earned RMB217 million (32.4 million) between Friday and Sunday earning some 45 of the nationwide weekend total, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
The film’s invulnerability underlines once again how the Chinese exhibition and distribution sector has become focused on major hits and top-heavy.
There could scarcely be more powerful demonstration of that than the photographs carried over the weekend by Mainland Chinese of Hong Kong star Louis Koo apparently in tears over the disappointing box office stars for “Warriors of Future,” the sci-fi fantasy that he starred in, financed and produced.
“Warriors” opened in second place on the weekend of Aug. 5, 2022, and over the latest session fell to third place. It earned 12.0 million (compared with an opening shot of 20.8 million.
Released on July 29, “Moon Man” earned RMB217 million (32.4 million) between Friday and Sunday earning some 45 of the nationwide weekend total, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
The film’s invulnerability underlines once again how the Chinese exhibition and distribution sector has become focused on major hits and top-heavy.
There could scarcely be more powerful demonstration of that than the photographs carried over the weekend by Mainland Chinese of Hong Kong star Louis Koo apparently in tears over the disappointing box office stars for “Warriors of Future,” the sci-fi fantasy that he starred in, financed and produced.
“Warriors” opened in second place on the weekend of Aug. 5, 2022, and over the latest session fell to third place. It earned 12.0 million (compared with an opening shot of 20.8 million.
- 8/16/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Li Yu’s third feature and the beginning of her cooperation with Fan Bingbing was a film that stumbled upon many issues with Chinese censors, who impeded its premiere in Berlin as much as its screening in China. Particularly the sex and gambling scenes, and the overall pragmatist presentation of the country at the time really aggravated the committee, with the film eventually finding outlets through Europe and Hong Kong.
on Amazon
Liu Pingguo and her husband, An Kun, are a young migrant couple from the northeast of China who have moved to Beijing for a better life. However, their reality is anything but idyllic, even if the love they share for each other is quite strong and their sex life satisfying. The problem, as usual, is money, with their income from An Kun’s window washing work and Liu Pingguo’s foot massages in the Golden...
on Amazon
Liu Pingguo and her husband, An Kun, are a young migrant couple from the northeast of China who have moved to Beijing for a better life. However, their reality is anything but idyllic, even if the love they share for each other is quite strong and their sex life satisfying. The problem, as usual, is money, with their income from An Kun’s window washing work and Liu Pingguo’s foot massages in the Golden...
- 5/16/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Cheng Cheng Films Presents “Ever Since We Love“, on streamers and DVD on 12/14/2021.
“The female leads here still manage to shine… Fan Bingbing is impressive as always as Qing Liu, particularly in the way she changes from a kind of femme fatale to a vulnerable, sensitive woman, in a role that is a bit more sensuous than her previous cooperations with Li Yu, an approach she seems to thrive in.” Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
“Death is somewhat present in all the love scenes. Such symbols detach audience passion and create an unbridgeable gap between ideologies of the film and of the patriarchal original book…The lively female characters with their own desire and agency deconstruct Qiu Shui’s male gaze and are enabled by the filmmaker to look back.” Huiyuan Bai, ArtGuide
“Li Yu is a wildly disordered filmmaker, but her films are full of life, and there can...
“The female leads here still manage to shine… Fan Bingbing is impressive as always as Qing Liu, particularly in the way she changes from a kind of femme fatale to a vulnerable, sensitive woman, in a role that is a bit more sensuous than her previous cooperations with Li Yu, an approach she seems to thrive in.” Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
“Death is somewhat present in all the love scenes. Such symbols detach audience passion and create an unbridgeable gap between ideologies of the film and of the patriarchal original book…The lively female characters with their own desire and agency deconstruct Qiu Shui’s male gaze and are enabled by the filmmaker to look back.” Huiyuan Bai, ArtGuide
“Li Yu is a wildly disordered filmmaker, but her films are full of life, and there can...
- 11/24/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
An adaption of Feng Tang’s semi-autobiographical best-seller “Everything Grows”, “Ever Since We Love” continues the successful recipe of having Yu Li on the helm and Fan Bingbing as the protagonist, although this time, the focus is on a male character, played here by K-pop sensation “Super Junior” ‘s former member Han Geng, while the story takes place in the 80s.
“Ever Since We Love” starts playing in virtual cinemas on 9/17, courtesy of Cheng Cheng Films
Qiu Shui is a 4th year medical student at China’s top medical college, although, like most people his age including his classmates, the whole world feels a bit erotic. Somewhere between drinking, cracking jokes, and studying anatomy, he also retains a relationship with Lu Bai, a rather quirky, high-maintenance classmate, who seems to be genuinely in love with him. At the same time, he is tormented by the ghost of his first relationship with Xiaoman,...
“Ever Since We Love” starts playing in virtual cinemas on 9/17, courtesy of Cheng Cheng Films
Qiu Shui is a 4th year medical student at China’s top medical college, although, like most people his age including his classmates, the whole world feels a bit erotic. Somewhere between drinking, cracking jokes, and studying anatomy, he also retains a relationship with Lu Bai, a rather quirky, high-maintenance classmate, who seems to be genuinely in love with him. At the same time, he is tormented by the ghost of his first relationship with Xiaoman,...
- 9/12/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
New York-based distributor Cheng Cheng announces the North American release of “Ever Since We Love” directed by Li Yu with a new poster and trailer. The latest collaboration between award-winning filmmaker Li Yu and pop icon Fan Bingbing will start playing in virtual cinemas in select cities on September 17th and expand in the following weeks before arriving on DVD and streaming platforms this December.
Regarded as China’s prominent woman director, Li Yu had been telling stories about women on the fringe of society in her previous documentaries and narrative features recognized by film festivals in Venice, Berlinale, and Toronto. An adaption of contemporary novelist Feng Tang’s semi-autobiographical best-seller “Everything Grows”, “Ever Since We Love” marks her first attempt at a film with a male protagonist. Starring alongside Fan Bingbing, Li Meng, and Qi Xi, K-pop sensation “Super Junior’s” former member Han Geng plays a medical school...
Regarded as China’s prominent woman director, Li Yu had been telling stories about women on the fringe of society in her previous documentaries and narrative features recognized by film festivals in Venice, Berlinale, and Toronto. An adaption of contemporary novelist Feng Tang’s semi-autobiographical best-seller “Everything Grows”, “Ever Since We Love” marks her first attempt at a film with a male protagonist. Starring alongside Fan Bingbing, Li Meng, and Qi Xi, K-pop sensation “Super Junior’s” former member Han Geng plays a medical school...
- 9/5/2021
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Winner of a number of international awards, including two from Tokyo International Film Festival for Best Actress and Best Artistic Contribution and one for Best Film by Singapore Film Festival, “Buddha Mountain” is a crowning achievement for youth films, as much as a testament to how good an actress Fan Bingbing is.
Ding Bo, Nan Feng and Fei Zao aka Fatso are three friends whose broken homes have forced them to move away, and essentially form another kind of family, one based on friendship rather than blood ties. In that fashion, Ding Bo’s mother has died and his father is about to marry his mistress, Nan Feng’s father is a raging alcoholic and Fei Zao’s parents are nowhere to be found. As they roam the streets and the bars of Sichuan, searching for a meaning in their lives as outsiders, they end up lodging...
Ding Bo, Nan Feng and Fei Zao aka Fatso are three friends whose broken homes have forced them to move away, and essentially form another kind of family, one based on friendship rather than blood ties. In that fashion, Ding Bo’s mother has died and his father is about to marry his mistress, Nan Feng’s father is a raging alcoholic and Fei Zao’s parents are nowhere to be found. As they roam the streets and the bars of Sichuan, searching for a meaning in their lives as outsiders, they end up lodging...
- 9/2/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Lost in Beijing” director Li Yu and star Fan Bingbing reunite in emotional drama about losses and reconnections after the 2008 Schechuan earthquake
Available in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Ireland
on Amazon Prime Video, Vimeo on Demand, Hoopla, Viki and more at BuddhaMountainFilm.com
Synopsis:
At one point in this film, three youngsters lost in the countryside wait at a railway station called “Buddha Mountain” for a train without knowing if any will ever come. Alienated by society and their families, they move together into the home of a retired Peking opera performer. The carefree tenants and rigid landlady expose not only their conflicting lifestyles but also everyone’s painful past. They gradually learn to embrace and find strength in each other despite divisions. On a trip to a remote village, a monk asks for their help to rebuild a temple among ruins from the 2008 Schechuan earthquake. The...
Available in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Ireland
on Amazon Prime Video, Vimeo on Demand, Hoopla, Viki and more at BuddhaMountainFilm.com
Synopsis:
At one point in this film, three youngsters lost in the countryside wait at a railway station called “Buddha Mountain” for a train without knowing if any will ever come. Alienated by society and their families, they move together into the home of a retired Peking opera performer. The carefree tenants and rigid landlady expose not only their conflicting lifestyles but also everyone’s painful past. They gradually learn to embrace and find strength in each other despite divisions. On a trip to a remote village, a monk asks for their help to rebuild a temple among ruins from the 2008 Schechuan earthquake. The...
- 8/11/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Box office slumps ahead of busy May Day holiday weekend when several big local titles are scheduled for release.
Japanese anime Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet topped the China box office over the weekend (April 23-25), according to figures from Artisan Gateway, grossing $4.8m.
The film, which is the 24th installment in a popular franchise, has grossed $26m since its April 17 release in China. It was followed by Lian Ray Pictures’ Sister, starring Zhang Zifeng, which grossed $4.6m over the weekend for an impressive cume of $128.2m.
The re-release of the second installment in the Lord Of The Rings franchise,...
Japanese anime Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet topped the China box office over the weekend (April 23-25), according to figures from Artisan Gateway, grossing $4.8m.
The film, which is the 24th installment in a popular franchise, has grossed $26m since its April 17 release in China. It was followed by Lian Ray Pictures’ Sister, starring Zhang Zifeng, which grossed $4.6m over the weekend for an impressive cume of $128.2m.
The re-release of the second installment in the Lord Of The Rings franchise,...
- 4/26/2021
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s stylish, snowy spy thriller “Impasse” is set to debut in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, joining what will be an unusually competitive line-up.
“Impasse” was supposed to hit screens last year, but its release was pushed back to this upcoming April 30 due to the pandemic. Starring Zhang Yi (“Operation Red Sea”), Yu Hewei (“A Writer’s Odyssey”), Qin Hailu (“White Deer Plain”) and Zhu Yawen (“The Witness”), the 1930s-set story tells the tale of four Chinese agents specially trained in the Soviet Union who parachute into the puppet state of Manchukuo, as northeast China was called under Japanese rule, to carry out a secret operation — only to discover they’ve been set up in a trap.
Including “Impasse,” six strong titles are now set to debut over the three-day holiday.
Three will premiere alongside Zhang’s latest on Friday, April 30: video game adaptation “Dynasty Warriors,...
“Impasse” was supposed to hit screens last year, but its release was pushed back to this upcoming April 30 due to the pandemic. Starring Zhang Yi (“Operation Red Sea”), Yu Hewei (“A Writer’s Odyssey”), Qin Hailu (“White Deer Plain”) and Zhu Yawen (“The Witness”), the 1930s-set story tells the tale of four Chinese agents specially trained in the Soviet Union who parachute into the puppet state of Manchukuo, as northeast China was called under Japanese rule, to carry out a secret operation — only to discover they’ve been set up in a trap.
Including “Impasse,” six strong titles are now set to debut over the three-day holiday.
Three will premiere alongside Zhang’s latest on Friday, April 30: video game adaptation “Dynasty Warriors,...
- 3/24/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Five competitive local titles have announced as of Monday that they will be vying for box office supremacy in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, a public holiday.
They include a long-anticipated video game adaptation, an omnibus pandemic film helmed by three different female big shots from China, Hong Kong and the U.S., a sleek Aaron Kwok-starring thriller, a TV series adaptation and the first title from helmer Li Yu not to star the now-disgraced Fan Bingbing in 14 years.
Their sales will be worth tracking, as holiday periods tend to be the most money-making in the world’s largest film market, where the February Chinese New Year box office set world records with an impressive $1.2 billion in sales in just six days.
In years past, Labor Day was considered a less significant holiday for movie-going than Chinese New Year, the summer holidays, October’s weeklong National Day holiday in October,...
They include a long-anticipated video game adaptation, an omnibus pandemic film helmed by three different female big shots from China, Hong Kong and the U.S., a sleek Aaron Kwok-starring thriller, a TV series adaptation and the first title from helmer Li Yu not to star the now-disgraced Fan Bingbing in 14 years.
Their sales will be worth tracking, as holiday periods tend to be the most money-making in the world’s largest film market, where the February Chinese New Year box office set world records with an impressive $1.2 billion in sales in just six days.
In years past, Labor Day was considered a less significant holiday for movie-going than Chinese New Year, the summer holidays, October’s weeklong National Day holiday in October,...
- 3/8/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Official report suggests actor, singer and model will escape criminal charges is she pays up.
Missing Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing has been ordered to pay the equivalent of roughly $129m in late taxes and fines for tax evasion, according to a report on state-run news outlet Xinhua.
The report said if China’s highest paid actor pays the fines, which amount to hundreds of millions of yuan, on time she will avoid criminal prosecution.
The actress posted an apology on her Weibo account saying: “I’ve been suffering unprecedented pain recently… I’m so ashamed of what I’ve done.
Missing Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing has been ordered to pay the equivalent of roughly $129m in late taxes and fines for tax evasion, according to a report on state-run news outlet Xinhua.
The report said if China’s highest paid actor pays the fines, which amount to hundreds of millions of yuan, on time she will avoid criminal prosecution.
The actress posted an apology on her Weibo account saying: “I’ve been suffering unprecedented pain recently… I’m so ashamed of what I’ve done.
- 10/3/2018
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Official report suggests actor, singer and model will escape criminal charges is she pays up.
Missing Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing has been ordered to pay the equivalent of roughly $129m in late taxes and fines for tax evasion, according to a report on state-run news outlet Xinhua.
The report said if China’s highest paid actor pays the fines, which amount to hundreds of millions of yuan, on time she will avoid criminal prosecution.
Fan disappeared from public view in the summer, sparking intense speculation over her business affairs. Her lengthy absence followed an incident in May when Chinese TV...
Missing Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing has been ordered to pay the equivalent of roughly $129m in late taxes and fines for tax evasion, according to a report on state-run news outlet Xinhua.
The report said if China’s highest paid actor pays the fines, which amount to hundreds of millions of yuan, on time she will avoid criminal prosecution.
Fan disappeared from public view in the summer, sparking intense speculation over her business affairs. Her lengthy absence followed an incident in May when Chinese TV...
- 10/3/2018
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Other winners include Mikhail Red’s Eerie and Bu Wei’s Man Of Sin.
At the 21st Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) today, the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff)’s project market wrapped its tenth edition with the top Bucheon Award going to Taneli Mustonen’s Finnish horror film The Twin.
Scroll down for the full list of awards
The Bucheon Award comes with KW15m ($13,400).
Selected to the Nordic Genre Invasion showcase, The Twin follows a family that moves to the Japanese countryside in search of redemption after one of their twins is killed in a car accident.
Mustonen’s horror film Lake Bodom is currently showing in Bifan’s World Fantastic Red section.
Speaking about his project, Mustonen (pictured, top left with producer Aleksi Hyvarinen) said, “We came here and to be honest, I was rather scared to be pitching it to anyone for the first time. We learned...
At the 21st Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) today, the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff)’s project market wrapped its tenth edition with the top Bucheon Award going to Taneli Mustonen’s Finnish horror film The Twin.
Scroll down for the full list of awards
The Bucheon Award comes with KW15m ($13,400).
Selected to the Nordic Genre Invasion showcase, The Twin follows a family that moves to the Japanese countryside in search of redemption after one of their twins is killed in a car accident.
Mustonen’s horror film Lake Bodom is currently showing in Bifan’s World Fantastic Red section.
Speaking about his project, Mustonen (pictured, top left with producer Aleksi Hyvarinen) said, “We came here and to be honest, I was rather scared to be pitching it to anyone for the first time. We learned...
- 7/18/2017
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
It may not boast the glitz of Cannes or provide the buzz of Sundance, but the New York Asian Film Festival — now in its 16th year — has swiftly become one of the most consistently exciting fests on the planet. Arguably the world’s best-curated program of new and classic Asian cinema, the annual showcase has made itself an increasingly essential institution by introducing American audiences to little-seen masterpieces like Park Hoon-jung’s “New World,” Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng’s “Gallants,” and Li Yu’s “Buddha Mountain” (to name three random classics from a list of dozens).
Read More: Ambitious South Korean Actioner ‘The Villainess’ Just Might Be This Year’s ‘Train to Busan’ — Film Festival Roundup
But it’s not the quality control or the comprehensiveness that makes Nyaff such an indispensable event, it’s that they deliver both of those things with style; no one who attended the...
Read More: Ambitious South Korean Actioner ‘The Villainess’ Just Might Be This Year’s ‘Train to Busan’ — Film Festival Roundup
But it’s not the quality control or the comprehensiveness that makes Nyaff such an indispensable event, it’s that they deliver both of those things with style; no one who attended the...
- 6/30/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The Marché du Film has confirmed the program and multiple speakers for the inaugural Marché du Film China Summit, which will take place during the upcoming Marché. The Summit has been established to help film industry professionals learn more about the Chinese marketplace and to enable Chinese professionals to connect with their industry peers, providing a platform that promotes international business connections.
This series of conferences and events, reserved for Marché Badge holders, includes numerous round-table panel discussions focusing on key topics identified as most relevant to the current Chinese market, including theatrical and VOD distribution as well as a discussion on international productions. A section of the Summit is to be co-hosted by Cnc (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée) under the umbrella title of “The French Chinese Meetings” which consist of two round-table panel discussions on Saturday May 16th. Variety, Screen International, The Hollywood Reporter and The Chinese Film Market are signed on as supporting media partners.
The Marché du Film China Summit will run from Saturday May 16th to Tuesday May 19th, concluding on the Tuesday evening
with the annual China Night Party, which is to be hosted in partnership with China Movie Channel and Champs Lis International.The Marché du Film will run from May 13th to 22nd.
On announcing the program, Marche du Film Executive Director Jérôme Paillard commented “With the increasing global interest in China’s film industry, combined with the increasing presence of Chinese executives at the Marché du Film, this exclusive 3-day series of conferences and events will help promote business opportunities and international partnerships amongst professionals. It will cover all aspects of partnerships with China, from international co-productions and French-Chinese collaborations to theatrical and VOD distribution.”
The Marché du Film China Summit will commence on the afternoon of Saturday, May 16th with an introduction by Frédérique Bredin(Cnc) and Yin Fu (China Cultural Center in Paris), followed by two round-table panel discussions welcoming Jean-Paul Salome, (Unifrance), Isabelle Glachant (Chinese Shadows), Valérie Lepine-Karnik (Film France) and Franck Priot (Film France), Richard Patry (Fncf), Xavier Castano (Loull Productions), Cary Cheng (Wanda), Michel Ferry (Cinéma des Carmes), Olivier Grandjean (Pathé), Gary Mak (Broadway Cinematheque) and Zhang Rengang (Tianjin North Film Group). The first round-table panel is titled “Attractiveness of French and Chinese Territories” followed by “Strategies of Exhibition and Distribution in France and China, examples of Chinese-French co-productions.”
The Marché du Film China Summit continues on Monday, May 18th and Tuesday, May 19th with the support of the Marche’s new leading Summit partner, Deloitte Consulting. Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China, will introduce the discussions, the first of which, on Monday, May 18th, will provide an overview of the Chinese film distribution market, moderated by Patrick Frater (Variety) and welcoming Jeffrey Chan (Bona Film Group), Chen Sijie (Smg Pictures), James Li (Wuzhou Film Distribution Co. ltd) and Lin Ning (WeChat Movie).
The final two round-table panel discussions are scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th, the first focusing on Video On Demand opportunities in China, moderated by Liz Shackleton (Screen International) and welcoming Marc Ganis (Jiaflix Enterprises), David U. Lee (Leeding Media), Li Yansong (iQIYI) and Allen Zhu Huilong (Youku Tudou Inc.). The second session will focus on international production with China, moderated by Clifford Coonan (The Hollywood Reporter) and welcoming Wendy Reeds (Lionsgate International), Shi Nansun (Distribution Workshop), Allen Wang Jun (Yingke Law Firm) and Zhou Yuan (Linmon Pictures).
All the conferences will provide bilingual English-Mandarin simultaneous interpretation.
The Summit will this year include the third edition of the New Chinese Film Talents Fund Forum jointly established in 2013 by Champs Lis lnternational and the Marché du Film. The Forum encourages and supports promising young Chinese filmmakers in their understanding of the global cinema marketplace, of the commercial requirements of the film industry and of their approach of the international production business. Eight projects, selected by a committee of international experts, will be pitched on Monday, May 18th at 2pm. More information on the projects will be announced soon.
Marche du Film Chine Summit Schedule and Information:
1) Subject: The Attractiveness of French and Chinese Territories
Date: Saturday May 16th 15:00-16:30
Venue: Cnc Space, Gray d’Albion Beach
Introductory speeches by Frédérique Bredin, CEO of Cnc, and Yin Fu, Director of the China Cultural Center in Paris. Description: France and China share a common ambition for their film industries. They consider film to have both a cultural and an economic impact. Providing attractive shooting locations and completion of post-production is proven to benefit the local economy. Directly and indirectly the industry creates jobs and, in the long run, tourism benefits from the attractive images that are shown worldwide.
France has considered the issue of territory attractiveness a priority for many years, setting up a network of local film commissions placed under the umbrella of Film France and offering a tax incentive dedicated to foreign pictures. Valérie Lépine and Franck Priot will explain the benefits of such policies and discuss cases of Chinese producers choosing France as a shooting destination.
Moderator: Jean-Paul Salome, President of Unifrance
UniFrance Films is a non-profit organization based in Paris with representatives in Beijing, Mumbai, New York and Tokyo, its aim is to promote French cinema worldwide. This association accompanies French films in the international marketplace, from their sale all the way through to their distribution, and on the international film festival circuit. Elected in 2013 President of Unifrance and re-elected in 2015, Jean-Paul Salomé is a famous French film director and writer.
Panelists to Include:
Isabelle Glachant, Producer and Delegate of Unifrance in China
Producer and Delegate of Unifrance in China, Glachant began her film career with Shanghai Dreams (Jury Prize in Cannes), then worked on the productions of numerous Chinese directors including Li Yu, Lu Chuan, Lou Ye and Wang Xiaoshuai, including 11 Flowers, the first official French-Chinese co-production. Her company Chinese Shadows focuses on Production, through Asian Shadows she represents Asian directors.
Valérie Lepine-Karnik, CEO of Film France
Lépine-Karnik, joined Film France as CEO in 2014. She previously held the position of Deputy Director of the Cinema Department at the Centre National du Cinéma et de L’image Animée (Cnc), after heading the international Federation of Film Producers associations (Fiapf).
Franck Priot, COO of Film France
Priot is Chief Operating Officer of Film France, the French Film Commission. His areas of responsibility include overseeing the Tax rebate for international productions. He is currently the key person spearheading Film France’s efforts to increase relationships with China, having worked with on numerous Chinese films and TV series, including Jackie Chan’s Chinese Zodiac and Leon Lai’s Wine War.
2) Subject: Strategies of Exhibition and Distribution in France and China, Examples of Sino-French Co-Productions
Date: Saturday May 16th 16:30-18:00
Venue: Cnc Space, Gray d’Albion Beach
Description: Since the April 2010 French-Chinese Co-production agreement was signed, two French directors have shot their films in Chinese in China. The Nightingale and The Wolf Totem are pictures of different natures, but for both directors, the experience of working in China was both challenging and rewarding. This accomplishment was particularly impressive in the case of The Wolf Totem, which found great success at the box office in France and in China. The round table will discuss the issues of distribution and exhibition in France and in China. Can art houses and commercial theaters co-exist and draw large audiences in both countries? How do co-produced films succeed at the box office?
Moderator: Richard Patry, President of the French Cinema Exhibitors’ Association
Patry has served as President of the French Cinema Exhibitors’ association since January 2013 and was unanimously re-elected in January 2015. He is also CEO of Noe Cinémas which operates 62 screens in Normandy, the East of France and in the Paris region, and President of the grouping of Normandy Cinemas, a professional organization which brings together cinemas across the region’s 5 departments. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Festival de Cannes.
Panelists to Include:
Xavier Castano, Loull Productions
Cary Cheng, Head of International Production & Development, Wanda
Michel Ferry, Cinéma des Carmes
Olivier Grandjean, Head of exhibition, Pathé
Gary Mak, CEO of Broadway Cinematheque
Zhang Rengang, CEO of Tianjin North Film Group
3) Subject: Chines Film Market Overview
Date: Monday May 18th 10:00-12:00
Venues: Cinema Olympia 1
Media Partner: Variety
Description: With the great development of the Chinese theatrical network, China strengthens its position as the world’s second largest box office market. High profile panelists will illustrate the preferences and characteristics of Chinese audiences, the distribution protocols and the influence of marketing strategies on movie success.
Moderator: Patrick Frater, Asia Bureau Chief, Variety
Patrick Frater has over 20 years of experience writing about and analyzing the international film industry. He was Asia editor of Variety between 2005 and 2009 and re-joined the publication in July 2013. In 2010, he co-founded regional film trade publication Film Business Asia and consultancy firm F Media. He travels widely within the Asia-Pacific region, and is a regular radio pundit, conference host and public speaker.
Panelists to Include:
Jeffrey Chan, COO and Board member of Bona Film Group
Jeffrey Chan has over 20 years of experience in the film distribution and entertainment industry (Media Asia Holdings Limited, Pccw/Cable & Wireless Ltd). He joined Bona Film in 2008 and co-founded Distribution Workshop, a Hk based joint venture subsidiary of Bona. Bona Film Group is a leading film distributor in China, with an integrated business model encompassing film distribution, production, exhibition and talent representation.
James Li, General Manager of Wuzhou Film Distribution Co., ltd
James Li has worked in China’s film industry over the past 17 years, and has overseen and distributed over 200 films in China. He served as the Director of Film Distribution Department at Wanda Media from 2011. At the end of 2014, Wanda Media, Dadi Times Film Distributor, Guangzhou Jinyi International Cinemas, and Hengdian World Studios co-founded the Wuzhou Company which is a leading company in media industry focusing on film distribution, film marketing and branding.
Lin Ning, Founder of Beijing Weying Technology Co,Ltd,( WeChat Movie).
Lin Ning is an entrepreneur of internet and media who founded Weying in 2014. Their product Weipiao has covered more than 300 cities in China within a year, linked to 3500 cinema and 1200 theater's ticket system. As the exclusive service company embedded in WeChat with 700 million users, Weying’s marketing distribution model based on social networking has gained a large popularity among most distributors and producers.
Chen Sijie, CEO, Smg Pictures
With experiences in journalism and the world wide web industries, Chen Sijie is a major figure in the new media industry. Established in 2011, Smg Pictures is majority owned by Shanghai Media group, the 2nd largest media conglomerate in China. Smg Pictures conducts diversified business in the filmed entertainment industry, such as script development, production, distribution and entertainment marketing. Smg Pictures has a partnership with international mainstream media and production houses.
(Introduction by Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China)
4) Subject: Video on Demand Opportunities in China
Date: Tuesday May 19th 10:00-12:00
Venues: Cinema Olympia 1
Media Partner: Screen Intentional
Description: Due to its rapid growth, the Chinese VOD market attracts the attention of professionals from the world over. New key players in this booming industry will talk about their business strategies, present characteristics of the Chinese audience and share their experiences.
Moderator: Liz Shackleton, Asia Editor, Screen International
Liz Shackleton is Screen’s Asia Editor based in Hong Kong. She is also the founder of Chime Consulting, which helps Western companies and government organisations to work with the fast-developing Chinese and Indian film industries. She was also recently appointed as Asia Programmer and Producer for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Panelists to Include:
Marc Ganis, President, CEO and Co-Founder of Jiaflix Enterprises
Marc Ganis, co-founder of Jiaflix Enterprises, has been active in China for more than a decade in the capital markets, sports and entertainment sectors. In partnership with China Movie Channel/CCTV6 and its digital subsidiary 1905.com, Jiaflix has established Wow Cinema, a subscription and pay-per-view portal in China. Ganis has established with Jiaflix an affordable monthly subscription fee and developed strong anti-piracy efforts.
David U. Lee, Founder and CEO of Leeding Media
David U.Lee is one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs who successfully bridges the U.S. and China film industries. Under his leadership, Leeding Media has become an experienced marketer of international films in China. The company helped the subscription streaming service between Alibaba Group and Lionsgate. It also controls the exclusive digital distribution rights to the Lakeshore, Myriad, Im Global, Voltage, Exclusive Media and Sierra/Affinity libraries.
Li Yansong VP of iQIYI, President of iQIYI Motion Pictures
Li Yansong was one of the first to join the newly founded iQIYI in 2010. iQIYI, one of China's leading online video platforms, has successfully set up China’s first copyrighted video library covering diverse contents including movie, TV drama, variety show, comic, documentary etc. After managing iQIYI's Film Channel Division, he was recently appointed as President of iQIYI Motion Pictures as well as Vice President of iQIYI.
Allen Zhu HuilongSVP of Youku Tudou Inc. & CEO of Heyi Film
Zhu Huilong has joined Youku in 2006 and was a driving force to advance Subscription video-on-demand model in mainland China in 2009. Youku Tudou Inc., China’s leading Internet television company, has gradually set cooperation with major Hollywood studios for content acquisition and it began from 2012 to focus on trade cooperation between the Internet and the film industry. From 2014, Zhu Huilong became also the CEO of Heyi Film, a production company, wholly owned by Youku Tudou.
(Introduction by Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China)
5) Subject: International Production with China
Date: Tuesday May 19th 15:00-17:00
Venues: Cinema Olympia 1
Media Partner: The Hollywood Reporter
Description: International co-productions come under different arrangements. How is it with China, under a co-production treaty or not? Insiders will discuss the advantages and the pitfalls of co-producing with China. And how to co-produce films for the Chinese market, and abroad.
Moderator: Clifford Coonan, Asia Bureau Chief, The Hollywood Reporter
Clifford Coonan has worked as a correspondent in China for over a decade, enjoying a front-row seat on this world's second biggest movie market and on the fastest growing entertainment sector on the planet: Asia. Before moving to Beijing, he was a Reuters correspondent for seven years. He is widely published in The Irish Times, The Independent, Variety and The Times and has appeared on BBC Radio and NPR.
Panelists to Include:
Wendy Reed, Evp, International Sales of Lionsgate International
A 20-year int’l sales and distribution veteran, Wendy Reeds is in charge of licensing films in all of Asia, including China. For many
years, she ran Celestial Tiger Entertainment out of Hong Kong. She has been instrumental in building Lionsgate’s operations in
China, with 17 films released over the past 3 years. Lionsgate recently announced a multifaceted partnership with Hunan TV for slate financing, film production and distribution, and a content licensing agreement with The Alibaba Group
Shi Nansun Chairman, Distribution Workshop
Shi Nansun has produced such blockbusters as The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D and Young Detective Dee – Rise of the Sea Dragon. She founded Cinema City and Film Workshop Co Ltd. with acclaimed Producer/Director Tsui Hark. She was a member of the International Jury at the Berlinale 2007. She was a jury member at the 2011 Festival de Cannes. In 2013, she received the French title of Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2014, she was awarded as Best Independent Producer at Locarno Film Festival.
Allen Wang Jun, Senior Partner of Yingke Law Firm
Allen Wang has been named an Asia-Pacific leading Tmt/Entertainment lawyer consecutively for the last three years. He was named amongst the Top 15 Litigators in China in 2015. He represents more than 20 of the leading Chinese entertainment including Huayi Brothers, Hunan TV, Alibaba’s Entertainment Investment, Kofic and more. Yingke Law Firm is one of the largest Chinese law firms with over 25 offices across China and 24 international offices.
Zhou Yuan, Evp of Linmon Pictures
Zhou Yuan was the former Head of Motion Pictures of Smg Pictures, where he built up the company's film business by investing in project development, expanding distribution networks, delivering integrated marketing services as well as establishing an intimate relationship with international partners .In August 2014, he left Smg Pictures and founded Linmon Pictures, a new generation entertainment company invested by China's largest Internet service provider Tencent. As the Executive Vice President, he is responsible for the Motion Pictures business, Corporate Strategy and Investment.
(Introduction by Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China)...
This series of conferences and events, reserved for Marché Badge holders, includes numerous round-table panel discussions focusing on key topics identified as most relevant to the current Chinese market, including theatrical and VOD distribution as well as a discussion on international productions. A section of the Summit is to be co-hosted by Cnc (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée) under the umbrella title of “The French Chinese Meetings” which consist of two round-table panel discussions on Saturday May 16th. Variety, Screen International, The Hollywood Reporter and The Chinese Film Market are signed on as supporting media partners.
The Marché du Film China Summit will run from Saturday May 16th to Tuesday May 19th, concluding on the Tuesday evening
with the annual China Night Party, which is to be hosted in partnership with China Movie Channel and Champs Lis International.The Marché du Film will run from May 13th to 22nd.
On announcing the program, Marche du Film Executive Director Jérôme Paillard commented “With the increasing global interest in China’s film industry, combined with the increasing presence of Chinese executives at the Marché du Film, this exclusive 3-day series of conferences and events will help promote business opportunities and international partnerships amongst professionals. It will cover all aspects of partnerships with China, from international co-productions and French-Chinese collaborations to theatrical and VOD distribution.”
The Marché du Film China Summit will commence on the afternoon of Saturday, May 16th with an introduction by Frédérique Bredin(Cnc) and Yin Fu (China Cultural Center in Paris), followed by two round-table panel discussions welcoming Jean-Paul Salome, (Unifrance), Isabelle Glachant (Chinese Shadows), Valérie Lepine-Karnik (Film France) and Franck Priot (Film France), Richard Patry (Fncf), Xavier Castano (Loull Productions), Cary Cheng (Wanda), Michel Ferry (Cinéma des Carmes), Olivier Grandjean (Pathé), Gary Mak (Broadway Cinematheque) and Zhang Rengang (Tianjin North Film Group). The first round-table panel is titled “Attractiveness of French and Chinese Territories” followed by “Strategies of Exhibition and Distribution in France and China, examples of Chinese-French co-productions.”
The Marché du Film China Summit continues on Monday, May 18th and Tuesday, May 19th with the support of the Marche’s new leading Summit partner, Deloitte Consulting. Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China, will introduce the discussions, the first of which, on Monday, May 18th, will provide an overview of the Chinese film distribution market, moderated by Patrick Frater (Variety) and welcoming Jeffrey Chan (Bona Film Group), Chen Sijie (Smg Pictures), James Li (Wuzhou Film Distribution Co. ltd) and Lin Ning (WeChat Movie).
The final two round-table panel discussions are scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th, the first focusing on Video On Demand opportunities in China, moderated by Liz Shackleton (Screen International) and welcoming Marc Ganis (Jiaflix Enterprises), David U. Lee (Leeding Media), Li Yansong (iQIYI) and Allen Zhu Huilong (Youku Tudou Inc.). The second session will focus on international production with China, moderated by Clifford Coonan (The Hollywood Reporter) and welcoming Wendy Reeds (Lionsgate International), Shi Nansun (Distribution Workshop), Allen Wang Jun (Yingke Law Firm) and Zhou Yuan (Linmon Pictures).
All the conferences will provide bilingual English-Mandarin simultaneous interpretation.
The Summit will this year include the third edition of the New Chinese Film Talents Fund Forum jointly established in 2013 by Champs Lis lnternational and the Marché du Film. The Forum encourages and supports promising young Chinese filmmakers in their understanding of the global cinema marketplace, of the commercial requirements of the film industry and of their approach of the international production business. Eight projects, selected by a committee of international experts, will be pitched on Monday, May 18th at 2pm. More information on the projects will be announced soon.
Marche du Film Chine Summit Schedule and Information:
1) Subject: The Attractiveness of French and Chinese Territories
Date: Saturday May 16th 15:00-16:30
Venue: Cnc Space, Gray d’Albion Beach
Introductory speeches by Frédérique Bredin, CEO of Cnc, and Yin Fu, Director of the China Cultural Center in Paris. Description: France and China share a common ambition for their film industries. They consider film to have both a cultural and an economic impact. Providing attractive shooting locations and completion of post-production is proven to benefit the local economy. Directly and indirectly the industry creates jobs and, in the long run, tourism benefits from the attractive images that are shown worldwide.
France has considered the issue of territory attractiveness a priority for many years, setting up a network of local film commissions placed under the umbrella of Film France and offering a tax incentive dedicated to foreign pictures. Valérie Lépine and Franck Priot will explain the benefits of such policies and discuss cases of Chinese producers choosing France as a shooting destination.
Moderator: Jean-Paul Salome, President of Unifrance
UniFrance Films is a non-profit organization based in Paris with representatives in Beijing, Mumbai, New York and Tokyo, its aim is to promote French cinema worldwide. This association accompanies French films in the international marketplace, from their sale all the way through to their distribution, and on the international film festival circuit. Elected in 2013 President of Unifrance and re-elected in 2015, Jean-Paul Salomé is a famous French film director and writer.
Panelists to Include:
Isabelle Glachant, Producer and Delegate of Unifrance in China
Producer and Delegate of Unifrance in China, Glachant began her film career with Shanghai Dreams (Jury Prize in Cannes), then worked on the productions of numerous Chinese directors including Li Yu, Lu Chuan, Lou Ye and Wang Xiaoshuai, including 11 Flowers, the first official French-Chinese co-production. Her company Chinese Shadows focuses on Production, through Asian Shadows she represents Asian directors.
Valérie Lepine-Karnik, CEO of Film France
Lépine-Karnik, joined Film France as CEO in 2014. She previously held the position of Deputy Director of the Cinema Department at the Centre National du Cinéma et de L’image Animée (Cnc), after heading the international Federation of Film Producers associations (Fiapf).
Franck Priot, COO of Film France
Priot is Chief Operating Officer of Film France, the French Film Commission. His areas of responsibility include overseeing the Tax rebate for international productions. He is currently the key person spearheading Film France’s efforts to increase relationships with China, having worked with on numerous Chinese films and TV series, including Jackie Chan’s Chinese Zodiac and Leon Lai’s Wine War.
2) Subject: Strategies of Exhibition and Distribution in France and China, Examples of Sino-French Co-Productions
Date: Saturday May 16th 16:30-18:00
Venue: Cnc Space, Gray d’Albion Beach
Description: Since the April 2010 French-Chinese Co-production agreement was signed, two French directors have shot their films in Chinese in China. The Nightingale and The Wolf Totem are pictures of different natures, but for both directors, the experience of working in China was both challenging and rewarding. This accomplishment was particularly impressive in the case of The Wolf Totem, which found great success at the box office in France and in China. The round table will discuss the issues of distribution and exhibition in France and in China. Can art houses and commercial theaters co-exist and draw large audiences in both countries? How do co-produced films succeed at the box office?
Moderator: Richard Patry, President of the French Cinema Exhibitors’ Association
Patry has served as President of the French Cinema Exhibitors’ association since January 2013 and was unanimously re-elected in January 2015. He is also CEO of Noe Cinémas which operates 62 screens in Normandy, the East of France and in the Paris region, and President of the grouping of Normandy Cinemas, a professional organization which brings together cinemas across the region’s 5 departments. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Festival de Cannes.
Panelists to Include:
Xavier Castano, Loull Productions
Cary Cheng, Head of International Production & Development, Wanda
Michel Ferry, Cinéma des Carmes
Olivier Grandjean, Head of exhibition, Pathé
Gary Mak, CEO of Broadway Cinematheque
Zhang Rengang, CEO of Tianjin North Film Group
3) Subject: Chines Film Market Overview
Date: Monday May 18th 10:00-12:00
Venues: Cinema Olympia 1
Media Partner: Variety
Description: With the great development of the Chinese theatrical network, China strengthens its position as the world’s second largest box office market. High profile panelists will illustrate the preferences and characteristics of Chinese audiences, the distribution protocols and the influence of marketing strategies on movie success.
Moderator: Patrick Frater, Asia Bureau Chief, Variety
Patrick Frater has over 20 years of experience writing about and analyzing the international film industry. He was Asia editor of Variety between 2005 and 2009 and re-joined the publication in July 2013. In 2010, he co-founded regional film trade publication Film Business Asia and consultancy firm F Media. He travels widely within the Asia-Pacific region, and is a regular radio pundit, conference host and public speaker.
Panelists to Include:
Jeffrey Chan, COO and Board member of Bona Film Group
Jeffrey Chan has over 20 years of experience in the film distribution and entertainment industry (Media Asia Holdings Limited, Pccw/Cable & Wireless Ltd). He joined Bona Film in 2008 and co-founded Distribution Workshop, a Hk based joint venture subsidiary of Bona. Bona Film Group is a leading film distributor in China, with an integrated business model encompassing film distribution, production, exhibition and talent representation.
James Li, General Manager of Wuzhou Film Distribution Co., ltd
James Li has worked in China’s film industry over the past 17 years, and has overseen and distributed over 200 films in China. He served as the Director of Film Distribution Department at Wanda Media from 2011. At the end of 2014, Wanda Media, Dadi Times Film Distributor, Guangzhou Jinyi International Cinemas, and Hengdian World Studios co-founded the Wuzhou Company which is a leading company in media industry focusing on film distribution, film marketing and branding.
Lin Ning, Founder of Beijing Weying Technology Co,Ltd,( WeChat Movie).
Lin Ning is an entrepreneur of internet and media who founded Weying in 2014. Their product Weipiao has covered more than 300 cities in China within a year, linked to 3500 cinema and 1200 theater's ticket system. As the exclusive service company embedded in WeChat with 700 million users, Weying’s marketing distribution model based on social networking has gained a large popularity among most distributors and producers.
Chen Sijie, CEO, Smg Pictures
With experiences in journalism and the world wide web industries, Chen Sijie is a major figure in the new media industry. Established in 2011, Smg Pictures is majority owned by Shanghai Media group, the 2nd largest media conglomerate in China. Smg Pictures conducts diversified business in the filmed entertainment industry, such as script development, production, distribution and entertainment marketing. Smg Pictures has a partnership with international mainstream media and production houses.
(Introduction by Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China)
4) Subject: Video on Demand Opportunities in China
Date: Tuesday May 19th 10:00-12:00
Venues: Cinema Olympia 1
Media Partner: Screen Intentional
Description: Due to its rapid growth, the Chinese VOD market attracts the attention of professionals from the world over. New key players in this booming industry will talk about their business strategies, present characteristics of the Chinese audience and share their experiences.
Moderator: Liz Shackleton, Asia Editor, Screen International
Liz Shackleton is Screen’s Asia Editor based in Hong Kong. She is also the founder of Chime Consulting, which helps Western companies and government organisations to work with the fast-developing Chinese and Indian film industries. She was also recently appointed as Asia Programmer and Producer for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Panelists to Include:
Marc Ganis, President, CEO and Co-Founder of Jiaflix Enterprises
Marc Ganis, co-founder of Jiaflix Enterprises, has been active in China for more than a decade in the capital markets, sports and entertainment sectors. In partnership with China Movie Channel/CCTV6 and its digital subsidiary 1905.com, Jiaflix has established Wow Cinema, a subscription and pay-per-view portal in China. Ganis has established with Jiaflix an affordable monthly subscription fee and developed strong anti-piracy efforts.
David U. Lee, Founder and CEO of Leeding Media
David U.Lee is one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs who successfully bridges the U.S. and China film industries. Under his leadership, Leeding Media has become an experienced marketer of international films in China. The company helped the subscription streaming service between Alibaba Group and Lionsgate. It also controls the exclusive digital distribution rights to the Lakeshore, Myriad, Im Global, Voltage, Exclusive Media and Sierra/Affinity libraries.
Li Yansong VP of iQIYI, President of iQIYI Motion Pictures
Li Yansong was one of the first to join the newly founded iQIYI in 2010. iQIYI, one of China's leading online video platforms, has successfully set up China’s first copyrighted video library covering diverse contents including movie, TV drama, variety show, comic, documentary etc. After managing iQIYI's Film Channel Division, he was recently appointed as President of iQIYI Motion Pictures as well as Vice President of iQIYI.
Allen Zhu HuilongSVP of Youku Tudou Inc. & CEO of Heyi Film
Zhu Huilong has joined Youku in 2006 and was a driving force to advance Subscription video-on-demand model in mainland China in 2009. Youku Tudou Inc., China’s leading Internet television company, has gradually set cooperation with major Hollywood studios for content acquisition and it began from 2012 to focus on trade cooperation between the Internet and the film industry. From 2014, Zhu Huilong became also the CEO of Heyi Film, a production company, wholly owned by Youku Tudou.
(Introduction by Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China)
5) Subject: International Production with China
Date: Tuesday May 19th 15:00-17:00
Venues: Cinema Olympia 1
Media Partner: The Hollywood Reporter
Description: International co-productions come under different arrangements. How is it with China, under a co-production treaty or not? Insiders will discuss the advantages and the pitfalls of co-producing with China. And how to co-produce films for the Chinese market, and abroad.
Moderator: Clifford Coonan, Asia Bureau Chief, The Hollywood Reporter
Clifford Coonan has worked as a correspondent in China for over a decade, enjoying a front-row seat on this world's second biggest movie market and on the fastest growing entertainment sector on the planet: Asia. Before moving to Beijing, he was a Reuters correspondent for seven years. He is widely published in The Irish Times, The Independent, Variety and The Times and has appeared on BBC Radio and NPR.
Panelists to Include:
Wendy Reed, Evp, International Sales of Lionsgate International
A 20-year int’l sales and distribution veteran, Wendy Reeds is in charge of licensing films in all of Asia, including China. For many
years, she ran Celestial Tiger Entertainment out of Hong Kong. She has been instrumental in building Lionsgate’s operations in
China, with 17 films released over the past 3 years. Lionsgate recently announced a multifaceted partnership with Hunan TV for slate financing, film production and distribution, and a content licensing agreement with The Alibaba Group
Shi Nansun Chairman, Distribution Workshop
Shi Nansun has produced such blockbusters as The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D and Young Detective Dee – Rise of the Sea Dragon. She founded Cinema City and Film Workshop Co Ltd. with acclaimed Producer/Director Tsui Hark. She was a member of the International Jury at the Berlinale 2007. She was a jury member at the 2011 Festival de Cannes. In 2013, she received the French title of Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2014, she was awarded as Best Independent Producer at Locarno Film Festival.
Allen Wang Jun, Senior Partner of Yingke Law Firm
Allen Wang has been named an Asia-Pacific leading Tmt/Entertainment lawyer consecutively for the last three years. He was named amongst the Top 15 Litigators in China in 2015. He represents more than 20 of the leading Chinese entertainment including Huayi Brothers, Hunan TV, Alibaba’s Entertainment Investment, Kofic and more. Yingke Law Firm is one of the largest Chinese law firms with over 25 offices across China and 24 international offices.
Zhou Yuan, Evp of Linmon Pictures
Zhou Yuan was the former Head of Motion Pictures of Smg Pictures, where he built up the company's film business by investing in project development, expanding distribution networks, delivering integrated marketing services as well as establishing an intimate relationship with international partners .In August 2014, he left Smg Pictures and founded Linmon Pictures, a new generation entertainment company invested by China's largest Internet service provider Tencent. As the Executive Vice President, he is responsible for the Motion Pictures business, Corporate Strategy and Investment.
(Introduction by Hou Po, Partner of Deloitte Consulting, Tmt Leader of Deloitte China)...
- 5/9/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Bryan Singer just tweeted that Fan Bingbing has been set to play Blink in X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Bingbing recently starred in the Li Yu-directed film Double Exposure, which broke a box office record for an art film in China, and the Xu Zhen-directed film Lost In Thailand, which also broke a box office record of all Chinese films in China. She can next be seen in F… I’m Pregnant by China/U.S. director Eva Jin, and The Bride With White Hair, by Hong Kong director Jacob Cheung. Later in 2013, Bingbing will be shooting The Lady In The Portrait, The Moon & The Sun and Empress Wu Ze Tian. She is also in negotiations to star in the sequel of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She is repped by Wme and Timothy Mou of Fbb Studios.
- 3/15/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
In just two days — May 4th, 2012, you know, just in case you’re reading this from the future — director Zhang Li’s stylish action/adventure flick “Moonlight Savage” (aka “Mystery Fobber”) will arrive in Chinese theaters. So the trailer you see embedded below, the one that actually gives you a pretty good idea of what in the hell is going on, has arrived just in the nick of time. And thank God for that, right? I mean, I probably would have watched it regardless, but it’s always nice to know what to expect. After all, a man cannot live on mystery. Actually, he can, but I’m thankful for the coherence nonetheless. “Moonlight Savage” stars Xing Jiadong, Yao Lu, Yano Koji, and Li Yu. I’d love for this thing to get an English-subtitled DVD sometime in the near future. And the nearer, the better...
- 5/2/2012
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Last month we posted a teaser for Tsui Hark’s latest film Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate starring Jet Li. Although it was a brief thirty second clip, it had many of us excited since it marks the first collaboration between Tsui and Li since their Once Upon A Time In China series. Well now a full trailer has been released, which you can see below. The film stars Jet Li, Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, Louis Fan Siu-wong, Kwai Lun-mei, Mavis Fan and Li Yu-chun, and was shot in 3D.
via Twitch...
via Twitch...
- 8/18/2011
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
The latest trailer for director Tsui Hark’s upcoming martial arts epic “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate” looks absolutely fantastic. From a visual standpoint, the film is stunning, and I’m anxious to see what sort of kung fu madness Jet Li and his “Once Upon a Time” collaborator have cooked up. To borrow a quote from the immortal Keanu Reeves: “Whoa”. The film, which also stars Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, Louis Fan Siu-wong, Kwai Lun-mei, Mavis Fan, and Li Yu-chun, opens in China this December. Be sure to check out the clip embedded below on your way out. Source: Twitch function getVideo() { var so = new SWFObject("http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf?pid=byhw013&siteId=243&videoId=341543&autostart=false&file=http://cms.springboard.gorillanation.com/xml_feeds_advanced/index/243/3/341543/&pageUrl="+escape(document.location), "mplayer", "590", "375", "8", "#000000"); so.addParam("wmode","transparent"); so.addParam("swliveconnect", "true"); so.addParam("allowscriptaccess", "always"); so.
- 8/17/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Last month we brought you an early teaser for Tsui Hark's latest film Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate. Admittedly, the quality wasn't great, but the style and action certainly got many of us excited. Of course, the collaboration between Tsui and Jet Li, the first since their Once Upon A Time In China films, is also a great reason for the anticipation of this film. The film stars Jet Li, Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, Louis Fan Siu-wong, Kwai Lun-mei, Mavis Fan and Li Yu-chun, and tells the story of the struggle between a Ming Dynasty general (played by Jet Li) and his rival, a powerful eunuch (played by Chen Kun). Tsui Hark directed and also wrote the script, which is a retelling of the story of...
- 8/17/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Tsui Hark's last film Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame was by far his best work in recent years, and marked a spectacular return to form for the great director. That is just one of the reasons for his new film Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate to become one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year. The collaboration between Tsui and Jet Li, the first since their Once Upon A Time In China films, is another big reason to be excited about the film. Plus it will be the first ever 3D wu xia film! Starring Jet Li, Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, Louis Fan Siu-wong, Kwai Lun-mei, Mavis Fan and Li Yu-chun, Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate tells the story...
- 7/14/2011
- Screen Anarchy
The New York Asian Film Festival has announced that its tenth anniversary edition will open on July 1 with the North American premiere of Yoshimasa Ishibashi's Milocrorze: A Love Story ("one solid slab of psychedelia," promises the festival; image above) and close on July 14 with the New York premiere of Na Hong-Jin's The Yellow Sea (aka The Murderer), which has just screened at Cannes in Un Certain Regard (see the roundup).
There'll be two Centerpiece Presentations, Benny Chan's Shaolin, with Andy Lau, Nic Tse and Jackie Chan, and Takashi Miike's Ninja Kids!!! — which, you may remember Danny Kasman caught in Cannes, and got quite a nice kick out of it, too. The festival will also be screening Miike's "director's cut" of 13 Assassins.
There'll be three special focuses. First off...
Wu Xia: Hong Kong's Flying Swordsmen
Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame...
There'll be two Centerpiece Presentations, Benny Chan's Shaolin, with Andy Lau, Nic Tse and Jackie Chan, and Takashi Miike's Ninja Kids!!! — which, you may remember Danny Kasman caught in Cannes, and got quite a nice kick out of it, too. The festival will also be screening Miike's "director's cut" of 13 Assassins.
There'll be three special focuses. First off...
Wu Xia: Hong Kong's Flying Swordsmen
Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame...
- 5/31/2011
- MUBI
The Tribeca Film Festival has the stars. The New York Film Festival has the award winners. But the New York Asian Film Festival has the coolest, boldest, and strangest genre movies, and that's why it holds a special place in my heart. While most festivals specialize in quote-unquote arthouse fare, Nyaff brings the Asian mainstream -- the stuff that would almost never play here otherwise -- to America.
We're big fans of the Nyaff at IFC and we're looking forward to another excellent edition this year. The lineup was just announced and it looks stacked. It includes a few superb films I saw at last year's Fantastic Fest, including the entertaining exploitation documentary "Machete Maidens Unleashed" from "Not Quite Hollywood" director Mark Hartley. The stuff I'm jazzed to see for the first time includes the world premiere of Takashi Miike's "Ninja Kids!!!" (their exclamation points, not mine), "Ocean Heaven,...
We're big fans of the Nyaff at IFC and we're looking forward to another excellent edition this year. The lineup was just announced and it looks stacked. It includes a few superb films I saw at last year's Fantastic Fest, including the entertaining exploitation documentary "Machete Maidens Unleashed" from "Not Quite Hollywood" director Mark Hartley. The stuff I'm jazzed to see for the first time includes the world premiere of Takashi Miike's "Ninja Kids!!!" (their exclamation points, not mine), "Ocean Heaven,...
- 5/31/2011
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
If you go into Li Yu's Buddha Mountain wanting more of the crude two fingers at mainland Chinese censors that was her earlier Lost In Beijing, you'll probably walk away disappointed. Buddha Mountain is still a raw, down and dirty little drama trailing a group of troubled urbanites while they try to sort their lives out, but it's considerably more restrained. It's an awkward film, showy and occasionally contrived with technical chops all over the place, and you've seen the general premise before, but there's much less in it that's gratuitous, the protagonists feel worth rooting for and the big moments are surprisingly subtle.Nan Feng (Fan Bingbing, Shaolin, Sacrifice), Ding Bo (Wilson Chen, My Airhostess Roommate, Waiting in the Dark) and Soap (Fei Long) are...
- 5/8/2011
- Screen Anarchy
One of the most exciting and comprehensive festivals of Asian film in the world, the thirteenth edition of the Udine Far East Film Festival kicks off next week on April 29th. I had a chance to attend the tenth edition and had an absolutely spectacular time - the fact that schedule confilcts have kept me from returning since makes me cry a little inside every year. And this year is no different because the programming is absolutely fantastic. What's there? Check the list below!All The Films At A Glance Feff 13 China Aftershock, Feng Xiaogang, China 2010, melodrama, Italian Premiere Buddha Mountain, Li Yu, China 2011, drama, Italian Premiere The Lost Bladesman, Alan Mak & Felix Chong, China 2011, martial arts, European Premiere The...
- 4/21/2011
- Screen Anarchy
By Michael Atkinson
There are two ways to take on Li Yang's potent, concise "Blind Mountain" (2007), and both have horns: as the howling social-critique screed it was intended to be, and as a Chinese realist version of the "white trash" exploitation epics of the American '60s and '70s -- which makes the dynamic of the story universally human, not exclusively Chinese. But Chinese it is in actuality, through and through: simply put, unemployed college grad Bai (Lu Huang) accepts a job to collect medicinal herbs in the remote northern country, and after landing in a secluded village wakes up to find herself literally sold into slavery, as a bought-and-paid-for bride for a local ne'er-do-well. Li's approach is dead serious, and he's helplessly critiquing not a single issue or socioeconomic condition, but the mercenary callousness of an entire people. I've never been to China, but the Chinese films I've...
There are two ways to take on Li Yang's potent, concise "Blind Mountain" (2007), and both have horns: as the howling social-critique screed it was intended to be, and as a Chinese realist version of the "white trash" exploitation epics of the American '60s and '70s -- which makes the dynamic of the story universally human, not exclusively Chinese. But Chinese it is in actuality, through and through: simply put, unemployed college grad Bai (Lu Huang) accepts a job to collect medicinal herbs in the remote northern country, and after landing in a secluded village wakes up to find herself literally sold into slavery, as a bought-and-paid-for bride for a local ne'er-do-well. Li's approach is dead serious, and he's helplessly critiquing not a single issue or socioeconomic condition, but the mercenary callousness of an entire people. I've never been to China, but the Chinese films I've...
- 1/13/2009
- by Michael Atkinson
- ifc.com
- It might not be the Mao run state that it once was, but that isn't preventing them from cracking down on any form of entertainment/art they find offensive. Just last month Hollywood productions including Will Smith film The Pursuit of Happyness were banned until further notice and now The Chinese state administrators have imposed a 24 month ban on producer and director for Lost in Beijing. To be released in New York City via New Yorker Films exclusively at the Cinema Village on the 25th of this month - look for our review on this banned substance.Li Yu (whose 2004 Dam Street won the Cicae Prize at the Venice International Film Festival, the jury prize at Vienna and the Best Film Prize at Deauville) defends his film as a "story and the events, life, and characters’ behavior and feelings are all based on the real life of China’s urban socialites today.
- 1/7/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- The Tribeca Film Festival have announced their World Narrative and World Documentary Feature Film Competition line-ups and the films named for its Spotlight category today and the better programming, better category labeling, familiar directors and a slight decrease in volume makes the 6th edition perhaps the young fest’s strongest edition yet.Here is a quick copy and paste of all the three sections and individual briefing on each film.:… World Narrative Feature CompetitionBorn and Bred (Nacido y Criado), directed by Pablo Trapero, written by Pablo Trapero and Mario Rulloni. (Argentina) – U.S. Premiere. When his life is shattered by a terrifying accident, a successful interior designer winds up in the desolate extremes of Patagonia, trying to find himself among other lost, disaffected men. Pablo Trapero's haunting film demonstrates why he is at the cutting edge of Argentina's most exciting cinema.Gardener of Eden, directed by Kevin Connolly,
- 3/13/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
After weeks of wrangling with the Chinese censors, the producer of Li Yu's competition entry Lost in Beijing finally screened the uncut version to Berlin audiences on Friday, despite lacking explicit approval from Beijing.
A print of the film with the 15 minutes of cuts requested by the censors had arrived in the German capital ahead of the first press screening. But producer Fang Li said he simply ran out of time to finish the subtitling in both English and German and so had to hand the director's cut to festival organizers.
Fang said Sunday he had so far received no reaction from Beijing over screening the uncut version, ostensibly in violation of the authorities there. "It's a big holiday in China (for Chinese New Year), and that may help us," he said.
He added that he didn't expect that either he or director Li would receive any ban or other punishment for defying the censors' wishes. "I really don't think so."...
A print of the film with the 15 minutes of cuts requested by the censors had arrived in the German capital ahead of the first press screening. But producer Fang Li said he simply ran out of time to finish the subtitling in both English and German and so had to hand the director's cut to festival organizers.
Fang said Sunday he had so far received no reaction from Beijing over screening the uncut version, ostensibly in violation of the authorities there. "It's a big holiday in China (for Chinese New Year), and that may help us," he said.
He added that he didn't expect that either he or director Li would receive any ban or other punishment for defying the censors' wishes. "I really don't think so."...
- 2/20/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- 57th Berlin Film FestivalFebruary 8 to 18, 2007Countdown: updateCountdownClock('February 8, 2007'); Berlin, Germany Festival LinkOn February 8 the curtain will rise in Berlinale Palast for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival. Throughout the following ten days, the festival will show 373 films on some 50 cinema screens all over the city. At the growing European Film Market, the festival's business fair, more than 700 films will be presented to the industry. International guests, stars on the red carpet, packed theaters, hot debates, and wild parties - the Berlinale will play Berlin like no other event on the calendar does. Yet, it is a festival not only of the masses, but also of the many: of the many who in months of hard work organized the programme and provided the infrastructure, and of the many who are busy behind the scenes to keep the festival buzzing. Of course, it will again be a festival of stars,
- 2/7/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
COLOGNE, Germany -- French and Asian cinema are back with a vengeance at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, with four French and four Asian films selected for the festival's official competition lineup.
Francois Ozon's Angel, about the rise and fall of a young author in early 20th century England, will close the 57th Berlinale, providing a suitable bookend to an event that kicks off Feb. 8 with the world premiere of La vie en Rose, from another French director, Olivier Dahan.
The other French films in competition -- Andre Techine's The Witness and Jacques Rivette's Don't Touch The Axe -- also will have their world premieres in Berlin.
Asian cinema, which was largely absent from last year's lineup, returns in force with two Chinese productions -- Wang Quan'an drama Tuya's Marriage and Li Yu's urban portrait Lost In Beijing -- and two from Korea -- Zhang Lu's Desert Dream, about a refugee from North Korea who flees to a barren village on the Chinese/Mongolian border, and I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, the highly-anticipated new drama from Park Chan-wook (Oldboy).
This year's Berlinale lineup ranges from such independent productions as Ryan Eslinger's When a Man Falls in the Forest to Zack Snyder's epic 300, an adaptation of the Frank Miller comic book about the battle of Thermopylae between 300 Spartans and a Persian army numbering in the millions. Both films will have their world premieres in Berlin, with "300" unspooling out of competition.
Francois Ozon's Angel, about the rise and fall of a young author in early 20th century England, will close the 57th Berlinale, providing a suitable bookend to an event that kicks off Feb. 8 with the world premiere of La vie en Rose, from another French director, Olivier Dahan.
The other French films in competition -- Andre Techine's The Witness and Jacques Rivette's Don't Touch The Axe -- also will have their world premieres in Berlin.
Asian cinema, which was largely absent from last year's lineup, returns in force with two Chinese productions -- Wang Quan'an drama Tuya's Marriage and Li Yu's urban portrait Lost In Beijing -- and two from Korea -- Zhang Lu's Desert Dream, about a refugee from North Korea who flees to a barren village on the Chinese/Mongolian border, and I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, the highly-anticipated new drama from Park Chan-wook (Oldboy).
This year's Berlinale lineup ranges from such independent productions as Ryan Eslinger's When a Man Falls in the Forest to Zack Snyder's epic 300, an adaptation of the Frank Miller comic book about the battle of Thermopylae between 300 Spartans and a Persian army numbering in the millions. Both films will have their world premieres in Berlin, with "300" unspooling out of competition.
- 1/22/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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