Bona Film Group Executive Dies by Apparent Suicide at 52

Jill Goldsmith The Council of the European Union has kept restrictions on travel from the U.S. in place even as it lifts them for 15 other countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and China starting tomorrow, July 1.U.S.

Rebecca Davis editorLondon’s Queer East Film Festival will run a virtual program of four free-to-stream Asian documentaries from July 3-31, as cinema closures due to coronavirus force its regular programming online.The festival typically seeks to bring rarely seen LGBTQ+ films from East and Southeast Asia to the U.K., but this year’s online iteration will be mostly available to viewers worldwide.Its “QE: Docs4Pride” virtual program features selections from the Philippines, China, Taiwan and

Zhang Yimou is one of the most acclaimed Chinese filmmakers working today.

Steve Bing, a philanthropist, producer, and film financier, died on Monday, June 22. Though initial reports claimed that the 55-year-old lept to his death from a Century City building, the exact cause of death was unconfirmed – until now. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled on June 23 that Steve died from “multiple blunt trauma,” and that the manner of his death was “suicide.”

Tom Grater International Film ReporterA feature documentary is in the works, Wuhan! Wuhan!, which promises to offer a uniquely comprehensive insight into the Chinese city that was the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.Peter Luo, CEO of Starlight Media which has backed Crazy Rich Asians and Midway, is putting together the U.S.-China co-production with Oscar-winning producer Donna Gigliotti (Hidden Figures, Shakespeare in Love), superstar actor Donnie Yen, alongside Peter Luo and Huan Li (Road

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) has unveiled 22 feature projects shortlisted for its Work-in-Progress Program. The project will take place exclusively online, running Aug.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese streaming giant iQIYI has hired Singaporean executive Kuek Yu-Chuang as VP of international business. He was previously MD for Asia Pacific at Netflix.Reporting to Yang Xianghua, iQIYI’s president of overseas business, Kuek will oversee strategic planning, market development and public affairs in company’s global expansion.Kuek studied at Peking University and later obtained post-graduate degrees from Harvard and INSEAD.

Rebecca Davis editorHuang Wei, the VP of China’s Bona Film Group who managed its cinema division, has died by suicide, jumping from the 18th-floor offices of the company’s Beijing headquarters today, according to multiple Chinese reports.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterHuang Wei, vice president of Chinese major Bona Film Group, has died at the age of 52. The company posted a note on its WeChat channel confirming the news, stating that it was “mourning deeply”.The suggestion that the executive took his own life has been spreading on social media, though this has not been confirmed.

Rebecca Davis editorA rare letter of dissent circulating online slammed China’s government for failing to help film industry workers whose livelihoods have been shaken by prolonged coronavirus-imposed shutdowns.Written this weekend as China hit its 136th day since cinemas shuttered nationwide, the letter has spread within film industry circles despite being censored on some platforms. Variety was unable to contact the author or verify its source.

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Former Hollywood filmmaker Renny Harlin is returning to his roots for a comedy feature that will begin shooting in Finland later this month under strict COVID-19 safety protocols. The director, best known in the U.S.

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