Female Composers Come to the Fore in Film

Back when Sam Atwell was starring as Summer Bay’s resident bad boy Kane Phillips, social media was in its infancy or still a ‘pen and paper’ as he puts it.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefFilm industry relations between China and Europe have been kept alive throughout the coronavirus outbreak by Bridging The Dragon, an informal trade organization now in its sixth year.After its regular event held during the Berlin film festival in February, further seminars, presentations and mixers should have taken place in Cannes in May and in Beijing in November.

While we may be talking about the unfortunate death of movie theaters in the US, considering they have yet to fully bounce back from being closed most of the year and 2021 isn’t looking as promising as we hoped, Chinese cinemas are not only open but thriving.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentStrand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Anthony Chen’s “Wet Season,” which represents Singapore in the Oscar race for best international feature film.The movie world premiered in the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is being represented in international markets by Memento Films International.Penned and directed by Chen, “Wet Season” revolves around a Chinese language teacher whose marriage and school

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefVeteran executive Brett Hogg has been promoted and made head of Sony Pictures film and television operations across Asia. He will remain at his current base in Singapore.He has been senior VP of international distribution for Sony Pictures Releasing International in the Asia region, supervising the Sony Pictures Releasing operations across Southeast Asia, China and India for theatrical distribution.

The New York Film Critics Circle has unveiled its annual awards, honouring the late Chadwick Boseman with the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in the Spike Lee-directed “Da 5 Bloods”.

With a newly elected Democratic president, this is the season of speculation, where names are being floated as potential ambassador picks. And this time around, The Walt Disney Co.’s executive chairman Bob Iger is getting attention as a prospect for one of the highest profile foreign posts, China.

A vivid look at what it means for populations to rise up against governments intent on curbing their liberties, Ai Weiwei's Cockroach takes us to the streets of Hong Kong in 2019, as young people violently resist measures chipping away at their independence from mainland China. The third doc Ai has released this year (following Coronation and the Sundance entry Vivos), it's among his most effective films to date —tightly focused and morally urgent.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese cinema chain JinYi Media has agreed a 12-theater deal with premium large format tech company Imax. The deal involves upgrading seven of Jinyi’s existing Imax sites to use laser technology, and the installation of Imax kit at five new sites.

Netflix is adding fantasy film The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity to its pool of high-profile Chinese commercial movies. The feature, directed by youth-favorite filmmaker Guo Jingming, will debut on Netflix on Feb.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefGlobal streaming giant Netflix has acquired rights to “The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity,” a period fantasy action film by the ferociously talented and divisive director Guo Jingming. The film is set for a major theatrical release in mainland China on Dec.

A Questlove-directed documentary about the other major music event of the summer of 1969 and documentaries about the creators of Sesame Street and the coronavirus pandemic in China are among the 72 feature films debuting at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Organizers on Tuesday unveiled a robust and diverse slate for the festival, which will be largely virtual due to the pandemic.The festival will kick off on Jan.

Marvel have confirmed that a new Fantastic Four movie is on the way.Announced by Kevin Feige on Disney‘s Investor’s Day yesterday (December 11), the new Fantastic Four movie will be directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts.Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Feige had previously announced at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con that a new Fantastic Four offering would be on the way.Now, Feige confirmed the news although there were no details on time scale or expected release

Sunday night in Carrigstown will bring new faces and inevitably new drama.

Some 75 miles east of Hong Kong, in China’s Guangdong province lies the coastal fishing village of Wukan. It became the center of a worldwide media story in 2011 when protests broke out over the corruption of local Communist Party officials, who were thrown out of office by angry residents, precipitating a tense police siege of the town and ultimately new elections.

Monster Hunter, which caused the film to be pulled from Chinese cinemas, will be cut from all versions of the movie.This is according to the film’s director Paul W.S. Anderson, who also apologised for the “unintentional offense”, in a statement to Deadline.

In a world starved for blockbuster films, as most get pushed to streaming services or delayed until 2021, “Monster Hunter” looked like it could help drive business to theaters, especially in China. However, one line from the film that echoes a racist chant that kids used to say decades ago is forcing cinemas in the Middle Kingdom to pull the film.

Jimmy Fallon and Andrew Rannells are saying “Good riddance” to 2020 with an epic musical.