Gravitas Ventures Nabs 'Queen Bees' Starring Ellen Burstyn, James Caan

Chloe Zhao made Oscar history over the weekend when she won the Best Director award, as well as Best Picture, at the 2021 Oscars.

Chloé Zhao’s history-making Oscars sweep, winning best director and best picture, is being met with a muted response in her country of birth, and even censorship.

Chinese filmmaker Chloé Zhao's Nomadland was the unmistakable big winner at the 93rd Academy Awards Sunday night, taking home best picture, best director and best actress. In a piece of potent history, Zhao became the first Asian woman, the first Chinese woman and first woman of color to win the top directing prize at theOscars.

history-making sweep at the Oscars was almost entirely censored in her China amid accusations that she previously insulted her homeland.The New York University graduate on Sunday became the first woman of color to win best director, while her “Nomadland” is only the second film directed by a woman to take home honors for best picture.Yet her groundbreaking night was ignored and censored in her homeland as she remained embroiled in a backlash over a recently unearthed 2013 interview in which she

With such a varied mix winners from around the world at Sunday’s Oscars, local media has been awash with praise as news of victories spread from Los Angeles to Seoul, and Copenhagen to London — but not so much in China.

Nomadland has swept the Oscars with wins for its director Chloe Zhao and its lead Frances McDormand as well as best film - with British stars Daniel Kaluuya and Emerald Fennell also among the winners. Zhao, who was born in China, is the first woman from an ethnically diverse background to win the Academy Award for directing, and the second woman in history, after Kathryn Bigelow's triumph 11 years ago for The Hurt Locker.

Organizers of Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival, which champions inclusion in all forms of media, will be produced as an annual program by the nascent Arkansas nonprofit BFFoundation. Independent film producer Kristin Mann is set as head of content.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterGreg Kinnear has joined the cast of “Sight,” a biopic about pioneering medical entrepreneur Dr. Ming Wang, led by actor Terry Chen.The Open River Entertainment project has commenced a six-week shoot in Vancouver.

Hong Kong has cultivated a reputation for punching above its weight. Once producing 300 films a year, the small territory hatched global martial arts superstars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen.

Rebecca Davis editorJapanese animation “Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet” led both “Godzilla vs.

EXCLUSIVE: Italy’s Royal House of Savoy is getting the film and TV treatment from Chinese director, writer and producer Yi Zhou who is developing both a TV series and feature based on Queen Marie-José.

UTA is bulking up its venture funding business. The agency has hired veteran investment executive Clinton Foy as general partner, Venture Capital at UTA Ventures, which builds and invests in businesses at the intersection of media, entertainment, and technology.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterLongtime venture investment executive, esports investor and former Square Enix COO Clinton Foy has joined UTA as a general partner in its venture capital division, where he will be tasked with growing and developing the company’s investment platforms, from direct investing to venture capital investments to fund development.“Clinton’s deep background in the venture capital community and proven track record of raising and investing capital for funds and startups across

Veteran investor Clinton Foy is joining UTA Ventures in the role of General Partner, Venture Capital.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLeading Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming will take a production role on selected film titles emerging from Stars Collective, the talent incubator program backed by China- and Los Angeles-based financier Starlight Media.Huang, who has credits including “The Message” and “American Dreams in China,” will lead Stars Collective’s talent discovery efforts in China, be a mentor to the selected filmmakers and take a formal producer role on selected, individual projects the

Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights from Arclight Films, to distribute dramatic comedy Queen Bees which stars Ellen Burstyn, James Caan, Ann-Margret, Jane Curtin, Christopher Lloyd, Loretta Devine, Elizabeth Mitchell, and French Stewart. A theatrical and PVOD release of June 11 is currently planned.

Also Read: William Shatner, Jean Smart and Christopher Lloyd Comedy 'Senior Moment' Nabbed by Screen Media“Queen Bees,” which was previously known as “At Last,” is inspired by the true story of how producer Harrison Powell’s own grandmother found a second chance at love after moving into a retirement community as a widow.

Chinese state TV called Thursday for a boycott of H&M as Beijing lashed out at foreign clothing and footwear brands following Western sanctions on Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. The ruling Communist Party criticized H&M for saying in March 2020 it would stop buying cotton from the northwestern Chinese region.

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies are headed back to China's cinemas. The beloved fantasy trilogy has been scheduled for a staggered rerelease in China throughout April, according to local media reports.

Rebecca Davis editorThe “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy will be re-released successively in Chinese theaters throughout April in restored 4K, Imax and 3D versions, just in time for the 20th anniversary of the first movie’s China debut.The re-runs come just after James Cameron’s 12-year-old “Avatar” returned to Chinese screens on March 12 for an unexpected box office boost that has allowed it to regain its title as the highest-grossing film in movie history, stealing the crown back from