Hong Kong Lays on Familiar Film Festival in Hybrid Format

Derek Tsang's youth drama Better Days, nominated this year for the best international film Oscar, has given Hong Kong its first shot at Academy Awards glory since Farewell My Concubine got the nod in 1993. But in a mysterious move, it appears that the Oscars ceremony is set to go unaired in Hong Kong for the first time in over 50 years.

Bloomberg).But the move comes amid reports that China’s Communist party told all local media outlets to downplay live coverage of the ceremony stemming from the nomination of the documentary short “Do Not Split,” which focuses on the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and past comments made by Chinese-born “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao.Other local TV broadcasters in Hong Kong also do not have the broadcast rights, as reported by the Hong Kong news outlet The Standard.Also Read: Why

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Hong Kong International Film Festival has announced the cancelation of its world premiere screening of crime thriller “Where the Wind Blows.” The move appears to be part of the accelerating ‘mainlandization’ of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry.The festival said Monday evening in a statement that screenings of “Where the Wind Blows” (previously known “Theory of Ambitions”) had been cancelled at the request of the film’s owner.“Upon request from the film

Despite securing its first Oscar nomination since 1993, Hong Kong looks set to not broadcast the Academy Awards this year after local station Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) opted not to renew its deal.

Better Days,” the territory’s leading free-to-air TV network Television Broadcasts (TVB) will be dropping television coverage of the Oscars ceremony.The network Monday confirmed that it did not have rights to broadcast the show this year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIn Hong Kong, where unsmiling mainland Chinese authorities have asserted their “comprehensive jurisdiction,” satire has become a dangerous form of humor. But at least one new satirical segment is soon set to brave the Special Administrative Region’s airwaves.From next month, activist and broadcaster James Ockenden is launching “The Alphard Wars” on RTHK.

Vivienne Chow An award-winning documentary about Hong Kong’s 2019 protests that has been effectively banned in its hometown has been set as the showpiece of the Taiwan International Documentary Festival.“Inside the Red Brick Wall” will play as the festival’s opening film, organizers announced on Thursday. The festival is set to run April 30 – May 9, 2021.The film chronicles the 13-day standoff between police and protesters at Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University in November 2019.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefDespite a period of recent worries for Chinese tech firms, video entertainment firm Bilibili has confirmed details of its secondary share listing in Hong Kong. It set a maximum price of HK$988 per share, some 12% higher than the $113.31 Tuesday night close for its ADR form shares which are traded on the NASDAQ.At that price the company is expected to raise $3.2 billion (HK$24.7 billion).

The Oscar for "best documentary short subject" tends to be somewhat overlooked amid the glitz and glamor of the Academy Awards ceremony. But the under-appreciated category is fast becoming a major sticking point in China this year.

Hong Kong protests was nominated for an award, according to a new report. The Communist Party’s propaganda department issued the order to all media outlets, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources.

The Chinese government has told local media to curb its coverage of the Oscars ceremony next month due to its concerns about the political views of Best Director nominee Chloe Zhao and the nomination of a short documentary about the Hong Kong protests.

Vivienne Chow PCCW’s Hong Kong-based free-to-air channel ViuTV saw a 29% increase in advertising revenue in 2020 despite a gloomy times and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

direct to your inbox"Anything under £25million is done on WhatsApp."Gavin Taylor, regional general manager at Far East Consortium (FEC), is describing how bosses at the Hong Kong investment company keep the decision-making process as streamlined as possible.With an annual revenue of 7.5 billion Hong Kong dollars last year, it is perhaps also an indicator of how deep FEC's pockets are.The company, registered in the Cayman Islands, was first listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by Deacon Chiu in

Vivienne Chow Hong Kong’s local streaming platform HMVOD enjoyed a 200% surge in usage following the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it plans to invest more in original content production and increase licensing of Japanese drama and animation.Cantonese-language original content proved to be successful during the pandemic as many people turned to online entertainment while they remained at home, says Tracy Ho, HMVOD’s CEO.

Inside the Red Brick Wall” has been pulled out from a local cinema before it could be shown to a ticket-buying public. Pro-Beijing forces in the city have alleged that the film may violate the June 2020 National Security Law.Golden Scene Cinema announced on its Instagram Stories page on Monday that screenings of “Inside the Red Brick Wall” later that day and others scheduled for March 21 will be canceled.

Vivienne Chow Television Broadcasts, Hong Kong’s leading TV group, is set to boost its variety and music programs following a recent management reshuffle. It aims to bring back veteran entertainers who have experience and profile on the mainland Chinese market in order that the station can expand its foothold in the Greater Bay Area.The new appointments come after a difficult year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentBerlin Grand Jury Prize winner “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” Japanese writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s deft three-story reflection on chance, the legacy of love and the contrariness of erotic desire, has clinched further key territory sales for its sales agent M-Appeal World Sales.Fast on the footsteps of clinching the top Berlinale 2021 Silver Bear in March 5’s Berlin prize announcement, “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” this week closed Spain

Jessica Kiang Oh great, another movie about dead girls and the grizzled cop/greenhorn cop duo tracking their killer. At least “Limbo,” from Soi Cheang (the “Monkey King” franchise) looks slick — often literally, with photogenic rain showers making its trashed Hong Kong slum locations as reflective as silver.