Hong Kong Passes Ban on Films That ‘Threaten National Security,’ Ups Fines for Unauthorized Screenings

Vivienne Chow Collective memories of Hong Kong cinema and pop culture have a major role to play at the newly opened M+ museum of contemporary visual culture, which is received tens of thousands of visitors on its opening weekend despite the city’s changing political landscape.While much emphasis and media spotlight have been placed on the exhibition of the famed collection of Chinese contemporary art donated by the Swiss mega art collector Uli Sigg, what appealed most to the local public on the

18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears during his testimony in front of a court room in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Nov. 10. Kyle was defending himself against homicide charges that stem from the shooting deaths of two men during a night of police brutality protests in Aug. 2020. But not everyone was sympathetic towards Kyle after the tearful testimony. LeBron James, for instance, trolled Kyle on Twitter, and he even accused the teenager of faking his tears.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefMagnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired North American rights to “Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend.” The film is a currently in-production sequel to “Ip Man: Kung Fu Master,” which Magnet previously released.“Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend” is written and directed by Li Liming and produced by Beijing-based Kai Pictures.

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong’s swanky new M+ museum — Asia’s largest gallery with a billion-dollar collection — is set to open on Friday amid controversy over politics and censorship.M+ boasts 183,000 square feet (17,000 square meters) of exhibition space, 33 galleries and over 6,400 works in its collection that range from modern and contemporary art to architecture and moving images.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorAs Hollywood grapples with the accidental shooting death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, I had the chance to talk with “Squid Game” writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk about the safety precautions taken on the set of his intensely violent series. “We of course have a prop master, but also in Korea, we’re not really a gun-owning country, so only the police can have and own a gun,” he said.

A group of protestors arrested on Saturday for chaining themselves together on the King George V Bridge in Glasgow plan to go back again today.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Tokyo Filmex festival wrapped up on Sunday with a prize ceremony and the surprise screening of “Revolution of Our Times,” a documentary about the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.Filmex and the Tokyo International Film Festival have been largely cooperative events in the past two years.

Climate change activists have blocked off the King George V bridge in Glasgow.

Partner Content Traces of life in Hong Kong, with all that it was before the pandemic, began to reappear in February. The steady easing into the “new normal” saw cinemas reopen and moviegoers have slowly gained confidence in returning to theaters, resulting in healthy grosses for both foreign and local films.Genre films, such as action and horror-thrillers, offer modest budgets and quick production turnaround — and they’re the Hong Kong film industry’s most popular exports.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefMegaton Entertainment, an indie distribution and film sales firm, has picked up a pair of titles from Hong Kong production entities AMM Entertainment and Phoenix Waters.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTravel restrictions are being eased in parts of Asia, bringing the prospects of tourist arrivals, restarts for local economies and easier logistics for filmmakers and executives.

Tencent intends to purchase Sumo Group, but a US national security panel is investigating the deal.Sumo, which is based in Sheffield, England, also has studios in the US and they told Reuters that Tencent had agreed to offer undertaking to gain approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which assesses deals to ensure they do not hurt national security.The task force is also looking into the sale of the US video-sharing app TikTok.

Two years after Hong Kong cracked down on pro-Democracy demonstrators, the local legislature passed a new film censorship law, according to multiple reports. As part of the measure, Hong Kong’s powerful Chief Secretary can now revoke a film’s license if it conflicts with China’s national security interests.

EXCLUSIVE: Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Barry, Killing Eve) is the latest addition to the cast of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, Netflix’s film adaptation of the short story by Stephen King, from Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy Productions.

Dancing On Ice has revealed that three new skaters will be joining the competition to replace professionals Klabera Komini, Yebin Mok and Hamish Gaman.

A Hong Kong broadcaster is set to air the country’s first ever gay dating show in early November.TVB announced it will air Boyscation, a dating show which will have 10 out gay male contestants and will be hosted by Hong Kong actor Vinci Wong.Wong is also one of the producers of the show and shared a picture of himself on the sets of Boyscation with a champagne glass in hand.“The most important chapter of my TV career.

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Tippett (Mare of Easttown, The Morning Show) has boarded Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, a film adaptation of the short story by Stephen King, which writer-director John Lee Hancock (The Little Things, The Founder, Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy Productions are making for Netflix.