Jackie Chan’s ‘A Legend,’ ‘Paddington in Peru’ Among Bona Film’s China Release Slate Highlights – Shanghai

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Caught by the Tides,” the contemporary Chinese epic film directed by Jia Zhangke, has been acquired for U.S. release by Sidehow and Janus Films. The film appeared in main competition in Cannes in May and is on one an extended look at the romantic destiny of his perennial heroine, Qiaoqiao (Zhao Tao) over a period of 21 years.

Sideshow and Janus Films have bought U.S. rights for Chinese director Jia Zhangke’s epic drama Caught By The Tides, following its buzzy world premiere in competition at Cannes in May.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The stars of upcoming Chinese-language TV drama “See Her Again” are set to take to the red carpet on Monday, the first day of the Shanghai Television Festival. Telling the story of a police officer who traces a serial murder case across 25 years in Hong Kong, using clues from 1993 and technology from 2018, the show stars William Chan Wai-ting and Cya Liu (aka Liu Xin).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A jury headed by French Vietnamese director Tranh Anh Hung awarded its Golden Goblet (Jin Jue) prizes for the Shanghai International Film Festival’s main competition. The top prize for best feature went to “The Divorce,” directed by Kazakhstan’s Daniyar Salamat. The jury praised the film for its sophisticated story-telling which mixes comedy, farce and tragedy, and “which moves fluidly from public sphere to the intimate relationship of a couple in crisis” and its feeling of innocence.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The 17th edition of the SIFF Project Market, held on the margins of the Shanghai International Film Festival, wrapped this week with the awarding of various prizes and an early evening party. In the juried section prizes were determined by a panel including Lu Chuan, Luca Liang and Yao Chen.

Alibaba Pictures has announced a slate of seven tentpole movies that it hopes will reinvigorate the mainland China box office. The titles straddle martial arts, drama, history, sci-fi and comedy and are presented as the first elements of the company’s second five year plan. They were revealed on Monday at a major event within the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival and with large numbers of relevant producers, directors and stars in attendance.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese industry executives will get a first taste of “Coolie,” a big-budget historical miniseries that focuses on the enslaved Chinese workers in Cuba in the 1860s. MM2 Entertainment is handling China rights to the production on behalf of I.E. Entertainment.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Extinction,” the Malaysian-produced animation that is playing at the Shanghai International Film Festival, has struck its first international rights sales deals. The film was recently picked up by All Rights Entertainment, the Paris, Hong Kong and Los Angeles-based sales agency. All Rights has subsequently licensed the title to Magic Film for the CIS region, to Dazzler Media for the U.K., to Red Cape Distribution for Israel and to Bir Film for Turkey.

James Chance 1953 – 2024Musician James Chance, Who Blended Punk Rock Aggression with Funk and Free Jazz Expression,…Posted by James Chance Official on Tuesday, June 18, 2024Chance had been in ill health for some time, with his friends and family launching a GoFundMe campaign in 2020 to help the musician through “personal health issues and the COVID situation”.A private funeral will be held for friends and family, with details of a public memorial set to be announced at a later date.Per Brooklyn Vegan, a second GoFundMe page was set up in November last year after the musician had been hospitalised. On the campaign page, his brother David wrote: “He’s very frail.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Wanda Film, China’s largest cinema operator, has expanded its business relationship with Imax Corp. in a huge deal that straddles technology and content. With 381 Imax installations, Wanda alone operates more Imax venues than most countries.

Imax and Wanda Film, China‘s largest exhibitor, have announced a big expansion of their longtime strategic partnership there spanning technology and content.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Coralie Fargeat’s Demi Moore-starring feminist body horror film “The Substance” has been set as the closing night title for the New Zealand International Film Festival. The picture is one of 16 which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month selected for the NZIFF which is now under the artistic leadership of Paolo Bertolin.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Brad Pitt‘s upcoming feature about Formula 1 racing has gotten a release date from Apple Original Films. The untitled movie will race into cinemas on June 27, 2025. Apple is partnering with Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Patric (The Lost Boys) has joined the cast of Terrifier 3 from director Damien Leone and producer Phil Falcone. Filming officially wrapped in New York last week.

A feature version of the buzzy Three-Body Problem sci-fi novels is in the works from veteran Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Deadpool & Wolverine” will enjoy a release in mainland Chinese cinemas on July 26, simultaneous with its North American outing. And, despite hailing from what is arguably Marvel’s most adult franchise, the film will incur only “minimal cuts” for its China release. All foreign films entering China require permission to be imported, to clear censorship and must be allocated a release date by local authorities.

China’s Film Bureau has approved a July 26 release for Disney/Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine, arguably one of the most anticipated movies of the year globally. Marvel’s Weibo account announced the dating this morning Beijing time which Disney has confirmed. The release is day-and-date with the U.S. and marks the first time the Merc with a Mouth is going to China in step with the rest of the world. (Scroll below for a look at the new poster.)

Shanghai International Film Festival, but that did little to diminish the festive atmosphere. The ceremony was held at the Shanghai Grand Theater in the downtown area on an evening that was warm and spring-like and without the “plum rain” or summer downpours that the city is known for at this time of year. Arguably the biggest names in attendance were Hong Kong actor and “Westworld” star Daniel Wu, Hong Kong director Dante Lam, Chinese star actor-director-producer Xu Zheng and Japanese actor Yakusho Koji, who won the best actor award a year ago at Cannes for his leading role in Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days.” Marco Mueller, a celebrated festival director and artistic consultant, was also on hand in his adopted home town.

Naman Ramachandran Indian actor and filmmaker Manohara has had an inspirational journey. Hailing from humble circumstances in Bengaluru, southern India, Manohara was picked out of school and cast by filmmaker Prithvi Konanur in “Railway Children” (2016), which won him best child actor at India’s National Film Awards. Manohara went on to act in supporting roles in Konanur’s Busan and Hainan selection “Where Is Pinki?” (2020) and Busan, Hong Kong and Goa title “Seventeeners,” on which he also assisted.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Parallax China, one of China’s leading independent film sales companies, has picked up rights to a pair of titles that debut this week at the Shanghai International Film Festival. It is handling world sales on “Qian Tang River,” directed by Wan Bo, and “Another Day of Hope,” by Liu Taifeng. Both are directorial debuts and both appear in the non-competitive Refreshing Chinese Cinema section.