Macao Festival: Ning Hao to Head Jury, Hirokazu Kore-eda to Receive Special Award

Blue Raincoat Music has announced that songwriter Mike Chapman has renewed his deal with the company – expanding it to a worldwide agreement. Chapman was one of the firm’s first signings, back in 2016, that deal covering the UK, France, Japan, Australia and South Africa.“If there is one thing I have learned over the last 50 years, it’s the value of teamwork”, says Chapman.

Zhang Yimou’s “One Second” has been pulled from China’s Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, where it had been given pride of place as the opening film. Political sensitivity over historical events, once again, appears to have led to the decision.This is the second time that “One Second” has been yanked by Chinese authorities from a prominent slot at a major festival.

Katy Perry, 36, had fans thinking they were actually watching Adele, 32, perform at the virtual Tmall Double 11 Gala! The event, sponsored by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, kicked off Alibaba’s annual shopping festival known as “Double 11” that falls on Nov. 11. Nine days later, Katy shared a portrait and video of herself from the performance — and many fans thought they were looking at Adele.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorTencent Music Entertainment Group acquired an undisclosed minority stake in LA-based Wave and the two have inked a strategic partnership to catapult the interactive virtual entertainment company into China.The agreement calls for TME, China’s leading online music platform, to air Wave experiences on all its platforms, including QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and WeSing, the companies announced Thursday.The partners will develop virtual concert content for TME

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA team of Russian, U.S and Greater China producers is to give a second season to “Better Than Us,” a sci-fi series that was launched as a Netflix Original.The first season tells the tale of a unique, AI-powered, family robot, with the ability to defend itself.

Justin Kroll Senior Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: Heroes star Masi Oka is set to join the ensemble of Sony’s action-thriller Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt. Joey King, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and Andrew Koji are also on board.Hobbs & Shaw director David Leitch will direct and also supervise the script, which will be written by Zak Olkewicz.The film is based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by best-selling author Kotaro Isaka.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: This year’s Hainan International Film Festival (December 5 – 12) will host China’s biggest retrospective of Charlie Chaplin films in collaboration with Trinity CineAsia and Mk2.The event will host 20 screenings of Chaplin films across the island, encompassing five of his classic comedies: Modern Times, The Kid, City Lights, The Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina has become one of the last major countries to congratulate Joe Biden on being elected U.S. president.

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – From nondescript buildings in the industrial nucleus of Wuhan, across wavy seas to dusty tented super laboratories in the heart of Mexico, and then across the jagged southwest border and dispersing like a wild bomb ripping through every crevice of the United States, the growing presence of Chinese drug lords and cartels below the southern border is one that is killing an unprecedented amount of Americans.

Rebecca Davis editorZhang Yimou’s censored film “One Second” apparently now finds itself in the Chinese government’s good books: it has been given pride of place as the opener at the government-run Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.The film was initially set to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2019. But its treatment of the still sensitive Cultural revolution period is believed to have been its undoing.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEXCLUSIVE:  Cinema Guild has picked up all U.S. distribution rights to Jia Zhangke’s documentary Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue.The Chinese film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and made its U.S.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefViggo Mortensen’s directorial debut “Falling” and the already acclaimed Chinese film “The Cloud in her Room” form part of the 11-title competition section announced by the International Film Festival & Awards Macao. The festival will take place entirely online this year, running Dec.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterThe International Film Festival & Awards Macao has unveiled its program and jury ahead of its 5th edition taking place digitally December 3 – 8.Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda will receive the festival’s ‘Spirit of Cinema’ award at a virtual awards ceremony taking place online December 8.