The BBC Is Making Money Producing Glossy Tourism Ads For China’s Propaganda Machine

EXCLUSIVE: Senior BBC journalists have called on their bosses to rethink the UK broadcaster’s new-found enthusiasm for TikTok after the Chinese social media giant spied on reporters.

Peter Rawley, a longtime ICM talent agent who repped Richard Dreyfuss, Richard Gere and Faye Dunaway and also was head of European production for MGM and a successful indie producer, died January 3. He was 85.

Terrifying images from China appear to show families burning the bodies of loved ones as Covid infections overwhelm hospitals in the country.

The SNP has called on the Conservatives to return £170,000 of donations made by Michelle Mone’s husband.

China’s box office in 2022 dropped 36% versus 2021, reaching approximately RMB 30B ($4.35B). According to China.org, citing figures from the China Film Administration, 85% of the 2022 revenue was generated by local movies, led by The Battle at Lake Changjin II with RMB 4.07B ($636M at historical rates, per comScore). This past weekend, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water became the highest-grossing studio import of the year, overtaking Jurassic World Dominion with an estimated $152.8M through Sunday.

Paige Turley was unrecognisable in her latest TV appearance as she joined forces with a fellow Scots star.

Scots Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney has released the trailer for their new show 'Lawrence Chaney's Homecoming Queens'.

EXCLUSIVE: A British lawmaker and member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China has urged the BBC to rethink its commercial decision to produce ads for organs of Chinese state media.

Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) in China’s Sanya has returned as an in-person event, following a relatively short Covid-related postponement, with separate competition sections for features, documentaries and shorts. 

Tory peer Michelle Mone’s businessman husband could be facing a lengthy jail sentence if found guilty of fraud charges in Spain. Billionaire Doug Barrowman has been charged with crimes including corporate tax evasion.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re talking with Isidoor Roebers and Lea Fels, partners at Dutch doc producer Scenery, a joint venture with Banijay Benelux that has served up artistic but commercial unscripted projects for everyone from local public broadcaster NPO to Netflix and Prime Video.

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water began its international box office rollout today in such majors as Korea, France, Germany and Italy — and with early sneaks in China. One of the most anticipated movies of recent years, it’s dominating play.

Two years ago, Bob Iger pointed to the rafters and said, the future of our business is on streaming and Disney+. By then, everyone had a streaming service or one in the works, and it ushered in the age of #TooMuchContent.

EXCLUSIVE: UK outfit Make Waves (The Great Green Wall) and science-focused U.S. producer HHMI Tangled Bank Studios (All That Breathes) are teaming on feature-length documentary Blue Carbon (working title), an environmentally-focused musical piece fronted by Grammy-nominated producer and DJ Jayda G with music from Wu-Tang leader RZA and Brazilian artist Seu Jorge.

IMAX China Holding, Inc and IMAX Corporation have named CAA China veteran Daniel Manwaring as Chief Executive Officer of IMAX China. He succeeds interim CEO Jiande Chen, who will return to his full-time role as Vice Chairman of IMAX China. Manwaring takes over the post from January 9, 2023.

In addition to Manwaring’s professional experience, he is married to Chinese filmmaker Zhang Mo, the daughter and frequent collaborator of renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou (“The Great Wall,” “Hero,” House of Flying Daggers”).