The First Foreign Film to Hit China in Weeks? A British Christmas Movie About a Cat

Last week, it was revealed that The Criterion Collection would add a new disc format to its release schedule, announcing its first batch of 4K UHD titles. And in November, the first wave of those titles, as well as a highly-anticipated box set, aim to lighten your wallets.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese censors have approved the next feature from Tibetan director Pema Tseden, a Venice International Film Festival regular and one of the most influential filmmakers working in the Tibetan language.The film’s Chinese name translates to “Stranger.” It is an adaptation of a short story he wrote of the same name, which he has publicly said as far back as 2013 that he hoped one day to adapt into a film.Authorities have approved the script Tseden wrote for the project,

As the fall festivals Venice, Telluride and Toronto, as well as New York and London continue to evolve in the surging Covid environment, AFI Fest has announced it is moving full speed ahead.

Disney/Pixar’s sea monster story Luca has been granted an August 20 release date in China, signaling that the end of the giant market’s latest unofficial blackout period may be afoot. While Luca will take a prime slot amid a series of local holdovers and is the first Hollywood studio title to release since June, its date also comes at a time when about 30% of cinemas are closed in the market due to a Covid surge, and as box office overall has been muted there.

Ian Brown has debuted a new music video to accompany his cover of Johnny Osbourne’s ‘Truths & Rights’, which arrived earlier this year.The video, which is directed by filmmaker Scully, sees the Stone Roses frontman’s vocals being played over six minutes of footage from A Touch of Zen – the 1971 movie from Chinese filmmaker King Hu.The track also sees Brown offering a largely faithful take on Osbourne’s Reggae staple, but features a selection of lyrics that could be interpreted as being in

As the Tokyo Olympics draw to a close, the gay sporting world will be keeping its eyes firmly on East Asia when the Gay Games 2022 head to Hong Kong next year.As sports fans from across the globe tune into the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the organisers of the 11th Gay Games, scheduled to open in November 2022 in Hong Kong, are hustling to ensure the event runs without a hitch.

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Organizers of the Beijing International Film Festival have postponed the event due to increasing Covid cases in China.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter unveiling it during a performance at Boston’s Fenway Park on Tuesday, Guns N’ Roses have released “Absurd,” their first official new song since their 2008 album “Chinese Democracy.”However, to call the song “new” is a relative term: The song, formerly called “Silkworms,” has been knocking around for two decades and was reportedly written during the years of sessions for “Chinese Democracy.”The fast-paced track features Axl Rose singing with an almost comical

Rebecca Davis editorChinese director Lu Chuan will be the lead director of the opening ceremony for the upcoming 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou city, an international sports spectacle taking place months after the Beijing Winter Olympics.Held every four years, the games will occur from Sept. 10 to 25 in the verdant capital of Zhejiang province, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHighly-anticipated mainland Chinese film “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which was due to have been released later this month has been postponed to an unspecified date. The move, announced late on Thursday, was caused by a recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in China.The film is a Korean War epic that is co-directed by Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui and Dante Lam and should have released on Aug.

Rebecca Davis editorDistributor Trinity CineAsia has acquired Donnie Yen-starring action film “Raging Fire” from Emperor Motion Pictures for the U.K. and Ireland.The film debuted at the top of the box office last weekend in China, where it grossed $37.2 million in the three-day period, and led sales since, grossing $56.8 million in its opening week.It’s the last film from the legendary Hong Kong writer, director and producer Benny Chan, who died last summer.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese pop singer and actor Jackson Yee, who starred in the Oscar-nominated drama “Better Days,” will anchor a new blockbuster from Chinese director Wen Muye, whose “Dying to Survive” is China’s 12th highest grossing film of all time.The film, scheduled for a 2022 release, does not yet have an official English title, but its Chinese name translates to “Miracle.” It will be produced by Ning Hao and his Dirty Monkey Films.The plot is described in current reports:

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Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese e-commerce giant Alibaba should be well positioned to take advantage of the early recovery of China’s economy. But its results for the three months to June, published on Tuesday, did not show the full extent of that potential.Net income attributable to shareholders was down by 5% at $6.99 billion using U.S.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese director Chen Kaige’s U.S.-born son Arthur Chen Feiyu has swapped his American citizenship out for a Chinese one, a change widely viewed locally as a savvy move to boost his burgeoning career in the mainland.The move comes as Chinese public opinion about celebrities has hinged upon questions of nationality.

Olympic history on Monday by becoming the first openly transgender woman to compete in any Games. The 43-year-old athlete represented her home country of New Zealand in the women’s heavyweight competition.However, Hubbard’s hopes for a medal in the women’s 87+ kilogram competition fell short after she failed all three lift attempts.

Rebecca Davis editorTop Chinese social media platform Weibo has banned the official account of the German consulate in Guangzhou for “violating community standards” after it posted information about a LGBTQ film festival jointly hosted with 16 other foreign governments.The ban, which has now been in effect for more than two full days, was instated after nationalist Weibo users flooded the platform’s censors with reports that the German consulate’s message was politically problematic.All of the

NBC’s clutch on primetime remains steady with the coverage of the 2020 Olympics, but the network took its first, though minor, hit in viewers Monday night.