ITV

Tag: Hong Kong

  • Gurvinder Singh’s film wins Hong Kong Fest award

    Gurvinder Singh’s film wins Hong Kong Fest award

    MUMBAI: Gurvinder Singh’s The Fourth Direction has won the Paris Project award at the 10th Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum that concluded recently.


    Produced by Kartikeya Narayan Singh, the film combines two short stories by well-known Punjabi writer Waryam Singh Sandhu, in the backdrop of the movement for a Sikh separatist state in the ‘80s.


    The Fourth Direction is the second feature film project of Singh after Anhey Ghore Da Daan, that got him the National Award for best director.


    The Fourth Direction will share the prize with Flowing Stories directed by Tsang Tsui-shan. The award presented by the Paris Cinéma International Film Festival comprises 5,000 Euros.


    The 10th Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) was held from 19 to 21 March.


    The festival also happens to be Asia’s premier project market that connects Asian filmmakers with upcoming film projects with internationally prominent film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers and funders for co-production ventures.

  • 46 films to screen in 8th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival

    46 films to screen in 8th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival

    MUMBAI: Forty six films from 16 countries will be screened in the 8th IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival to be held New Delhi from 5 to 7 March. The programme includes three curated packages of films from Japan, Turkey and Hong Kong.

    24 filmmakers from 10 countries will also be present to lead the discussions following the screening of their films. These films would be shown at the India International Centre Auditorium at Alliance Française on 6 March.

    Apart from the film screenings, there will be a seminar on ‘Representing Children’s Worlds: Gender, Media and Society’ on 5 March.

    A panel discussion on ‘Does Nuclear Power have a Future?’ will be held on 6 March.

    The festival is being organised by IAWRT – India, in association with the India International Centre, Sangat South Asia, Japan Foundation and Alliance Française.

  • Anubhav Sinha launches film production house

    Anubhav Sinha launches film production house

    MUMBAI: Six films-old Anubhav Sinha has taken the plunge and launched his film production house called Benaras Media.

    For starters, Sinha has firmed up three films. The first of the lot will be an action film, directed by Sudhir Mishra. While the second movie will be helmed by Gurmeet, a former assistant on several YRF films, the third will be directed by Sinha himself.

    The script of the first film is a combination of cerebral and physical action, a kind of Bourne Identity meeting Jackie Chan. It will have a huge star cast and some of the most elaborate action often seen in Hong Kong’s Kung Fu films.

    It is being said that Shah Rukh Khan will play the main lead while Irrfan Khan, Arunoday Singh and Vidyut Jamwal are being slotted into the other roles.

    The film would start rolling once Mishra gets the final cast of his ambitious project, Mehrunissa, in place.

    Sinha had earlier directed films like Tum Bin, Aap Ko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai, Dus, Tathastu, Cash and Ra.One.

  • My Name Is Khan releases in Hong Kong

    My Name Is Khan releases in Hong Kong

    MUMBAI: Going by the success the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘3 Idiots‘ has achieved weeks after releasing in China, Dharma Films has released its blockbuster film ‘My Name Is Khan‘ in Hong kong.

    My Name Is Khan is a triumphant story of an unconventional hero who overcomes obstacles to regain the ladylove of his life.

    The film, produced and directed by Karan Johar, performed extremely well in the overseas market, especially South Korea, besides having a successful run in India. The film was released in South Korea in eight cities across 200 theatres.

    The movie went over to win awards for the best director, actor, story and lyrics categories at the 12th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards.

  • South East Asian filmmakers feel need for more skills training

    South East Asian filmmakers feel need for more skills training

    MUMBAI: Delegates from several South East Asian countries have suggested government intent to develop the sector and an interest in working with the Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet) and the inter-governmental body Asean.


    The development potential of South East Asia and the changes underway within Asia‘s Film Commissions were put in the spotlight at two seminars during Busan‘s Asian Film Policy Forum held during the Festival that concluded over the weekend.


    Presentations by government officials from Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia showed countries with vastly different stages of film industry development. Indonesia said it would produce 100 films this year, but Laos expected only six films; there is a common need for more cinemas and more skills training.


    Bounchao Phichit, director general from the Laos‘ culture ministry‘s department of cinema, charted a decline in theatre numbers between 1985 and 2005 and said that the government has kick-started film-making and acts variously as regulator, producer, distributor and cheerleader. He said he was happy to see that of this year‘s crop of films five were produced by private-sector firms.


    Myanmar Motion Picture Enterprise managing director Aung Myo Myint said that he has a “burning desire” to cultivate the skills of film artists and technicians through regional training courses and through visiting international productions. He also hinted at a surprising vibrancy; Myanmar produced 16 feature films, but also 581 video films in 2010.


    Do Duy An suggested that even in the absence of financial incentives the number of co-produced films is rising. They climbed from just 2 in 2006 to 5 in 2008.


    Syamsul ‘Sam‘ Lussa said that the government intends to develop cinema for both cultural and industrial reasons. But he spoke of a shortage of cinema screens that is restricting growth – there are only some 650 screens in 55 towns and cities for a population of 239 million – and a need for skills training. He also said that film needs to be removed
    from the country‘s ‘negative list,‘ a list of industries in which
    foreign investment is restricted or banned.


    A day earlier, film commissioners described how they are increasingly taking a developmental role in addition to their traditional function of ‘production attraction‘.


    Wellington Fung said that Hong Kong‘s Film Development Council is now funding technical training schemes (for assistant directors, production managers, editors and martial artists) through the new Film Academy set up at HK Baptist University.Filmmaker and actor Inoue Toshihiko said that the Sapporo Hokkaido Contents Strategy Organisation no longer simply matched locations with productions but also takes on investment matching and that his region is increasingly being used for shoots from Singapore, Thailand and India.


    Oh Seok-gun, head of Busan‘s proactive Film Commission, said that Busan is now funding script development and that its budget for such incentives is set to rise to $255,000.

  • Independent US PR firm makes entry into India

    Independent US PR firm makes entry into India

    NEW DELHI. Demonstrating its commitment to securing a larger role in the fast growing South Asian economy, Ruder Finn, which is one of the world’s largest independent public relations firms, has opened its first office in India.


    With its head office located in New Delhi, Ruder Finn India has made two key hires to drive its expansion: Radha Roy and Shruti Das. As country head, Roy reports to Ruder Finn Asia Pacific chairman Jean-Michel Dumont.


    Ruder Finn has already bagged the retainer account for Automobili Lamborghini for this region. Ruder Finn India team has also successfully undertaken projects to help drive communication mandates for some key global names in the Pharma and not-for-profit sector.


    Roy has over sixteen years of experience in public relations, communication and advocacy. Her expertise includes strategic counsel, promotional campaigns, corporate social responsibility programs, media and presentation skills training, crisis and issues management and marketing and business planning for clients in the corporate and not-for-profit sector. She has counselled and represented leading corporations like PepsiCo, Max Newyork Life, Danone, Dr Reddy’s, Thomson, Timken and ITC in Kolkata,Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. She has also worked for many years on campaigns for child rights.


    Das, account director, has more than 10 years of experience in marketing & communication. Having undertaken cross-functional roles such as Marketing, Business Development, and Public Relations, she now specialises in strategic planning, development and execution of integrated communications programs. In her previous assignments, she managed communication mandates for organisations like Microsoft, Oracle, NetApp, HTC, ZTE and Unicef.


    “On the heels of our record-level revenues and earnings for the 2010 fiscal year, combined with market demand, it was a logical next step for us to expand our presence to a new part of the world,” said Ruder Finn Inc. CEO Kathy Bloomgarden. “A presence in India will benefit our increasing number of multinational clients throughout North America, Europe and Asia by leveraging the synergies between business units, assisting in securing new opportunities and providing regional support to their existing global customer base.”


    ‘Khushiyaan Ruder Finn, Inc. is one of the largest independent integrated communication firms in the world, with offices in the United States and Europe, as well as in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Delhi in Asia. Through these offices and affiliates worldwide, the agency serves the global and local communication needs of over 250 corporations, governments and non-profit organisations.

  • 3 Idiots grosses Rs 9 mn in 2-week run in Hong Kong

    3 Idiots grosses Rs 9 mn in 2-week run in Hong Kong

    MUMBAI: After almost two years of its releasing in India and breaking all box office records, the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film 3 Idiots released recently in Hong Kong and within two weeks, has done a business of over Rs 9 million.

    Said Vinod Chopra Films CEO Sameer Rao, “The phenomenal success of 3 idiots in its Hong Kong re-release is testimony to the power of its content and the universality of its message. All of us at VCF are extremely proud of the film‘s continuing run in various international markets, including Taiwan, Korea and now, Hong Kong.”

    The film has grossed over $600,000 in 4 weeks and is currently ranked no. 4 in the box office. The Aamir Khan-starrer is being aggressively promoted with print and advertising budget of about $1.5 million.

    In Taiwan, where the Rajkumar Hirani-helmed film had a longer box-office run as compared to other English releases, 3 Idiots raked in half a million dollars.

  • Ape story grosses $ 54 million at box office

    Ape story grosses $ 54 million at box office

    MUMBAI: 20th Century Fox‘s Rise of the Planet of the Apes opened to $54 million at the domestic box office, 20 million more than the best forecast.


    Overseas, the film exceeded expectations too, grossing a robust $23.4 million from 25 territories, including four major markets like Australia, Spain, Russia and Taiwan, where it topped the box office charts.


    Directed by Rupert Wyatt and starring James Franco, Rise premiered in at least nine markets with Spain ($5.2 million from 517 sites), Australia ($5.1 million from 359 locations) and Russia ($5.09 million from 1,012 situations) leading the list.


    Fox said weekend action exceeded expectations “given only four of the top 15 international markets are in release.”
     
    Rise of the Apes is particularly drawing notice for its photo-realistic apes created by Peter Jackson‘s Weta Digital using advanced performance capture technology. “The combination of never-before-seen special effects combined with a powerful, emotional story made for a supremely satisfying epxerience at the movies,” Fox senior vice president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson said.


    Thanks to a great debut, which Warner Bros. estimates at $25.5 million drawn from 4,200 venues, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 remained at the top spot grossing $61.8 million from 15,632 screens in 61 markets.


    Finishing at No. 3 on the weekend was Marvel Studios‘ Captain America: The First Avenger has gone past the $100-million overseas gross mark ($103 million) since it began its foreign run on 22 July. Worldwide, the film has registered $246.2 million.


    Latest weekend, the film drew $27.5 million from 5,037 locations in 41 territories, bolstered by openings in Spain ($2.5 million from 381 spots), Hong Kong and Israel. The film opens in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and India this week.


    Transformers: Dark of the Moon, that opened offshore on 29 June has till date totally grossed $693.5 million. The film pulled $17.5 million from 10,680 venues in 62 markets including strong holdovers in Japan and China and a No. 1 bow in Indonesia ($1.8 million from 98 locations) last weekend.

  • CNN Asia Pacific promotes Ellana Lee to VP

    CNN Asia Pacific promotes Ellana Lee to VP

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN announced today that Ellana Lee is moving into a new position at the network’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong.

    Currently managing editor, her role as VP of Asia will expand her responsibilities to encompass all of CNN’s operations and award-winning on-air and online news and feature programming from across the Asia Pacific region.

    “I’m thrilled and honored to be taking on this new position as Vice President. Asia Pacific is a remarkable and dynamic region and I look forward to working alongside our fantastic team of talented producers and correspondents to further strengthen our Asian editorial coverage for millions of viewers worldwide,” she said.

    Through her managerial responsibility for CNN’s correspondents and newsgathering teams across nine Asia Pacific editorial operations, she has overseen a remarkable six months of coverage since the turn of the year, from the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami in March, ongoing unrest in the Middle East to the death of Osama bin Laden.

    Lee has also been instrumental in the launch of a new Asia Primetime programming line-up, a new Hong Kong-based show called News Stream and four weeks of extended regional coverage in Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia.

    Further programming initiatives under her tenure have included taking Hong Kong-based programmes to Beijing, Delhi, Mumbai and Seoul while from the world of business she managed the launch of a new weekday business program from Hong Kong, ‘World Business Today’.

  • Reuters to deliver CCTV content globally

    Reuters to deliver CCTV content globally

    MUMBAI: Global news agency Reuters has announced that it will distribute China Central Television’s (CCTV) content and scripted footage to more than 700 broadcasters across the US, Europe, Asia and Africa beginning 10 February.

    The agreement with China’s state broadcaster marks the latest enhancement to its long-standing relationship with Reuters and will span political, economic, social, cultural, sports, and entertainment news categories.

    Reuters news agency MD Christoph Pleitgen said, “The extension of this relationship allows CCTV to broaden its reach into the global broadcasting community while simultaneously satisfying our clients’ increasing appetite for news from China. We hope these mutually beneficial relationships continue to present themselves in all corners of the world.”   
         
      This announcement follows the launch of Reuters America, the first phase in the global transformation of the Reuters news agency. The transformation will offer Reuters‘ clients a unified platform, delivering content from a variety of sources to meet the needs of publishers and broadcasters around the world.

    CCTV director of the International News Department Cao Ri said, “We are pleased that Reuters will assign a dedicated channel for CCTV News Content inside its TV distribution platform that will help CCTV in building its brand and international reputation as one of the world’s leading broadcasters”.

    Reuters currently provides bespoke business reporting to CCTV 2 and CCTV 9 from six bureaux: London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and New Delhi.

    Reuters has had a presence in China since 1871, expanding over the years to include news bureaux in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong which produce stories focused on treasury, commodities, investment and company news. Reuters Chinese News, the company’s Chinese language wire service, has been available since 1992 and carries daily coverage of China’s currency, government and corporate bond market.

    Most recently Cn.Reuters.com was ranked China’s leading international news portal by China Internet Weekly. It is a leading international business and financial website in China with more than 2.8 million unique visitors a month.