News

On The Seesaw, the upcoming feature debut of Taiwan’s Nell Wang, has won the Nt$1m grand prize at the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (Fpp) project market.

The top award was handed out by a jury comprising Chen Yu-hsun, Yeo Yann Yann and Jacky Pang. The project, which also received the Judicial Creative Film Award, follows two mental health patients who fall in love and get married, only to face challenges testing their bond to the limits. Executive producers are Shen Ko-shang and Anne Wu.

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Aoharu Point, the latest project from...

The 2023 Golden Horse Film Project Promotion, the project market that accompanies the Golden Horse film festival and awards in Taiwan in November, has laid out a huge 64-title selection for its 2023 edition.

These include 39 film projects at various stages of development and financing; a further seven works in progress; and the 18-previously announced series at project stage.

The event, which runs Nov. 20-22, offers a $31,000 (Nt$1 million) first prize and a total prize pool of $250,000 (Nt$8 million) from sponsors and industry sources. All selected projects are also eligible to apply to two Taicca funding initiatives: the Creative Content Development Program and the International Co-funding Program.

Among the Taiwanese filmmakers: Huang Hsin-yao, the director of “The Great Buddha+” and “Classmates Minus,” takes on the legend of Taiwanese treasure hunters in “Super-Reasoning Treasure Hunt”; Tom Lin Shu-yu, director of “Winds of September” and “The Garden of Evening Mists,” teams up with Kimi Hsia...

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Universal’s Jurassic World Dominion scored another win at China’s theatrical box office over the weekend, taking 23.3 million for a running total of 92.4 million.

Facing modest competition from Chinese youth drama One Week Friends, produced by Alibaba Pictures, Dominion slipped 56 percent in its second frame, data from Artisan Gateway shows. One Week Friends was hit with tepid word of mouth and performed below expectations, earning just 5.8 million. Leading local ticketing app Maoyan currently projects Dominion to finish its China run with 124 million — which will be the biggest haul by a Hollywood title since the start of the pandemic — and One Week Friends to top out at 19 million.

Directed by Taiwanese talent Gavin Lin (More Than Blue), One Week Friends is an adaptation of the Japanese manga Isshuukan Friends by Hazuki Matcha. The story follows a smart but lonely transfer student — who finds...

“Jurassic World Dominion” held on to top spot at the mainland China box office despite a 57 drop and the expected challenge from local newcomer “One Week Friends.”

The dinosaur franchise movie picked up 23.3 million (RMB156 million) in China between Friday and Sunday, giving it a healthy cumulative score of 92.4 million after ten days in theaters, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

The film’s performance was a steep decline from its opening weekend, but the competition from new release Chinese youth drama film “One Week Friends” was weaker than had been anticipated.

Released only on Saturday, “One Week Friends” earned 5.8 million (RMB38.9 million) from its first two days in Chinese theaters.

The film, directed by Taiwan’s Gavin Lin and produced by Alibaba Pictures’ Surprise Works unit, is a Chinese adaptation of a Japanese manga “Isshukan Friends,” originally written by Hazuki Matcha. It tells the story of a lonely...

Veteran film distributor and producer Paolo Lee has died. He was 79.

Born in Malaysia, he spent much of his film industry career in Taiwan where he operated multiple businesses over the years, including King’s Video, Scholar Theatre Company, Lux Cinemas and B.I.G. Film which he founded.

He died on May 11 in Taiwan, just days short of his 80th birthday, and was buried privately by family before industry friends and colleagues were notified.

Lee (full name Lee Teck Hoo) attended La Scala, Italy as a music student. He started translating Hong Kong and Chinese-language movies for subtitles in Italian to support himself through school. While there, he also met his wife.

Although dogged by occasional bouts of bad health – including one notable time when he was transported by ambulance from the Busan Film Festival to Seoul – Lee remained active until his passing.

In 2009 he met Joshua Tong and together they founded C2M Media.

“More than Blue,” the Taiwanese romantic film that was a surprise hit in China and across Asia, is to be adapted as a TV series. Singapore’s mm2 is producing in association with Taiwan’s Goodfilm Workshop.

The 10-part series will serve as an origin story and probe the student days of star-crossed characters Chang Che-Kai (K) and Sung Yuan-Yuan (Cream), originally played by Jasper Liu and Ivy Chen. It will also flesh out the back stories of several of the supporting characters. The cast has yet to be announced.

The series is to be directed by Hsieh Pei-ju, previous winner of the audience award at the 2019 Taipei Film Festival with her film “Heavy Craving.” Returning to the project are producer Rita Chuang, the 2018 films director Gavin Lin, and screenwriter Hermes Lu.

Production is set to start on July 7, 2020, on an announced budget of $6 million (Nt$180 million), with delivery in...

Cora Yim, senior VP and head of Chinese entertainment at Fox Networks Group Asia, says that “The Fourth Victim” will be the next Taiwan title to go into production following “Memory Eclipse,” the five-episode anthology series inspired by the songs of legendary singers Teresa Teng. Both titles are developed by talent incubated at the inaugural Fox Creative Lab in Asia.

“The Fourth Victim” by emerging Taiwanese writer Jimmy Hsu, was one of the two titles awarded script development deals last September. The crime thriller revolves around the investigation of serial suicides. A major Taiwanese star is expected to be attached to the project,” Yim told Variety. Shooting will commence around May.

“The enormous success of ‘More Than Blue’ makes it a natural decision to tap into the creative power of Taiwan,” said Yim.

“More Than Blue,” a Gavin Lin-directed remake of a 2009 South Korean film of the same title,...

On the heels of the grossing $38 million on its first three days of release in China with the Taiwan-set romance More Than Blue, Fox Networks Group Asia is teaming up again with Singapore studio mm2 Entertainment to re-create the magic on A Trip With Your Wife, with the same creative team of director Gavin Lin, writer Hermes Lu and castmembers.

More Than Blue has been a hit throughout Asia since its release in late 2018. It was the top local film in Taiwan and highest-grossing Asian film in Singapore in 2018.

“We have felt for a few years already that ...

On the heels of the grossing $38 million on its first three days of release in China with the Taiwan-set romance More Than Blue, Fox Networks Group Asia is teaming up again with Singapore studio mm2 Entertainment to re-create the magic on A Trip With Your Wife, with the same creative team of director Gavin Lin, writer Hermes Lu and castmembers.

More Than Blue has been a hit throughout Asia since its release in late 2018. It was the top local film in Taiwan and highest-grossing Asian film in Singapore in 2018.

“We have felt for a few years already that ...

Gavin Lin’s romantic drama A Trip With Your Wife will be co-produced by Fox Networks Groups Asia.

Riding high on the phenomenal success of More Than Blue, Singapore’s mm2 Entertainment is teaming up again with the hit film’s Taiwanese director Gavin Lin on A Trip With Your Wife. Fox Networks Group Asia is on board to co-produce.

The romantic drama, written by More Than Blue co-writer Hermes Lu, follows a terminally-ill young man whose dying wish is to take the wife of his best friend on a trip. The project is currently at script stage with the cast to be confirmed.

Tentpole stands at $132m in China after ten days.

Captain Marvel brought in a further $189m worldwide to reach $760m after 12 days as it dominated regions, vaulted the final lifetime grosses of multiple superhero releases, and held on to number one in most international markets where $120m propelled the running total to $494m.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International

Japan was the final market to receive Captain Marvel and it debuted at number one on an estimated $5.6m for the highest first stand-alone character Marvel Cinematic Universe (McU) opening weekend.

Excluding China, Asia-Pacific as a region dropped by 53%, and overall...

The company is taking pay-tv and digital rights to the mm2 Asia productions.

Fox Networks Groups Asia (Fnga) has come on board as co-producer to six Chinese-language films produced by Singapore-headquartered mm2 Asia and featuring rising talents from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Fnga will have the exclusive pay-tv broadcast and digital rights to the films, which will be aired on Star Chinese Movies and streaming platform Fox+.

Two of the titles are from Taiwan: Welcome To The Happy Days director Gavin Lin’s More Than Blue, which features popular Taiwanese idols Jasper Liu and Ivy Chen in a...

The company is taking pay-tv and digital rights to the mm2 Asia productions.

Fox Networks Groups Asia (Fnga) has come on board as co-producer to six Chinese-language films produced by Singapore-headquartered mm2 Asia and featuring rising talents from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Fnga will have the exclusive pay-tv broadcast and digital rights to the films, which will be aired on Star Chinese Movies and streaming platform Fox+.

Two of the titles are from Taiwan: Welcome To The Happy Days director Gavin Lin’s More Than Blue, which features popular Taiwanese idols Jasper Liu and Ivy Chen in a...