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Big-budget period action film “The Sand Murmurs” is set to start production in China’s remote region of Xinjiang later this month.

The film is the tale of a soldier and an enemy nobleman brought together after a once-in-a-century sandstorm. After braving a near-death experience together, the pair find common purpose despite their differences. They also need to work together to find their way out across 800km of desert.

The picture is directed by Wu Youyin as an adaptation of his novel of the same title. Wu previously wrote and directed “Till The End of the World,” which released in 2018.

Deploying a budget of some $40 million, the new picture is produced by Eastern Grace Film. The company has interests in production, promotion and distribution and a stated mission of promoting Chinese culture and beauty to the world.

The film’s cast is headed by Deng Chao, Rong Zishan and Yang Zishan.

The marital drama is the second feature from Ziyang Zhou.

Berlin-based sales outfit Picture Tree International (Pti) has picked up international rights to Ziyang Zhou’s Wu Hai, ahead of its debut in competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

The Chinese relationship drama marks the second feature of Inner Mongolia director Zhou after Old Beast, which won three awards at the Golden Horse Film Festival in 2017, including the Fipresci prize and best original screenplay for Zhou.

It is also the first Chinese production to be acquired by Pti and is receiving its world premiere on September 24 at San Sebastian’s 68th edition,...

Marriage drama selected to play in competition at San Sebastian.

Berlin-based sales outfit Picture Tree International (Pti) has picked up international rights to Ziyang Zhou’s Wu Hai, ahead of its debut in competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

The Chinese relationship drama marks the second feature of Inner Mongolia director Zhou after Old Beast, which won three awards at the Golden Horse Film Festival in 2017, including the Fipresci prize and best original screenplay for Zhou.

It is also the first Chinese production to be acquired by Pti and is receiving its world premiere on September 24 at San Sebastian’s 68th edition,...

Fiorella Moretti and Hedi Zardi’s Paris-based Luxbox has acquired international sales rights to the complete film catalogue of high-art Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr.

The deal takes in Tarr’s “Satan’s Tango,” acclaimed as a masterpiece, whose 25th anniversary will be marked at this year’s Berlinale Forum by a special screening of a remastered version on Feb. 16.

“Satan’s Tango” screened for the first time at Berlinale Forum in 1994, winning the Caligari Film Prize.

The Berlinale event “will be an ideal opportunity to honor the film that was chosen as one of the 50 greatest films of all time in a 2012 British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound poll,” Zardi said.

The seven-hour epic has been restored in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative by L.A. company Arbelos in collaboration with The Hungarian Filmlab.

“’Satan’s Tango’ is a magnum opus to end all magna opera, a dark,...

It was a flat week at the box office, with New Year blockbusters waiting in the wings.

It was a flat week (Feb 5-11) right before Chinese New Year as generally expected. Most of the charts looked quite similar to the week before, with only two small releases added. Chinese New Year blockbusters will make up for the loss next week.

Without any strong contenders, Bollywood musical Secret Superstar scored a hat trick, topping the box office for three straight weeks.

Aamir Khan’s latest hit about a young girl who aspires to become a famous singer added $18.7 for $114.7m after 24 days. It has now surpassed Japanese animation Your Name to become the second highest grossing non-Hollywood foreign film ever, only after Dangal.

Local romance drama Till The End Of The World, with Yang Zishan and Mark Chao, climbed one spot to second place with $16.4m for $30m after 11 days, pushing Maze Runner: The Death Cure to the...