DAILY BRIEF: Oct 11, 2018

NEWS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

• 1

  Pingyao Festival Celebrates Indie Spirit at Opening

  With smell of coal all pervasive in the night air, Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke played host Thursday at the opening of the second edition of his Pingyao International Film Festival. The PYIFF is one of the few major film events in China not directly controlled by a government department, but the event cooperates closely with authorities and there is not even a hint of an underground movie. Variety

• 2

  South Korea Calls Out Chinese TV Producers For Frequent Plagiarism

  On October 7, South Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily published an article listing all the Chinese shows that have faced plagiarism claims filed by Koreans. The paper urged the government to protect intellectual property rights in the field of television. SupChina

• 3

  Female-Led ‘Kung Fu’ Sequel Series in Development at Fox

  Reboot mania has reached a fever pitch, with Fox reviving a classic martial arts western series that may have been better left behind in the dust. The ’70s series Kung Fu is receiving a sequel series featuring a female lead and a hopefully less whitewashed cast. /Film

• 4

  Why Did China’s Biggest Movie Star and the Interpol Chief Vanish?

  Fan Bingbing vanished for three months earlier this year, only to resurface with what seemed like a coerced public apology, the language of which could have come from Mao Zedong—or Xi Jinping. The New Yorker

• 5

  Precious Artifacts Find New Platform Through TV

  Before the first season of the Nation's Greatest Treasures was aired last December, not many would have believed that cultural relics could create excitement on a TV variety show. But the 10-episode show shown through China Central Television became a phenomenon. CCTV is also working with BBC World News for an international edition of the show, which will be aired through the British broadcaster. China Daily