a still from “Red Cliff”
Japan’s Obsession with China’s Three Kingdoms Period
Recently, a news caught many people’s attention that Gintama Director Yûichi Fukuda will write and direct a film about China’s three Kingdoms period. Known for being good at directing comedies, Yûichi Fukuda reveals that he plans to reinterpret this part of the Chinese history in a comical way. This is not the first time Japan shows great interest in China’s three Kingdoms period. Zhang Yimou’s Shadow, which will be released in Japan soon, is billed in Japan mainly as a story during the three Kingdoms period. John Woo’s Red Cliff, an epic war film set at the end of Han Dynasty right before the three Kingdoms period, is the highest grossing Chinese language film in Japan. What’s more, several drama series based on stories during the three Kingdoms period have been imported to Japan and gained great success. In addition to film and TV shows, Japanese game companies have also developed many games set during the three Kingdoms period. Read more on Mtime
Peter Chan to Chair the Jury of Macau International Film Festival
It was announced on June 16 at a press conference during the Shanghai International Film Festival that Hong Kong director Peter Chan has been named the chair of this year’s Macau International Film Festival. The Festival also invited actress Carina Lau to be the celebrity ambassador. Other ambassadors include Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai, Korean director Yong-hwa Kim and Indian director Karan Johar. The 4th Macau International Film Festival is set to take place between December 5 to December 10. Read more on Mtime
Beijing Cultural Investment Group to Back Liu Cixin’s Upcoming Sci-fi Film ‘Apocalypse Rescue’
On June 16, Beijing Cultural Investment Group held a press conference in China, announcing the company’s new strategic plan for culture and entertainment. The company also introduced a wide range of upcoming projects, including films, TV shows and variety shows. One highlighted project is Apocalypse Rescue (末日拯救）, an upcoming science fiction film written by Liu Cixin and directed by Shen Yue. Different from other films based on Liu’s stories, Apocalypse Rescue was not adapted from a novel. Instead, the story was originally written in the script format by Liu. Read more on Sina
