China-Censored Version of ‘HHhH’ is Twenty Minutes Shorter Than The Original
Starring Jason Clarke and Rosamund Pike, French war thriller ‘HHhH’ (also known as ‘The Man with the Iron Heart’) is scheduled to open in Chinese theaters on November 24 (Beijing Time). According to the permit issued by SAPPRFT, the total running time of the version to be released in China is 100 minutes, 20 minutes shorter than its original version. It’s suggested that the sex scenes in the movie are eliminated. Telling the story of Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Nazi commander Reinhard Heydrich during World War II, ‘HHhH’ was rated R in North America. In terms of the length of content lost in the China-censored version, ‘The Lost City of Z’ ranks number this year. The version of the film released in China was 37 minutes shorter than its original version. Read more on Mtime
French Comedy ‘Santa & Cie’ Set for December 15 China Release
‘Santa & Cie,’ a French comedy directed by Alain Chabat and starring Audrey Tautou, has scored a December 15 China release, according the official Chinese poster and trailer released on November 24. As a Christmas-themed film, ‘Santa & Cie’ will be released in France a week earlier than in China. The film is produced by Legende Films, imported by China Film Group Corporation, and distributed by China Film Co., Ltd.. Its marketing campaigns in China are facilitated by Chinese firm Hishow Entertainment. Read more on China Daily
Three Chinese Animated Shorts Are Competing for the 2018 Oscars
According to the recently revealed list of animated shorts that were submitted for consideration and qualified in the animated short film category of the 90th Academy Awards, three animated shorts from China will compete for nominations this year. The three Chinese animations are ‘Once A Hero,’ ‘Life Smartphone,’ and ‘Valley of White Birds.’ ‘Once A Hero’ is directed by Li Xia as his USC (University of Souther California) graduation project. ‘Life Smartphone’ is written and directed by Xie Chenglin who is graduated from China’s Central Academy of Art. ‘Life Smartphone’ has won the director a student Oscar. ‘Valley of White Birds’ are co-directed by Ren Lang and Bu Sifan (‘Dahufa‘). Read more on Q Daily
China Sees Consumption Upgrade of Middle-class Moviegoers
2017 is a magical year for China’s box office. Indie low-budget films, such as ‘Twenty Two‘ and ‘Paths of the Soul,’ made over 100 million yuan ($15 million), which is unimaginable a few years ago. The recently released indie outdoor adventure film ‘Seventy Seven Days,’ which is still in theater, is near 70 million yuan at box office as of now . What’s more, this year’s critically acclaimed Chinese arthouse films ‘Mr. No Problem’ and ‘Angels Wear White‘ also opened in theaters this month. It’s more and more evident that Chinese moviegoers’ tastes are increasingly diverse and individualized. And the reason behind this phenomenon, according to this analysis by WeChat media account “yiqipaidianying,” is that China’s middle-class population is growing, and the movie consumption of this group of people is also constantly upgrading. Read more on Yiqipaidianying
