Golden Rooster Awards Switch Return to Annual Schedule
No longer a biannual event, China’s Golden Rooster Awards are switching back to an annual schedule. The news was announced on the opening ceremony of the 28th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, which was held on November 19 (Beijing time) in Xiamen city, the festival’s first permanent home located in China’s southeastern region. Founded in 1981, the Golden Rooster Awards previously took place annually. Between 2005 and 2018, however, the awards and Hundred Flowers Awards took place on alternate years. Known as “expert awards,” the Golden Rooster Awards is one of China’s three main film awards together with Hundred Flowers Awards (audience awards) and Huabiao Award (government awards). Read more on chuanmeineican
‘Ad Astra’ Lands China Release Date
Starring Brad Pitt, 2019 American Sci-fi adventure blockbuster Ad Astra has been slated for a theatrical release in China on December 6. The film was selected into the main competition of this year’s Venice International Film Festival and received positive reviews from film critics. However, it only grossed US$127 million at the global box office. In China, Ad Astra will compete with Knive Out and three domestic films including Two Tigers, The Wild Goose Lake, and The Whistleblower. Jumanji: The Next Level and Chinese film Gone With The Light, coming out on December 13, will also join in the competition a week later. Read more on Mtime
‘Saturday Fiction’ Withdrawn from Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival
It was announced on November 18 that Chinese director Lou Ye’s Saturday Fiction has been pulled from the 28th Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival. Previously set to open the festival’s “New Domestic Movies” section, Saturday Fiction was withdrawn by its producer due to “internal issues,” according to sources familiar with the fest. The music documentary Shakuhachi: One Sound, One Life has now been set as the new opening film. There is also a rumor that the film might cancel its theatrical release in China on December 7. Starring Gong Li, Mark Chao, Joe Odagiri, and Zhang Songwen, Saturday Fiction is a spy film set in pre-Pearl Harbor Shanghai and follows a famous actress (Gong Li) who hides her real mission by appearing in a stage play. The festival runs from November 19 to 23. Read more on Mtime
