‘Have A Nice Day’ Passes Chinese Censorship with “Slight Adjustments”
Liu Jian’s animated noir film ‘Have A Nice Day’ has passed Chinese censorship with “slight adjustments,” according to the film’s producer Yang Cheng. The film will be released before the 2018 Chinese New Year, though a release date for the film is yet to be confirmed. The film premiered at the Berlinale in January, and then was yanked in May from the Annecy International Film Festival in France. It also hauled in three nominations at the 54th Taipei Golden Horse Awards, including the Best Animated Feature, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Music. Read More on Mtime
The U.S. China Film & TV Industry Expo Kicks off in Los Angeles
The U.S. China Film & TV Industry (UCFTI) Expo took place on October 30 in Los Angeles with industry experts and executives in attendance. The Expo presents various panel discussions to address important topics such as the reasons behind the cooling of China’s film market in recent years, what types of films work in the Chinese market, and how Chinese films can succeed in the global market. Kevin Hou, founder of Mtime, noted that understanding how Chinese consumers receive information and make purchases through their mobile phones is one of the keys to successful promotion campaigns. Mike Medavoy, Chairman & CEO of Phoenix Pictures, pointed out the difficulties in finding a model to follow. Each project might have to find its own way to success. Elizabeth Daley from University of Southern California said that the pool of Chinese film talent is growing, as an increasing number of Chinese students study filmmaking abroad at universities such as USC. Read more on Mtime
‘Jackie’ May be Released in Chinese Theatres
Eleven months after its theatrical run in the U.S., biographical drama ‘Jackie,’ which stars Natalie Portman, may be imported into China for theatrical run in near future, according to sources familiar with the matter. From the first person perspective of the First Lady Jackie Kennedy, ‘Jackie’ follows her fights through grief and trauma after the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. As the remaining files about President Kennedy’s assassination were declassified recently, this film becomes even more anticipated in China. Read more on Mtime.
Pingyao to Become the Center of Arthouse Cinema in China?
The ongoing Pingyao International Film Festival (PYIFF), which opened last Friday (October 28), is one of the hottest topics in China’s film world today. Founded by critically acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, the festival demonstrates its efforts in becoming a heaven for arthouse cinema in China. First of all, the full name of the festival is ‘Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival,’ which pays homage to Ang Lee’s ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.’ Second, the main screening venue of the festival is named ‘Spring in a Small Town,’ which is also the name of a classic Chinese arthouse movie. In addition, the festival’s programming committee, which is headed by Marco Muller (former director of the Venice International Film Festival), presents an impressive number of rarely seen arthouse films from both China and abroad. Read more on Sina
