CFI’s Sky Kings and Heavenly Queens: Fan Bingbing/范冰冰

 /  People  / 
Over the past decade, Fan Bingbing has developed a shrewd eye for material, appearing in some three or four films per year, balancing artistic and commercial interests to maintain both bank balance and critical credibility. Read More

Signs From China Suggest A Good Deal For Hollywood on Imports

 /  News  / 
As Chinese officials and industry representatives from the US prepare to re-open negotiations around the film quota, signs from multiple stakeholders on the Chinese side indicate they’re preparing for more competition from Hollywood. Read More

Lawyer Sues Beijing TV for Making Fun of Henan Province

 /  Legal  / 
Henan in central China is the butt of everyone’s jokes. Others around the country look down on Henan as the home of liars, lunatics, and thieves who will even steal the covers off manholes. Now, one Henanese lawyer has had enough. Read More

US Football Popularity Peaks in China as Super Bowl Watched by Record 7.5M Viewers

 /  News  / 
Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing's Super Bowl commercial for the popular empire-building video game Evony happened to cause a bigger sensation than the game itself on Chinese media. Read More

2016 Sets Record for Co-Production Permits in China

 /  News  / 
China film officials approved a record number of co-production permits in 2016. China’s State Administration of Press and Publications, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT) issued an all-time high number of co-production permits in 2016, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday. The majority of the 89 permits were for productions from Hong Kong, with 54, Read More

Film Review: ‘Buddies’ Out of Control in ‘India’

 /  Reviews  / 
‘Buddies’ Out of Control in ‘India’ Buddies in India (2017), written and directed by Wang Baoqiang. Distributed by ChinaLion, opened in the U.S. January 27, 2017 (cinemas here). Grade: C+ A bromance with a hollow message, combined with a whirlwind of wuxia action, road comedy, Bollywood musical, and a half-baked primer on classical monkey-god mythology, Read More

Lip-Syncing, Sexism Dominate Spring Festival Gala Criticism

 /  News  / 
The world’s most watched broadcast has been losing viewers for years, and the 2017 edition didn’t win any back. Year in year out, the Spring Festival Gala hosted by China’s state broadcaster CCTV is a chance for the country’s ruling Communist Party to stoke patriotic sentiment, praise ethnic unity, and flex military muscle. It’s also Read More

This Company Wants to Bring AR-Powered Treasure Hunt to K-Pop Fans

 /  News  / 
VREX is a Korean startup wants to mingle fan power with augmented reality (AR) technology to digitally connect fans with their loved stars. Read More

No More Emoji Acting Please, Angelababy

 /  News  / 
The Communist Party of China’s newspaper once again criticizes the performances of young actors. Read More

Documentaries Fight for Attention Amid Box Office Boom

 /  News  / 
Even as the Chinese movie market flourishes, documentaries are always a hard sell. But 2016 saw a glimmer of hope for the underappreciated genre, with Chinese documentaries securing higher ticket sales and some serious accolades on the world stage. Read More

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Sign up for our newsletter right now to have breaking news and the best stories of China Film Insider delivered to you.