Bona Film Group announced plans to shoot film depicting China’s fight against COVID-19 with the aim of overcoming the political noises and showing a human side of the story. Health expert Zhong Nanshan who led the battle, will be advising the producers of the film and serving as consultant.
Shanghai’s Cinema To Receive Subsidy
Shanghai Municipal Film Administration will give RMB 18 million (approx $2.6 million) to 345 cinemas that have been affected by the shutdown due to the pandemic. The amount individual cinemas receive will be based on its scale, number of screens and 2019 box office figures.
Tech Giant Tencent Opening Studio in California
Tencent’s new US studio LightSpeed LA will be headed by Steve Martin whose credits include Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2. This move reflects Tencent’s ambition to expand and create games for an international market.
Unknown City in Guandong Province Sees Tourism Boom Following the Broadcast of Hit Web Thriller The Bad Kids
The Bad Kids is the second web series to be released under iQiyi’s ‘Light On Theater’ project that consists of six suspense and thriller web series. The Bad Kids is set in Zhanjiang City of Guangdong Province and just one week after the series aired, Zhanjiang saw a 261% increase in tourism. This of course is not the first time a lesser-known place saw overnight growth in popularity due to being TV shows and film shooting locations.
11th China Film Director’s Guild Awards Official Selections
A preliminary list of 25 films have been selected to compete for this year’s China Film Directors’ Guild Awards. Films selected include Ne Zha, The Wandering Earth and My People, My Country.
SIFF to Take Place End of July
Originally taking place during the end of June, Shanghai International Film Festival was one of the numerous events that was postponed due to the pandemic. Reports have been released now announcing that SIFF will be taking place at the end of July.
One More Film to Add to Your WatchList
American-Chinese animated feature Over The Moon produced by Pearl Studio with animation by Sony Pictures Imageworks is a modern retelling of the Chinese Moon Goddess fable. The film is scheduled to be released on Netflix in 2020.
Oscar Film Academy Increases Diversity
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 819 artists and executives this year to increase it’s diversity, increasing its amount of international filmmakers to 49%. Chinese filmmakers who were invited include: Jia Zheng’s wife Zhao Tao (Ash is the Purest White) and Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior).
Bilibili Fined Due to Copyright Violations
Popular video-streaming platform Bilibili received a RMB 60,000 ($8,500) fine due to failure at removing an user-uploaded audio from the 2018 hit Dying to Survive.
“Consumer Protection” and new Guidelines
China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has modified guidelines for the reopening of China’s indoors entertainment venues, allowing them to operate at 50% capacity, while cinemas can only operate at 30% capacity, with one seat empty between every two people in the audience.