thr news
How China’s First Frame Competition Continues to Expand Horizons for Women Filmmakers
Director Linglingling admits to at first to being surprised when she learned her debut feature, Unknown Species, had been chosen for the First Frame competition at this year’s FIRST International Film Festival. After all, she says, the film — a languid reflection on life as a modern single mother— was shot on a shoe-string budget […]
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China’s FIRST International Film Festival Jury Surprises Attendees by Leaving Main Prize Vacant
Surprises are expected at the FIRST International Film Festival, given its role as China’s leading gathering for cutting-edge independent cinema. But no one saw Sunday night coming. When it came time to announce the festival’s top Best feature film, the FIRST jury — led by Cannes Un Certain Regard winner Guan Hu (Black Dog) — left […]
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Yao Chen on the Search for Chinese Talent in Shanghai and the Bond She’s Formed with the UFC’s Zhang Weili
Officially, Yao Chen was a part of the team judging the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival’s Projects initiative for in-development productions, but the actress-producer freely admits she came to town keen — as ever — to take on as many roles as possible. Yao was also actively seeking out production opportunities for her Bad Rabbit Pictures, […]
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Cameron Bailey Talks Toronto Film Fest’s Grand Market Plans, Rekindling China Connections
While the Toronto International Film Festival was making headlines this week for its most immediate plans, the event’s CEO Cameron Bailey was 7,000 miles away and looking a little bit further into the future. This year’s TIFF has announced the first batch of highlights for its September 5-15 edition, including world premieres for the documentary […]
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Shanghai: Buoyed by Cannes Success, Indian Films Continue to Shine in China
The 461-film lineup for the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival spans the globe, but movies from India stood out this year, led by Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light, tickets for which were sold out in a matter of minutes. Shanghai’s India Film Week sidebar features four recent releases from […]
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How Wanda Film’s First Female CEO Is Charting a Fresh Course for the Chinese Exhibition Giant
Chen Zhixi is now five months into her role as chairperson and president at Wanda Film. Taking the role was a move that made Chen one of the few women at the top of the traditionally male-dominated Chinese film business — and, at 42, one of its youngest and most powerful leaders. Based out of […]
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China’s Leading Lights Look to Shine Across the Shanghai Film Fest’s Main Competitions
The promise from organizers of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival is for a mix of the “old and the new” and to that end this year’s program offers a look at emerging contemporary filmmakers as well as movies that chart a course from the local industry’s development in the early 1900s through to today. […]
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Shanghai: Director Rolf de Heer on Joining Competition Jury, Seeking “New Worlds to Explore” in Cinema
Multi-award-winning Dutch-Australian director Rolf de Heer’s films expand creative horizons in the ways he deals with character, narrative and dialogue. Heads were turned with the Venice Grand Jury Prize-winner Bad Boy Bubby (1993), the story of a 35-year-old man-child who, after being locked away his entire life by his mother, escapes into a “real” world […]
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Owen Thiele Sets Semi-Autobiographical Comedy at Amazon (Exclusive)
Owen Thiele’s life story is coming to Amazon. The retail giant/streamer is developing Off Color, a semi-autobiographical comedy created by and starring Theater Camp breakout Thiele. Off Color is based on Thiele’s unconventional adopted family. The logline reads, “He’s gay and Black, they’re all Jewish, his mom should be on Real Housewives and his cousin’s a […]
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Charlyne Yi Says They Were Physically and Mentally Abused on ‘Time Bandits’ Series Set
Actor Charlyne Yi has detailed the experience of being physically assaulted by a scene partner on the set of the upcoming Apple TV+ adaptation of Time Bandits, which Yi says led to their coercion into quitting the production and subsequent denial of workers’ compensation for a back injury and post-traumatic stress. Yi, a main cast […]
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India, Back in the Palme d’Or Hunt After 30 Years, Hopes Cannes Will Help Producers See the Light
India is ending its decades-long absence from the Palme d’Or this year with Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light lining up against the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis for the major prize of the Cannes Film Festival. Kapadia’s feature – which follows two nurses on a road trip […]
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Louis Tomlinson Says Harry Styles Romance Rumors “Irritate Me a Little”
Louis Tomlinson is opening up about his frustrations with years-long romance conspiracies surrounding his One Direction bandmate Harry Styles. The singer has previously shut down rumors that fans have started regarding Tomlinson and Styles being more than just close friends. However, the theories have continued even during the boy band’s indefinite hiatus. “What I realized […]
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