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Angelababy poses for fashion magazine
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China to Put Media Under Cabinet-Level Control, Abolish SAPPRFT
SAPPRFT, the regulatory body which currently oversees the media and entertainment sector, would be replaced by a new state radio and television administration attached to the State Council, or Cabinet, according to documents released Tuesday. The proposal is being put to China’s ongoing national legislative session for deliberation.
“The proposed administration, directly under the State Council, will be responsible for drafting policies and measures for radio and television management and their implementation, coordinating development of broadcasting undertakings and industries, promoting institutional reform in the sectors, importing radio and television programs, and facilitating the sectors to go global,” said official news agency Xinhua.
The move is one of several administrative mergers within the Chinese government, announced in the past days and being voted on at China’s annual parliamentary sessions.
It is also expected that China Central Television, China Radio International and China National Radio may be merged to form a new state broadcasting giant.
SAPPRFT was itself formed from a merger of regulatory bodies in March 2013. The government combined the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) with the General Administration of Press and Publication. The merger is sufficiently recent that many people in the entertainment industry still refer to SAPPRFT as SARFT.
Source: Variety By Patrick Frater
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Hollywood’s Latest Power Brothers Hunt for the Next China-Backed Blockbuster
Joe and Anthony Russo, who are putting the finishing touches on next month’s “Avengers: Infinity War,” also are in the early days of running Agbo, a production company backed by China’s largest private film company, Huayi Brothers Media Corp.
In a sign of China’s film industry expanding beyond its borders, the Beijing-based Huayi Brothers has given the Russo brothers an initial $250 million in development funds and an additional $100 million to spend on production costs.
Their venture with Huayi has survived a Chinese crackdown on similar investments, but larger questions loom: The kind of Chinese-owned blockbuster Agbo aims to release has yet to conquer the world’s movie screens, despite the country’s persistent efforts. Hollywood in recent years has turned into a graveyard for ventures similar to Agbo.
With the Russo brothers, Huayi has tapped a duo best known for directing four superhero epics for Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios. Following “Infinity War,” a second “Avengers” movie by the brothers is slated to debut in 2019.
After the success of their “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in China, the Russos were approached by would-be Chinese partners eager to produce a global blockbuster of their own.
Chinese companies have tried just about every avenue for a world-wide hit, including co-productions with a Hollywood studio that divvy up cast and crew, or the outright purchase of production houses like Legendary Entertainment.
“There has not yet been a Chinese-owned movie that has worked globally,” said Mike Larocca, Agbo’s president of production. “That is the prize of all these companies.”
The Russo brothers have begun spending the Huayi money in recent months, picking up several projects now in development or production.
In December, Agbo won a bidding war to adapt “The Electric State,” a science-fiction graphic novel the brothers see as having franchise potential, directed by Andy Muschietti, best known for last year’s “It.” Several buzzy properties have been optioned, including a crime drama at FX with “Fargo” showrunner Noah Hawley and last year’s acclaimed novel “Exit West.” Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the screenwriters on “Infinity War” and five other Marvel Studios movies, joined Agbo as co-presidents of story, and they will be writing one or two scripts a year themselves.
Agbo doesn’t have a mandate to find a catchall project for both markets, or to plug in Chinese stars, executives at the company said. Huayi will weigh in on greenlighting productions, but Agbo itself has final say on such decisions.
Agbo—named for a surname the Russo brothers say they found randomly in an Ohio phone book years ago—is entering a landscape that has buried similar previous efforts. Newer studios like Relativity Media expanded rapidly and quickly foundered, and Huayi-backed STX Entertainment has struggled to find its footing since its founding in 2014.
The Russo brothers say they are limiting their risk by staying out of the distribution business and by co-financing their big-budget productions with major Hollywood studios. They’ve also narrowed their focus to film and television, rather than the myriad divisions that doomed firms like the now-defunct Relativity, which dabbled in fashion, sports and even education.
In the past 25 years, Huayi Brothers has expanded beyond production within China to a sprawling entertainment conglomerate that includes movie theaters and talent representation. But Agbo is the most significant step yet for the company toward building a U.S. presence.
“You hit the domestic ceiling in China, and then what do you do?” said Anthony Russo. He and his brother first emerged in 2002 as directors of the film-festival feature “Welcome to Collinwood” and were early directors on the television show “Arrested Development” before launching into the Marvel stratosphere.
Agbo is in development on big-budget features akin to today’s superhero sagas, as well as smaller prestige projects. It and the new independent distributor Neon dropped $10 million to buy distribution rights to “Assassination Nation,” a teen-girl revenge thriller that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
Despite making their name in Marvel’s multicharacter cinematic universe, the Russo brothers said they are preparing for a day when audiences want big spectacles but aren’t as interested in following story lines across multiple installments.
“There are people who don’t follow film universe. What are the options for them?” said Joe Russo.
Source: Wall Street Journal by Erich Schwartzel
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Cast of "Pacific Rim Uprising" in Beijing promoting its release
(China Plus) The cast of sci-fi action film "Pacific Rim Uprising" arrived in Beijing on Monday, doing promotions ahead of the movie's release on March 23 in China and in the United States.
The movie features "The Fate of the Furious" actor Scott Eastwood.
"I was so lucky to have a great director, Steven DeKnight, who would coach us through the scenes with this incredible Jaeger, you know, in what it would like to pilot them. It was very physical, but it was really fun."
His costar is Chinese actress Jing Tian.
"I portray Liwen Shao, who has shown a lot of persistence. At the start, she might impress audience members with her personality traits. However, there's a turning point that shows another side of her."
"Uprising" is sequel to the 2013 blockbuster original. The first movie raked in nearly 700 million yuan on the Chinese mainland in 2013.
Set in 2035, the new release tells the story of a new generation of Jaeger pilots, who are better armed with more advanced technology, fighting against a new Kaiju threat.
Director Steven DeKnight says the fight scenes take place during daylight, instead of being set in darkness like the first movie, to pay tribute to classics from his childhood such as "Godzilla" and "Ultraman."
Shooting of this sequel was arranged in both Australia and China.
Source: China Plus by Xu Fei
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Katie Chen poses for photo shoot
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Young actress Zhong Chuxi poses for fashion magazine
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Fan Bingbing poses for fashion magazine
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China’s New Media Regulator Is Likely to Push Patriotism – and the Communist Party
(Variety) Presented as a piece of government streamlining, the abolition of China’s top media regulator was one of a dozen bureaucratic and agency mergers across the Chinese state that were announced Tuesday and that will be rubber-stamped this week by China’s ongoing national legislative session. The changes – covering such matters as banking and insurance, and immigration control – were described as housekeeping measures to cut red tape and departmental infighting.
But the moves also have the effect of strengthening the rule of the Communist Party, including over media and entertainment. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) is to be replaced by a new super-regulator directly attached to the State Council, or Cabinet.
The move is part of President Xi Jinping’s drive to eliminate the differences between the Communist Party and the Chinese state. Xi is now China’s most powerful chief since Mao Zedong, its so-called “core leader,” who is no longer constrained by term limits, which were eliminated this week. In the business world, Xi has reinserted party cadres into private companies, required companies to sell shares to state investors, and, in some cases, organized corporate bailouts using a mix of state and private firms.
In media and entertainment, the past months have seen increasing controls over content and a pushback against foreign influence. Measures include a ban on hip hop and talent with tattoos, limits on Japanese anime, a ban on news-gathering by private sector companies, and curbs on live streaming. Online, regulators have increasingly made social media platforms responsible for censoring the content and comments of their users. That is in addition to the army of government censors commonly known as the Great Firewall of China, who went into overtime limiting public discussion of Xi’s recent consolidation of power.
Establishing a new super-regulatory body over media, entertainment and online communications will make it easier for the government to enforce its hard line. So will the possible merger of giant state broadcasters China Central Television (CCTV), China Radio International, and China National Radio.
The structure of the new regulator is not yet clear. It was previously reported that SAPPRFT would be merged with the Communist Party’s publicity department, but other sources describe it being folded into the Ministry of Culture.
Regardless, the move could reinvigorate China’s attempt to project its soft power overseas. Xi called for that in 2016 but found that private companies like Dalian Wanda and Fosun were failing to deliver it through their multi-billion dollar Hollywood acquisitions.
The government will now be able to pursue that campaign more directly with its increased control over the media. China is currently brimming with self-confidence, bolstered by growing wealth, political stability, and patriotic movies that have proved to be genuinely popular.
Chinese mercenaries saved the world and earned $854 million in “Wolf Warriors II” at the end of 2017. Now a new film lionizing the People’s Liberation Army, “Operation Red Sea,” has just earned $530 million to become the second biggest film of all time at the Chinese box office. Even a handsomely mounted documentary, “Amazing China,” is on its way to earning $40 million.
Source: Variety By Patrick Frater
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Stills from Dude’s Manual
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Street shots of Dong Xuan
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Happy Birthday Ma Sichun
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Street shots of Fan Bingbing in Paris
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Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held in Shanghai
Chinese actress Liu Tao attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actress Yang Mi (right) and actor Huang Xiaoming attend the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actress Sun Li attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actor Jin Dong attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actor Zhang Guoli attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actress Guan Xiaotong attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actress Jiang Shuying attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actress Yuan Quan attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actress Wang Luodan attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actress Ma Yili attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Chinese actor Wang Kai attends the Chinese Qualified TV Drama Awards Ceremony held by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, March 13, 2018.
Source: China Daily
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Oscar winner hits Chinese theaters
The Academy Award for Best Picture winner "The Shape of Water" will open in Chinese theaters on Friday.
20th Century Fox held a premiere for Guillermo del Toro's fantasy drama film on Wednesday night in Beijing, but the film's creators and cast were not present. Several Chinese stars, including actor Tong Dawei, attended the ceremony.
Set in Baltimore in 1962, the film tells a story about a mute custodian who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature at a high-security government laboratory.
"The Shape of Water" received 13 nominations at the 90th Academy Awards and went on to win four on March 4 -- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. Before the Oscars, the film also won plenty of awards, including the Golden Lion after it premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2017.
Among all the Oscar best picture winners, the film takes the shortest time to be released in China, just 12 days after the award ceremony. In the 2000s and 2010s, besides “The Shape of Water," only other five Oscar winners for best picture made their way straight to China, only months after they received Academy Awards in the respective year.
But Oscar glory didn't add much to their box office results in China. "Gladiator,""The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Slumdog Millionaire" had average performances in the Chinese market, while "The King's Speech" and "The Artist" fared poorly -- earning only 6.3 million yuan and 4.25 million yuan respectively, as the Academy's voting membership's selection of best picture winners appealed more to art-house films rather than a balance of art-house and commercial.
How "The Shape of Water" will perform in China remains to be seen, but Chinese audience prized Guillermo del Toro's previous works including his blockbuster "Pacific Rim", which grossed a total of US$114.3 million in the country, making China the largest market for the film. In September 2013, thanks to China, Forbes highlighted "Pacific Rim" as "the rare English-language film in history to cross the US$400 million mark while barely crossing US$100 million domestically (North America)".
20th Century Fox also has another Academy-winning film screening in China currently, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," which won Best Actress (Frances McDormand) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell) out of seven nominations at this year's Academy Awards. It has made more than 50 million yuan (US$7.91 million) since its release on March 2 in China.
Source: china.org by zhang rui
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Cast from Super App attend press conference
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Xin Zhilei poses for photo shoot
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Myolie Wu poses for photo shoot
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Actor Vic Chou poses for fashion magazine
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Actress Sun Li poses for fashion magazine
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'Amazing China', a smash hit in Chinese film market
(CGTN) "Amazing China," a 90-minute documentary, has become a real hit in the Chinese film market. It has raked in over 27 million yuan (4.27 million US dollars) at the national box office up until March 14, becoming the highest-grossing documentary in the country, according to the China News Service.
Amazing China recorded a series of achievements China has made since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, demonstrating the country’s powerful strength in scientific, technological, diplomatic and military fields.
Blue Whale 2, the world’s largest maritime drilling platform, demonstrates the strength of the Chinese maritime industry in the documentary. It can reach 3,000 meters deep underwater and contribute to the exploration of more submarine resources in the South China Sea.
China’s growing strength in military and diplomatic fields is demonstrated in the documentary. In 2011, China successfully evacuated over 30,000 Chinese nationals in Libya. Military aircraft and ships were first used to evacuate overseas Chinese citizens.
Apart from these mass achievements, the documentary also unveiled how ordinary Chinese people played important roles in building these super projects, for example, the workers. These great projects couldn’t be achieved without the effort of each hardworking Chinese people.
The documentary scores 9.6 out of 10 on Maoyan Movie, one of the biggest online movie ticketing platforms in China.
Source: CGTN
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