News

The Last Dance, one of the most highly anticipated Hong Kong films of the year, has been acquired for UK and Ireland distribution by Trinity CineAsia from Emperor Motion Pictures.

Trinity CineAsia plan to release the film theatrically on November 15, following its opening in Hong Kong on November 11.

The drama features a starry cast led by Dayo Wong, whose recent hits include Hong Kong’s highest-grossing film A Guilty Conscience and blockbuster Table For Six, alongside veteran Michael Hui, who won best supporting actor at the 2023 Hong Kong Film Awards for Where The Wind Blows.

Wong plays a debt-ridden wedding...

Exclusive: UK-based distributor Trinity CineAsia has acquired Hong Kong action film Stuntman for UK and Irish distribution.

Stuntman releases on September 26 in Hong Kong and opens in UK and Irish cinemas from October 11.

The film follows a washed-up action choreographer who is struggling to find his way in a changing industry. He risks everything to stage a comeback, while also attempting to repair the relationship with his estranged daughter.

The film stars Terrance Lau and Philip Ng, who both featured in recent box office hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.

Stuntman also stars stunt veteran Stephen Tung Wai (The Battle at Lake Changjin), a seven-time winner of Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The action flick marks Tung’s on-camera return after seven years.

Cecilia Choi (A Light Never Goes Out) and Rachel Leung (The Sparring Partner) also feature in the film.

Stuntman is co-directed by Albert and Herbert Leung,...

Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland distribution rights to Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram, the year’s biggest film at the Japan box office to date, in a deal with animation studio Tms Entertainment.

The animated crime caper will receive a theatrical release on September 27, marking the film time that a feature in the hugely successful Detective Conan franchise has opened in UK and Irish cinemas.

The film was released in Japan on April 12 and spent six consecutive weeks at the top of the box office, earning $97.5m from more than 10.8 million admissions. This comfortably places it as...

Michael Fetter Nathansky’s Every You Every Me scooped three prizes including best film at the 7th Malaysia International Film Festival (Miffest) while Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda and renowned Indonesian actress Christine Hakim received lifetime achievement awards.

German director Nathansky came on stage to receive the awards for best film and best screenplay and his leading lady Aenne Schwarz was in attendance to collect the best actress award. The romantic social drama, which premiered in the Panorama section of this year’s Berlinale, follows a single mother and factory worker as she falls in and out of love.

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The inaugural Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation, to be held in Phnom Penh for the first time, is set to captivate audiences with a spectacular lineup of cinematic treasures. Presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy, in collaboration with Westec Media Limited and financially supported by Hong Kong's Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (Ccida), Film Development Fund and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the programme will showcase 7 specially selected Hong Kong films at Fable Cinema, Factory Phnom Penh from 3 to 7 July 2024!

As part of the programme, The Dynamic Cityscapes of Hong Kong Films Exhibition will be held concurrently at Factory Phnom Penh from 4 July until 4 August 2024, 10Am – 7Pm daily. The admission is free and exhibition materials are in English and Khmer. The Dynamic Cityscapes of Hong Kong Films Exhibition is a celebration and demonstration of Hong Kong's diverse cityscapes, recreating the most memorable scenes that appeared in the specially selected films,...

Global streamer Netflix has picked up select international streaming rights to the much anticipated Chinese fantasy suspense series See Her Again. Currently in postproduction, the show is expected to drop later this year simultaneously on Netflix and Chinese streamer Tencent Video. The deal was unveiled this week at the ongoing 29th Shanghai TV Festival.

See Her Again is produced by Tencent Video and Hong Kong production banner Drama Apple. The 18-episode series was the only Asian show selected to compete for the Coup de Coeur Award at MIPTV’s MIPDrama Screenings in April.

Initially set in the 1990s, the series follows a Hong Kong police detective (played by Hong Kong heartthrob William Chan) who unexpectedly travels to the year 2018 and partners with a female detective (popular mainland Chinese actress Cya Liu) to uncover a series of mysterious murder cases stretching across the past. The ensemble cast includes Tse Kwan Ho...

Hong Kong star Tony Leung is set to serve as president of the international competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

The actor, who won best actor at Cannes in 2000 for his performance in Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love, will take part in the 37th edition, which runs from October 28 to November 6.

”From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time,” Leung recalled. ”These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film,...

Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, the Hong Kong period action drama that will screen at Cannes next month, in a deal with Media Asia.

Directed by Soi Cheang, the highly anticipated feature is set to be released in Hong Kong and China on May 1 before it plays in the Midnight Screenings section of Cannes. An opening date in the UK and Ireland has yet to be announced but Trinity CineAsia said it is “scheduled for release across cinemas nationwide soon after” the festival, which runs May 14-25.

Distribution deals were...

One of the most expensive Hong Kong movies ever made (Hk$350 million or 41 million euros), “The Goldfinger” also brings together Felix Chong, Tony Leung and Andy Lau after “Infernal Affairs”, where the first co-wrote. Set in the 80s, the script is based on the story of Carrian Group, a Hong Kong corporation which rose rapidly before collapsing shortly afterwards due to a corruption scandal.

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The movie actually starts with Henry Ching's arrest, who is based on Carrian Group founder George Tan, Lau Kai-yuen, principal investigator of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac). A bit later, the timeline changes to the mid-70s, with Henry Ching arriving in Hong Kong and trying to get a job as an engineer. Considering the place is filled with people of the particular profession, he has no luck. Although so it seems, since he is eventually employed by K.

Hong Kong’s biggest ever local hit A Guilty Conscience was named best film at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa), while Mad Fate’s Soi Cheang took best director and The Goldfinger swept six awards including best actor for Tony Leung.

A Guilty Conscience producer Bill Kong received the top award on stage from acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. That was the only win on the night for the courtroom drama, which went into the awards ceremony with 10 nominations.

Scroll down for full winners list

Murder mystery Mad Fate scooped three awards comprising best screenplay, best editing and best director for Cheang.

Crime drama “The Goldfinger” was the numerical winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards, where it won six prizes on Sunday. But it missed out on the best film prize, which went to box office record breaker “A Guilty Conscience.”

“The Goldfinger,” a retro financial thriller starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah, earned a slew of technical award as well as the lead actor prize for Leung.

Two films took three prizes each: “In Broad Daylight,” an investigation into abuse at a care home, and “Mad Fate,” Soi Cheang’s grungy examination of superstition in the city. “In Broad Daylight,” which opened anonymously this weekend in mainland Chinese cinemas, picked up three performance awards — best actress award for Jennifer Yu, best supporting actor for David Chiang and best supporting actress for Rachel Leung. “Mad Fate,” which premiered in Berlin in February 2023, picked up the best director award, best...

Legal drama A Guilty Conscience took the top award for best film at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, while crime thriller The Goldfinger was the biggest winner overall with six prizes, including best actor for Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

A Guilty Conscience, produced by Edko Films, holds the record for the highest-grossing Hong Kong film ever with a gross of around $15M. It tells the story of a lawyer trying to free a client convicted due to his own negligence, who has to go up against one of Hong Kong’s most powerful business families.

Emperor Motion Pictures’ The Goldfinger, about one of Hong Kong’s biggest financial scandals, also picked up awards for best cinematography, best art direction, best costume and make-up design, best sound design and best visual effects.

In Broad Daylight, about a reporter exposing cases of abuse in a care home, scooped three acting awards for actress Jennifer Yu,...

“Kung Fu Panda 4” took top spot at the South Korean box office becoming the film that finally pushed aside local champion “Exhuma,” which had dominated for seven consecutive weeks.

But it was an understated victory, rather than a triumphant one, and the exhibition industry’s $5.6 million nationwide haul was among the lowest scoring weekends this year.

“Kung Fu Panda 4” earned $2.81 million between Friday and Sunday with a 50.1% market share. Over its full five day run since a Wednesday opening, it enjoyed a $5.96 million total.

“Exhuma” slipped to second place in its eight weekend of release. It earned $938,000 for a cumulative of $81.2 million since releasing on Feb. 22. Its cumulative total is more than three times the score of the next highest ranked film “Wonka,” with $24.5 million.

“The Last 10 Years,” a Japanese romance film which first played in Korea in May 2023, climbed to third place on its second weekend...

Asian Cinema Celebration

Veteran Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be presented with a lifetime achievement award at the upcoming edition of the Festival of Far East Film in Italy’s Udine (April 24 – May 2). The lineup will include three films by Zhang: his 2023 political thriller “Under the Light” in its competition section; as well as “To Live” and “Raise the Red Lantern” in its restored classics section.

The festival’s total lineup includes 74 films in total – 47 in competition and 28 out of competition) from 11 countries. Events will kick off with a double bill of smash hit mainland Chinese movie “Yolo” and Korean action comedy “Citizen of a Kind.”

Other highlights include “13 Bombs” by Indonesia’s Angga Dwimas Sasongko; “The Goldfinger” by Hong Kong’s Felix Chong; investigative journalism drama “In Broad Daylight,” by Hong Kong’s Lawrence Kan; Ning Hao’s “The Movie Emperor”; a ten-strong Japanese selection that includes “(Ab)normal Desire,...

Let's begin by talking about the numbers of the Far East Film Festival 26. This year the Feff community will be able to watch 75 films from 11 countries. More precisely, 15 world premieres (including those of restored classics), 24 international premieres, 19 European premieres and 13 Italian premieres. Expected in Udine from 24 April to 2 May, in the historic headquarters of the Teatro Nuovo and in the spaces of the Visionario, the Far East Film Festival 26 will give life to a 9-day long full immersion and it will colour the heart of the city with Asia (there are over 100 thematic events scheduled). A real feast of cinema.

The Opening Night on Wednesday 24 April will travel between China and South Korea with two international premieres. The task of opening the curtain will fall to “Yolo”, the blockbuster that bears the signature of famous comedy star Jia Ling (here in the double role of director and protagonist). It is...

Paramount Plus

Beverley McGarvey has been appointed president of Network 10, head of streaming and regional lead for Australia and New Zealand, with immediate effect by Paramount Global. She reports to Pam Kaufman, president & CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences at the group. The role gives her oversight of Network 10 and its portfolio of brands, including 10 Play.

McGarvey will maintain her current responsibilities, overseeing all original content out of Australia in alignment with Paramount’s global studio organisation and the businesses’ commercial capabilities. She will also continue to lead Paramount+ in Australia, reporting to Marco Nobili, EVP and international Gm of Paramount+.

“Beverley is one of Australia’s leading media executives and has a proven track record of driving creative and commercial success in one of our most important, priority markets,” said Kaufman.

“We are well-positioned to maintain our strong position in Australia as the only...

The China Pavilion has set up shop in the middle of this year’s Hong Kong Filmart for the third year running as it aims to share the story of the evolution of the country’s film industry.

Organizers the China Film Co-production Corporation (Cfcc) have brought data with them, they say reflects that there are more international hits coming out of China, while the demographics back home continue to expand in terms of content and of audience.

“We hope to fully present the latest performance of the Chinese film industry through the China Film Pavilion and promote exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign film industries,” a Cfcc spokesperson said.

The past 12 months has seen several Chinese films go on wide international release, led by The Wandering Earth II, the sci-fi epic drawn from the world of acclaimed writer Liu Cixin. The Frant Gwo-directed film was released simultaneously in eight countries — the U.

As Filmart gets underway, Hong Kong’s major production companies, including Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp), Media Asia, One Cool Group and Universe Entertainment, will be unveiling their new titles in enormous booths at the front of the trade show floor, some of which will be as elaborate as film sets.

Many of the films they are launching are big-budget Hong Kong-China co-productions, featuring top Hong Kong stars and directors, and aimed at audiences in both China and Hong Kong. Emp has Derek Kwok’s Raging Havoc, starring Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse; Mandarin Motion Pictures has The Prosecutor, starring and directed by Donnie Yen; and Media Asia is launching four new titles headed by Behind The Scene, produced by Infernal Affairs director Andrew Lau. One Cool’s slate includes a trio of action films starring Louis Koo and produced by Soi Cheang.

But behind all the glamour, stars and action,...

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist was named best film at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on Sunday evening (March 10).

The Japanese drama, which premiered in competition at Venice where it won five awards including the grand jury prize, also picked up best original music for composer Eiko Ishibashi.

Scroll down for full list of winners

While Hamaguchi was not at the ceremony, held in the Grand Theatre of the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the top prize was accepted in-person by Ishibashi, cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa and co-editor Azusa Yamzaki – presented by...

Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s formalist arthouse drama Evil Does Not Exist won the best film prize Sunday night at the Asia Film Awards in Hong Kong.

The Japanese film industry had a big night overall at the 17th edition of the awards ceremony, which was hosted this year in Hong Kong’s gleaming new Xiqu Centre, part of the city’s $2.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District development. Japanese festival favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda won best director for his mystery drama Monster, while the great Koji Yakusho took best actor for Wim Wender’s moving minimalist drama Perfect Days. Hamaguchi’s chief collaborator on Evil Does Not Exist, Eiko Ishibashi, won best music and the Kaiju critical and commercial sensation Godzilla Minus One claimed both best visual effects and best sound.

In many ways, it was Zhang Yimou’s night, however. The venerated Chinese director took the stage twice, once to...

Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” was Sunday evening named as the best picture at the Asian Film Awards.

The 17th edition of the prizes was held at the Xiqu Centre, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.

While “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” had dominated the nominations with six each, including those in the best film category, the prizes on Sunday were much more evenly distributed. No title collected more than two prizes.

Outside, crowds failed to be muted by the March drizzle, though VIP guests were given escorts with purple umbrellas.

Filmmaker and industry attendance was also robust. Those spotted on the red carpet and pre-event cocktails included: Lee Yong Kwan (former chair of the Busan film festival), Tom Yoda, Udine festival heads Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, Anthony Chen, Stanley Kwan, Rina Damayanti, Hong Kong distributor Winnie Tsang,...

Exclusive: UK distributor Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK rights to Norris Wong’s The Lyricist Wannabe from Hong Kong’s Edko Films and is planning a theatrical release on March 15.

Wong’s second feature following her award-winning debut My Prince Edward (2019) follows a high-school student who is determined to become a successful Cantopop lyricist. But while she works hard to hone her craft, handle rejection and draw inspiration from her personal experiences, nothing seems to go her way.

Chung Suet-ying, an up-and-coming actress who is also a real-life Cantopop lyricist, stars in the film, which features a soundtrack with lyrics composed by Norris Wong. Produced by Wong Hoi (Let It Ghost), the film also stars Ansonbean (Rob N Roll), Tang Lai Ying (Mama’s Affair), Sabrina Ng (Say I Do To Me) and Chu Pak Hong (My Prince Edward).

The UK release will come just one week after the film,...

“In Broad Daylight,” an expose of real events in a care home for the elderly, dominated the nominations for the Hong Kong Film Awards.

The Lawrence Kan-directed comedy-drama received 16 nominations, at the Tuesday nominations event, including best picture and best new director as well as others for cinematography, editing sound design and original song.

The story sees an investigative reporter go under cover to expose cruelty and other wrong-doings at the Rainbow Bridge Care Home. It premiered last year at the Shanghai film festival and was a highlight of the New York Asian Film Festival, but came away empty-handed from the Golden Horse Film Awards, where it had been nominated in five categories. It enjoyed its commercial release in Hong Kong in November.

Other contenders in the Hkfa best film category are: Nick Cheung’s “Time Still Turns the Pages,” Soi Cheang’s “Mad Fate,” Felix Chong’s “The Goldfinger...

Lawrence Kan’s newsroom drama In Broad Daylight leads the pack going into the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards with 16 nominations.

The feature, which follows an undercover journalist who exposes the abuse of residents in a nursing home, secured nods in all but three of the 19 categories. It marks the second feature by Kan and proved the fourth highest grossing local film in 2023.

Scroll down for full list of nominations

Also gaining multiple nominations was Nick Cheuk’s emotive drama Time Still Turns The Pages and Felix Chong’s financial crime extravaganza The Goldfinger, which secured 12 nods apiece, while Jack Ng...

Mainland China’s cinema box office recorded its lowest weekend revenue in over 12 months, at just $21 million, leaving a crop of long-playing titles largely unchanged at the top of the chart.

Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the China box office in its sixth weekend of release. Three of the other top five titles remained unchanged from the previous week, though “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom replaced “The Beekeeper” in fourth place.

“Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $8.1 million (RMB57.3 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The cumulative total for “Jonny” is now $171 million (RMB1.21 billion) since releasing on Dec. 29.

Hong Kong-made action comedy “Rob N Roll,” with its starry cast of Aaron Kwok, Richie Jen and Lam Ka-tung, held on to second place,...

Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the mainland China box office in its fifth weekend of release. The top five titles remained unchanged from the previous week.

“Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $12.1 million (RMB86.2 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was another good hold after $15 million in the film’s fourth weekend. The cumulative total for “Jonny” is now $155 million (RMB1.10 million).

Hong Kong-made action comedy “Rob N Roll,” with its starry cast of Aaron Kwok, Richie Jen and Lam Ka-tung, held on to second place, but slipped 56% weekend-on-weekend with $5.3 million, down from $12.1 million.

Another Hong Kong-made film, “The Goldfinger” took $3.5 million in third place. Its cumulative stands at $71 million since releasing on Dec. 30.

Jason Statham-starring “The Beekeeper” maintained fourth place in China with $1.9 million.

Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the mainland China box office in its fourth weekend of release. Hong Kong-made action comedy “Rob N Roll” opened in second position.

“Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $15 million (RMB106 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was another strong hold after $19.7 million in the film’s third weekend and $22.4 million in its second frame. The cumulative total for “Jonny” is now $134 million (RMB951 million).

“Rob N Roll,” with its starry cast of Aaron Kwok, Richie Jen and Lam Ka-tung, opened with $12.1 million. It was produced in Hong Kong and directed by Albert Mak, who has associate director credits on Johnny To movies “Drug War” and “Life Without Principle.”.

Another Hong Kong-made film, “The Goldfinger” took 3.8 million in third place.

Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Table For Six 2, sequel to the smash hit Hong Kong comedy, in deal with Edko Films.

The ensemble comedy is again written and directed by Sunny Chan, whose 2022 film Table For Six centred on an awkward family reunion and became the third highest-grossing Chinese-language in Hong Kong on release in 2022 with takings of $9.85m ($77.1m).

The sequel revolves around three weddings and how a family of aunts, uncles and cousins all get involved with the nuptials. Original cast returning for the follow-up includes Stephy Tang, Louis Cheung, Ivana Wong, Lin Min Chen...

Festival Merger

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and The India Center Foundation, two non-profit organizations working with South Asian film in the U.S., have agreed to merge. Already long-time collaborators, Iffla and Icf will, among other things, work closely to incubate and launch an industry development program to showcase the next generation of South Asian talent to studios, funders and media executives.

“We saw an opportunity to scale our work nationally as one of the leading supporters of emerging creative talent in the diaspora. By joining forces with Iffla we can bring much needed resources to support the stories that need to be told in the media. Our stories,” said Priya Giri Desai, a co-founder of Icf.

“[Icf] have been a financial and creative partner to Iffla over numerous festivals already, which makes this a natural fit. I have no doubt that we can bring even greater impact together.

‘Mean Girls’ topped the charts with $34.5m while ‘The Beekeeper’ made $33.9m

Worldwide box office January 12-14 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world) 3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Mean Girls (Paramount) $34.5m $34.5m $6.5m $6.5m 17 2. The Beekeeper (MGM) $33.9m $34.1m $17.1m $16.7m 46 3. Wonka (Warner Bros) $23.7m $505.3m $15.3m $329.1m 78 4. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros) $21.9m $373.7m $16.6m $265.5m 79 5. Johnny Keep Walking! (various) $19.5m $108.3m $19.5m $108.3m 1 6. Migration (Universal) $15.1m $172.6m $8.9m $86.9m 75 7. Anyone But You (Sony) $12m $78m $5.1m $22.8m 24 8. Wish (Disney) $8.8m $223.4m $8.6m $160.4m 52 9. Night Swim (Universal) $7.1m $29.7m $2.5m $10.6m 41 10. The Goldfinger (various...

Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the mainland China box office in its third week of release. Two newcomers broke into the top five, comedy “Follow Bear for Action” and imported action title “The Beekeeper.”

“Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $19.7 million (140 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was another strong hold after an opening weekend of $26.1 million (on Dec. 29) and $22.4 million in its second frame. Its cumulative is now $109 million (RMB771 million).

Hong Kong-made crime action film “The Goldfinger,” also held well. It earned $6.1 million, down from $8.5 million the previous weekend. As with “Jonny,” the Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai-starring picture ranks higher than on its opening weekend. Since opening on Dec. 30, “The Goldfinger” now has a cumulative of $57 million.

A total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions have been shortlisted to compete for 16 awards at this year's Asian Film Awards.

Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.

The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.

The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List

Best Film

12.12: The Day (South Korea)

Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)

Paradise

Perfect Days (Japan)

Snow Leopard (Mainland China)

Best Director

Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)

Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)

Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)

Kore-eda Hirokazu...

‘Snow Leopard’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Goldfinger’ and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ also land multiple nods.

South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.

Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.

Scroll down for full list of nominations

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...

Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, Evil Does Not Exist, and the period action pic 12.12: The Day, from Korea, lead the nominations at this year’s Asian Film Awards.

Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.

Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...

The financial crime drama reunites Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau for the first time since ‘Infernal Affairs 3’.

Felix Chong’s The Goldfinger has made an impressive $3.2m (Hk$25m) in its home market of Hong Kong, reinvigorating the declining box office for local films.

The financial crime drama, which reunites superstars Tony Leung Chiu-wai with Andy Lau for the first time since closing out the hit Infernal Affairs trilogy two decades ago, has topped the Hong Kong box office since opening on December 30.

Released by Emperor Motion Pictures, it crossed $3.2m (Hk$25m) after just nine days (as...

Legendary Entertainment’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire moves up to March 29.

Bong Joon Ho’s upcoming sci-fi Mickey 17 starring Robert Pattinson has been undated by Warner Bros due to strike disruption and is expected to be given a new date soon.

Mickey 17 was previously set to open on March 29 this year.

Screen understands Bong has been given more time to complete post-production on the follow-up feature to his Palme d’Or winner and 2020 best picture Oscar winner Parasite.

Adapted from Edward Ashton’s book Mickey7 published in 2022, the feature produced by Plan B centres on an...

Warner Bros’ ’Wonka’ is now less than $10m behind the lifetime global total of Tim Burton’s ’Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’.

Worldwide box office January 5-7 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Wonka (Warner Bros) $43.4m $465.9m $28.9m $301.2m 78 2. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros) $40.9m $334.8m $30.3m $234.8m 78 3. Migration (Universal) $25.7m $150.7m $15.5m $72.9m 74 4. Johnny Keep Walking! (various) $22.5m $77.2m $22.5m $77.2m 1 5. Wish (Disney) $19.8m $209.5m $19m $146.9m 52 6. Night Swim (Universal) $17.7m $17.7m $5.7m $5.7m 37 7. Anyone But You (Sony) $14.9m $58.4m $5.4m $14.7m 20 8. The Goldfinger (various) $10.5m $51.4m $10.4m...

Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” climbed to the top of the mainland China box office in its second weekend on release. Previous winner, “Shining for One Thing” dimmed quickly and tumbled to fifth place.

The first weekend of the new year and following a welter of Christmas-New Year releases, the latest weekend represented a reordering of holdover titles, rather than a session with an injection of significant fresh movies.

“Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $22.4 million (RMB159 million) from Friday to Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was a modest fall from the film’s $26.1 million opening frame and elevated its cumulative total to $77.5 million since debuting on Dec. 29.

The film is directed by Peng Da, aka Dong Pengcheng, the prolific actor-writer-director who released two other films in 2023:...

Despite its Bond-adjacent title, The Goldfinger acts as something of a reunion from a different franchise. Re-teaming Andy Lau, Tony Leung, and writer (now writer-director) Felix Chong from the Infernal Affairs series, their newest film charts the rise and fall of a corrupt real-estate tycoon. Spanning decades, and inspired by the Carrian Group––a Hong Kong conglomerate that collapsed in the 1980s––The Goldfinger pits Lau and Leung on opposing sides, with the former playing Lau Kai-yeun, an investigator for the Icac (Independent Commision Against Corruption) and the latter as Henry Ching, an engineer who works his way through a series of shady deals to run a multi-billion dollar business.

Principally about the investigation into Ching’s company and the house of cards he built over decades, The Goldfinger is compelling in individual moments. It features two noteworthy performances by Leung and Lau. Such rich set-up notwithstanding, Chong never finds...

Universal has Blumhouse horror ‘Night Swim’; BFI has ‘Scala!!!’.

James Hawes’ Nicholas Winton biopic One Life and Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley story Priscilla lead the new films on the first weekend of 2024 at the UK-Ireland box office.

Distributed by Warner Bros and opening in a sizeable 699 sites, One Life tells the story of Nicholas Winton, a London broker who rescued 669 children – predominantly Jewish – from the Nazis leading up to the Second World War. The film has £1.6m already, having opened for previews on Monday, January 1.

Johnny Flynn, a 2005 Screen Star of Tomorrow, plays the younger Winton; with Anthony Hopkins playing him in the 1980s,...

Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” continued its golden run at the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.6 million ($8.4 million) over the Dec. 29 weekend.

The Timothée Chalamet starrer now has a total of £43.8 million in the territory after four weekends on release.

Black Bear’s “Ferrari,” directed by Michael Mann and starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, raced to a £1.9 million debut in second place. In third position, in its second weekend, Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” collected £1.7 million for a total of £5.9 million.

Elysian’s “The Boy And The Heron,” directed by Miyazaki Hayao, bowed with £1.6 million in fourth place. Rounding off the top five was another debut, Sony’s “Anyone But You,” with £1.2 million.

The only other debut in the Top 10 was Disney’s “Next Goal Wins” with £844,604.

Mubi’s “Priscilla,” starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, and Warner Bros.’ “One Life,” starring Anthony Hopkins, both released wide across more than 300 sites each,...

‘Wonka’ powers ahead to $379m total whilst ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’ swims to $251m.

Worldwide box office December 29-31 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world) 3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Shining For One Thing (various) $77.1m $77.1m $77.1m $77.1m 3 2. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros) $70m $251.4m $50.5m $173.6m 78 3. Wonka (Warner Bros) $63m $379m $39.1m $244.4m 78 4. Migration (Universal) $34.3m $100.7m $17.1m $46.4m 69 5. Johnny Keep Walking! (various) $25.8m £32.3m $25.8m $32.3m 1 6. I Did It My Way (various) $25.7m $26m $25.7m $26m 1 7. The Goldfinger (various) $23m $23m $23m $23m 8 8. Wish (Disney) $16.7m $176.4m $15.4m $115.8m 45 9. Anyone But You...

Tony Leung Chiu-wai pursued justice undercover in the first film. Now he’s a shiny gang boss cashing in before Hong Kong goes back to China

Sweaty-palmed Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs was one of the best films of the early 00s; in it, Tony Leung Chiu-wai played a cop undercover in a triad gang, alongside Andy Lau as a mole in the police force. The movie was remade by Martin Scorsese into The Departed with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. Twenty years later the Leung/Lau dream team is back for another cat-and-mouse cop thriller written and directed by the original film’s co-writer Felix Chong. Though actually this new movie shares more DNA with a couple of Scorseses: The Wolf of Wall Street and Goodfellas. Not that it fully comes up on a rollicking Scorsese cocaine high.

The Goldfinger is a slick, stylish and slightly shallow crime’n...

“If you really missed not seeing us on screen together, then ‘The Goldfinger’ is your opportunity to do so,” says Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau of his new crime movie where he is again paired with Tony Leung Chiu-wai (“In the Mood for Love”).

The film releases at the end of the month in different parts of Asia and North America (from Dec. 30). Pre-release marketing and promotional efforts make much of the Lau-Leung repairing some twenty years after the “Infernal Affairs” trio of hit movies. The movies were both critical and commercial hits and contained an iconic rooftop scene in Hong Kong’s Wanchai district with the police undercover agent and the mobster’s mole facing off guns drawn.

The pair clearly rate each other highly for their acting skills and for the kind of professionalism that has kept them both a the top of the game for more than two decades.

"Where did the money come from?" Another official trailer has arrived for the Hong Kong film called The Goldfinger, which is exactly what is listed (in English) in the title card of this trailer. The film is also going under the title Once Upon a Time in Hong-Kong, written and directed by the filmmaker Felix Chong. Set in the 1980s, the film is based on the story of Carrian Group, a Hong Kong corporation which rose rapidly before collapsing shortly afterwards due to a corruption scandal. Acclaimed actors Tony Leung & Andy Lau reunite after the seminal Infernal Affairs years ago. When a stock market crash causes the sudden collapse of a multi-billion-dollar company, an Icac investigator (Lau) uncovers a criminal conspiracy involving the company’s founder (Leung) and becomes entangled in a long-running investigation. The film's cast also includes Simon Yam, Charlene Choi, Tai-Bo, Alex Fong, Philip Keung, Kar Lok Chin,...

It’s been a long wait for The Goldfinger, which reunites Infernal Affairs stars Tony Leung and Andy Lau with writer-director Felix Chong: production began in February of 2021, our first look arrived spring 2022, and for some time it was all quiet on the eastern front. But a trailer this summer confirmed it’ll hit Hong Kong on December 30, and with only a month to go there’s a new, English-subbed preview that suggests the film will, at least for extravagance, have been worth the wait.

The thriller also stars Simon Yam, Philip Keung, Alex Fong Chung-sun, Charlene Choi, Chin Ka-lok, and Carlos Chan, and is inspired by the story of the Hong Kong conglomerate Carrian Group, which was embroiled in a scandal.

Set in the 1980s, the film depicts cut-throat machinations between Hong Kong’s jostling business elites amidst the backdrop of the tail end of British colonial rule.

Tony Leung and Andy Lau reunite in The Goldfinger, after many years apart. Here’s the trailer for the film, that arrives in the UK in December.

2002’s Infernal Affairs is one of the most iconic Hong Kong films of the early 2000s. The story of a cop who infiltrates the Triads and another officer who is secretly a spy for the same group was so popular that Martin Scorsese remade it in 2006 as The Departed. It also was followed by a couple of sequels, none of which were remade by Martin Scorsese.

Stars Tony Leung, Andy Lau and writer Felix Chong have reunited over 20 years later to make The Goldfinger, that Cine Asia has picked up for distribution in the UK.

The synopsis for The Goldfingerreads as follows:

Set in the 1980s, the film depicts cut-throat machinations between Hong Kong’s jostling business elites amidst the backdrop of the...

Further titles include Herman Yau’s War Customised and Alan Mak’s Insider.

Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp) has unveiled a slate of 12 upcoming films, including a sequel to Zhang Yimou’s box office hit Cliff Walkers and new all-star features from Herman Yau and Alan Mak.

It has also released the first images of Felix Chong’s The Goldfinger, which reunites Infernal Affairs stars Tony Leung and Andy Lau for the first time in nearly 20 years (see below).

The 12 titles, along with two projects in development, equate to an investment of $191.7m (Hk$1.5b), representing the company...

About a year ago we got the news that Tony Leung and Andy Lau would finally be reuniting after their trio of Infernal Affairs films. Coming from Infernal Affairs writer Felix Chong, who scripts and directs, the film was announced with the title Goldfinger (though no relation to Bond), but now some are referring to it as Once Upon a Time in Hong-Kong. Whatever it may end up being called, the first look has arrived above courtesy of Kevin Ma.

With it being 18 years since their last collaboration, the film carries much anticipation and hopefully we’ll get news about its release soon. The thriller also stars Simon Yam, Philip Keung, Alex Fong Chung-sun, Charlene Choi, Chin Ka-lok, and Carlos Chan. It’s inspired by the story of the Hong Kong conglomerate Carrian Group, which was embroiled in a scandal, and one can check out the synopsis below.

Set in the 1980s,...