Latest news with #JosieHo
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UK & China Seek Co-Pro Opportunities; BBC Studios Sets ‘Walking with Dinosaurs' iQiyi Streaming Launch For China — Filmart
At the UK-China Screen Forum held with Hong Kong's Filmart, BBC Studios unveiled that Walking with Dinosaurs will premiere exclusively on iQiyi for mainland China audiences in 2025, and a Chinese-dubbed version of nature series Asia will also launch on Phoenix Chinese Channel. The forum, now in its fourth edition, featured a delegation from the UK's Department of Business and Trade (DBT), British Film Institute (BFI), BBC Studios, Film Export UK as well as from China's Pheonix TV and Bilibili. Organizers said that another UK-China Screen Forum will run during the BFI London Film Festival in October. More from Deadline EST N8 Acquires Indonesian Horror Film 'Pabrik Gula' ('Sugar Mill') For North America Release - Filmart Josie Ho's 852 Films Unveils Five New Projects; Signs Acting Deal With Iman Taheri - Filmart 'All We Imagine As Light' Takes Top Honors At Asian Film Awards; Japanese Filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida Wins Best Director For 'Teki Cometh' Singapore-based Phil Hardman, executive VP and general manager of Asia at BBC Studios, highlighted how the upcoming six-part Walking with Dinosaurs series relaunches a beloved IP from 1999 from the BBC's Science Unit. Hardman also said that the BBC's Planet Earth series, Bluey and Inside No. 9 works have all done well in China, with the company also co-producing Supertato with Tencent Video. Rupert Daniels, Director of Creative, Services and Skills at the UK's DBT highlighted four key priorities for UK-China relations in the entertainment industries: innovate new co-productions; increase Chinese investment in UK infrastructure; harness the UK's IP in publishing, music, film, TV and immersive; and establish the UK as the partner of choice to scale businesses and collaborate. 'We've invested hugely in our production facilities, it's driven by tax dollars and this is something we actually want to encourage Chinese companies and investors to work with UK production partners on,' said Daniels. Daniels added that under the new UK government, the creative industry was selected as one of eight top growth priorities. The UK's creative industries generate £125B ($162B) in revenue per year and forms the third largest creative services exporter in the world behind the US and Ireland. This is Daniels' first UK delegation to Filmart since the pandemic. 'From from our side in government, we have nothing to sell like the BBC, but what we have is the duty to try to make the conditions easier for everybody, so that you remove as many regulatory burdens on all sides,' said Daniels. 'For example, what I mentioned about tax credits, those are designed to create growth and are designed to open up the UK market to global co-productions.' Daniels further stated that £4.8B ($6.2B) in UK film and TV production spend was on inward investment and co-production in 2024. A new UK Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC), at a net rate of 39.75%, will also be available from April 1 this year to films with budgets up to £15m that meet the criteria of a new BFI UK creative practitioner test. He emphasized that he is keen to put pen to paper on more agreements between the UK and China film industries in the near future. 'I want to turn contacts into contracts,' said Daniels, who has made business visits to Beijing and Shanghai in recent years, and will also visit Shenzhen in the coming days. For UK film sales companies arriving in Hong Kong, genre titles have remained as the most promising area for business. Grace Carley, chief executive of Film Export UK, which currently represents 28 companies that sell independent feature films internationally, acknowledged that it is still a very challenging environment for UK sales companies to do business in China. She pointed out that her Film Export UK delegation to Filmart has shrunk post-Covid. 'It's been very difficult to sell, particularly into China, for the last five or six years, but I think with more co-productions, partnership and collaboration, this will be more possible,' said Carley. 'Part of this comes down to the fact that China has such fantastic offerings.' Some UK sales agents present at Filmart include Altitude, Alliance Media Partners, Film Seekers, Jinga Films, Screenbound and Kaleidoscope Film Distribution. Carley remains hopeful that a bigger delegation will come to Filmart next year, and highlighted opportunities for both Chinese and UK companies to work together. 'It's about releasing in the UK as well — for us to have more Chinese products in the UK — that will really help us to understand what works in China,' adds Carley. Cura Zhang, vice-general manager and head of Bilibili's factual content, said: 'We're looking forward to more collaborations between Bilibili and all kinds of production houses, broadcasters and companies around the UK to find out more internationalization possibilities. We are trying to export more Chinese content, more Bilibili content. 'We are also welcoming and importing more British content to China to satisfy our users. We have a huge demand for international content on Bilibili by the younger generation, and that is why internationalization is one of the most important targets for Bilibili in the next few years,' added Zhang. Best of Deadline Epic Universe: The Latest Images Of The New Universal Orlando Theme Park Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? 'Verity,' 'Reminders Of Him' & 'Regretting You' Will Join 'It Ends With Us' The 25 Highest-Grossing Animated Films Of All Time At The Box Office
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EST N8 Acquires Indonesian Horror Film ‘Pabrik Gula' (‘Sugar Mill') For North America Release — Filmart
EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles-based sales, production, and finance company EST N8 has acquired Indonesian horror film Pabrik Gula (Sugar Mill) for North America release. Pabrik Gula is directed by Awi Suryadi, who helmed the highest-grossing Indonesian film of all time, KKN di Desa Penari. More from Deadline Josie Ho's 852 Films Unveils Five New Projects; Signs Acting Deal With Iman Taheri - Filmart 'All We Imagine As Light' Takes Top Honors At Asian Film Awards; Japanese Filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida Wins Best Director For 'Teki Cometh' Veteran Korean Actor Jang Dong-gun Talks Talents He Would Like To Work With & His Search For An "Ordinary" Role Pabrik Gula will have its theatrical release in Indonesia on Eid al-Fitr in end-March, and is set to hit theaters across North America, including IMAX screens, in April 2025. The film follows a group of seasonal workers arriving at a sugar mill, only to find themselves tormented by vengeful demons. As terrifying events unfold, they must unravel the mystery of what awakened these dark forces — and whether they can escape and return home before it is too late. Arbani Yasiz (Winter Elegy, Azzamine) stars in the film, alongside Erika Carlina (The Devil's Bride, Sleep Call) and Ersya Aurelia (Killers, Anak Jalanan: A New Beginning). The film is produced by MD Pictures, under Indonesian studio MD Entertainment, which has released over 200 films since its founding in 2002, including Ayat Ayat Cinta, Habibie & Ainun. The deal was brokered by Tenten Wei, Sophie Shi, and Cathy Ni of EST N8. EST N8 is a partnership between LA-based EST Studios and New York- and Bangkok-based N8 Studios, representing a slate of Asian films at global markets. EST Studios was founded in 2022 by Jaeson Ma (Stampede Ventures, 88rising) and Eric Tu (Vice, Anonymous Content). Suryadi's other directing credits include horror flick Perewangan — which is also represented by EST N8. In addition to Pabrik Gula, EST N8's sales titles include Indonesian horror films Sorop, Hutang Nyawa and Perewangan and The Hole, as well as Korean thriller 30 Minutes, Japanese fantasy River Returns, Mongolian-Thai horror The Circle of Death, Malaysian action film Budak Flat, Korean action film Mash Ville and Thai thriller Delivery Man. 'The EST N8 team is ecstatic about collaborating with MD Pictures on Pabrik Gula,' said Ma, chairman of EST Studios. 'We can't wait to introduce audiences to the rich world of Pabrik Gula, a film that will surely resonate with fans of supernatural horror.' Manoj Punjabi, CEO of MD Entertainment, added: 'We are thrilled to bring Pabrik Gula (Sugar Mill) to audiences in the U.S., marking another milestone for Indonesian cinema on the global stage. This film is a testament to our commitment to delivering high-quality storytelling that resonates across cultures. With its gripping horror, deep-rooted folklore, and cinematic spectacle, we believe Pabrik Gula will leave a lasting impact on international audiences. We can't wait for moviegoers in the U.S. to experience the thrill and mystery that this film has to offer.' Best of Deadline TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025 Everything We Know About 'Freakier Friday' So Far
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Josie Ho's 852 Films Unveils Five New Projects; Signs Acting Deal With Iman Taheri — Filmart
852 Films, which is co-founded by singer-actress Josie Ho and producer Conroy Chan, has launched five new projects at Hong Kong's Filmart. Additionally, the production outfit unveiled Iman Taheri, who becomes their first signed artist. He stars in horror film The Mage, directed by Danny Pang. The film also stars Ho and German Cheung. Taheri is set to appear in the sequel The Mage 2, which will start filming in April this year — as well as in several upcoming films on the company's slate. More from Deadline 'All We Imagine As Light' Takes Top Honors At Asian Film Awards; Japanese Filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida Wins Best Director For 'Teki Cometh' Veteran Korean Actor Jang Dong-gun Talks Talents He Would Like To Work With & His Search For An "Ordinary" Role Busan Film Festival Puts Programmer Jung Han-seok In Pole Position For Director Role 852 Films has worked on Open Grave, starring Shalto Copley, Thomas Kretschmann and Josie Ho, as well as How To Talk To Girls At Parties, directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Besides launching The Mage 2, 852 Films also unveiled Macao Redux, with Jordan Gertner (The Killer Inside Me) set to direct. The film follows four friends — Z, a magician; Jade, an actress; Marco, a tech wizard; and Hazel, a historian — who embark on an adventure in Macau for 'The Hidden Game' together — an innovative blend of augmented reality and treasure hunting. The four friends accidentally steal an urn containing the ashes of a legendary ruler from a triad-controlled casino. Mistaken for infiltrators by the triads and suspects in a series of unsolved crimes by the police, they find themselves in a perilous game of cat and mouse as they navigate the streets of Macau and make us of their unique skills — Z's sleight of hand, Jade's dramatic improvisations, Marco's tech tricks, and Hazel's historical insights. Another project on the 852 Films slate is mystery film The Connoisseurs, produced by Chan and Max Ip. Set in an opulent European mansion, an extravagant gala unfolds, filled with the elite of society. Iman, accompanied by his father, mingles with the guests, while a mafia boss mingles in the crowd and two cloaked figures quietly descend into the mansion. Iman's father's prized possessions, including a magnificent diamond and two renowned paintings, go missing at the gala. Iman and the guests are thrust into a web of intrigue and betrayal, and scramble to uncover the truth behind the theft. My Funny Valentine follows a prince, burdened with the responsibility of inheriting his family legacy — but just a week before his wedding, he finds out that his fiancée has been unfaithful. Devastated, the prince decides to escape to Semporna in Sabah, Malaysia, seeking solace and peace. There, he meets two affluent sisters in a luxurious resort. The younger sister has been entrusted with managing the family resort. One day, the resort hosts a grand festival and the younger daughter, slightly tipsy, boards her family's yacht and sails out, before waking up the next morning and finding the prince onboard. Planning to return to the resort, they are confronted with a problem: the boat has run out of fuel. This serendipitous mishap sets the stage for a love story. Báthory, with Matthew David Wilder (Your Name Here) set to direct, is based on the story of Hungary's Elizabeth Báthory, who found infamy after bathing in the blood of virgins. Best of Deadline TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025 Everything We Know About 'Freakier Friday' So Far
