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China’s vertical short drama boom took center stage on Hong Kong Filmart’s opening day, with a collection of the creatives driving the trend extolling the opportunities being offered in a market they predict will soon be worth around $14 billion annually.

“The rise of this format means that there are a lot of audiences who haven’t been satisfied by the current supply of the media market,” said Zhou Yuan, founder and CEO of the Beijing-based vertical film production house Content Republic.

For the uninitiated, the phase “vertical short drama” refers to series shot with a vertical rather than horizontal orientation so they can more easily be viewed on smartphones.

They first emerged on Snapchat and Instagram Stories before being picked up by the likes of the California-based ReelShort and Singapore’s DramaBox platforms. More recently, Chinese creators have come to dominate the market as TikTok and its Chinese...

Although presented as a documentary, Zhou Tao‘s “Periphery of the Base” is closer to a moody, subjective 53mn essay on the relationship between humanity, technology and the natural environment. Through an enigmatic, atmospheric string of long takes and slow pan shots of the Gobi desert and the anonymous individuals working there on mysterious engineering projects, the film feels like a contemporary art installation one would stumble upon in a discerning museum. No wonder then that the film is being screened by the Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look festival in New York, after being shown at Berlin last year.

The Periphery of the Base is screening at First Look 2025

Recurring images in “Periphery of the Base” are extreme wide shots that situate men as tiny figures against the backdrop of the immense, arid desert. There is nothing beautiful or idealized about the natural environment or the way men relate to it,...

In The Dating Game, director Violet Du Feng takes a seemingly straightforward premise — a week-long dating camp in China — and slowly unspools it into something far more unsettling: a deeply ingrained cultural crisis masquerading as a matchmaking experiment. What begins as an observational documentary about three bachelors looking for love soon reveals itself as an indictment of a broken system, where romance is less about genuine connection and more about navigating the impossible expectations placed upon both men and women.

A Crisis of Numbers & Connections

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The Dating GameDocumentary3/5Release DateJanuary 23, 2025Runtime92 minutesDirectorViolet Du FengProducersChandra Jessee, Joanna Natasegara, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas, Ken Pelletier, James Costa, Shizuka Asakawa

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ExpandCollapsePros & ConsHighlights the societal pressures placed on Chinese men and women, exposing the systemic flaws behind modern dating expectations.The upbeat energy and...

After receiving nationwide praise from both critics and audiences in the Prc, directors/choreographers Han Zhen and Zhou Liya have chosen TIFF to launch the international distribution of their dance drama “A Tapestry of a Legendary Land.” An amazing feat of music, dance, and lush colors bringing to life one the finest example of Chinese landscape painting, it is not just a feast for the eyes, as it also stands as an allegory of art as a life mission.

An artifact researcher of Beijing’s Palace Museum is portrayed in the act of studying one of the museum’s most valuable exhibits: “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains,” the revered landscape scroll from Song Dynasty’s court painter Wang Ximeng (1096–1119). As the scholar wonders about the extraordinary circumstances that brought such a painting into existence, the world of Ximeng’s unfolds vividly in front of his eyes, retelling the...

Another F1 racing team has solidified its 2025 driver lineup!

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber previously signed Nico Hulkenberg on a multi-year deal starting in 2025, leaving just one spot open on their Formula 1 team.

Current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu‘s futures have been unknown until now. It was announced first thing on Wednesday (November 6) that both drivers will be leaving the team after the 2024 season, following a rough year for the team.

Keep reading to find out more…

“After open and constructive discussions with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, we mutually concluded that conditions to continue together could not be met so we agreed that it is time to part ways. We would like to thank both for the contribution they have made to the team in the last three years. They have been the embodiment of professionalism, using their experience and enthusiasm to support our growth,” Stake...

Thought may be the most powerful force in the space-time continuum. As Doctor Emmett L. Brown says in "Back to the Future," the act is the one and only key to guaranteed success: "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." This is why any system of control seeks to quell (if not eradicate) free thought as its primary goal because those behind such systems rightfully understand that thought is the biggest threat to their maintaining power. Although governments and censorship boards banning art can be done under a variety of pretenses — this is deemed obscene, that is deemed offensive, and so on — what censoring or outright banning art really does is keep people in line.

Of course, that doesn't mean censorship always makes a ton of sense. Numerous instances of censored or banned art feel absolutely baffling. For instance, did you know that depicting someone head-butting...

Shanghai-based Linmon Pictures is hoping another ambitious slate of high-end period dramas will give a boost to its expanding international business.

On the second day of Tokyo’s Tiffcom entertainment market, which runs in parallel with the Tokyo International Film Festival, gave an update on its ongoing mission to diversify beyond the domestic China market. The company touted a slew of new period dramas it has planned for 2025 and 2026, as well as projects in other genres.

The company’s slate includes four costume dramas spanning various hybrid genres. Moonlit Reunion is a fantasy drama starring Xu Kai and Tian Xiwei, set “in an interwoven world of demons and Chang’an city, creating a distinctive supernatural atmosphere.” A Dream within a Dream will be a period romantic comedy featuring Yitong Li and Yuning Liu, “combining traditional Wei and Jin aesthetics with cyberpunk elements to fuse ancient culture with futuristic mechanical design.

A brief moment that determined the vastly different destinies, fortunes and identities of two sisters from Yunnan on the China-Myanmar border is at the heart of “The Unseen Sister,” a mix of crime suspense and family drama that takes time to warm up before coming home strongly in the second half. Adapted from elements of Zhang Yueran’s 2017 novella, “Sister” is the most commercial film yet by leading Taiwanese filmmaker Midi Z. After opening with a bang domestically on Oct. 26, “Sister” launched internationally in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival.

As with much of Midi Z’s work, his latest film touches on aspects of his personal background. Of Chinese descent and born in Myanmar, Midi Z moved to Taiwan as a teenager and became a Taiwanese citizen. Interestingly, several of his credits on the end roll appear as “Midi Z,.” Though most of “Sister” takes place in Beijing, the...

Theirs is a love without name in “Bound in Heaven,” when the connection between Xia You (Ni Ni) and Xu Zitai (Zhou You) is so primal that neither bother to introduce themselves to one another until after spending a night together. Details like these can seem besides the point in Huo Xin’s torrid adaptation of Li Xiuwen’s novel of the same name. Passion trumps all else, both in front and behind the camera, in an auspicious directorial debut from the veteran screenwriter, who sees a doomed romance as an opportunity for a spirited drama when its central duo lives each day like their last.

Any day could well be for Xu, who knows the expiration date for the relationship will come sooner than later due to a terminal illness. As the humble owner of a noodle shop in Wuhan, getting treatment or even a proper diagnosis is out of reach.

"Where are you going?" "To catch the murderer!" Well Go USA has debuted an official trailer for another Chinese action film titled The Mob, which is now on VOD to watch after first premiering for streaming on the Hi-yah! channel. Get some more action! Set in 1928 Shanghai, The Mob follows the clash between the rising Longde Chamber of Commerce and the entrenched Tongmingtang. As the old and new orders collide, fierce family feuds erupt, igniting intense battles on the Shanghai Bund. After the murder of its high-profile patriarch, the Zhou family seeks revenge against a ruthless rival clan trying to expand its territory, sparking a brutal conflict between the warring families that throws Shanghai into chaos. This Chinese crime thriller stars Xu Fangzhou, Zhang Junran, Jessie Yan, Chen Junxi, Guan Xiaotian, and Zhang Zhiwei. Another action-packed movie from China. This massive brawl out on the street in the rain looks incredible,...

China-based sales agent Rediance has picked up international rights to Chinese director Huo Xin’s feature debut Bound In Heaven, which is set to premiere at Toronto before heading to San Sebastian.

Director Huo is a veteran scriptwriter whose credits include acclaimed and hit films such as Shower, Kung Fu Hustle, Sunflower and The Monkey King.

She has assembled a strong cast for her feature debut including Ni Ni of box office hit Lost In The Stars and Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War; Zhou You of Jia Zhang-ke’s Caught By The Tides, which also plays at Toronto...

Eight years after he started recreating TV and film foodstuffs on YouTube, Andrew Rea is hitting a high point — literally. A Thc-infused sugar is one of several new products Rea is cooking up in the Babish Culinary Universe.

Rea’s YouTube operation, previously known as Binging with Babish, has become a go-to source for foodies who want to explore the cuisine of their favorite pop culture franchises. The primary Bcu channel has reached 10 million subscribers, opening up fresh opportunities for Rea and co-hosts like Alvin Zhou.

A cookbook is the most obvious of those opportunities, but Rea has already been there and done that. For his latest brand expansions, Rea is embracing the unconventional approach that has been a hallmark of his YouTube channel since the beginning. His “Baked with Babish” sugar (get it?) is launching through cannabis company Old Pal. Visitors to dispensaries in New York and Arizona will...

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.

The bustling Chinese metropolis has been transformed by its annual celebration of cinema, with 47 theaters spread out across the city’s 16 districts hosting an estimated 1,600 screenings of 461 films across the June 14-23 event. There’s heavy promotion everywhere you look — hanging from lampposts, dominating the billboards that inform this city of more than 26 million people.

Domestic productions are taking pride of place throughout the program and — most noticeably this year — across the festival’s four central Golden Goblet competitions for feature films, which boast no less than 12 mainland Chinese films.

“As the only...

Along with a red-carpet opening ceremony, a press conference with the members of the main competition jury is a staple event of major film festivals and the 26th edition of the Shanghai International Film Festival kicked off in traditional form on Friday.

Along with Vietnam-French director Tran Anh Hung, previously revealed as jury president, the other members of the decisive committee this year are: Australian director and screenwriter Rolf de Heer; German director Matthias Glasner; Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka Fai; Argentinian director Santiago Mitre; Chinese director Sonthar Gyal; and, the jury’s only woman, star actor Zhou Xun.

A packed audience lobbed familiar questions about the criteria they jurors would employ to decide the Golden Goblet prize winners, and what informs those views.

Tran, who is based largely in France, rejected the idea of an East-West clash of sensibilities. “Film is its own language, and I try to...

Cited as King Hu’s last pure wuxia film, 1975’s The Valiant Ones is set during the Ming Dynasty of the 16th century in a time when China’s coastlines were under constant harassment from Japanese wokou. As an opening narration explains, these pirates operate nearly unchallenged thanks to their fighting prowess and the corruption of Japanese consuls, Chinese officials, and even the Ming emperor (Chao Lei) himself. Despite the collusion, the monarch must keep up appearances of solving the problem, and so he commissions General Zhu (Tu Kuang-chi) to assemble a group of warriors to combat the pirates. Zhou in turn hires a brilliant captain, Yu Da-you (Roy Chiao), to lead the unit, along with a handful of fighters that includes a husband-wife duo (Wing Bai and Hsu Feng) who could each take on an entire platoon of bandits.

Whether or not Hu felt he was leaving behind the wuxia genre,...

Exclusive: L.A.-based Into the Sun Entertainment and Italy’s Augustus Group have announced a new banner called Colors of the Sun Ventures.

Focused on film production and restoration, the initiative will see the partners combine their strengths and networks to provide financial solutions for filmmakers and producers in the film and TV industries across Europe.

There will be a particular focus on Italy, France, Albania and Spain as well as Morocco, but the new venture’s activities will not be limited to these countries.

The partners say their aim is to foster growth and cooperation for European entities with Hollywood and Asian cinema by offering financial and production solutions with production incentives as well as post-production, and restoration facilities in these countries.

L.A.-based Into the Sun Entertainment and its Rome-based subsidiary Into the Sun Films, were launched by China-born, Italy-raised writer, director and producer Yi Zhou in...

The National Association of Latino Independent Producers and Netflix have announced the third cohort for their Women of Color Incubator — the finalists were chosen from a pool of over 100 applications.

The 2023 class of filmmakers are Sonia Gonzalez (“Heartbreak in Another Tongue”), Michelle Salcedo (“Bye Bye Barbarito”), Jackie! Zhou (“Good Boy Banjo”), Lorena Duran (“Last Day Home”) and Fabiola Andrade (“Natural Selection”).

Gonzalez is a Mexican-American writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. After studying French Literature at Stanford University, Sonia moved to Paris, France, to work in television development. Salcedo was named Best New Filmmaker of the Year in 2020 and is an award-winning director with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. In 2022, Salcedo directed the action feature film, “Switch & Bait,” which was shot on location in Serbia.

Zhou is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist, director and sound designer “keen on blurring the lines between formats and disciplines.” Their...

Oscar winners Cameron Crowe and Robert Richardson have boarded Yi Zhou’s documentary “In Between Stars and Scars,” joining an extensive lineup of lauded creatives who will also be included in the artisans-focused film. Additionally, Zhou’s documentary will unveil music by composer Ennio Morricone and Bryan Ferry.

The film’s official description reads, “’In Between Stars and Scars’ unveils the intricate world of filmmaking, with a special focus on the artisans who bring cinematic visions to life. The documentary film takes audiences on a captivating journey behind the scenes, shining a much-deserved spotlight on the talented individuals who often go unrecognized for their crucial contributions.”

Camron Crowe will reflect on the artisans who have contributed to his iconic filmography. The documentary will also feature Oscar-winning artisans including cinematographers Robert Richardson and Vittorio Storaro, production designer Dante Ferretti, editor Thom Noble, and hair designer Giorgio Gregorini. Memories of the late...

The F1 season is among us!

Formula 1 drivers are out and about in the paddock for preview day on Wednesday (February 28) at Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, ahead of the of the first race of the 2024 season.

Top drivers Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were among those seen in the paddock prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Keep reading to find out more…

The guys will all have a chance to get back in their cars on Thursday (February 29) for the first two practice sessions. Then, on Friday (March 1), the third practice session will take place, followed by qualifying, where they will find what position they will start in.

The first race of the season – the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 – will take place on Saturday (March 2), and you’ll be able to watch on F1 TV, the Formula 1 app or an ESPN+.

In case you missed it,...

Projects ‘The Elf’, ‘Truth Or Consquences’; festival film ‘Falling Into Place’ all receive plaudits.

International industry attendees have praised the European Genre Forum as a highlight of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Poff), which closed its 27th edition on Sunday, November 19.

The Forum is a pan-European development event organised with Imagine Fantastic Film Festival in the Netherlands and Fantastic Zagreb Film Festival, that closes its three-lab structure with a marketing and packaging lab in Tallinn.

As head of Montreal-based distributor Attraction Distribution, Xiaojuan Zhou travelled further than most to Estonia, finding the trip worthwhile. “The quality of the pitches was...

Some of Europe’s most acclaimed below-the-line talents will do a deep dive into the artistry of movie magic for In Between Stars and Scars: Masters of Cinema, a new documentary feature being produced by Yi Zhou’s Into the Sun Entertainment.

Triple Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now, The Last Emperor, Reds), three-time production design winner Dante Ferretti (Hugo, Sweeney Todd, The Aviator), Oscar-winning film editor Thom Noble (Witness) and Academy Award-winning make-up artist Giorgio Gregorini (Suicide Squad) will feature in the doc, which was shot during the making of Zhou’s upcoming feature film debut, Stars and Scars, in Rome and Los Angeles.

All the involved talents are attached to work on the feature, an English-language sci-fi drama centered on the rare phenomenon known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (Hsam), where people can recall an abnormally large number of their life experiences in vivid and extraordinary detail. Christopher Lambert...

conclusion, but a powerful one. Mulan's actions have saved China and its people. Her bravery and selflessness have made a significant impact, and she is rightfully recognized and praised for her heroic efforts.

Before there was the live-action war story of Mulan, there was Disney's animated version of the Chinese folk tale, and Mulan's quotes are some of the most memorable in Disney's animated catalog. The movie boasted an incredible voice cast that includes Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, James Hong, and Pat Morita. They deliver a number of significant quotes that really flesh out the themes of the epic story.

Fans continue to enjoy Mulan on Disney+ and indeed even its animated sequels. As the Walt Disney Company continues to add to its roster of inspirational female heroes, including their princesses, these Mulan quotes should remind audiences why this Chinese warrior is among the boldest and most courageous in their filmography.

Exclusive: Trinity CineAsia has acquired Chinese fantasy epic Creation Of The Gods I: Kingdom Of Storms for multiple territories, including the UK, Ireland, France and Spain.

Highlight Entertainment Co is handling international sales on the film, the first installment in a planned trilogy, which opened in China in late July and became a big hit, grossing more than $400M and still running.

Directed by leading Chinese filmmaker Wu Ershan (Mojin: The Lost Legend), the film is based on Chinese classic ‘Investiture Of The Gods’ (Fengshen Bang) and tells the story of an epic battle between humans, immortals and monsters during the overthrow of King Zhou at the end of the Shang Dynasty.

The cast is headed by Kris Phillips, Li Xuejian, Huang Bo, Yu Shi, Chen Muchi and Naran. Lead producers on the film include Du Yang, Luo Shanshan, Wu Erhan and Yan Xuefeng.

The film is being released theatrically...

Director Wuershan’s ambitious adaptation of Xu Zhonglin’s 16th-century novel has too much highly variable CGI but its idiosyncrasies set it apart

“Strange things keep happening these days,” muses Jiang Ziya (Bo Huang) halfway through this extravagant adaptation of Xu Zhonglin’s 16th-century myth-and-fantasy novel Investiture of the Gods. By this point, we’ve already seen a woman kill herself with a hatpin before being possessed by the spirit of a white fox; a gurgling, pistachio-coloured demon baby is found naked in the woods; and a conjuror who can make his head float free of his body when threatened with decapitation. Strange days indeed.

Ziya is one of three immortals sent to arrest the Great Curse which is threatening the future of the Shang dynasty. King Zhou (Kris Phillips) is besotted with the seductive but malevolent Su Daji (Naran), and is letting his kingdom descend into carnage. The only hope is the Fengshen Bang,...

After conspiring with a conniving fox demon to kill the emperor and seize power, King Zhou reigns as a tyrant so brutal that he incurs the wrath of Heaven. In a final attempt to save the mortal world from desperate peril, the gods decide to intervene and invest in an unlikely champion brave enough to challenge the evil king—even if it may cost him everything.

Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to fantasy epic Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, one of China’s biggest films of the year.

Directed by Wuershan (Painted Skin: The Resurrection, Mojin: The Lost Legend), the film is the first installment in the planned Fengshen Trilogy, a three-part feature adaptation of the classic Chinese novel by Xu Zhonglin. It stars Kris Phillips (The Monkey King 2), Li Xuejian (The Wandering Earth II), Huang Bo (Journey to the West), Yu Shi (Born to Fly), Chen Muchi, Ci Sha and acclaimed newcomer Naran.

Among the Beijing film industry’s top-earning titles this summer, Kingdom of Storms has earned $375 million in China and remains on release.

Well Go will put the film out in North American theaters Sept. 22, with special Imax preview showings available in select locations Sept. 20.

The first installment of the trilogy’s legendary tale — which...

Circuit Zandvoort (Netherlands), Aug 27 (Ians) Reigning champion Max Verstappen came up with another dominant performance, converting pole position into victory at the Dutch Grand Prix for the third year in a row here on Sunday.

Red Bull’s Dutch driver, came through the action-packed, rain-hit home race to take the chequered flag ahead of Fernando Alonso of of Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly of Alpine and draw level with former champion Sebastian Vettel on nine successive F1 wins.

Before this race, Verstappen had won the last 13 races and 21 of the last 22 races.

Sergio Perez finished fourth while Ferrar’s Carlos Sainz ended fifth with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Lando Norris of McLaren, Alexander Albon of Williams, Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Estaban Ocon finishing from sixth to tenth and claiming points in the Dutch Grand Prix.

It started with spits of rain before the start of the race that dramatically...

“I just feel they don’t understand who I am, and I think they may take a little bit advantage of how kind I am,” says Anna Zhou, speculating about the drama that surrounded her on “Project Runway” in the episode “Seeing Red” earlier this season. She sat down with Christian Siriano to discuss her experience on “Runway” after she was finally eliminated in the episode “Below Decked Out.” It was this season’s real client challenge, the same damn challenge that got her eliminated last year when she had to dress someone from the “Real Housewives” franchise. Watch Zhou on Siriano’s after show above.

The challenge this week was to create a new fashion-forward but still work-appropriate uniform for the cast members of “Below Deck.” Zhou was assigned to dress Captain Jason, and because he lives in Asia she was inspired to bring Asian influence into the design.

The “Project Runway” designers were all smiles last week at the end of “Uncut Hems” when Christian Siriano used his Siriano Save to keep Rami Kashou in the competition, but that also comes with some bad news. Now that Siriano has used his one and only Save, and with no immunity from elimination being granted to anyone this season, the competition is more precarious than ever. Whoever’s out next will have no recourse. So who will that be?

See‘Project Runway’ season 20: Worst looks

According to the combined predictions of “Runway” fans who have been placing their bets all week here in our predictions center, that ousted fashion hopeful will be Anna Zhou. She gets 15/8 odds of being sent home. The mild-mannered designer has had a surprisingly controversial run on the show so far. Her fellow designers were outraged when her ruffled look in “Seeing Red” was deemed...

In the end, it was always going to come down to those youngsters.

China’s First International Film Festival, which has now 17 editions, prided itself on providing a platform on which the county’s next generation of filmmakers can reveal their talent. Fittingly, then, the event is attended by a predominantly young audience. They travel in large numbers to the city of Xining, set in China’s mountainous central region, fringing the Tibetan Plateau, and they really do feast on the program of independent films.

There were 98 films screened across the festival’s nine-day run, 27 features and 71 shorts among them. There were Q&a sessions with the audience that often ran well into overtime, such was the enthusiasm shown for everything from a gritty but life-affirming three-hour drama about a migrant woman trying to forge a life in a big city (Qin Tian’s Fate of the Moonlight) to a...

Movie stars Zhou Xun and Jelly Lin head the cast of “Imperfect Victim,” a new mainland Chinese drama series that focuses on workplace sexual harassment and leads to a rape trial.

Zhou plays a lawyer who steps in to represent the character played by Lin (“The Mermaid”), who alleges assault by her boss at work. He is portrayed by TV veteran Liu Yijun. The case becomes complicated and Zhou’s character is forced to question her own ethics.

The show is highly topical, given the slowly building #MeToo movement in China. This is being fuelled by numerous instances of sexual discrimination, sexual assault and outright violence towards women, many instances of which have gone viral on Chinese social media before being deleted by censors.

Zhou Xun in “Imperfect Victim.” Courtesy of iQiyi.

The first episode of “Imperfect Victim,” for instance, includes a section on the culture of heavy after-hours drinking...

The “Seeing Red” challenge threw the “Project Runway” designers for a loop. It ended with the elimination of Hester Sunshine, but many seemed to think Anna Zhou was the least deserving. Will the results tonight in “Like Totally ’90s” be just as contested?

Kayne Gillaspie sat down with Zhou at the end of “Seeing Red” to ask if she thought it was fair that Sunshine was eliminated for sending something new down the runway when Zhou got high marks for what he thought was a derivative design. Korto Momolu thought it was “bullshit” that Zhou had one of the judges’ favorite looks. It was all because Zhou created a dress with ruffles that her rivals thought was too reminiscent of what she created in “Toying with Fashion.”

See‘Project Runway’ season 20: Worst looks

But fashion is subjective, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the judges are looking for from week to week.

Anna Zhou sparked quite a controversy among the “Project Runway” designers last week when she was named one of the judges’ favorites in the “Seeing Red” challenge. Her fellow designers thought she repeated the look she created for the unconventional materials challenge, “Toying with Fashion.” Korto Momolu in particular thought the judges’ decision was “bullshit.” We asked our readers what they thought. Scroll down to see the complete poll results.

Momolu predicted that this one “Runway” result would divide the designers from there on out. And it certainly did that to our readers, who disagreed sharply about Zhou’s design. Ultimately, though, most of our respondents (55.91%) thought the look she created in “Seeing Red” was original, and I personally agree with that assessment. Just because both looks incorporated ruffles doesn’t make them the same.

See‘Project Runway’ season 20: Best looks

The length was different. The neckline was different.

"Wu Geng Ji" is a new live-action fantasy drama TV series, based on the manga comics and CG-animated series, starring Ren Jialun, Xing Fei, Xing Fei, Yan Yikuan, Jiang Xin, Mi Re, Han Dong, Huang Cancan, Guo Xiaotian, Long Zhengxuan, Liu Xiangjing, Liu Xiening, Pang Hanchen, Qi Yandi, Song Wenzuo, Tang Guozhong, Tang Wenlong and Wang Xichao, with streaming Tba :

"...a messenger from the 'Heavens' has arrived in 'Zhao Ge', which has been ruled by the 'Shang' dynasty for generations.

"The current emperor, 'Zi Zhou', refuses to bow his head before the gods, and declares to the messenger that he will no longer accept the tyranny of the Heavens. 

"The gods do not take this kindly; and soon, the emperor of a neighboring land, 'Wu Jifa', leads a crusade against the rebelling Shang. 

"During the battle, the Shang forces are vastly overwhelmed, and just when the...

Hulu and the If/Then Shorts program have set a cohort for the second class of their short documentary lab, which focuses on production and career training for nonfiction filmmakers elevating LGBTQ stories.

If/Then Shorts is an initiative from Field of Vision that amplifies regional, community-centered stories and supports nonfiction filmmakers through a combination of project grants, mentorship, industry consultations, editorial feedback, filmmaker advocacy and multiplatform distribution support. Since 2017, the program has supported more than 90 short documentary projects.

Three film teams have been awarded $30,000 in production funding as well as the opportunity for six months of individual mentorship through a production intensive led by If/Then and Hulu. The teams will work towards premiering their shorts in September 2023 at an in-person screening event and reception at Outfest in Los Angeles. Upon completion of the films’ final cuts, Hulu will have an opportunity to review the work for acquisition and/or further development.

Over the course of his first three features — “Ilo Ilo,” “Wet Season” and this year’s “Drift” — Singaporean director Anthony Chen has developed a signature style. It is a graceful, lucid classicism, a mode that in its straightforward sincerity is not fashionable in our abrasive moment, but can yield significant satisfactions. That is certainly true of his second film of 2023, “The Breaking Ice,” which describes, in a trio of perfectly judged performances, the burgeoning, momentous and yet fleeting connection between three differently lonely people — a love triangle with rounded, snowdrift corners.

Yu Jing-Pin’s lovely photography contrasts wintry wides and warm close-ups, as writer-director Chen carves out three characters against the frozen landscapes of Yanji, a small Chinese town in shouting distance of the North Korean border. This is the current home of Nana an unfulfilled bus-tour guide who switches on her ready smile for her passengers — and switches it...

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto crackdown continued Tuesday, with the financial regulator bringing new charges against another major cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase.

The new complaint alleges that, since at least 2019, Coinbase has served as a securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency but never registered as such with the SEC. In doing so, the SEC said in a statement that Coinbase has “deprived investors of significant protections,” including SEC inspection, record keeping requirements, and other safeguards.

One of those safeguards has to do with the SEC’s allegation that Coinbase...

The Securities and Exchange Commission ramped up the pressure on Binance, bringing 13 charges against the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange and its founder/CEO Changpeng “Cz” Zhao.

Accusing Binance of misleading customers and misusing funds, the SEC said the company was able to control customer assets and move them around as it pleased. Binance allegedly diverted some of those funds to a separate entity Zhao owned, Sigma Chain, which the SEC said was “engaged in manipulative trading” to artificially boost the trading volume on Binance.US — a platform established in 2019 for U.

Barcelona, June 4 (Ians) Defending World Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull came up with a commanding performance to win the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell and extended his lead atop the standings.

Verstappen controlled the race from start to finish to chalk up his fifth win of the 2023 season, and his third triumph at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, while further increasing his lead in the championship standings. The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Russell finished second and third respectively while Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez came fourth.

The 25 points that he bagged on Sunday helped Verstappen take his points tally to 170 in the Drivers’ Championship with Perez second with 117 points. Former Champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin is third with 99 points while Hamilton is fourth at 87 while Russell completes the top-five with 65 points.

While Red Bull had a superb day thanks to Verstappen,...

New Delhi, May 28 (Ians) Stem cells from the human stomach can be converted into cells that secrete insulin in response to rising blood sugar levels, offering a promising approach to treating diabetes, a significant pre-clinical study has said.

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City in the US showed they could take stem cells obtained from human stomach tissue and reprogramme them directly — with strikingly high efficiency — into cells that closely resemble pancreatic insulin-secreting cells known as beta cells.

Transplants of small groups of these cells reversed disease signs in a mouse model of diabetes, said the study which appeared in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

“This is a proof-of-concept study that gives us a solid foundation for developing a treatment, based on patients’ own cells, for type 1 diabetes and severe type 2 diabetes,” said study senior author Dr Joe Zhou, a professor of regenerative medicine and a member...

By Khushi Jain

Anthony Chen's “The Breaking Ice” is a story of icy personal histories and hearts waiting to be melted. The film premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

Three people, Nana (Zhou Dongyu), Xiao (Qu Chuxiao) and Haofeng (Liu Haoran) come together in the frozen landscapes of Yanji, a small town on China's North Korean border, and form such emotional, psychological, physical and existential bonds that their lives are completely changed forever. Khushi Jain met Anthony and Dongyu on Monday, May 22, a day after the premiere, to talk about the film.

The Breaking Ice is screening at Cannes Official poster – 76th edition © Photo © Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Scoop – Création graphique © Hartland Villa

The film opens with a very beautiful and sombre sequence of cutting ice, and there is ice skating and chewing ice, and the title itself is quite icy. Where does...

Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu, who is in Cannes with Anthony Chen’s Un Certain Regard title The Breaking Ice, has had a fairytale career trajectory.

Although she had no desire to act, she was plucked from obscurity by Zhang Yimou when still a high school student in 2010, and became one of China’s most respected young actresses, with a string of award-winning films.

She agreed to star in The Breaking Ice as soon as Chen called her and before he’d even written the script. She’d worked with him before on short film The Break Away, part of Neon-produced anthology The Year Of The Everlasting Storm, which Chen had directed remotely during the pandemic.

“He called and said he wanted to shoot a film in China, quite quickly over the winter, because he had a month free when another project was postponed,” Zhou tells Deadline. “I agreed immediately...

Director and producer Yi Zhou and Into the Sun Entertainment are partnering on the First Time Director’s Fund to support emerging filmmakers, with an official launch event set for next week during Cannes.

The latest venture from the polyglot artist, fashion designer and first-time director aims to support and nurture fellow directors breaking into the industry, and more specifically, looking to make their first feature film.

The fund particularly strives to aid those from historically underrepresented communities and those who typically do not have access to support or funding from the film industry. This includes people of color and those with disabilities. The decision to focus on new and emerging talent offers more potential to shake up the status quo and bring fresh ideas to the forefront in filmmaking, according to Zhou.

“Making a first feature film is a significant challenge for any new director,” Zhou said in a statement.

Hong Kong, April 10 (Ians) Facing severe criticism from several countries for not sharing Covid data for years, China has urged the World Health Organisation (Who) not to be subject to or willing to descend to become “a tool of politicisation” of certain countries, and “return to science and fairness”.

State-run Global Times reported that using twisted and incomplete pieces of evidence to slander China on the origins of Covid-19 “will only undermine the international body’s credibility and impair investigations on the virus”.

The Who’s accusation came after researchers at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) published a new Covid analysis on samples collected at Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Market in the science journal Nature on April 5.

Prior to the analysis’ official publication, the related data was shared on the Global Initiative in Sharing Avian Influenza Data (Gisaid) database, but was allegedly deleted later, prompting widespread speculation.

Chinese TV producer Linmon Media struck a decidedly international tone during the presentation of its 2023-24 slate at FilMart, with presenters speaking about their Chinese-language projects in only English and Korean, and handing out sleek project literature in multiple languages.

Apart from a slate of romance, medical and crime dramas targeted at domestic audiences, the studio is actively remaking its hit female-led contemporary drama “Nothing but Thirty” in Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong, having previously licensed the remake rights to Korean pay TV network Jtbc.

The drama, which follows the lives of three women as they transition from their 20s into their 30s, is emblematic of the Linmon slate, which is heavy on female-centric contemporary romance dramas.

In exclusive comments to Variety, Linmon Media co-founder Zhou Yuan drew a clear line between franchising and co-producing localized versions of their titles.

“We received a lot of demand for not only distribution...

Shanghai-based Linmon Pictures is preparing to go where few major Chinese TV studios venture — overseas.

On the second day of Hong Kong’s Filmart entertainment convention, the premium TV producer unveiled an ambitious plans for a slate of local-language TV projects targeting the Korean, Thai, Indonesian and Taiwanese markets. The company says it will produce at least 10 non-Chinese TV series for the Asia-Pacific region in the next two to three years.

The domestic Chinese TV audience is so enormous that few local private studios have bothered pursuing neighboring countries’ far smaller entertainment markets in any meaningful and consistent way. Linmon’s CEO Yuan Zhou says he began contemplating getting more involved internationally after Linmon began receiving a growing number of offers for remake rights from production companies from around the region.

“We’ve had a lot of demand from international platforms and distributors for our Chinese-language series,” Zhou says. “But...

Taipei- and Hong Kong-based sales agency Distribution Workshop heads to Berlin with a rich slate that includes one of the mainland Chinese hits from the recent Lunar New Year season and an anticipated supernatural horror film from Taiwan. The company will present to buyers in person at Berlin’s European Film Market next week.

Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and pop star turned actor Wang Yibo, Huang Lei and Zhou Xun, “Hidden Blade” is a lusciously presented espionage story that runs from the 1920s to the period Second Sino-Chinese War. It is directed by Cheng Er, who previously directed 2017’s “The Wasted Times.”

(Wang and Zhou also both appear in “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” a Chinese short film by Zhang Dalei that plays in next week’s Berlin short film competition.)

As nationalist, Communist and Japanese factions fan out across China and Japanese-occupied Manchuria, the narrative sees espionage agencies operating behind enemy lines,...

The Lunar New Year is a time of feasting and family gatherings. It’s also a time for new movies. China’s Lunar New Year film rush is on par with the holiday film rush in the West, with dozens of premieres jockeying to be the season’s number one blockbuster. In the Chinese queue for this year are films like Donnie Yen’s Kung Fu fantasy Sakra, The Wandering Earth II, the prequel to China’s visionary 2019 sci-fi, and the eagerly anticipated action comedy, Everything Under Control.

It often takes a few months for new Chinese films to cross the pond to the West, and they seldom get theatrical showings. However, Western theaters are becoming increasingly aware of the drawing power of the Lunar New Year and have begun to showcase some special releases in honor of the holiday. This year the U.S. market is treated to a...

The season finale for Apple TV+‘s original series Shantaram is slated to arrive on December 16, and in the exclusive clip above, things look to be getting heated between Charlie Hunnam‘s Lin Ford and Gabrielle Scharnitzky’s Madame Zhou. The footage showcases Lin and Zhou face to face with each other, one has a bag presumably full of money, while the other is holding captive Karla (Antonia Desplat) and Lisa (Elektra Kilbey). Zhou begins the negotiation with hostile words, teasing Lin that his love for Karla may be one-sided. “To be honest, it’s hard to tell,” Lin whispers coldly. “Either way, you have something I want; I have something you want.” When someone yells that there’s nothing in the bag, Lin replies, “It’s not about what’s in; it’s about what I took out of it.” He then gains control of the tradeoff by demanding...

“A cinematographer is a visual psychiatrist–moving an audience through a movie […] making them think the way you want them to think, painting pictures in the dark,” said the late, great Gordon Willis. As we continue our year-end coverage, one aspect we must highlight is, indeed, cinematography. From talented newcomers to seasoned professionals, we’ve rounded up the examples that have most impressed us this year.

Aftersun (Gregory Oke)

It’s been seven months since I unassumingly saw Aftersun at an unspeakable morning hour in the Director’s Fortnight sidebar at Cannes, and I haven’t stopped thinking about that polaroid shot. Just after a photo is taken, the camera cuts to a long, still take of the polaroid image slowly apparating. It’s the shot I’ve thought about most this year (and not just because it’s clever). In narrative context it delivers a heavyweight moment. But in...