LEGEND OF THE SEA 《东海战》

JJ Lin, Jin Sha and Lin Yu Zhong will be in Singapore to promote
LEGEND OF THE SEA and raise funds for the Singapore Children’s Society

LEGEND OF THE SEA CHARITY AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Date:	05 June 2007
Time:	6:30pm
Venue:	Front Plaza, Plaza Singapura (outside Starbucks)

LEGEND OF THE SEA CHARITY GALA SCREENING

Date:	05 June 2007
Time:	8:30pm
Venue:	GV VivoCity, Level 3 VivoCity

LEGEND OF THE SEA – Blog Aloud at Cinema Europa

Date:	06 June 2007
Time:	7:20pm
Venue:	Cinema Europa, GV VivoCity, Level 3 VivoCity
In Attendance:	Benjamin Toh (Director) and Titus Ho (Producer)

Singapore, 29 May 2007 – JJ Lin 林俊杰, Jin Sha金莎and Lin Yu Zhong林宇中, voice talents from local animation feature LEGEND OF THE SEA, will be in town to raise funds for the Singapore Children’s Society when they arrive on 5^th June to promote their movie.

The three Ocean’s Butterflies artistes will be making their appearance at the Front Plaza, Plaza Singapura on 5^th June at 6:30pm to sell LEGEND OF THE SEA Charity Soundtracks at S$10 per disc. The soundtrack includes the LEGEND OF THE SEA theme song, titled 《自由不变》, which was written and performed by JJ Lin. All proceeds collected from the sale will go to the Singapore Children’s Society.

Fans who have purchased the charity soundtrack will have a chance to meet the artistes on stage and get their autographs that day. Sale of the soundtrack will commence at the Front Plaza booth from 4:30pm on 5^th June.

A limited number of tickets to the LEGEND OF THE SEA Charity Gala Screening is also available for sale on the Golden Village website (www.gv.com.sg) at $30 each. Besides showing their support to Singapore Children’s Society, fans with tickets will get a chance to see JJ Lin, Jin Sha and Lin Yu Zhong up-close and personal at the screening. The Charity Gala Screening will be held at GV VivoCity, 5 June 8.30pm. Tickets are on sale now.

Fans at the Charity Gala will also stand to win 50 air tickets kindly sponsored by JetStar Asia Airways. “Jetstar Asia is a Singaporean company and we are proud to support local production Legend of The Sea. As a Singaporean, I am most delighted to support local efforts in the arts,’’ says Ms Chong Phit Lian, CEO Jetstar Asia and Valuair.

At the LEGEND OF THE SEA Blog Aloud at Cinema Europa screening, Director Benjamin Toh and Producer Titus Ho will be sharing their experiences and thoughts in creating animation features like LEGEND OF THE SEA and ZODIAC THE RACE BEGINS. The Director and Producer will be speaking after an exclusive preview screening of Legend of the Sea on 6 June 7.20pm at GV VivoCity Cinema Europa. Public interested to attend this special screening can purchase tickets from the box office and tthrough all Golden Village sales channels (GV box office, GV website, telephone booking hotline and AXS machines).

Produced by Cubix International in collaboration with Kosmic Film Entertainment, Media Development Authority of Singapore and Zhongnan Animation Video Ltd, LEGEND OF THE SEA, opening on 7^th June, will be distributed by Golden Village Pictures in Singapore.

History revisited

Singapore film company Monsoon Pictures and Dutch filmmakers IdtV Film today inked their partnership to produce a US$ 6.5 million dramatic feature film that chronicles a major and poignant moment in Singapore’s colonial history.

Titled Nadra, it tells the story of 13-year-old Dutch girl Bertha Hertogh (a.k.a. Maria Huberdina Hertogh and Nadra binte Maarof), whose custody battle in 1950 between her birth parents and her Malay adoptive mother erupted into a major struggle between East and West, between Muslims and Christians – a struggle that led to deadly rioting in Singapore and shattered the lives of young Bertha and all those around her.

The emotionally charged story will be told through the eyes of Bertha Hertogh and two other survivors of the riots, Vivian Davies and Anwar Rahayu in the lead-up to that fateful day in 1950. Twenty-five years later, a Dutch TV show would reignite the story again, reopening old wounds and reuniting the three survivors in a struggle to find the truth.

The film, which will be in English, Dutch and Malay, will be helmed by acclaimed Dutch director Ben Sombogaart, whose last collaboration with IdtV Film Twin Sisters was nominated for the Academy Award^® for Best Foreign Language Film in 2004 and was sold to over 40 territories worldwide.

Pre-financing for the film has begun and on-location filming in the Netherlands, Singapore and Malaysia is expected to begin in mid-2008, with Monsoon Pictures and IdtV Film working closely on all aspects of production.

Interest in the film has been strong in both the Netherlands and Singapore. Amsterdam-based A Film Distribution has already snapped up the distribution rights for Benelux, comprising the territories of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg while Golden Village Pictures has come onboard to distribute the film in Singapore.

Producer Christopher Chew, Managing Director of Monsoon Pictures explained why he believes the film’s central themes are especially relevant today and will resonate strongly with audiences everywhere.

“Nadra isn’t merely a story about the bitter custody battle between two families, it is a story about a clash of cultures and ideologies and how ordinary people oftentimes become unwitting pawns in events much larger than themselves. This is something that we are seeing a lot of in the world today, which is why Bertha’s story is an important one and needs to be told,” he said.

“Monsoon Pictures is excited to be collaborating with award-winning filmmakers Ben Sombogaart and IdtV Film on such an eventful project,” he added.

Producer Hanneke Niens, Managing Director of IdtV Film, who was drawn to the project for very similar reasons, said: “This true story is not only dramatically strong but gives a very contemporary feel to anyone watching it. The clash between the Islamic culture and the Western culture in the 1950s in Singapore, can still be seen in today’s context, where again there is a split between the two cultures. IdtV Film is proud to be co-producing this very important project with Monsoon Pictures.”

Nadra is supported by the Singapore Film Commission (SFC), which awarded it a development grant in 2006 under its Project Development Scheme.

Mr Man Shu Sum, Director of Broadcast and Film Development, Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and Director, SFC said: “SFC is thrilled to support this mutually beneficial international co-production effort between Monsoon Pictures and IdtV Film. Nadra will be a landmark Made-by-Singapore film set against the backdrop of the Maria Hertogh riots - a significant part of Singapore's history that underscores the importance of racial and religious harmony. With universal themes of love, hope, and despair, I am confident that Nadra will strike a chord with audiences all around the world.”

Men In White - Meet The Cast & Director Kelvin Tong at IMM (31 May, Thursday, 3:00pm)

InnoForm Media, Boku Films and Shaw Organisation are pleased to announce MEN IN WHITE , Singapore's funniest horror-comedy directed by Kelvin Tong will be haunting cinemas island-wide on 6^th June 2007!

In conjunction with the forthcoming release, Director Kelvin Tong together with female lead - MediaCorp artiste Ling Lee, MIW talent search winner David Aw and other cast members including: Xavier Teo , Ben Yeung and Alice Lim will be making an appearance at IMM on 31^st May 2007. During the Mall Appearance, the talented cast will share interesting experiences while making MIW and belt out catchy tunes and hip-hop theme songs of MIW!

Details of the ¡®Meet The Cast of MIW @ IMM¡¯ are as follow: - Date : 31st May 2007 (Thursday) - Time : 3:00 pm - Venue : IMM (Stage Area at Level 2)

* The first 50 fans that turn up at IMM on 31^st May to support MEN IN WHITE will receive a MIW Original Soundtrack and autographed movie poster by Director Kelvin Tong and cast.

Come Dress in Ghostly Outfit @ MIW Charity gala premiere!

Come Dressed in Ghostly Outfits !!! Men In White （（鬼啊！鬼啊！）does its part for CharityInnoForm Media, Boku Films and Crocodile together with MediaCorp radio YES 933 isproud to present the charity gala premiere of Men In White（鬼啊！鬼啊！）.This charity screening is held in aid of YES 933’s adopted charity St Andrew’sAutism Centre and all proceed of the Charity Screening will go to the adopted charity.

On top of it, InnoForm Media and Crocodile will jointly donate SGD$50 to theadopted Charity for every patron that turns up for the Charity event dressed as aghost! Patrons will also receive premiums from the movie.

Men In White is slated for theatrical release on 6th June 2007. Patrons who arewilling to extend their kindness to the autism centre will be able to catch themovie on 5th June 2007 at Golden Village Marina. Details of Men In White Charity Gala ScreeningVenue: GV Marina Date/Time: 5 June 2007 (Tuesday) 7:15pm Ticket Price: $15 Tickets can be purchased via GV website and all GV cinemas.

4th Singapore Short Cuts

A Programme of the National Museum Cinémathèque
Sat 11, 18, 25 Aug & 1 Sept 2007

Into its 4th season this year, Singapore Short Cuts is an annual showcase of outstanding short films by local filmmakers. The program features a diverse selection of Singapore short films from documentaries to animation and experimental work with post-screening discussions with the filmmakers.

Some of the filmmakers whose films have been featured in Singapore Short Cuts include Victric Thng, Eva Tang, Boo Junfeng, Wee Li Lin, Tan Pin Pin and Eric Khoo.

The 4th Singapore Short Cuts is co-organized by National Museum of Singapore and The Substation.


Call for Entries

We are now accepting entries for the 4th Singapore Short Cuts for recent Singapore short films made from 2006 to 2007.

Deadline for submission: 15 June 2007

Please log on to http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/4ssc/ to download the submission form

InnoForm Media proudly presents to you An Autumn of Korean Drama!

The Korean wave is to hit Singapore shores yet again! Building on the success of the record-breaking Korean movie 200 Pounds Beauty, InnoForm Media will be releasing 9 exciting Korean drama series between June to August!

In April this year, InnoForm Media worked with Shaw Organisation to release the romanctic comedy 200 Pounds Beauty in cinemas. The film has gone to become the highest grossing Korean movie in Singapore ever, collecting an amazing gross box office of $980,000, eclipsing the previous record of $840,000 held by 2003 hit Wishing Stairs.

InnoForm Media has been a firm believer in Korean content, being the first company in Singapore to bring in Korean drama series to Singapore back in 2001, releasing on video titles such as All about Eve (爱上女主播) and Hotelier (情定大饭店). It went on to release on video the highly popular titles such as Autumn In My Heart (秋天的童话),

All-In (大赌注), Winter Sonata (冬季恋歌), Little Bride (新娘18岁), and last year’s wildly popular Princess Hours (宫).

To continue its efforts in promoting Korean content, InnoForm Media proudly presents to you An Autumn of Korean Drama, with 9 new upcoming titles*!

Someday - 有一天

Freeze - 冻结

Lovers - 恋人,

Famous Princesses - 七公主,

Prince Hours - 宫S,

Behind the White tower - 白色巨塔

Surgeon Bong Dal-hee - 外科医生奉达熙,

HIT (Homicide Investigation Team) - 火热

All This Love (Perhaps Love) - 珍贵的约定

In conjunction with the release of the 9 Korean drama series from June to August, InnoForm Media will be planning an exciting marketing and publicity campaign. This is aimed to reward the loyal supporters of Korean content in Singapore. With this extensive campaign, it is hoped that the next Korean wave in Singapore will be more dynamic then ever!

So for you Korean Fans out there! Look out for InnoForm Media’s upcoming Korean drama wave!

Snow Queen

Scorpio East is proud to present our latest Korean Drama, Snow Queen. The story of Snow Queen is based on author Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale and written by Kim Eun Hee and Yoon Eun Kyung ( Writer of "Winter Sonata" and "Nang-rang 18"). This romantic drama stars Hyun Bin, actor in Korean biggest hit TV Drama " My Name is Kim Sam-soon" and Korean beauty, Sung Yu Ri.

Snow Queen

Synopsis: A genius, Tae Woong (Hyun Bin), met Bo Ra (Sung Yu Ri), with whom he fell in love at first sight, and ran away together with when he was 17. Unfortunately, some successive tragic events took their toll on Tae Woong¡¯s life, and he is resigned to not meeting Bo Ra ever again. Tae Woong struggled on with his life in misery but when he was 25, a chance encounter led Tae Woong to meet the love of his life. It seems that only Tae Woong could soften Bo Ra's hardened icy heart¡­

Casts: Hyun Bin , Sung Yu Ri

Product Type: Korean Drama

DVD and VCD Release Date: 22nd May 2007

Language: Chinese, Korean Language / Chinese, English Subtitles

Rating: PG

Look out for SNOW QUEEN in stores!

2007 Asian Festival of 1st Films Call for Entries kicks off at Cannes

3rd Annual Festival in Singapore to Promote Excellence in Filmmaking
Launches its 2007 Campaign at Cannes to Filmmakers World Wide

21 May, 2007, Singapore - The acclaimed annual competition for first-time
Asian film makers, the 2007 Asian Festival of 1st Films (AFFF), announces
its call for entries with a road show at Cannes to promote the event as
the definitive resource pool for ‘The Next Big Thing’ in Film.

This year the festival has expanded its vision to include the Pacific
countries including Australia and New Zealand.

The festival, now in its third year, accepts quality films and documentaries
from filmmakers of Asian Pacific origin from across the world. Submission
forms, rules and regulations are available on the AFFF website at
http://www.asianfirstfilms.com There is no entry fee and the final
submission deadline is 31 August 2007.

Over 300 submissions were received last year from across the world. Hot on
the heels of last year’s AFFF, that featured    films and documentaries,
including sell-out shows for local production, Becoming Royston, which went
on to be acquired by Singapore distributors, Cathay-Keris Films.    Teamwork
Productions, the organizers of AFFF is kicking off their road show at the
Cannes film festival this year.

In 2006 over 9 films and documentaries were received from Singapore and 2
productions were nominated for Best Documentary and Best Cinematographer,
Best Script and Best Male Actor in the Documentary and the Film categories
respectively. We hope to have an even better showing from Singapore in this
third year of the Festival.

All entries are screened by a professionally-acclaimed selection committee
from across the world who come together for one week to view films and
nominate the best across the 9 award categories. These top nominated films
will be announced in October and screened at the third Asian Festival of 1st
Films in Singapore in December. A grand Jury comprising of world-renowned
celebrity directors and actors will judge the nominated films and announce
their decision at the glittering awards night on 5 December 2007.

“We are the launch pad to commercial success for first-time filmmakers. We
believe there is incredible talent across Asia which needs to be recognized,
awarded and their films distributed widely to the rest of the world,” says
Sanjoy Roy, Festival Director for AFFF.

Roy adds, “The movie-making industry is always looking out for the next big
thing. We believe AFFF is such a resource and this is why we are reaching
out to larger number of distributors, studios and talent hunters in Cannes
this year.”

The festival will recognize excellence in 9 categories that include:
*        Best Actor in a Leading Role
*        Best Actress in a Leading Role
*        Best Cinematographer
*        Best Director
*        Best Director (Documentary)
*        Best Documentary
*        Best Film
*        Best Producer
*        Best Script or Screenplay

For more information on the AFFF, please log on to  http://www.asianfirstfilms.com/
or visit the blog at http://www.afff2006.blogspot.com

Men In White - Original Soundtrack's Out Now!

InnoForm Media and Boku Films are pleased to announce the release of The MEN IN WHITE Original Soundtrack!

Produced by acclaimed local musician Joe Ng, who collaborated with Director Kelvin Tong on many projects, the MIW OST includes three (3) entertaining theme songs and twenty-four (24) instrumental pieces that compliment and bring out the essence of Kelvin Tong¡¯s latest work.

Also included in the MIW OST is a bonus track performed by MIW talent-search winner David Aw, with his rendition of Andy Lau's classic song. This bonus track is produced by acclaimed song producer Wu Jiaming for the newcomer, who has signed on with InnoForm Media as its first artiste.

The MEN IN WHITE Original Soundtrack is on sale now and available at all good record shops!

ROBERT RODRIGUEZ TO DIRECT BARBARELLA

Dino and Martha De Laurentiis to Produce New Motion Picture Version of
         Iconic Science-Fiction Adventure for Universal Pictures

Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror, Sin City, Spy Kids, El Mariachi) will direct Barbarella, a new motion picture adaptation of the classic science-fiction comic book series, it was announced today by producers Dino and Martha De Laurentiis. Universal Pictures will distribute the film, which will be released worldwide in 2008.

Barbarella tells the story of a female mercenary who roams across the universe in a distant future, undertaking missions that require her physical fearlessness, ingenuity and sensuality. In travels that span galaxies known and unknown, Barbarella will challenge tradition, startle the senses and take audiences on an epic adventure of discovery and wonder. Barbarella made her debut in 1962 in a French graphic magazine written and illustrated by Jean-Claude Forest, and her adventures have been published around the world. The first film version, starring Jane Fonda and also produced by Dino De Laurentiis, was released in 1968.

“Dino De Laurentiis came to me and said: ‘Barbarella is a world where you are completely free to unleash all your fantasies, creativity and imagination—where the possibilities are limitless,’ ” commented Robert Rodriguez. “I love this iconic character and all that she represents, and
I’m truly excited by the challenge of inviting a new audience into her universe.”

“Barbarella is the ultimate science-fiction adventure heroine: smart, strong and sexy, ” said Dino De Laurentiis. “In our vision, the future is female, and I can’t wait to introduce Barbarella to a new generation of moviegoers.”

Rodriguez is working with writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who are developing a completely original adventure for Barbarella. Purvis and Wade co-wrote the phenomenally successful Casino Royale and have recently finished work on the next installment in the James Bond franchise, Bond 22.

“When we decided to take Barbarella on again, ” noted Martha De Laurentiis, “we wanted the film to play as a big, legitimately exciting adventure in space, but we also know that the character of Barbarella is grounded in a very specific reality. Balancing those aspects requires a very deft hand. With Robert directing and Neal and Robert writing, we feel like we have the
dream team in place. ”

World Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END

Johnny Depp at the World Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END at Disneyland on May 19th, 2007 in Anaheim, California.

Orlando Bloom

Chow Yun-Fat and wife Jasmine Chow

Geoffrey Rush & his "buddy"

SPIDER-MAN 3: Biggest Film In The History of Singapore!

SPIDER-MAN 3 is now officially the BIGGEST film ever in the history of Singapore, with a record box office of over S$7.25 million as of yesterday!!

Last Friday we saw SPIDER-MAN 3 sink the 10-year #1 GBO film record held by Titanic (which took 33 weeks) and continued with a strong weekend performance to become the first film to cross S$7 million at the Singapore box office.

Here's a recap of the major box office records that SPIDER-MAN 3 has set since its release in Singapore:

- Biggest Gross Box Office film in History (and still counting…)
- The first film to gross over S$7M GBO in History
- The Biggest Opening Weekend in History
- The Biggest Single Trading Day
- Also holds the 2nd Biggest Trading Day

- The fastest film to reach all previous records

- The only film franchise to have all of its films in the GBO Top 10 grosses

Shriek Your Way to Shrek at Golden Village Grand

To celebrate the return of Shrek to cinemas, Golden Village invites 
children to join in the fun with a ‘longest
scream’ contest at GV Grand, Garden Terrace ( Great World City).

Date: 2 June 2007, Saturday
Time: 3.00pm to 5.00pm
Dress Code: Green

“Shriek Your Way to Shrek” screaming contest is open to children below 
the age of 12. Children who can scream for the longest duration will be
awarded with a pair of in-season tickets and 1 popcorn combo set. 
To enter for this contest, children have to dress in green and walk-in to
register on the day of the competition.

A total of 50 pairs of movie passes will be given away for 
the “Shriek Your Way to Shrek” contest.

2007 Asian Festival of 1st Films Call for Entries kicks off at Cannes

The acclaimed annual competition for first-time Asian film makers, the 2007 Asian Festival of 1st Films (AFFF), announces its call for entries with a road show at Cannes to promote the event as the definitive resource pool for ‘The Next Big Thing’ in Film.

This year the festival has expanded its vision to include the Pacific countries including Australia and New Zealand.

The festival, now in its third year, accepts quality films and documentaries from filmmakers of Asian Pacific origin from across the world. Submission forms, rules and regulations are available on the AFFF website at www.asianfirstfilms.com. There is no entry fee and the final submission deadline is 31 August 2007.

Over 300 submissions were received last year from across the world. Hot on the heels of last year’s AFFF, that featured films and documentaries, including sell-out shows for local production, Becoming Royston, which went on to be acquired by Singapore distributors, Cathay-Keris Films. Teamwork Productions, the organizers of AFFF is kicking off their road show at the Cannes film festival this year.

In 2006 over 9 films and documentaries were received from Singapore and 2 productions were nominated for Best Documentary and Best Cinematographer, Best Script and Best Male Actor in the Documentary and the Film categories respectively. We hope to have an even better showing from Singapore in this third year of the Festival.

All entries are screened by a professionally-acclaimed selection committee from across the world who come together for one week to view films and nominate the best across the 9 award categories. These top nominated films will be announced in October and screened at the third Asian Festival of 1^st Films in Singapore in December. A grand Jury comprising of world-renowned celebrity directors and actors will judge the nominated films and announce their decision at the glittering awards night on 5 December 2007.

“We are the launch pad to commercial success for first-time filmmakers. We believe there is incredible talent across Asia which needs to be recognized, awarded and their films distributed widely to the rest of the world,” says Sanjoy Roy, Festival Director for AFFF.

Roy adds, “The movie-making industry is always looking out for the next big thing. We believe AFFF is such a resource and this is why we are reaching out to larger number of distributors, studios and talent hunters in Cannes this year.”

The festival will recognize excellence in 9 categories that include:

· Best Actor in a Leading Role

· Best Actress in a Leading Role

· Best Cinematographer

· Best Director

· Best Director (Documentary)

· Best Documentary

· Best Film

· Best Producer

· Best Script or Screenplay

For more information on the AFFF, please log on to www.asianfirstfilms.com or visit the blog at www.afff2006.blogspot.com

Men In White - Launch of Official Website & Many More!

InnoForm Media, Boku Films and Shaw Organisation are pleased to announce MEN IN WHITE , Singapore's funniest horror-comedy directed by Kelvin Tong will be haunting cinemas island-wide on 6^th June 2007!

In conjunction with the forthcoming release, a series of exciting activities had been lined-up leading to 6^th June 2007.

First on the list will be the launch of MIW's very own official website, www.meninwhite.com.sg! Creative and fun, www.meninwhite.com.sg provides loads of information on the hilarious MIW. Visitors are also encouraged to ¡®Send a Scream¡¯ - a simple and interesting way of sharing MIW's info with friends and stand to win attractive prizes as follow:

- The visitor who sent the most "screams" wins a cash prize of S$666, coupled with a pair of MIW Gala Premiere tickets

- 4 other lucky participants will also stand to win Crocodile Vouchers for some trendy apparels and a pair of MIW Gala Premiere tickets

Apart from the launch of the official website, Kelvin Tong together with female lead - Ling Lee, MIW talent search winner David Aw and other cast members including: Xavier Teo , Ben Yeung, Benjamin Heng , Alice Lim and Laurence Wong will be making an appearance at IMM on 31^st May 2007. During the Mall Appearance, the talented cast will share interesting experiences while making MIW and belt out catchy tunes and hip-hop theme songs of MIW!

BEE MOVIE AT CANNES

Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. JERRY SEINFELD voices Barry B. Benson, CHRIS ROCK voices Mooseblood the Mosquito in DreamWorks¹ BEE MOVIE, to be released by Paramount Pictures in November 2007. DreamWorks Animation presents, in association with Columbus 81 Productions, ³Bee Movie.² Written by Jerry Seinfeld, produced by Jerry Seinfeld and Christina Steinberg, and starring Jerry Seinfeld, the film also features the voice talents of Academy Award®-winning actress Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Academy Award®-winning actress Kathy Bates, and Patrick Warburton. Directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner.

Download a song for free and help save the EARTH !

MADONNA

liveearth.msn.com

Download HEY YOU!

Remember... everytime someone downloads it, Microsoft PAYS and give money to LIVE EARTH! So we like that !!

There is a press release up on www.madonna.com

The Cathay Classics Revisited

Cathay-Keris Films has sold the distribution rights for 230 of its Chinese and Malay classic titles in its library to Malaysian company, Variety View Sdn Bhd. The distribution deal of close to USD1 million allows Variety View the rights to screen the 230 Cathay-Keris classic titles in cinemas, free TV, pay TV, on DVD and other distribution modes worldwide.

This will see the revival of such classic titles as Mambo Girl, Wild Wild Rose, Sun Moon Star, Her Tender Heart, Dang Anom, Hang Jebat, Sumpah Pontianak, Orang Minyak and many more.

The Cathay-Keris Classics’ films were produced between 1953 to 1974. The 1950s and
1960s were the golden age of film production for Cathay Organisation’s Malay film studios Cathay-Keris Film’s (CKF) in Singapore and its Chinese film production studios in Hong Kong, Motion Picture & General Investments (MP & GI).

Some 350 films were produced by CKF and MP & GI in a variety of genres ranging from
romance, comedy, period drama, suspense to musicals
Stars such as Grace Chang, Lin
Tsui, Ye Fung, Peter Chen Ho, You Min, Chang Yang, Lin Dai, Maria Menado, Wahid Satay, Rose Yatimah, Ummi Kalthoum, Latifah Omar, Siput Sarawak & S Roomai Noor were household names in the region.

Cathay Organisation embarked on a programme to ensure that these classics will be
available for generations to come and digitally re-mastered most of its films to European broadcast standards. Sadly, some titles could not be saved despite the technology of today and some, like the original two Pontianak movies, have long been lost.

Says Suhaimi Rafdi, President of Business Operations, Cathay Organisation Holdings Ltd, “We are delighted to be collaborating with Variety View on distribution rights. This allows a whole new generation to watch these classic films that were so popular in the 1950s and 1960s which truly was a golden era of film production for Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.” says Suhaimi Rafdi, President of Business Operations, Cathay Organisation Holdings
Ltd.

“The Cathay-Keris’ Classic titles may be considered, for this region, equivalent to the great Hollywood vintage movies. In fact, some of our titles have great potential to be re-made, similar to what has been done with some Hollywood classics and closer to home, Pontianak & Puteri Gunong Ledang. Through this distribution collaboration, we hope to inject new life and interest to the Cathay Classics.“ said Mr Rafdi.

Ms Zohara Gany Mhd. Bathusha, Managing Director of Variety View Sdn Bhd says," We are
extremely excited to procure the rights to the 230 titles from the Cathay Classics library. We believe that there is tremendous demand and opportunities for such content in the region, if properly promoted and marketed. The movies are wholesome. They are full of cultural traits and good philosophical views. Film productions in those days were artistic tools to advise, educate and mould the character of the society. We have plans to revive the interests in these movies and content through new technology as well as traditional channels. We are pleased that Cathay Organisation shares our enthusiasm.”

Variety View Sdn Bhd has worldwide distribution rights for a period of five years, up till 2012.

MIRIAM YEUNG PRESENTS MV PREMIERE OF HOOKED ON YOU

Media Asia Films is geared up for their summer release of the romantic comedy “Hooked On You”. Helmed by Law Wing-cheong (“2 Become 1”) and produced by Johnnie To, with the stellar cast headed by Miriam Yeung and Eason Chan, with Feng Shui-fan, Jolie Chan Yuen-kei, Farini Cheung Yui-ling, Stephanie Cheng, David Lo, and Mainland actor Huang Bo of “Crazy Stone”.

The film launched its promotion with the premiere of its theme song MV yesterday (May 15). The song was adapted from a local pop tune in the 80s, and this new version was performed by the film’s star Miriam Yeung. Gracing the press conference were executive producer John Chong, director Law Wing-cheong, with actresses Miriam Yeung and Jolie Chan. The audience was treated with the never-before-seen music video of “Hooked On You”, and the live interview session with the cast and crew on stage, sharing their joy on the production.

“I may look tough, but I’m scared of killing these fish!” Miriam Yeung quipped. “I would be fine if the director didn’t put a time limit on my fish autopsy.” She also enjoyed the company of her co-star Eason Chan. “While everyone else is fighting over his concert tickets, I get to listen to him singing on the set for free! He could get into character in a snap, and he brought out the most relaxed performance in front of the camera. He certainly looks like a seasoned fish hawker!”

Singer Jolie Chan took on her sexiest role ever as a prostitute. In a steamy scene, she tested her limits by wearing nothing but a bra to seduce Eason!

“Hooked On You” reunited pop idols Miriam Yeung and Eason Chan since their last on-screen collaboration in the 2001 film “Feel 100% II”. The film also marks Yeung’s screen debut since joining the East Asia Music & Media Asia labels.

Record breaking movie- 200 Pounds Beauty Original Soundtrack out now!

200 Pounds Beauty is the highest grossing Korean movie ever in Singapore!

Following the success of 200 Pounds Beauty, InnoForm Media is proud to present the 200 Pounds Beauty Original Soundtrack (OST) directly imported from Korea!

The highly anticipated soundtrack retails for $29.90 and is available at major CD stores.
Look out for 200 Pounds Beauty DVD which is scheduled for early June 2007 release.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler.

The explosive, action-packed adventure in one of the all-time most popularsuperhero sagas unfolds with a cure in reach for the world's most primalforce of fury: THE INCREDIBLE HULK. We find scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) living in shadows, scouring the planet for an antidote. But thewarmongers who dream of abusing his powers won't leave him alone, nor willhis need to be with the only woman he has ever loved, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).Upon returning to civilization, our brilliant doctor is ruthlessly pursued by The Abomination -- a nightmarish beast of pure adrenaline and aggression whose powers match The Hulk's own.

A fight of comic-book proportionsensues as Banner must call upon the hero within to rescue New York City from total destruction. And on June 13, 2008...one scientist must make anagonizing final choice -- accept a peaceful life as Bruce Banner or the creature he could permanently become: THE INCREDIBLE HULK.

CATHAY-KERIS FILMS AND ENCORE FILMS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR AWARE THROUGH SPIDER LILIES CHARITY GALA PREMIERE

Cathay-Keris Films and Encore Films, co-distributors of the movie SPIDER LILIES, will be raising funds for Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) through a charity gala premiere screening of the movie. AWARE is a non-profit organisation with the aim of promoting a society that provides optimal opportunities for women, and men, to realise their highest potential.

Leading actress Rainie Yang and director Zero Chou will grace this charity event on Tuesday 29 May 2007 9pm at The Cathay Cineplex (2 Handy Road). A total of 132 tickets will be on sale for this charity screening. Each ticket costs S$50 inclusive of a limited edition SPIDER LILIES poster with net proceeds benefiting AWARE.

The tickets will go on sale this Friday 18 May 2007 from 10am onwards, on a first-come-first-serve basis exclusively at Cathay Cineplexes box offices, Cathay ticketing website and Cathay movie line.

SPIDER LILIES opens in Singapore on 14 June 2007.

Official website: http://www.encorefilms.com/spiderlilies

SPIDER-MAN 3 CROSSES S$6 MILLION MARK IN 13 DAYS!!

Spider-Man 3 is now officially the FIRST FILM after 9 years to cross the S$6 million mark in Singapore.

The Gross Box Office to date has surpassed the Final Gross Box Office of Spider-Man 1 & 2, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars & Harry Potter Franchises.

Spider-Man 3 becomes the fastest film to reach S$6 million and is now the
#3 ALL TIME HIGHEST GROSSING FILM IN SINGAPORE'S HISTORY!

[Local Movies Radar] Interesting Months Ahead

A summary post about the movies that are awaiting release over the next few months in our sunny little island - Men in White, Jack Neo's Untitled Movie Production Blog, 881, Gone Shopping the Movie and Solos.

Two movie genres tend to have box office success in Singapore - comedy, and horror. As far as the recent resurgence of local movie making goes, we've already had the money spinners from comedic movies thanks to writer-director-actor Jack Neo (who last did Just Follow Law), and a box office smash with Kelvin Tong's horror movie, The Maid. Now, Tong has upped the ante by combining both genres, making a horror-comedy called Men In White. Here's the official website. It's still under construction, but given its premiere in June, expect to see more from the site soon. If I would count my chickens before they hatch, I'd say this movie should do well at the local box office, given that it's already running its teaser trailers in the theatres (those reminders to switch off your mobile phones) to relatively positive feedback.

Speaking of Jack Neo, he's recently started a production blog of sorts for his next movie, currently untitled, about a loan shark wanting to turn over a new leaf. It will be filmed in Malaysia, and you can follow his filmmaking exploits here. Some posts are in Mandarin, and "Singapore English" (don't worry, it's still readable)!

Previously I had been involved in the interview of both Royston Tan and Kelvin Tong, and with Kelvin's new film coming up, Royston's not too far behind as well. With Kelvin's The Maid released over the Lunar Hungry Ghosts Festival, Royston's new movie 881 had recently wrapped, and it's also set, and expected to be released over the same period. It captures one of the cultural phenomenon of this part of the world come Hungry Ghosts Month, and that's the "Getai" (literally translated as "Song Stage"), performances to entertain audiences from both worlds (the other being from the nether realms of course). Compared to his 15 and 4:30, 881 (yet another numerically titled movie) breaks out of the melancholic mood, and into the colorful world of stage performances.

While the veterans have movies to showcase, the relative newcomers too have been keeping busy. Besides food, shopping is also our local obsession, and short filmmaker Wee Li Lin is making her debut feature film with Gone Shopping the Movie. Heading the cast list is one of the top local comperes/host Kym Ng, as well as Adrian Pang, current host of the local television franchise gameshow Deal or No Deal. Pang is no stranger to film, having starred in one of Singapore's early film efforts almost 10 years ago with Forever Fever (released in North America by Miramax Films, retitled That's The Way I Like It), and Jack Neo's I Do, I Do in 2005.

Last but not least, Kan Lume teams with co-director/writer Loo Zihan for Solos, a gay-themed movie which received an R21 rating with 3 cuts from the local censors in the recent 20th Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF). With SIFF's track record of not screening films that are cut, Solos was withdrawn from public screening during the festival, but was screened to the jury of the Silver Screen Awards. While awaiting word on its local release, the film will nonetheless be represented at this year's Cannes Film Market at the Singapore Film Office (Riveria F9), Esplanade Georges Pompidou. Those lucky few heading to Cannes could check the movie out.

ANTI-PIRACY MOVIE TRAILER DEBUTS IN SINGAPORE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF MOVIE CAMCORDING

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Singapore’s Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) today launched a new anti-piracy movie trailer aimed at raising awareness of illegal movie camcording in cinemas, a practice that threatens the future of the movie industry.

Officiating at the launch of the MPA-produced trailer, which will be screened prior to feature film presentations in more than 180 cinemas nationwide, was Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee.

Pirate camcording is particularly damaging because it typically occurs at the very start of the movie distribution cycle, affecting the economic opportunities for the film throughout its existence.

Films typically are camcorded in the first few days of their release, then distributed in digital form worldwide on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks and via other online outlets. Optical disc replication labs use the stolen films to create pirated optical discs, which are then distributed to bootleg dealers around the world.

During the past 12 months, 20 instances of camcording have been reported or forensically matched to cinemas in the Asia-Pacific region. Worldwide, camcorded copies comprise around 90 percent of early release pirate discs.

“This new trailer rides on the success of the previous one seen by millions in Singapore each time they go to the cinema,” said Associate Professor Ho. “I understand that the previous trailer was found to have been highly effective in reaching out to the public, according to findings in a recent survey commissioned by IPOS. But we cannot rest on our laurels. We must continue to reinforce the message, doing it in a manner that resonates with the public.”

“The Singapore government has done an exemplary job in intellectual property rights law enforcement and education, but the public has an important role to play in the fight against copyright theft, stepping up to recognize and reject criminal behavior,” said Mike Ellis, Mike Ellis, Senior Vice President and Regional Director, Asia-Pacific for the Motion Picture Association. “If movie pirates cannot find buyers for their goods, movie piracy will die.

“Movie piracy hurts not only the companies that produce entertainment, but also the local companies that make it possible for movie fans to see that entertainment. Local jobs are lost and local economies are hurt when governments are unable to collect taxes. The trailer released today is aimed at reminding consumers that piracy is criminal activity, and harms creative industry and society.”

The trailer launch came on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the MPA’s Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore in 1982.

Piracy in Asia
A comprehensive study aimed at producing a more accurate picture of the impact that piracy has on the film industry including, for the first time, losses due to internet piracy, recently calculated that the MPA studios lost US$6.1 billion to worldwide piracy in 2005. About US$2.4 billion was lost to bootlegging*, US$1.4 billion to illegal copying* and US$2.3 billion to Internet piracy. Of the US$6.1 billion in lost revenue to the studios, approximate $1.2 billion came from piracy across the Asia-Pacific region, while piracy in the U.S. accounted for $1.3 billion.
In 2006, the MPA’s operations in the Asia-Pacific region investigated more than 30,000 cases of piracy and assisted law enforcement officials in conducting nearly 12,400 raids. These activities resulted in the seizure of more than 35 million illegal optical discs, 50 factory optical disc production lines and 4,482 optical disc burners, as well as the initiation of more than 11,000 legal actions.

*Bootlegging: Obtaining movies by either purchasing an illegally copied HS/DVD/VCD or acquiring hard copies of bootleg movies.
*Illegal copying: Making illegal copies for self or receiving illegal copies from friends of a legitimate VHS/DVD/VCD
*Internet piracy: Obtaining movies by either downloading them from the Internet without paying or acquiring hard copies of illegally downloaded movies from friends or family.

IRON MAN - PREVIEW SHOTS

Paramount Pictures has just released two preview shots of our 2008 summerblockbuster IRON MAN. The movie is based on the Marvel Comic of the samename with Robert Downey Jr. taking on the role of troubled billionaire TonyStark - aka Iron Man - who creates a life support suit to assist him aftera life threatening accident, and ultimately decides to use its technology to fight evil and crime. The movie also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, JeffBridges, Terrence Howard and Leslie Bibb. It is slated to open 1 May inSingapore next year.