FRENCH CONCESSION
Vietnamese French director and screenwriter Tran Anh Hung has been named as president of the jury for the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival.
The festival, which runs June 14 to 23, said that his works “blend the expressions of Eastern and Western cultures, with sensitivity, delicacy, and a romantic style.” His films include: 1992’s “Scent of the Green Papaya”; 1995’s “Cyclo,” starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai; 2009 English-language thriller “I Come With the Rain,” starring Josh Hartnett; and “The Taste of Things,” which earned him the best director prize at Cannes last year.
The jury president role marks a return and a promotion for the director. He was previously on the Shanghai festival’s jury in 2011, when he also screened his “Norwegian Wood.”
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LASER FOCUS
SM Cinema, the largest exhibitor in the Philippines, is to open giant screen Imax cinemas in three new venues. It will also upgrade seven other cinemas to Imax with Laser installations. Three of the upgraded locations are expected to open in 2024, with the remaining locations set to open before the end of 2026. The deal was announced on Monday by Imax, which said that it represented its biggest signing this year.
Imax and SM Cinema have enjoyed a partnership since 2006 and, excluding this deal, currently operate nine locations together across the Philippines.
GAMES REBOUND
The National Press and Publication Administration, China’svideo gamingregulator this month approved 95 new titles for local release. Titles include“Lost Soul Aside,”from the Chinese unit ofSony Interactive Entertainment, “Broken Land”fromNetEase and another from Tencent. While some commentators have noted that April’s was the smallest batch of new titles, the NPPA appears to now be regularly green-lighting new titles for commercial exploitation. In January, it reversed a decision from December that proposed putting a cap on user spending in games and banning “excessive” rewards. The December proposal caused at least $80 billion to be wiped from the value of Chinese video gaming company stocks.
