China's Bona braces for Hollywood competition: It aims to shoot co-prods, adopt U.S. biz practices

SHANGHAI -- The Bona Film Group, China's largest privately held shingle, will take on the challenge of increased competition from Hollywood by shooting two high-profile co-productions a year for international distribution and by adopting U.S. business practices.

"We hope we can build up our co-production access to Hollywood since we are the only film company in China that meets U.S. legal and regulatory requirements," topper Yu Dong said in an interview with Variety on the fringes of the Shanghai Film Festival.

In April Yu upped his stake in the company and hired a firm to make Bona more attractive to investors.

Last month, News Corp. bought a 20% stake in Bona, but the deal didn't include a production agreement with Fox.

However, Yu said Bona was in talks with a number of Hollywood shingles, including Universal, Sony, 20th Century Fox and Paramount.

Yu believes the biggest challenge for Chinese companies is how to face the increased quota of foreign films coming into the country, which was raised from 20 to 34 earlier in the year.

"The challenge is to make domestic movies stronger by absorbing techniques from American movies like 3D and Imax," Yu said. "But first of all, we need good Chinese movies that satisfy the demands of the local market where we have the advantage."

Yu said the News Corp. deal would give Bona access to global financing and also help attract talent to China.

"We can use this international financial resource to make films that are not only for China but also for the world," he said.

"In the next five years, the Chinese film market will be worth 35 billion yuan ($5.5 billion), and we intend to have a big stake in that. We are aiming to be China's most internationally focused film company," said Yu.

The group is planning to invest in a 3D film technology center in Tianjin with Hong Kong helmer Tsui Hark and will make two 3D movies this year: "Tracks in the Snowy Forest," a 1940s gangster tale, which Tsui will direct, and "The White-Hair Witch," helmed by Jacob Cheung and produced by Tsui and Huang Jianxin.

Bona was among backers of Tsui's 3D actioner "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," which has taken nearly $80 million at the B.O. since its December release.

TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL ACTRESSES IN HONGKONG

ANGELA BABY

English Name: Yang Angela

Chinese Name: Yang Wing/楊穎

Nickname: Angela Baby

Date of Birth: 28th February, 1989

Birthplace: Shanghai, China

Height: 168cm

Weight: 47kg

Chest: 32"

Waist: 23"

Hip: 34"

Country: Hong Kong

Address: Kowloon City

Occupation: student (S5), part-time model, artist

Language: Cantonese, English, Mandarin

Model company [2004] : Talent Bang

Model company [2006] : Lookmodels HK

Interest: Dancing, Singing, Kung Fu, Sports, Video Game

Idol: 林志穎Jimmy Lin, 陳冠希Edison Chen, 周杰倫Jay Chou

CHARLIE YOUNG

is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She was first noticed after appearing in a jewellery commercial with Aaron Kwok. Since then she has participated in the music videos of artists such as Hacken Lee, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jacky Cheung. , she was signed on to be a singer with EMI (Hong Kong). After releasing a couple of albums with some success (she won the TVB Jade Solid Gold (1993)'s Gold Award of "The Best New Female Singer"), she made her feature-film debut in Wong Kar-Wai's arthouse martial arts film Ashes of Time alongside superstars such as Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Brigitte Lin. In 1994, she made her first collaboration with director Tsui Hark on the film The Lovers (梁祝), a Chinese classical tale about the Butterfly Lovers. Yeung was cast as the female lead, Zhu Yintai opposite Nicky Wu's Liang Shanbo. Her performance received widespread critical acclaim, rising Yeung to stardom. The film today has been hailed as Charlie's most representative work to date.

CECILIA CHEUNG

Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi is a Eurasian actress and cantopop singer based in Hong Kong. She is the wife of Nicholas Tse, thus being the daughter-in-law of Patrick Tse (謝賢) and Deborah Lee (狄波拉). She and Nicholas have a son, Lucas.[1] Cheung was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese father and a half Chinese-half British mother.[2] Her parents divorced when she was just a child after which she was sent to Australia to live with her aunt at the age of fourteen. Cheung has an elder half-sister Dai Pek-Chi, two younger brothers and also a younger half-brother from her father's side.

KELLY CHEN

Kelly Chen is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. She is also credited as Chen Huilin, Wai-Lam Chan, Kelly Chan and Wai Lun Chen. On her 18th June, 2008 "Love Fighters" concert, Kelly announced that she will be getting married with Alex Lau (劉建浩), her boy-friend of 16 years.[1] After graduating from Parsons The New School for Design in New York City, USA, she returned to her homeland in Hong Kong to be with her family. Kelly's talent caught the attention of an agent and soon got her first big break in the film Whatever Will Be, Will Be (仙樂飄飄) in 1995, and was featured as a singer for the soundtrack of the film. Later that year, Kelly released her first Cantonese album, "Dedicated Lover" (醉迷情人). The album was a success in Hong Kong and furthered her acting and musical career. In September 1995, she performed the song "Mou Tian" composed by world renowned composer Steve Barakatt.

CRYSTAL LIU

Crystal Liu (born 25 August 1987) is a Chinese actress and singer. Although she is often credited as Liu Yi Fei (traditional Chinese: 劉亦菲; simplified Chinese: 刘亦菲), her legal name is Liu Xi Mei Zi (traditional Chinese: 劉茜美子; simplified Chinese: 刘茜美子: 茜 Xi is from German movie "Sissi" (Chinese translation 茜茜公主—hence the pronunciation of xi not qian; her mother calls her Xixi),[1]. At the age of 15, Liu Yifei's role as "Wang

Yuyan" in the television series, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils propelled her to fame in China.

GILLIAN CHEUNG

Gillian Chung (born January 21, 1981) is a Hong Kong-based actress and singer. She is best known as a member of the Cantopop group Twins, alongside Charlene Choi.[4] In 2000, one of the model agencies that Chung worked for as part-time while in HK contacted Chung about a job opportunity offered by Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG). Chung accepted the offer in 2000, became a contracted artist of EEG and underwent training before her debut. In 2001, the management company assigned her to form a singing duo, Twins, with Charlene Choi.[5] Currently, she is on extended leave to avoid scrutiny by the media and the public due to the Edison Chen photo scandal in February 2008.

MICHELLE REIS

Michele Monique Reis (Chinese: 李嘉欣; pinyin: Lǐ Jiāxīn or Lee Kar-yan in Cantonese; born June 20, 1970) is a Hong Kong actress. Reis was born in Macau which was then a Portuguese colony. Reis is of mixed ancestry as her father is Portuguese and her mother is Chinese. Michelle maintains, however, that she considers herself Chinese as that was the only culture and language she grew up familiar with. Reis attended Maryknoll Convent School, and matriculated from St. Paul's Secondary School. Reis started modelling at the age of 14.[1] She first came to fame when she won the 1988 Miss Hong Kong Pageant at the age 18. Reis was also the first Miss Chinese International in the same year. Following her Miss Chinese International crowning, she went on to participate in the Miss World 1988 pageant, where she promoted the image of Hong Kong. She almost made the top 10, almost making it by a fraction of a score.[citation needed] She was then suppose to compete in the Miss Universe 1989

MAGGIE Q

Maggie Q, born Margaret Denise Quigley (李美琪 Chinese ) on May 22, 1979, is an American actress of mixed ethnicity, and former fashion model. She initially gained fame in Hong Kong.

At the suggestion of a friend, Q began modeling in Tokyo at the age of 17, before making an unsuccessful move to Taipei, and finally trying in Hong Kong. She has said it was not easy for her: "I had twenty bucks in my pocket. I mean, I literally did the same thing that my mother did when she left Vietnam... didn't speak the language... had no money." But, it was in Hong Kong, that she was selected by Jackie Chan, because he saw a potential action star. His intensive training taught her the importance of professionalism and always doing her own stunts. Q later said, "I had never done a day of martial arts in my life when I started in the business. I couldn’t even touch my toes."

In 1998, she started her acting career in the TV drama House of the Dragon, which was a huge hit in Asia. In 2000, Q made her film debut as Anna in the horror film Model from Hell, and went on to star as an FBI agent Jane Quigley in the action thriller Gen-Y Cops the same year. Her appearance in Gen-Y Cops impressed Jackie Chan so much that she was cast in Manhattan Midnight and Rush Hour 2.

LI BING BING

Li was born in Harbin in Heilongjiang province. Originally she had no intention of being an actress and enrolled specifically in a high school for prospective school teachers. However upon graduating she became dissatisfied with her career and eventually was persuaded by a friend to join the Shanghai Drama Institute. She has gone on to perform in a variety of film and television roles. Her film debut was in Zhang Yuan's 1999 film Seventeen Years. In 2005, Bingbing co-starred in the romantic comedy Waiting Alone, a critical hit which received 3 Chinese academy award nominations including 'Best Picture' and 'Best Actress'. August 26th 2007, Li was awarded the 'Best Actress' Huabiao Award, for her role in the movie The Knot. She collaborated with stars such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom, which was released in April 2008.

KITTY ZHANG YUQI

Zhang was born in Shandong province. She left Shandong at age 15 to attend acting school in ShanghaiZhang appeared in a minor, uncredited role in the 2007 film The Longest Night in Shanghai. Stephen Chow first noticed her in an advertisement for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and chose her to play the female lead in CJ7. The role brought her her first major media attention, and because of Chow's tradition of starring alongside new actresses who later gain other major roles, Zhang has been called one of the (xīng nǚ láng, "star girls" or "Sing girls"—Sing Yeh is a common nickname of Chow'sAfter CJ7, Zhang appeared in the Japanese film Shaolin Girl (which was also produced by Chow) and had a major role in the Chinese film All About Women. Chow considered casting her in Dragonball Evolution,^[5] but the role was ultimately given to another actress. Zhang also acted in theStephen Fung film Jump, and is set to appear in Journey to the West, a film based on the classic Chinese novel of the same name. In the film she will play the monk Xuanzang, traditionally portrayed as a male, and will again star alongside Chow (who also starred in A Chinese Odyssey, a pair of 1994 films parodying Journey to the West). Zhang has appeared in Elle and other magazines. In June 2009 she was a "guest of honor" at the Montblanc Arts Patronage Awards ceremony

TOP TEN

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

TAIWAN ACTRESSES

Chang Chun-ning, Janine 張鈞甯

Lin Chi Ling 林志玲

Jolin Tsai 蔡依林

Rainie Yang 楊丞琳

Shu Qi 舒淇 Lin Li-Hui 林立慧 Hsu Chi Shu Kei

Bianca Bai 白歆惠

Annie Yi 伊能静

Elva Hsiao 蕭亞軒

Kelly Lin Hsi-Lei 林熙蕾

Barbie Hsu 徐熙媛

Jia Zhangke selected as dean of Asian Film Academy

Jia Zhangke.[Photo:filmbiz.asia]

Chinese film-maker Jia Zhangke has been named as dean of the Asian Film Academy, part of the annual Busan International Film Festival.

The educational programme runs from 27 Sept and then overlaps with the main festival to finish on 14 Oct.

Jia, whose credits include Unknown Pleasures, Still Life and The World, is accompanied by director of the Busan Film Commission, Oh Seok-geun as deputy dean, Iranian filmmaker and screen writer Parviz Shahbazi as directing mentor, and Japan's Watanabe Makoto as cinematography mentor.

Previous deans have included Im Kwon-taek, Hou Hsiao Hsien and Krzysztof Zanussi.