By Larry Kao

Jackie goes to India, Jasmania hits the Philippines, Shanghai gets the Ivory treatment, the Pusan festival ends with a bang, and much more in this edition of News From Abroad.

Jackie Chan to Film in India

Hampi, India--Jackie Chan is set to continue shooting his latest film in the historic town of Hampi, Karnataka province, India, after clearing some bureaucratic roadblocks to its filming.  The film, entitled The Myth (also known as Time Breaker), was earlier prevented from filming around the Virupaksha temple inside Hampi because the Karnataka Archeological Survey blocked access.  14th-century Hampi has a spot on the World Heritage in Danger List.  Filming has since resumed after the Archeological Survey of India, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the state government granted permission.

For more info, go to: http://www.variety.com/

American Idol Contestant Receives Warm Welcome in Philippines

Manila, Philippines--“Jasmania” hit the Philippines as American Idol finalist Jasmine Trias arrived in Manila.  Trias, a Filipino-American from Hawaii, visited the presidential palace on Tuesday with members of her extended family. There, she met with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and exchanged gifts and words of praise and kindness. Trias leaves the Philippines from her promotional tour on October 22nd, and hopes to get a day off to relax at Manila's famed beaches.

Famed Filmmakers Begin Shooting in Shanghai

Shanghai, China--Filmmakers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory have begun filming their 47th film, The White Countess, in Shanghai.The film is set in 1930s Shanghai and portrays the relationship between Ralph Fiennes--as a blind, former American diplomat--and Natasha Richardson as an exiled Russian noblewoman. The movie is a co-production with China's Shanghai Film Group, which will provide set and costumes, and has distribution rights for the mainland, while earning a percentage of box office profits from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.  Filming began several weeks ago, and mainly took place in the pre-1949 colonial buildings in the former concessions, as well as along the Bund riverside.  The film is tentatively to be released at the end of 2005.

Shochiku Animated

Japanese entertainment conglomerate Shochiku announced Friday that it launched an animated division to create content for television and films.  Headed by Ichiro Seki, general manager of filmed entertainment, Shochiku has been hiring Japan's top animators and plans to produce five projects for film and television per year.  The decision was made to capitalize on what Seki believes is a growing worldwide demand for animation.  Previously, Shochiku has been known for distributing popular Japanese animated films and television programs.

For more info, go to: www.hollywoodreporter.com

Pusan Film Festival Closes Strong with Attendance, Distribution Deals

Pusan, South Korea--The ninth annual Pusan Film Festival ended on Friday, with greater attendance and filmmakers gaining distribution rights for their films.  The film festival featured 262 films from 63 countries, screened over the course of the nine-day festival in Pusan.  Attendance was up from the 2003 festival, with more than 166,000 people in attendance--an increase of 1.8% from last year.  Notable awards include: the New Currents Award for new talent, going to Lee Yun-ki's This Charming Girl, the FIPRESCI going to Chinese director Wu Ershan for the film Soap Opera, and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema award to 3 Iron, by Kim Ki-duk, among others.  In addition to the awards, Asian film companies, most notably Japanese, signed distribution deals for release of many of the films debuted at the festival.

Published: Friday, October 15, 2004