Cultura Voice

Nicolas Cage, the Oscar-winning actor and International Film Festival & Awards Macao talent ambassador, reckons he is no stranger to the Asian brand of cinema. He has worked with the likes of John Woo (“Face/Off”,) the Pang Brothers (“Bangkok Dangerous” remake) and Sion Sono on upcoming English-language film “Prisoners of the Ghostland.” Addressing a press conference in Macau on Saturday, Cage said: “Asian cinema is one of the greatest presentations of cinema in the history of cinema. The amount of style and talent that goes into Chinese movies, Japanese movies, Korean movies, is quite remarkable, and I have been blessed to work in several Asian productions.” “I know the reason I’m still blessed to make movies is largely because of China, and Chinese cinema and also Chinese investors,” Cage said. “It is because of this film industry here that I’m blessed to continue working. So, I know who to say thank you to. More western actors and filmmakers are trying to...

If China’s Dalian Wanda is going to make a comeback in Hollywood, after weathering its present storms, it will do so without Jack Gao. The polished and high-flying executive this week parted from Wanda, the property to entertainment giant, and from its Hollywood producer subsidiary Legendary Entertainment. Wanda insiders insist that the group maintains a long-term commitment to Legendary, where Gao had been interim CEO since January, and will be back as a major player in Hollywood. But Wanda’s list of problem issues mean that further overseas expansion is not going to happen in the short or medium term. The Chinese government, in a series of ever stronger measures over the past year, has punished the companies that have engaged in “irrational” and “exuberant” foreign acquisitions. Putting restrictions on deal-making in the areas of hotels, entertainment and sports, the measures seem specifically tailored to halt Wanda in its tracks. And without that activity, Gao’s rol...

Anthem, the specialist arm of sales and finance company IM Global, has added six Asian titles to its Cannes sales lineup. Four are sourced from China’s Enlight Pictures. New Enlight movies include animated adventure “The Guardian” (aka “Da Hu Fa”,) directed by Fan Bu Si. The fantasy quest, aimed at both adults and children, is told using a mix of Chinese ink painting and original hand-drawn animation. Enlight’s documentary “Return to the Wolves,” directed by Yi Feng, recounts the story of a painter, Li Weiyi, who lived in the wild for nine months in order to save an orphaned wolf cub in the grasslands of Sichuan. They join two previously announced Enlight titles: romantic drama “All About Secrets,” directed by Lien Yi-chi and adapted from Rao Xueman’s bestseller of the same title, about a family and friends whose secrets threaten to overwhelm them; and comedy drama “City of Rock,” about a man trying to protect the environment from property developers. It is directed...