A8
EZ SU
KLMNO THE WORLD A blockbuster romance
Chinese firms hope to partner with Hollywood to make films, place products and manage theaters BY KEITH B. RICHBURG
beijing — When Scarlett Johansson strode across the screen in “IronMan 2,” she was wearing a form-fitting outfit made by Semir, a Chinese brand and an official sponsor of the blockbuster movie this spring. That wasn’t the first example of Chi-
nese firms getting in on the Hollywood product-placement game. In last year’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” a highway billboard featured another Chi- nese sportswear company,Metersbonwe. “More and more Chinese brands
would like to get their products placed” in Hollywood films, said Ben Ji, head of AngelWingsEntertainmentandtheman behind getting Semir clothes into “Iron Man 2.”His goal: to get a Chinese car in a James Bond film. Product placement is just one example
of China’s new love affair with Holly- wood. Chinese production companies are looking to partner with Hollywood firms to make films and manage China’s growing number of theaters. Rumors persist that a Chinese company — spurred by the government, which wants to extend the country’s “soft power” into the cultural sphere — is on the prowl to buy aU.S. film studio. The affection is not unrequited.Holly-
wood producers and directors are flock- ing to China, looking for scripts, locales and potential investors for the growing number of Chinese and Hollywood “co- productions.” “I run into Hollywood executives here
every week,” said Jonathan Landreth, the Beijing-based correspondent for theHol- lywood Reporter. After recent co-productions such as
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Em- peror,” China and Hollywood collaborat- ed this yearonthehugely successful “The Karate Kid,” starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, and “Shanghai,” with John Cusack, Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat (which premiered in Beijing in June to lackluster reviews). In what would be the biggest—mean-
ing costliest — co-produced movie, the U.S. company Hollywood MovieWorks has teamed with Beijing entrepreneur ShengBoyu, 30, tomake“DoubleLives,”a film about a modern-day treasure hunt for two ancient Chinese swords. The film will star Pierce Brosnan and will be directed by Rob Cohen of “TheMummy,” who first became enamored with China when he directed “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.” “Double Lives” has a$100 million bud-
get, and Sheng said the Chinese side and Hollywood will approach it as equals. “Our ratio is 50-50,” said Sheng, look-
ing the part of a Hollywood producer in black suit, open-neck black shirt and black Gucci loafers. “My cooperation with Hollywood is an equal cooperation. I think it’s a trend that future filmmakers will cooperate and make more co-pro- duced films, and Chinese audiences will enjoy the best ofbothChineseandAmeri- can filmmaking.”
A win-win collaboration For Chinese filmmakers, Hollywood
offers the chance to produce on a wider stage for international audiences and break out of the familiar niche of martial arts films. For Hollywood, the sudden interest in
China might be more mercenary. Holly- woodtraditionally runs on other people’s money — and China has a lot to spread around these days. “Hollywood would figure out how to
shoot in Greenland if they offered the right financial incentive,” said LarryGer- brandt, principal of Media Valuation Partners, a Los Angeles firm that studies the economics of the entertainment in- dustry. “Between the collapse of hedge- fund financing and the grinding U.S.
JASIN BOLAND TMG
Jackie Chan, left, trains Jaden Smith in “The Karate Kid,” a hugely successful collaboration between China andHollywood. Co-produced movies do not count as
“foreign” films under the quota. Filming andhiring localworkers ismuchcheaper in China than in many other countries. Gerbrandt said that U.S. box office admissions have been stagnant in recent years but that increased ticket prices have helped the industry grow. “Holly- wood must open new markets to keep growing, and China and India are obvi- ously the largest,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Morals and creativity But the governments of both countries
object to the content and morals of some Western movies, he said. Jihashadproblemswithcensorship as
KEITH B. RICHBURG/THE WASHINGTON POST
Ben Ji, head of Angel Wings Entertainment, with a model of the film superhero IronMan. Ji helped get clothes by the Chinese brand Semir into “IronMan 2.”
recession, coupled with the capital crunch, it has been extremely difficult to fund newproductions. To the extent that China offers lower production costs and experienced local talent, that helps.” Monica Chuo, a Los Angeles-based producer and former executive with Par- amount, called China “a potential gold mine for all industry sectors, including film. We’ve all taken a hit, and those intending to survive will have to maneu- ver and think outside the box.” There are lures besides the investment
cash, not least of which is the explosive growth ofbox office receipts inChina, the fastest-growing filmmarket in the world. According to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, China’s box office receipts totaled $780 million in the first half of this year — an 80 percent increase over those from the first half of
2009, with much of that attributed to the colossal success of “Avatar” here. The 2009 box office receipts were up more than 40 percent over those of 2008.
Additional lures Ji said that as more newly affluent
Chinese go to movies—instead ofwatch- ingDVDsathome—thenumberofmovie houses being built is soaring. “Two new screens per day — that’s crazy!” he said. Foreign companies are allowed to build cinemas in China but not manage them directly, Ji said, adding that he is confi- dent the rule will be relaxed next year. Ji predicted that China might also
relax rules that allow just 20 foreign films a year. An increase in the quota could give further incentive for Holly- wood producers to make films that ap- peal to Chinese audiences.
DIGEST NORTHKOREA
7 fishermen captured in East Sea to be freed North Korea will release seven crew
members detained since last month after their fishing boat was captured in the East Sea, Pyongyang’s news agency said Monday.TheKorean CentralNews Agen- cy said the fishermen had apologized for trespassing in North Korean waters and would be released with the “compatriotic and humanitarian points of view.” The fishermen — four South Koreans
and three Chinese—were captured Aug. 8 about 160 miles off the North Korean coast on Pyongyang’s side of the mari- time border. North Korea had resisted earlier pleas from Seoul to release them. The move comes amid a slight thawin
relations on the peninsula. South Korea said last week that its Red Cross will give $8.4 million in flood aid to theNorth. —Chico Harlan
IRAQ
More attacks against government workers A trend of violence against govern-
ment employees and security forces con- tinuedMonday in Iraq, as an Iraqi army general was shot dead in southwest
Baghdad and five Iraqi contractors com- missioned by the government to build a youth center were shot and stabbed in a home invasion overnight in Samarra. Twobombs in the capital, one targeting a private security company and another at an army checkpoint, injured 17 people. Theincidents followed a major securi-
ty breach at an Iraqi army division headquarters in the capital Sunday. Twelve people were killed and more than 20 injured when assailants set off a vehicle bomb and at least four suicide bombers stormed the building. Two of the bombers detonated their explosives inside after a gun battle with Iraqi securi- ty forces and U.S. troops, and two bomb- ers were shot outside. “Yesterday was different; they showed
they were strong,” said Bahaa al-Araji, a Shiite legislator. “This means the terror- ists could get into the parliament or the ministries.They can get in anywhere. I’m not optimistic about the future.” —Leila Fadel
RUSSIA
Putin hints at bid for presidency in 2012 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Pu-
tin gave a strong hintMonday that he will run for president in 2012, a step that would almost certainly givehima second
did not contradict the American Consti- tution,” he told Russia experts from the Valdai discussion group at a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Both Putin, 57, and President Dmitry
Medvedev, 44, have suggested that one of themwouldrunfor president in2012and that they would agree in advance which one it would be.
—Reuters Hariri questions Syrian involvement IAIN MCGREGOR/THE PRESS VIA REUTERS
Children play on a road damaged by Saturday’s quake in Christchurch,New Zealand. Aftershocks hit onMonday.
stint as Kremlin chief. When asked whether his running for
president in 2012 would damageRussia’s political system, Putin cited Franklin Roosevelt. “U.S. President Roosevelt was voted in four times in a row because this
in father’s death: Lebanon’s prime min- ister, SaadHariri, made a startling rever- sal Monday and said it was a mistake to accuse Syria of the 2005 truck bombing that killed his father, former prime min- ister Rafiq al-Hariri, adding that the allegation was politically motivated. Such accusations at the time by anti-Syri- an Lebanese politicians galvanized a powerful protest movement that ended decades of Syrian domination over its smaller neighbor. Saad Hariri has been working to mend ties with Syria.
Suicide bombing kills 17 in Pakistan:
ATaliban suicidebomberdetonated a car in an alley behind a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, kill- ing at least 17 police officers and civilians in a blast that shattered the station and nearby homes. About 40 people were wounded in the attack in LakkiMarwat. Rescue workers were digging through
rubble, police official Ghulam Moham- mad Khan said. Nine police officers, four adult civilians and four children going to school were killed in the attack.
More bodies found in Guatemala:
SearchersonMonday pulledmorebodies from a mud-covered highway where back-to-back landslides buried bus pas- sengers and people trying to save them. Authorities said 24 people are confirmed deadandat least 16 are believed to be still buriedbeneath the debris in the village of Nahuala, where a first mudslide buried a bus and other vehicles, then a second one turned would-be rescuers into victims. At least 20 others died over the weekend elsewhere as a tropical depression satu- rated the ground and set off more than a dozen landslides across the country, ac- cording to the national disaster agency.
Mexico prepares for Tropical Storm
Hermine: Mexican authorities opened shelters and warned people to watch out for mudslidesMonday as Tropical Storm Hermine approached the northeastern border with Texas, the area’s second major storm this season. Hermine could approach hurricane strength before making landfall early Tuesday in a sparsely populated area about 50 miles south of Brownsville, Tex., according to theNationalHurricane Center inMiami. —From news services
Angel Wings has prepared to release its first film this fall, the romantic comedy “Color Me Love.” The censors thought one kissing scene was too long and ordered it shortened. “We are very good at self-censorship — very good,” said Ji, 43, a veteran of Walt Disney Corp. “The moral thing — that’s kind of tricky to figure out.” Many in the industry, and industry
watchers, are skeptical that a Chinese company will purchase aHollywood stu- dio soon. Some point to Japanese giant Sony’s $3.4 billion acquisition of Colum- bia Pictures in 1989, which led to massive losses and a series of big-budget flops in the 1990s. “China will find Hollywood extremely
open to deals, partnerships and invest- ments from Chinese players,” Gerbrandt said. “Where it gets much more difficult is for aChinese company to wind up with an ownership control position in aHolly- wood studio.” “The Hollywood infrastructure is very
open to other people’s money,” he added, “but they really only want to do creative deals within the community and to hire from within.”
richburgk@washpost.com
Researcher Zhang Jie in Beijing contributed to this report.
N. Korea watchers focus on meeting
Kim Jong Il’s youngest son could take key post as party looks to succession
BY CHICOHARLAN
seoul — Party officials are arriving in Pyongyang, North Korea’s state-run me- dia said Monday, signaling an imminent meeting that outsiders describe as a criti- cal step in leaderKimJong Il’s hereditary power transfer. North Korea’s newspaper, the Rodong
Sinmun, saidtheraremeetingofWorkers’ Party delegates would “mark a meaning- ful chapter in the history of our party.” Photos from Pyongyang showed citizens staging a practice celebration. Troops have gathered in the city, ready for a parade, according to the South Korean government. Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that children have beenmarch- ing in the streets, singing “Footsteps,” whichhailsKimJong Il’s youngest son. NorthKorea, theworld’smost reclusive
nation, said in June that it would hold a party conference—its first such extraor- dinarymeeting since 1966—sometime in early September. Specific dates are un- known, but North Korea analysts believe the conference will be held this week, stagedtoannounce anoverhaulof leader- shipandahigh-levelpositionforheirKim JongEun. Reporters from China’s Xinhua News
Agency, in Pyongyang during the week- end, described seeing “several thousand people, with colorful plastic bouquets in hand, gathered at the square to practice for the celebrationof theparty conference andtheir country’s 62ndbirthday.” Muchabout theupcomingNorthKore-
an conference is left to guesswork, with analysts offering conflicting opinions about whether Kim Jong Eun will be publicly heralded as the next leader or quietly handed a steppingstone position, perhapswaiting to claimpower in2012. North Korea has promised to build a
strongandprosperousnationby2012, the 100thbirthdayofdeceasedfounderKimIl Sung.Fordecades,NorthKoreahas strug- gled to feed its people, using rigid surveil- lancesystemsandimprisonment tomain- tainorder. AsKimJong Ilhas concentrated power
in the military, much of North Korea’s political structure has eroded, with party membership shrinking. The Party Con- gress,whichissupposedtomeeteveryfive years, lastmet in 1980,when KimJong Il was stampedas thesuccessor tohis father. By the time Kim Il Sung died in 1994,
KimJong Il had been North Korea’s day- to-day leader formore than a decade. The current power transfer, analysts say, is rushed. KimJong Eun is thought to be in hismid- or late 20s and has not yet built a support system within the party or mili- tary.With KimJong Il ailing, having suf- fered a stroke in 2008, analysts and U.S. officials speculate that Jang Song Taek, Kim Jong Il’s brother-in-law, has been appointedas a regent for the transition. Baek Seung Joo of the Korea Institute
for Defense Analyses in Seoul suggested that the party conference could lead to restructuringthatwillhelpKimJongEun build a network of support. Giving Kim Jong Eun multiple high-level posts, such as his father holds, “would be toomuch at one time,”Baek said.
harlanc@washpost.com
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58