Filmmaker Aims to Build Chinese Hollywood
2008-02-20 17:34:44 CRIENGLISH.com

Hong Kong film director Stanley Tong is more ambitious than just being a filmmaker - He is spearheading a new project that aims to eventually construct China's own Hollywood.

Tong, who is also the president of the Hong Kong-based China International Media Group Limited, on Monday inaugurated the construction of a television and film industry base in Kunming, capital of southwestern Yunnan province.

The Kunming TV, Film and New Media Industry Base will be located near the tourist hotspot of Dianchi Lake. It will be jointly invested by Tong's company and the Dianchi National Tourist Resort.

A joint venture has been set up and has set aside three billion yuan (US$418 million) for the plant's first phase, which when completed will stretch over three square kilometers, Web site Sohu.com reported.

Tong, whose popular works include "The Myth" and "Police Story 3," is confident to develop the Chinese Hollywood.

"Everything relating to the film industry will be seen there," Tong said about the site's scale.

To distinguish itself from shooting bases such as the Hengdian World Studios in eastern Zhejiang province, which is already the major shooting site for Chinese films, the Kunming base will be an all-in-one complex integrating film and television shooting, advanced production and tourism facilities.

The base will also contribute significantly to the country's digital entertainment industry, Tong adds. Digital entertainment refers to interactive entertainment, such as video games, that are computer-made and Internet-based.

"In short, the base will push the entertainment industry to an unprecedented level." Tong said.
Tong's latest film The Volunteers is just premiering now (not even on IMDB yet). His film before that was Jackie Chan's the Myth.

"The Volunteers" Premieres in Beijing
2008-03-06 11:01:42 CRIENGLISH.com

"The Volunteers," a movie produced by Hong Kong action director Stanley Tong and starring rising stars Tong Dawei and Yang Ruoxi, premiered in Beijing on Wednesday.

The Beijing Morning Post reported that all major cast members attended the premiere.

The movie tells the stories of a group of young graduates dedicated to teaching in rural areas of southwestern China's Yunan Province.

"Being a volunteer is a glad thing in itself. You feel the happiness of giving when you are helping others," Stanley Tong, the director behind international superstars such as Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Michelle Yeoh, says of "The Volunteers."

Playing opposite children is a great challenge, said leading actor Tong Dawei, who is also the volunteer's ambassador for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

However, Yang Ruoxi, who plays Tong's girlfriend in the movie, enjoyed working with her young costars.

"I am very close to the children. We play games together, share snacks and have secret talks," the actress said.