Exclusive: Beijing-based Hishow Entertainment is expanding its ‘We Love Cinema’ brand of cinema with a slate of new acquisitions including recent Sundance winner Josephine and Oh girl From Singapore Ang Jek Jek Priscilla.
Beth de Araujo JosephineThe drama, starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, took home the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the American Drama Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Oh girlabout a seven-year-old girl overcoming her parents’ separation, premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival where it won the Youth Jury Prize. It was also screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where it elicited a strong audience reaction and was thus ranked among the top three rated Chinese-language films on Douban this year.
Hishow is also foraying into genre films by releasing all four installments in the Spanish zombie horror franchise Detailco-directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza.
Produced by Filmax and Castelao Producciones, the franchise ran for seven years with episodes including Detail (2007), Recommendation 2 (2009), Recommendation 3: Genesis (2012) and Recommendation 4: The end of the world (2014). Hishow described the acquisition of the franchise as “a strategic move to expand its audience beyond traditional arthouse fare and embrace more commercially diverse genres.”
Hishow is also re-releasing Ron Howard’s 2013 Formula 1 racing drama Hurry upcapitalizing on the Chinese public’s nostalgia for modern classics.
Alongside the new acquisitions, Hishow is also hosting the “We Love Cinema French Film Festival” over the summer, at venues in Beijing and Shanghai, showcasing Cannes selections. birthday party and Ulyssesalong with works by Jacques Demy, Eric Rohmer, Jean-Pierre Melville and others.
Hishow launched the We Love Cinema banner last year, reaching out to movie lovers through curated film events and innovative distribution networks. The company builds online communities on WeChat and other platforms where members can access exclusive content, early offers, and limited-edition merchandise. It also plans to develop offline film entertainment spaces that combine cinema, art and new technologies.
“We are committed to expanding our We Love Cinema brand to include a multi-dimensional experience, and continue to build on our innovative marketing and distribution systems to adapt to the rapidly changing market,” said Wang Haiyi, co-founder and CEO of Hishow.
Releases under this banner over the past year have included Hélène Catet and Bruno Forzani Reflection in a dead diamond And Adam Elliott Snail diary and Mary and Max.
