Top producers and directors gather for Huayi Brothers' Shanghai press conference to unveil its upcoming slate in 2018 and 2019. (Photo provided to China Daily)
Huayi Brothers Pictures, a top player in China's film industry, recently unveiled an ambitious slate of 20 upcoming films which will be out in 2018 and 2019.
Among them is Feng Xiaogang's comedy sequel Cell Phone 2 which is seeing some turbulence in the filming process.
Feng didn't attend the Shanghai event where the list of films was released, but Ye Ning, the CEO of Huayi Brothers, says the filming is going well.
Other films on the list include Tsui Hark's fantasy epic Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings; Lu Chuan's sci-fi movie Bureau 749; Jia Zhangke's Cannes-nominated Ash Is Purest White; Fei Xing's tomb raider-themed fantasy adventure Mojin; Lost, Found starring Yao Chen and Guan Hu's World War II period drama 800.
Japanese director Takita Youjirou, known for Departures -- the best foreign language film winner at the Oscars in 2009 -- also appeared at the Shanghai event to unveil his first Chinese-language movie Wen Yan.
The movie based on author Xin You's Chinese novella of the same title is being co-produced by Huayi Brothers Pictures and Magilm Pictures.
The film is about a father-and-son conflict sparked by a pastry recipe.
Speaking about his film, Youjirou says: "As a film director, I cherish the opportunity to work with Chinese producers. I first heard of the story from my Chinese colleagues. The novella looks at family conflicts spanning generations. It's a universal theme."
Hirozazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters, which won the Palme d'Or in Cannes earlier this year, is also on Huayi's distribution list.
Separately, the company will also handle the Chinese distribution of Baltasar Kormakur's Adrift, starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin, and the action thriller Mile 22 starring Mark Wahlberg.
Next year, Huayi plans to import four Hollywood movies into China -- mystery thriller A Simple Favor; Pierre Morel's vigilante action thriller Peppermint; Doug Liman's Chaos Walking and Radioactive, a Marie Curie biopic starring Rosamund Pike.
