hankyoreh

BEIJING-East Asian nations which used to export their locally-produced cinemas to neighboring countries, but are increasingly turning towards joint productions and to work together on works of art.

Following "Battle of Wits" made by South Korea, China and Japan in 2006, a new film, "The Battle of Red Cliff" will be produced by the three Asian countries, Taiwan and the United States. "The Battle of Red Cliff" is based on the ancient Chinese novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The new movie will cost US$70 million, the largest budget ever for an Asian film and the biggest-ever joint production in Asia.

"The Battle of Red Cliff" is about a war waged by two Chinese kingdoms at the coast of Yangtze River in 208 after the Han Dynasty collapsed.

Producers discussed their plans at a presentation in Beijing on May 10. The movie to be made by U.S. producer Three Kingdoms be jointly funded by South Korea's Showbox, Japan's Avex Entertainment and Taiwan's CMC Entertainment. China will have a share in distribution. Korea’s Showbox has secured a 10.5-percent stake.

"The Battle of Red Cliff" will be directed by John Woo and feature stars Leung Chiu Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Chang Chen. The first and second parts of the movie will be shot at the same time and released in the summer and winter of the year 2008, respectively.

It is notable that China virtually considers the movie as an official film of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and plans to release the cinema before its opening. The presentation was participated by key cast and officials of the production company including director John Woo, as well as 82 media outlets from China alone.

In addition to "The Battle of Red Cliff," East Asian countries are continuously cooperating to produce movies. CJ Entertainment will release "First Snow," the first joint work with a Japanese producer, in Japan next month. Taewon Entertainment is taking part in the production of "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" starring Hong Kong actor Andy Lau. The movie is due to be released in 2008.

It is thanks to the rapidly-growing Chinese movie market that East Asian countries have been eyeing joint projects. China sets strict limits on foreign films and only 50 are allowed to be distributed within its borders each year, making joint production a more favorable way to tap the Chinese market.

Because of regional history, East Asian countries belong to the same cultural sphere and the original novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is shared as a literary classic in all the countries involved. Moreover, the four nations are feeling a necessity to create a "East Asian movie bloc" against their Hollywood competition.

Many industry observers think the Korean film market may be reaching its growth limit, and this may be why Korean filmmakers are looking to joint productions with foreign companies for a breakthrough. Also, companies that used to import complete movies are trying to elevate their corporate value by joining in international productions.

Lee Seong-hun of Showbox, who was present at the Beijing presentation said, "It has become increasingly difficult to stay profitable with our original material, so naturally we are keeping an eye on joint production in an effort to diversify profits."

"Since most of excellent global contents are distributed through foreign distributors, it is more efficient for domestic firms to obtain the local copyright of good movies through joint production. With the jointly produced movies, we can get earnings from screening movies as well as returns from investing in production," added Lee.

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