Israeli Singer Connects with China Through Music
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16 | Friday, November 27, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Pinning hope on winter’s tales Theater operators in China look to the remaining weeks of 2020 to deliver their Hollywood ending, Xu Fan reports. truggling with a shortage of Chorus, the film follows an orches- appealing films, November tra conductor’s effort to help a has hit a seven-year low at group of teenagers establish a China’s box office, making I wish every film school chorus. It has familiar faces Stheater managers place their hopes who once laid the foundations of on the upcoming blockbusters set could get a fair the golden age of Hong Kong cine- for release in the last month of the opportunity to be ma, such as composer Lowell Lo year. seen by more people and actor Eddie Kwan. As of Wednesday, all films The film has been widely criti- screened this month have grossed on giant screens.” cized for its poorly told story, exem- a cumulative total of 1.45 billion plified by its score of 4.8 points out Pema Tseden, director of yuan ($220 million), around 40 Balloon, speaking of the limited of 10 on the review site Douban. percent of the earnings for the screening time for art films in But many viewers say they were same period in 2019, according to Chinese cinemas moved by Lau, who has tried to use Beacon, a live movie-information his influence to support new talent tracker. and revive the Hong Kong film The number of new releases has Distributors also try to use up the industry. also shrunk, with 43 titles set for leftover quotas for imported films “With his popularity and status in November, down 35 percent from before a year ends, says Yu. showbiz, Lau doesn’t need to be cast the 66 titles presented in the same November releases in China in such a film. To some extent, the month last year, according to the included Frozen II and Terminator: film is more like him ‘feeding’ Hong China Film Distribution and Dark Fate in 2019; Venom and Fan- Kong cinema,” says Hong Fan, an operators prefer to give more Screening Association. tastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindel- associate professor of literature at screenings to lucrative blockbust- After domestic theaters reopened wald in 2018; and Thor: Ragnarok the Beijing Film Academy. ers such as Caught in Time. in late July, the film market saw an and Justice League in 2017. Another film arousing nostalgia Pema Tseden posted on Sina Wei- upward movement until October, Most Hollywood studio films are for the best era of Hong Kong films, bo that he wishes theaters would making its post-outbreak recovery usually released simultaneously or Caught in Time, has done well raise the amount of screen time for faster than most industry insiders around the same time in North despite mixed reviews. The film art films in cinemas. had expected, says Yu Chao, deputy America and China, Yu says, but overtook the war film The Sacrifice Mentioning producer Fang Li general manager of Beijing-based the winter surge of COVID-19 in as the single-day top grosser on “kneeling to beg for more screen- Capital Cinema. the United States has had an Nov 20. ings” of the art-house film Song of The Eight Hundred earned more impact on the Chinese film market Daniel Wu, who stars in the film the Phoenix in 2016, Pema Tseden than 3 billion yuan. My People, My this year. as a ruthless gangster, said in an says he hopes he won’t be forced to Homeland raked in 2.8 billion yuan. Earlier this month, more than 700 earlier interview that he joined the do the same. “Such figures were high even for a cinemas were closed again in North film to support Hong Kong cinema. “I wish every film could get a fair blockbuster before COVID-19, indi- America due to COVID-19, accord- “I had cooperated with director opportunity to be seen by more peo- cating that the recovery was robust,” ing to Hollywood Reporter. Lau Ho-leung when he worked as ple on giant screens,” he says. Yu adds. In addition, most newly released scriptwriter for the films Triple Tap His words are echoed by many Some industry observers had once Chinese films in November came and New Police Story (both starring fans online. estimated that China’s box-office with huge hype and expectations, Wu), so I really wanted to help him For theater operators struggling haul would surpass 20 billion yuan but failed at the box office. when I heard it would be his new to survive the industry’s “winter”, this year, reducing losses to lift the With A-list star Huang Bo serving directorial outing,” he says. the remaining weeks of 2020 are pandemic-affected industry. But as executive producer, the film Back Ethnic Tibetan writer-director their last hope. that hope is now being dampened by to the Wharf was released in the first Pema Tseden’s latest outing, Bal- Chinese master director Zhang a lackluster November. week of November and was initially loon, was released on Nov 20. The Yimou’s One Second and Hollywood In the past, November has been a expected to be a hit for its reflection film was nominated for awards at DreamWorks Animation’s The festival of imported films. Following of social issues. Some reviews say both the Venice and Toronto film Croods: A New Age are set to hit Chi- a box-office bonanza for Chinese the film flopped for “holes in the festivals, notching up a score of 7.9 nese theaters on Nov 27. films over the National Day holiday script”. point out of 10 on Douban. Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman week in October, November is usual- Hong Kong megastar Andy Lau’s The film was billed as a draw for 1984 and Disney’s Soul are to be Top: The Sacrifice is one of China’s top boxoffice draws this year. ly a time to savor exotic flavors as a Find Your Voice also took a nose dive art-house enthusiasts, but the film’s released in China in December. CHEN YUYU / FOR CHINA DAILY Center and above: Some newly released raft of fresh domestic films gear up at the box office. screenings fell abruptly from 2.4 films come with high expectations but fail at the box office, such as for the New Year and Spring Festival Lauded as the Chinese equiva- percent on the first day to 1 percent Contact the writer at Andy Lau’s latest film, Find Your Voice, and Back to the Wharf. holiday season. lent of the 2004 French classic The on the second, as most theater [email protected] PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Israeli singer connects with China through music JERUSALEM — Israeli singer times since, and has performed in so happy that until now I get very nect people, and this is the perfect Gilad Segev has been spending the China on numerous occasions. powerful reactions from my Chi- time to open the heart … It’s the past several months working on a “China is … the most beautiful nese friends,” he says, adding that he time to create the bridge.” project that combines two of his country in the world. You have believes the connection between the Segev has 28 more songs to passions — music and China. everything there,” Segev says. two peoples is a natural one that can release, with the project expected to Segev decided two years ago that “People in Israel really respect be beneficial to the world. last for three years. He hopes his he would like to create songs with China, but they don’t know much In April, Segev released a song music will be a basis to deepen the accompanying video clips repre- about it, about the many regions.” along with Chinese singer Ha Hui. relations between the Israeli and senting China’s different regions. He says Chinese history and cul- Titled Be There, the song was dedi- Chinese people. Launched in June, Project 34 is ture provide an almost never-ending cated to the people of Wuhan and “Project 34 begins with music the artist’s tribute to China. So far source of inspiration for his music. health workers around China. and videos but I do hope it will six songs have been released. Segev says he wants to connect Segev sees a silver lining during develop to be a much bigger thing His love for China began years Chinese roots to global folk music. the ongoing pandemic. and I already feel it happening,” he Israeli singer Gilad Segev rehearses in his studio in Tel Aviv. He has ago, when he first traveled to the He attaches great importance to the “We are living in a world that has says. released six songs as part of his Project 34, a tribute to China. country. reaction of the Chinese audiences. been through a trauma and I feel SHANG HAO / XINHUA He says he has visited over 20 “I really want them to love it. I am that this is the perfect time to con- XINHUA.