©2004
Fann Wong Singapore
| 2004 |
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Feb 17, 2004 Raintree eyes home run in these markets
Ten-year-old local actress Megan Zheng nabbed the coveted best new performer title for her role in the box-office hit Homerun. In an interview with Today, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures' CEO Daniel Yun said the company, which entered the film-making scene in 1998, has always aspired to find the right mix of local and regional talent to create a breakout hit that would travel beyond Asia. And, it is now eyeing the burgeoning China and India markets. Mr Yun said he had touched base with film-makers there recently. Some film-makers, such as Feng Xiaogang of Big Shot's Funeral fame, he noted, have offerings that were well-received only in China while certain films like Zhang Yimou's Hero appealed to the West. In the same vein, some Bollywood flicks only worked within India but other crowd-pleasers like Monsoon Wedding and Bend it like Beckham that were made about India were never targeted specifically at the Indian market. "For the first time, I see a hope, a way Raintree in Singapore can focus on China and India. For example, however progressive China is, they have mindsets like we have. But we are lucky in that we are very cosmopolitan and I think we can provide some sort of a window for China when we co-produce with them." The collaborations, Mr Yun reckoned, can then be a bridge of sorts to have the best of both worlds ?to make films that appeal to their huge markets at home and to foreign audiences. Cameras won't stop rolling Spurred by the box office and critical success of its co-productions like horror-thriller The Eye, romantic movie Turn Left Turn Right and gangland gem Infernal Affairs II (see box), Raintree is definitely not letting up, especially now that they have more experience under their belt. Next month, Raintree's co-production with Hong Kong's Applause Pictures, The Eye II, will hit cinemas. In the first instalment, Malaysian actress Angelica Lee played a blind girl who undergoes a cornea transplant and discovers that there was more than meets the eye to her newfound sight. The horror film's box-office success aside, Angelica won Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards, Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Bauhinia Awards. Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise's production company, Cruise Wagner Productions, had acquired the remake rights for it, too. No wonder distribution rights for The Eye II have been pre-sold in nine countries, even before the cameras stop rolling. Directed by the original film's directors, Danny and Oxide Pang, the sequel will have a new storyline but a similar supernatural theme. It stars Taiwanese actress Shu Qi and Hong Kong's Eugenia Yuen, with cameo performances by MediaCorp artistes Rayson Tan and Alan Tern. Other projects in the works include a possible new China-Hong-Kong-Singapore co-production Suddenly Rich (working title). Helmed by local funnyman-cum-prolific-film-maker Jack Neo, the movie centres around the obsession with money and the psychology of gambling. In addition, Raintree will also produce a void deck trilogy ?three local ghost stories to be directed by local film-makers Royston Tan, Eric Khoo and Jonathan Lim as well as a movie 1318 with Hong Kong director Clifton Ko of All's Well End Well fame about the quirks of Singaporeans and people from Hong Kong. Added Mr Yun: "It's got to do with the way they look at prosperity. The spa business is becoming a big deal in Singapore while Chinese medicine is a big deal in Hong Kong." Meanwhile, the adaptation of celebrated local writer Catherine Lim's two novels, best-seller The Bondmaid and Leap of Love are still in the pipeline. Leap needed adjustments to the script while Bondmaid has MediaCorp artiste Fann Wong as the proposed defiant female protagonist who takes on the traditions and customary restrictions. Production for Raintree's foray into animation with Sing To The Dawn, a collaboration with The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and Silicon Illusions with a budget of $2.5 million, is underway and the film is scheduled for a 2005 release. Based on Minfong Ho's novel, Sing is about a girl who wants to further her studies, against the wishes of her traditional village. An Oscar for Singapore? Indeed, Raintree is looking to exciting years ahead. What about Oscar aspirations? Mr Yun reckoned: "When I saw Jack and Megan on TV, it's now a reality that Singaporeans are there on the same stage as all these regional players and being affirmed by the industry that we are the best in certain categories. "It makes us want to do more so that we can compete for the major categories like Best Actor, Best Movie, Best Director ?Golden Horse Awards are for the east. Maybe a similar type of festival with our English titles like Sundance and Cannes or the foreign film (category) in the international awards at the Golden Globes or the Oscars." "When we say it, people may just say 'dream on' ?I used to think that awards are the icing on the cake but awards are a strong motivating factor for creative people. Only when you are involved, when you have such an award in hand can you fully realise how it can really inspire you to achieve more." Truly, we will be waiting for the many more home runs to come. Source: The New Paper |
