PURIN PICTURES CASH
Purin Pictures, a non-profit Asian film financier, is to give grants to two Burmese, two Cambodian, two Thai, and one Indonesian project in its latest funding round. “We are excited to support multiple projects from Myanmar and Cambodia, two countries that have less developed film industries than their Southeast Asian neighbors,” said Purin Pictures co-director Anocha Suwichakornpong. Production grants worth $30,000 each go to “The Beer Girl in Yangon,” by Sein Lyan Tun, “Fruit Gathering,” by Aung Phyoe, both debut featuring new voices in Burmese cinema, and “9 Temples to Heaven,” the debut fiction feature of Sompot Chidgasornpongse.
Post-production grants of $35,000 each go to documentaries “Tongue of Water,” by Polen Ly and “Double Jeopardy,” by Phally Ngoeum, both shining a light on the struggle of Cambodian individuals against the larger forces of the state, and documentaries “Monisme ,”by Riar Rizaldi and “Breaking the Cycle,” by Akeaphong Saransate and Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn. The latter two had previously received Purin’s cash at production stage. “Because their subject matter may be less commercial, some films need to rely more on grants,” said Suwichakornpong.
HONG KONG BANS THREE TAIWAN FILMS
Hong Kong authorities have banned three movies from Taiwan – “The Runaways,” “The Three Little Boys,” and “Quarantine Denny” – from screening at local film festivals. The report of their banning first appeared on the BBC’s Chinese language portal. The Hong Kong Government’s Office of Film, Newspapers, and Articles Administration was given new powers of censorship last year and is required to take into account national security considerations. None of the three films touch on sovereignty in Hong Kong, though a Taiwan flag can be seen in one. Many aspects of life in Hong Kong are becoming closely aligned with policies and governance in the Chinese mainland. The Chinese government does not consider democratically run Taiwan to be a separate state. Rather it considers the island to be a rebel province which must be brought to heel, by force if necessary.
The films were set to have played at the Image Without Borders 2022 Film Festival, the Panda International Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival organized by the Independent Short Film and Video Media Festival