1. Shanghai’s Movie Theaters Get $2.5 million Relief Fund

Shanghai Film Bureau has just set up a $2.5 million (approximately 18 million yuan) relief fund for a total number of 375 local movie theaters in the municipality. The financial aid package draws positive feedback from theater owners in the city who have been struggling to pay rents and bills after months of losses of revenues and mandated shutdowns.

Right after the outbreak of of COVID-19, some 10,00 theaters around the country has been closed since January, despite a brief 10-day opening in March. Before the crisis, China’s movie industry boasted the top box offices of the world, but now facing a devastating decline. 

2. HKIFF44 Reveals Its Showcasing List

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF44) , which was earlier postponed due to the COVID19 pandemic, announced that the 44th edition of the festival will be held as a physical event as re-scheduled from August 18-30, 2020. 

Meanwhile, HKIFF44 confirmed that there will be live screenings showcasing scores of the latest and most diverse and award-winning films. Roy Andersson’s ”About Endlessness” (Best Director at the 76th Venice Film Festival), Tsai Ming-Liang’s “Days” (Berlin International Film Festival Awarded Film), Pedro Costa’s “Vitalina Varela” (Locarno International Film Festival’s Golden Leopard Awarded Film), Patricio Guzman’s “The Cordillera of Dreams” (Cannes International Film Festival’s Best Documentary Awarded Film) , and Pema Tseden’s “Balloon” are among the highlights of the Masters and Auteurs section.

Additionally, HKIFF44 will present ten restored classics by master filmmakers, including The Circus (1928), The Cameraman (1928), Street Angel (1928), Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971), Two Solutions for One Problem (1975) (short film), Tribute to the Teachers (1977) (short film), First Case, Second Case (1979), Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003), Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (2019).

3. China’s Annual Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival Is Likely to Take a Raincheck

China’s top national film festival, the 29th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival (the 35th Hundred Flowers Awards), will be held this autumn in Zhengzhou, the capital city of China’s central Henan province. But the date of the event is not set yet, due to the uncertainties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its staff.

The Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival is actually the combination of two festivals, combined into one in 1992. The annual award is best known for the "expert award," as the results are decided by filmmakers, critics, experts and film scholars.