Cannes Market Dailies

SHOOTING TO COMMENCE ON WANG YANG’S HIGHLY-ANTICPATED FEATURE DEBUT ‘JUNE’, STARRING AARON KWOK AND MIAO MIAO

TIANYING MEDIA IS PRODUCING AND ARRI CHINA IS CO-PRODUCING, MAKING ‘JUNE’ ARRI CHINA’S FIRST FORAY INTO CHINESE FILMS.

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CANNES: MAY 9, 2018: Production to commence mid-May in New York on Wang Yang’s (THE LITTLE VIOLINIST) highly-anticipatedsuspense drama JUNE staring Aaron Kwok (COLD WAR, PORT OF CALL, THE MONKEY KING) and Miao Miao (YOUTH). Chinese-born, NYC-based Wang makes her feature-length debut with the Chinese-language film which is inspired by her multi award-winning short THE LITTLE VIOLINIST.

Producers, Tianying Media, officially announced the project today at a press conference in Cannes. The film’s stars, Aaron Kwok,Miao Miao and newcomer Jarvis Wu, were all in attendance to support the project. Arri China is co-producing the film, which marks the first time the company is engaging in Chinese production.

JUNE follows the story of Jun (Miao Miao), an aspiring cellist who grew up in New York’s Chinatown. Her life is turned upside-down when she discovers a secret about her loving father (Aaron Kwok). Under the strain of preparing for a life-changing musiccompetition, combined with the trauma of searching through his mysterious past, life as she knows it rapidly begins to unravel.

Director Wang Yang, after winning Best Short Film at the Women’s Independent Film Festival and Best Film at the SVA Film and Media Festival, went on to screen her short film, THE LITTLE VIOLINIST, in over 40 film festivals around the world. She has since won 10 awards and was nominated for Best Director at the NBCUniversal Short Cuts Festival. The feature screenplay of JUNE was inspired by this short and was also a second-rounder in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition, a remarkable achievement from a young Chinese-American female filmmaker.

Upon making the announcement, Tianying Media’s CEO Wu Jian said, “We were drawn to the project from the talents demonstrated by Wang Yang as a burgeoning Chinese filmmaker living in New York, and we want to start an initiative whereby first-time feature filmmakers can tell their stories, and we will support them with a production platform to produce commercially successful films.”

The film’s producer, May Leung and her company Top Trend, which has been Aaron Kwok’s manager and music Production Company for over 25 years, struck a collaboration when the project was first brought to Tianying earlier this year, “We are thrilled to be shooting the movie in New York and keeping the authenticity of the Chinese lives that the movie is portraying. We are mixing talented crew from both sides of the world to help Wang Yang realise her vision.”

Tianying’s international consultant and producer Elliot Tong also commented, “The taste of the ever-changing Chinese market seems to be moving from big-budgeted fantasy period films to more personal, emotional and intimate contemporary stories that truly touch hearts. A movie like ‘JUNE’ is coming at a very poignant time in the market.”

Forest Liu, General Manager of Arri China added, “ARRI was founded by two enthusiastic young filmmakers with a dream of making movies. As such I believe the founders would be proud to see their legacy live on as we enter the growing Chinese film industry by supporting Wang Yang in her feature film debut as a co-producer and partner. We want this to just be the beginning in bringing both culturally relevant films and box office contenders to audiences in China and around the world.”

Moritz Hemminger, Deputy Head of Sales & Acquisitions at ARRI Media International, shared his excitement on JUNE, “We are thrilled to be part of this unique feature project, Yang Wang is an incredibly talented director and after reading the script, we immediately noticed that this powerful and emotional story has the potential to touch a worldwide audience.”

Arri Media is handling European Sales, with sales for the rest of the world handled by Tianying Media.

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For more information on TIANYING MEDIA please contact Organic Publicity

Joanna Sturrock |E: Joanna.Sturrock@organic-publicity.co.uk

Tiffany Kizito |E: Tiffany.Kizito@organic-publicity.co.uk

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About Tianying Media

Tianjin Tianying Film Culture Media Co.Ltd. was established in 2015. It is a film and television investment, production and distribution company.

Tianying Media is committed to creating high-quality film and television works, since its inception, through a variety of cooperation model exploration with the state-owned Tianjin North Film Group, China Film Group, and James Cameron’s Cameron Pace Group China headquarter in Tianjin, and other well-known domestic and foreign film and television institutions.

In 2017, Tianying Media acquired film and TV rights to the phenomenal online novel property “Mojin Master” which has over 1.2 billion hits in China. The “Mojin Master” feature film is currently under creative development and an online TV series is in preproduction. Mid 2017, Tianying Media co-invested in a 60 million USD sci-fi action film “Shanghai Fortress” directed by Teng Huatao, starring Shu Qi and Lu Han.

July 2017, Tianying Media and China Film Group Beijing Film Distribution Co. Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Tianying Media will be partnering with China Film Group to participate in co-distribution of films in China.

In 2018, Tianying Media is financing “June”, a suspense drama directed by Wang Yang and starring Aaron Kwok and Miao Miao, with principle photography beginning in New York City in May 2018.  In the future, Tianying Media will inherit the traditional culture, carry forward the national spirit of celebrated Chinese content, and actively explore the development of film and television industry, through open cooperation model, build cooperation platform, vigorously develop the production and distribution market, and strive to out of a suitable for their own development path.

About Arri China

ARRI China, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ARRI, which is a global company within the motion picture media industry, employing 1,500 staff worldwide. As a leading designer and manufacturer of camera and lighting systems for the film and broadcast industry, ARRI began its long history full of technical innovations, cinematic highlights, and eminent awards in 1917 in Munich, Germany. To provide better support to the Chinese film industry, ARRI China was founded in 2011 selling and servicing the full range of ARRI cinematic equipment. In recent years, ARRI China has been taking steps to expand beyond its traditional business and go further into the fields of production and co-production as a strong partner for big-screen projects.

From script to screen: As Germany’s largest post-production company, ARRI´s business unit, ARRI Media, provides a full gamut of creative and technical services in the field of film production. Its international departmental so operates as a worldwide sales agent and will manage the distribution of many films in Europe.

By Dallas Fitzmartin