THE SCREENING ROOM
Following four documentaries highlighting the power and reach of Asia-Pacific cinema, CNN's monthly film show 'The Screening Room' will include highlights of the Asia Pacifc Screen Awards in a special edition from Australia. Myleene Klass hosts the half-hour program from the November 11 ceremony on Australia's Gold Coast including interviews with the nominees, winners and judges. 'The Screening Room' airs November 26 - December 1, for more details go to www.cnn.com/thescreeningroom
SCENE BY SCENE PROFILES
THE BEST OF ASIA-PACIFIC FILMMAKERS
Thailand: On location with Royal Filmmaker, HRH Prince Chatri of Thailand, directing his latest epic The Legend of King Naresuan.
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards in association with CNN International, as joint producers, presented the power and reach of Asia-Pacific cinema through a series of documentaries which aired across CNN International’s network in 2008. The Scene By Scene series provided Asia-Pacific filmmakers and actors with global television coverage; CNN International broadcasts reach more than 230 million households and hotel rooms around the world in more than 200 countries and territories. The four programs journeyed to vastly different countries and continents, exposing to the world the unique and challenging circumstances under which the talented filmmakers of the vast Asia-Pacific region operate. A fifth globally-broadcast program, featuring highlights of the 2008 APSA ceremony, will air on CNN’s monthly movie program, The Screening Room in November and December.
Episode One: New Zealand / Pakistan / Thailand
October 4–6, 2008
NEW ZEALAND
Scene By Scene gets a rare tour of what’s become known as ‘Wellywood’—the state-of-the-art filmmaking empire established in the New Zealand capital, Wellington, by Academy Award winner, Peter Jackson, and business partner, Richard Taylor. The best example of Weta Workshop may be Gollum from Lord of the Rings, but Taylor says the movie world is about to be stunned by James Cameron’s Avatar and Steven Spielberg and Jackson’s Tintin which are both in production in Weta.
PAKISTAN
The Australian film Son of a Lion, filmed in Pakistan, tells the story of a young boy born into a family of gun manufacturers in remote Pakistan who prefers school. It’s a significant achievement for director, Benjamin Gilmour, an Australian paramedic who ventured into the remote and dangerous Pashtun area of North West Pakistan to make the film.
THAILAND
Scene By Scene goes on location with Thailand’s royal filmmaker, Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol, as he shoots an epic period story involving thousands of extras and over 200 elephants. One of the best known and most successful Thai film directors, Chatri’s film Suriyothai became the country’s highest grossing film earning more than $18 million at the box office.
Episode Two: Russia / Jordan / Palestinian Territories
October 11–13, 2008
RUSSIA
From just $65 million ticket sales in 2001 to $500 million in 2007, Scene By Scene takes an inside look at the world’s fastest growing film industry, interviewing the renowned producer, Alexander Rodnyansky. He talks candidly about his fears of a return to authoritarianism and has been told personally by Russian Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, that there are limits to what filmmakers can do.
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Scene By Scene travels to Palestine and interviews two wellknown filmmakers. Having produced a number of award-winning documentaries including ljtiyah (Invasion), Live from Palestine and Tahadi (Challenge), director/producer, Raed Andoni is currently producing Fix Me, a personal journey into the political and cultural environment of Palestine. Scene By Scene also talks to filmmaker/poet, Annemarie Jacir, who was named one of Filmmaker magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Cinema, but has been denied entry to the Palestinian Territories.
JORDAN
Scene By Scene examines how Jordan’s new film industry is by royal command. Her Royal Highness, Princess Rym Ali, a board member of the Royal Film Commission, lays out the Royal Family’s vision to make Jordan a powerhouse of Middle Eastern cinema by attracting filmmakers from all over the region. Jordanian director, Amin Matalqa, also talks on his decision to return from Los Angeles to direct an award winning film, Captain Abu Raed.
Episode Three: Israel / India
October 18–20, 2008
INDIA
Even bigger and more popular than Bollywood, Scene By Scene focuses on the Telugu cinema in southern India, known as Tollywood and interviews one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, actor and director, Ashutosh Gowarikar, whose film Lagaan was nominated for an Oscar in 2001. He shares with Scene By Scene his latest directorial work, Jodhaa Akbar, a period movie starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.
ISRAEL
Scene By Scene talks to Eran Riklis, one of Israel’s leading filmmakers. Growing up in Israel, and having lived in the USA and Brazil, Riklis directed numerous TV dramas and documentaries for Israeli television. His best known film Syrian Bride won the top award at Montreal Film Festival and the most recent film Lemon Tree entered in this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Episode Four: China / Australia
November 1–3, 2008
AUSTRALIA
Director Baz Luhrmann, whose highly original cinematic eye has aken him to the heights of his profession with smash hits such as Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge, has now overseen one of the most expensive and ambitious films ever shot in Australia, an epic period drama to compare with Gone With The Wind, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Scene By Scene goes behind the scenes of Australia and chats with the director about his latest production.
CHINA
Scene By Scene visits the set of Mao’s Last Dancer, the newest film of Academy Award nominated director and Asia Pacific Screen Awards Jury President, Bruce Beresford, which tells the true story of Li Cunxin, a boy from a poverty stricken home in rural China who becomes one of the world’s most celebrated ballet dancers. Scene By Scene also hears from the movie’s leading actor, Chi Cao.
Episode Five: ‘The Screening Room’
Asia Pacific Screen Awards Special
November 26–30, December 1, 2008
AUSTRALIA’S GOLD COAST
CNN’s monthly movie program, The Screening Room, features highlights of the star-studded 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony on Australia’s Gold Coast. Hosted by acclaimed English star, Myleene Klass, the 30 minute documentary goes behind-the-scenes of the region’s highest accolade in film.
CNN International
CNN is the world's leading global 24-hour news network and one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. The CNN brand is available to two billion people via 18 CNN branded TV, internet and mobile services produced by CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System Inc and a Time Warner company. CNN International is the international directorate of CNN Worldwide and distributes news via 14 services in seven different languages. CNN International can be seen in more than 231 million households and hotel rooms in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, including more than 36 million across the Asia-Pacific region and online at www.cnn.com/international.
What the world saw on CNN International in 2007
