film diplomacy

Britain's government has suspended the distribution of an animated film designed to stop young Muslims from becoming Islamic extremists. The short movie, called "Wish You Waziristan", is a cautionary tale about two British brothers who travel to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region in order to become jihadi fighters after seeing a racist beating.

A Chinese film festival will be launched in both Myanmar's new capital of Nay Pyi Taw and the former capital of Yangon next month under the culture exchange program of Myanmar and China. The Chinese film week, which will last from June 11 to 17, will be the first since 2006.

The Little Red Dot will become the focus of the film world when movie icons such as Tom Hanks, Oliver Stone and Zhang Ziyi descend on the city-state for the first-ever ScreenSingapore. The cinema event hopes to establish the city-state as a regional hub of the global film industry.

While the story of the goofy panda who sets out to be a kung fu master enthralled audiences three years ago, the second edition of this animated feature has run into controversy with the Chinese public. Many feel that the film twists the premise and base of Chinese culture to its convenience.

Bollywood fever is sweeping Africa's political capital, with a week-long festival of 14 films, including blockbusters like Sholay and 3 Idiots, enthralling cinegoers.

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time: greet visitors to the New Zealand capital with a giant white "Wellywood" sign celebrating the country's booming film industry. The fact it was a rip-off of the famous "Hollywood" sign has infuriated residents, who have denounced it as lame and tacky.

Say Myanmar and most people will think of its military junta, the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi and the problems of a country led by an oppressive regime. But three young skateboarding filmmakers from the United Kingdom headed out there in 2009 to film "Burma behind the headlines."

More Hollywood films are opening outside the United States, a reflection of the growing importance of the international market to the world’s major studios. A new film trade event, ScreenSingapore, is designed to capitalize on the trend by offering the studios a springboard to Asian filmgoers.

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