T.O.P. Action Drama Promoted, New Films Announced, Industry Tie-Ins Launched at Festival

The still of "Out of Control".
 

　　South Korean pop idol Choi Seung-hyun, better known by stage name T.O.P., Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung, and American actor Michael Trevino gathered yesterday to promote the highly-anticipated action film "Out of Control" at the 2016 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival.

　　A joint directorial effort of German filmmaker Axel Sand and Chinese director Lin Tao, the film centers on a big Chinese star who teams up with a cop to fight a mysterious evil force. It has recently completed the shooting of lavish fight and car-racing scenes in Germany, South Korea, America and China.

　　T.O.P., also a member of South Korean boy band Big Bang, recalled his adventurous experience in the movie of jumping out of a helicopter, joking that it has cured him of acrophobia.

　　A charity auction of film properties, costumes and the stars\' personal collections was also held yesterday. All proceeds will go to handicapped and needy children.

　　Yesterday\'s festival also revealed that the suspense thriller "The Whisper," set against the backdrop of an old building on the Bund in Shanghai, will hit cinemas across China on July 22.

　　The film follows a series of weird occurrences after a novelist moves into an old apartment in Shanghai. It is one of the few homegrown thriller productions which have caught media attention and is featured in the festival\'s Media Award program.

　　Officials from Jiabo Culture Group announced the company\'s cooperation on several new productions with Hollywood director Renny Harlin, known for "Cliffhanger" and "Cutthroat Island." The collaboration will produce 10 new movies of diverse styles, including youth drama "Sweet Sixteen," romance film "Crimson Romance" and a new installment of "Iron Sky," a sci-fi co-production. Many of the films will be globally distributed and screened.

　　Shanghai Film Group also signed a strategic cooperative contract with the prestigious Babelsberg Studio, a historical hub of German cinema and the first large-scale film studio in the world.

　　The partners will jointly invest 2 billion yuan to build new studios at Shanghai Film Park. They will have extensive cooperation in film production and distribution.