CELESTIAL’S SHAW BROTHERS MARTIAL ARTS MOVIES TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY MANGA FILMS IN SPAIN


The Spanish film industry is viewed by many these days as the critical link between Europe, the US and Latin America cinema. In recent years, a wave of young, Spanish directorial talents have surfaced, such as Pedro Almodovar, Alejandro Amenabar, Fernando Leon de Aranoa and Cesc Gay. Between them, they have helped to gradually develop Spain as a film-making powerhouse. Similarly, when the Hong Kong film industry was establishing itself in the 1960’s and 70’s, the likes of Chang Cheh, Liu Chia-liang, Li Han-hsiang and Chu Yuan all came to prominence to become cinematic icons of Chinese motion pictures. All four of these great directors were part of the famous Shaw Brothers Studio.


The Shaw Brothers Studio film collection, to which Celestial Pictures owns worldwide rights, encompasses approximately 760 Chinese-language films, spanning all genres of Hong Kong cinema. The films range from unforgettable period dramas to enchanting musicals, from charming romantic comedies to chilling horror fantasies to renowned martial-arts masterpieces. The studio’s successes over the years have contributed significantly to helping Hong Kong earn its reputation as “Hollywood East”.


Most of the Shaw Brothers movie gems had not been available to audiences since their initial theatrical releases, until Celestial Pictures began releasing fully restored versions in theaters and on video and DVD formats in late 2002. Spanish audiences will soon be able to sample the Shaw Brothers magic too, as Manga Films has concluded a licensing deal for the distribution of the Shaw Brothers movies for Spain and Andorra.


Manga Films will distribute Shaw Brothers’ martial arts titles for video and television. Xavier Catafal, Vice-President of Manga Films remarked: “Thanks to the huge success of films such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Matrix and most recently Kill Bill, coupled with the growing international popularity of the likes of John Woo, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung etc., the world has developed an increasing interest and appetite for Hong Kong cinema. We are very proud to be given the opportunity to launch here in Spain a selection of the best martial-arts masterpieces in the sensational Shaw Brothers library”.


William Pfeiffer, CEO of Celestial Pictures commented: “Celestial Pictures is honored to bring the Shaw Brothers movies gems to the Spanish and Andorran audiences. We would like to thank Mr. Xavier Catafal and his team at Manga Films for their enthusiasm towards the incomparable Shaw Brothers films. With Manga’s expertise in the distribution of movies into the Spanish market, we are confident that they will do a fantastic job in presenting the Shaw Brothers titles to this new territory for Celestial Pictures.”