BEIJING, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, is pleased to announce a collaboration with Clover Films to co-produce four upcoming movies. This marks the first collaboration between the two companies in content creation and will be an important foray by Singapore media companies into the China entertainment market. Clover Films will be handling international distribution rights for the slate of movies while iQIYI will be handling distribution for the movies in China.
The four movies, to be shot primarily in Mandarin, will be helmed respectively by prominent Singapore directors Kelvin Tong, Melvin Mak, Ong Kuo Sin & Tay Ping Hui.
This collaboration between Clover Films and iQIYI seeks to merge talents between the two countries and create stories told by Singaporean filmmakers that cater to the wider Chinese language audience across Asia. The four movies will be shot over a span of two years and the first to go into production is comedy REUNION DINNER (working title), written and directed by Ong Kuo Sin, whose most recent works include the Golden Horse Awards nominated film NUMBER 1. More details, including the stellar regional cast lined up for the movie, will be announced at a later stage.
"We are excited to be partnering with iQIYI on this excellent slate of movies by four sterling Singapore filmmakers. We have always believed in our local talent pool and are glad that our partners at iQIYI are as invested as we are in promoting Singaporean talent. We aim to produce movies that would connect to audiences in the China and Southeast Asian markets and this requires great support from iQIYI and our four directors. We are grateful for their trust in Clover Films." says Mr Lim Teck, Managing Director of Clover Films.
Ms Song Jia, Vice President of iQIYI and General Manager of iQIYI Film Business Centre added, "We are very excited about this collaboration and we look forward to working together with Clover Films. iQIYI has always been giving utmost support to outstanding filmmakers in all aspects, from content creation to distribution. We are honored to work with these four distinguished Singaporean directors whose past works have gained great recognition in China, and we look forward to showcasing their upcoming works to the audiences in China, and to strengthen China and Singapore's partnership in the filmmaking industry. iQIYI will be working hand-in-hand with Clover Films on various aspects of the four movies, from producing, to marketing and promotions and more, to help push the four movies to a larger market."
In 2019, iQIYI formed a partnership with Astro, the largest media brand in Malaysia, to bring the Company's quality contents to Malaysian audiences. In China, iQIYI is working with a growing number of filmmakers and platforms to create good content, accelerating its development in the film industry and building a broader distribution model for filmmakers. Multiple quality films, including Let Life Be Beautiful, The Summer is Gone, Youth, Balloon, Mirrors and Feathers, have won prestigious awards in international and domestic film festivals. Going forward, the company will continue promoting quality film making to further enrich consumption choices for audiences.
ABOUT iQIYI
iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user generated content. The company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified monetization model including membership services, online advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce.
ABOUT CLOVER FILMS
CLOVER FILMS, established in 2009, specializes in the distribution and production of Asian movies, with an emphasis on the Singapore and Malaysia markets.
Since its inception, Clover Films has co-produced and marketed more than 30 local movies. This includes the highest-grossing Asian movie of all time Ah Boys To Men II and the highly acclaimed Ramen Teh. Other quality home-grown movies produced includes Ah Boys to Men, 23:59, Ghost Child, Filial Party, King of Mahjong, Mr Unbelievable, Lucky Boy and The Big Day.
A key player in the Singapore movie scene, Clover Films has distributed more than 250 movies, including the record-breaking Korean zombie blockbuster Train to Busan, Jackie Chan's CZ12 and other high-profile movies such as Jay Chou's The Viral Factor, John Woo's The Reign of Assassins, Andy Lau's Shockwave, Dante Lam's Operation Red Sea, Korean war epic The Battleship Island, 2018 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or award winner Shoplifters and Oscar-winning dark comedy Parasite which took the world by storm.
In 2020, Clover Films has expanded its content production portfolio and is involved in developing and producing content for OTT/VOD and television platforms.
