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SINGAPORE has landed a starring role in the Asian movie scene, thanks to a Hollywood production company's move to set up a regional base here with a $75 million fund to bankroll films.
Hyde Park Entertainment intends to make mainstream flicks, as well as more regional flavoured movies with broader appeal.
Singapore film-makers and scriptwriters can also get in on the act as the Los Angeles-based firm is keen to roll out the red carpet for anyone with good ideas.
Got a good idea? Here's funding
HYDE Park Entertainment chief executive Ashok Amritraj plans to spend his $75 million Asian fund on a 'mixture of major Hollywood films and cross-cultural titles aimed at a global audience'.
Media projects like animated features or video games may also be considered.
He said he would fund any project as long as there was 'a good reason to buy a ticket'.
That is good news for Singapore film-makers and script-writers with good ideas.
If all goes well - that means financially as well as in other ways, such as helping the Singapore and Asian film industry grow - Mr Amritraj will consider putting more money into the initiative.
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Hyde Park has built up a solid track record on the silver screen. It produced the Sandra Bullock hit Premonition, as well as Walking Tall, which starred former professional wrestler Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
It also has a number of regional films now under production, including The Other End Of The Line, starring Desperate Housewives hunk Jesse Metcalfe and Bollywood starlet Shriya Saran, and Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li, starring Smallville star Kristen Kreuk and Singapore actor Edmund Chen.
Chief executive officer (CEO) Ashok Amritraj is looking to spend his $75 million Asian fund on a 'mixture of major Hollywood films and cross-cultural titles aimed at a global audience'. He also did not rule out media projects like animated features or video games.
And while Hyde Park's main focus in the region will be on films that are 'a little more mainstream', Mr Amritraj said he would consider funding any project as long as there was 'a good reason to buy a ticket'.
He expects to invest in about 10 feature films in Asia over the next five years.
If all goes well - that means financially as well as in other ways, such as helping the Singapore and Asian film industry grow - Mr Amritraj will consider putting more money into the initiative.
He said Hyde Park decided to set up its office and film fund in Singapore because the country's central location would make it easier to identify talent and investment opportunities around the region.
Dr Christopher Chia, CEO of the Media Development Authority (MDA), said Hyde Park's presence 'further strengthens Singapore's position as a media business exchange where... projects are created, financed and distributed'.
The MDA confirmed that the Government had provided support for Hyde Park's initiative, but declined to give details.
Singapore film-maker Juan Foo, who made the horror flick Return To Pontianak and the drama Perth, cheered the development.
The presence of an 'international, commercially driven player like Hyde Park is something Singapore needs', he said.
He hoped the move would help more Singapore projects and stories make it to movie screens around the world.
Hyde Park expects to have a site for its Singapore office nailed down within the next few months with hiring to start soon after. It also has an outlet in India for distributing its movies there.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 16, 2008
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