Asia entertainment industry veterans, Indra and Erlina Suharjono, launch their new company – I.E. Entertainment – today, kicking off the Singapore-based global venture with exclusive distribution and remake rights to the iconic Cathay-Keris Films’ Chinese and Malay libraries.
This is the first time that any of the movies are being adapted.
I.E. Entertainment will also develop, produce, market and distribute content around the world, and will work with Asian filmmakers and production studios to create fresh slates of content that speak to shifting tastes and audiences.
In addition, the company will handle licensing and merchandising for live-action and animation content.
The first Cathay-Keris Films’ titles properties being re-developed into contemporary features are "Sun, Moon and Star Part 1 & 2" (太陽月亮星星) – 1961 and "The Greatest Civil War On Earth" (南北和) – trilogy.
The Cathay catalogues house 166 Chinese titles and 91 Malay titles, across a wide range of genres, including comedy, drama and musicals.
Ultimately owned by Meileen Choo’s Cathay Organisation, the films have been professionally restored and archived in Hong Kong and Singapore.
“The library is a rich source of fresh stories, particularly for China, Korea and Japan,” Indra said this morning.
“It opens up lots of opportunities to use tried and tested successful stories to be updated and tailor-made to suit local audiences in various countries,” she added.
Although they are still popular features on the festival circuit around the world, the films from the 1950s and 1960s have for the most part been commercially mothballed for more than four decades.
The emergence of streaming platforms with their voracious appetites for content has created new demand.
"Over the last five years, the real winners across the Asian continent have largely been local releases,” I.E. Entertainment co-founder Erlina said.
“Asian filmgoers tend to pivot to local content vs. Hollywood titles. There are more homegrown talents and stories in Asia that we could tap," she added.
Between them, the Suharjono sisters have 60+ years of experience in Asia’s media industry.
Indra is currentl...
Asia entertainment industry veterans, Indra and Erlina Suharjono, launch their new company – I.E. Entertainment – today, kicking off the Singapore-based global venture with exclusive distribution and remake rights to the iconic Cathay-Keris Films’ Chinese and Malay libraries.
This is the first time that any of the movies are being adapted.
I.E. Entertainment will also develop, produce, market and distribute content around the world, and will work with Asian filmmakers and production studios to create fresh slates of content that speak to shifting tastes and audiences.
In addition, the company will handle licensing and merchandising for live-action and animation content.
The first Cathay-Keris Films’ titles properties being re-developed into contemporary features are "Sun, Moon and Star Part 1 & 2" (太陽月亮星星) – 1961 and "The Greatest Civil War On Earth" (南北和) – trilogy.
The Cathay catalogues house 166 Chinese titles and 91 Malay titles, across a wide range of genres, including comedy, drama and musicals.
Ultimately owned by Meileen Choo’s Cathay Organisation, the films have been professionally restored and archived in Hong Kong and Singapore.
“The library is a rich source of fresh stories, particularly for China, Korea and Japan,” Indra said this morning.
“It opens up lots of opportunities to use tried and tested successful stories to be updated and tailor-made to suit local audiences in various countries,” she added.
Although they are still popular features on the festival circuit around the world, the films from the 1950s and 1960s have for the most part been commercially mothballed for more than four decades.
The emergence of streaming platforms with their voracious appetites for content has created new demand.
"Over the last five years, the real winners across the Asian continent have largely been local releases,” I.E. Entertainment co-founder Erlina said.
“Asian filmgoers tend to pivot to local content vs. Hollywood titles. There are more homegrown talents and stories in Asia that we could tap," she added.
Between them, the Suharjono sisters have 60+ years of experience in Asia’s media industry.
Indra is currently senior media advisor to publicly listed JKN Global Media PLC, Thailand, and sits on the board of Cathay Organisation Holdings. She was previously CEO of Next Animation Studio in Taiwan. She also spent a decade with Viacom International Media Networks Asia in various roles, including managing director for Asia.
Erlina spent 24 years in multiple roles at Warner Bros. Pictures International and has also held multiple roles with Cathay Organisation. In 2015, she became the first Asian and the first woman to be awarded the Cinemacon Passepartout Award for expanding the moviegoing experience in Asia. She was also awarded the 2007 Distributor of the Year Award by CineAsia.