Celestial Pictures is an entertainment-based company focused on
Asian-language film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
and content, encompassing production's, aggregation, distribution, and
TV channels. It is headquartered in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, and owned by Astro Overseas Limited.
Celestial Pictures owns the
Shaw Brothers Film Library, which is one of the world's largest collection of Chinese film. The library comprises over 760 feature films, including
The Five Venoms, Hex,
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' ( zh, t=少林三十六房, also released as ''The Master Killer'' and ''Shaolin Master Killer'') is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio, directed by Lau Kar-leung from a screenplay ...
,
One-Armed Swordsman
''The One-Armed Swordsman'' is a 1967 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. Directed by Chang Cheh, it was the first of the new style of ''wuxia'' films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodle ...
,
King Boxer
''King Boxer'' (, released in the United States as ''Five Fingers of Death'') is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio, directed by Jeong Chang-hwa, starring Lo Lieh, and featuring fight choreography by Lau Kar-wi ...
, and
The Flying Guillotine. These films have been digitally restored for global distribution.
History
The company purchased the Shaw Brothers film library in 2000
when it was then called "East Asia Filmed Entertainment Ltd" and owned by the Malaysian media group
Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd. Astro Holdings were in turn controlled by
Usaha Tegas Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian investment holding company.
In 2001, under the Chinese name , the company produced two films:
Comic King () and Stowaway (). It took up the current Chinese name in 2002.
Celestial's television channel operations include
Celestial Movies,
Celestial Classic Movies, and
WATA, a Chinese
infotainment
Infotainment (a portmanteau of ''information'' and ''entertainment''), also called soft news as a way to distinguish it from serious journalism or hard news, is a type of media, usually television or online, that provides a combination of inform ...
channel. Additionally,
Shaw Bros. movies distributed by Celestial are shown in America on
El Rey Network
El Rey Network (Spanish for ''The King'') is a media brand founded by Robert Rodriguez on December 15, 2013, that is currently owned in a joint venture with FactoryMade Ventures.
Until December 31, 2020, El Rey was a cable and satellite network ...
as part of its "Flying Five Finger One Armed Eight Pole Shaolin Exploding Death Touch Tuesdays" block.
References
* All The Content (2008), All The Content, ''Celestial Pictures to offer Mobile Content in Europe Inks Agreement with AllTheContent to Distribute Kung Fu Clips'', retrieved on June 17, 2009
http://www.allthecontent.com/news/celestial-pictures-to-offer-mobile-content-in-europe-inks-agreement-with-allthecontent-to-distribute-kung-fu-clips.html* Hong Kong Cinema (2009), Hong Kong Cinema - Shaw Brothers News - Celestial, retrieved on June 17, 2009
* Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, ''Celestial Pictures Limited donates film library to HK Film Archive (with photos)'', retrieved June 17, 2009
* Mark Pollard, Kung Fu Cinema (2009), Celestial Pictures: Kung Fu Cinema, retrieved on June 17, 2009
http://www.kungfucinema.com/tag/celestial-pictures* Mark Pollard, Kung Fu Cinema (2009), Celestial Pictures: Kung Fu Cinema, ''Celestial donates Shaw library to HK Film Archive'', retrieved on June 17, 2009
http://www.kungfucinema.com/celestial-donates-shaw-library-to-hk-film-archive-6972* Mark Pollard, Kung Fu Cinema (2009), Celestial Pictures: Kung Fu Cinema, ''Shaw films leave U.S. and head to Russia'', retrieved on June 17, 2009
http://www.kungfucinema.com/shaw-films-pack-up-in-us-and-head-to-russia-4361*
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* Screen International (2007), Screen International, ''Celestial Pictures launches kung-fu mobile TV channel'', retrieved on June 17, 2009
http://www.screendaily.com/celestial-pictures-launches-kung-fu-mobile-tv-channel/4033356.article
External links
Celestial Pictures websiteCelestial Movies websiteCelestial Tiger Entertainment website
{{Authority control
Astro Malaysia Holdings
Film production companies of Hong Kong
Television production companies
Mass media companies established in 2000
Mass media companies disestablished in 2011