HONOLULU (U.S. ASIAN WIRE) — October 19, 2009 — AsiaPacificFilms.com streams an extensive library of award-winning films on the Internet by individual or package subscription. The brainchild of former film festival director Jeannette Hereniko, APF targets English speaking audiences around the world by providing feature length films produced in more than a dozen Asian and Pacific region countries. Hereniko, President of AsiaPacificFilms.com developed APF to provide broad exposure to cinema; which due to lack of distribution channels is rarely viewed by wide-audiences. She says, “AsiaPacificFilms.com is a premier collection of independent Asia and Pacific films that entertains, educates and inspires people to think beyond boundaries.”
A large and varied selection of films from Azerbaijan, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam is among those that have been digitized and are available on AsiaPacificFilms.com. Each film has been reviewed for inclusion by veteran film curators and most have achieved international recognition and awards.
Currently 41 films produced in Iran are featured on AsiaPacificFilms.com including The Pear Tree and 17 other films by iconic director Dariush Mehrjui. Chinese cinema is also well represented in the initial AsiaPacificFilms.com offerings with 25 productions including Little Moth (Xue Chan) directed by Tao Peng and All the Way (走到底) (Zou dao di) by director Shi Renjiu. 1997’s Motel Cactus (모텔 선인장) from director Park Ki-yong headlines the library of more than two dozen films from South Korea. It is a steamy narrative of people’s lives and relationships, all of which takes place in a single motel room in Seoul. The Thai film Black Silk from director Ratana Pestonji was shot in cinemascope in 1961 and is noted for its visual superiority. Other films representing the wide genre of offerings in the AsiaPacificFilms.com collection include Indonesia’s Tjoet Nja Dhien and India’s Shelter of the Wings.
“By streaming culturally and historically significant films from Asia & the Pacific and making them available online in high resolution, the AsiaPacificFilms.com visionaries are actually revolutionizing the way Asian and Pacific cinemas, cultures, histories, literatures, and politics are being taught and learned in the classroom,” said Shaoyi Sun, Professor of Film & Media Studies, Shanghai University/USC. “I teach Chinese cinema and culture across the Pacific, both in Shanghai and in Los Angeles. What frustrates me most is the corporate monopoly over access to certain DVDs via the regional coding system. Asia Pacific Films.com promises to break this monopoly and other barriers, making a highly selective body of cinematic gems from Asia and the Pacific easily accessible globally.”
NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) was instrumental in the formation and development of AsiaPacificFilms.com. This is a well respected international organization and it awards prizes at most of the major international film festivals that show Asian films. All AsiaPacficFilms.com curators and company president Hereniko are NETPAC members. The complete streamed library and pricing information are available at AsiaPacificFilms.com. Additional offerings will be added frequently.
Dan Dennison
News Manager
808-664-3249
dandennison@asiapacificfilms.com