Development, production, finance and distribution consortium AMBI Group has announced partnership with Beijing-based film financing and licensing company SinoLicensing on a new company, AMBI-Sino, which will finance, produce and distribute content in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The partnership is also being touted as a way to cut down on intellectual property piracy within the middle kingdom.
AMBI-Sino will produce and finance both Chinese and English language original content with with Chinese partners, and also serve as a local production partner for AMBI productions and third-party projects. SinoLicensing CEO Chuan “Melody” Bi and AMBI co-owner Andrea Iervolino will be overseeing day to day operations.
Based in Beijing, AMBI-Sino will initially produced Chinese-language remakes of titles currently distributed by AMBI, making use of AMBI-owned intellectual properties that include films like Memento, Sliding Doors, Ides of March, The Way Back, and more. Projects selected for Chinese remake will be produced in cooperation with local and international funding partners. In addition to English and Chinese feature films, AMBI-Sino will co-produce and co-finance local Chinese content in a variety of distribution platforms and formats, including games.
"For years I looked at China as the biggest opportunity in our business, and for years I have studied the country looking for the best way to build a business there, and for the right local partner to work with, expanding on my 6-year working experience there in the electronics sector,” said Iervolino in a statement. “I am glad we finally found this in the team headed by Melody. We are excited about the opportunity to create a China-based extension of our Company, which will prove extraordinarily valuable not only to us, but also to the network of producers, distributors and content creators that are joining us on a daily basis. The ability to operate in China as a Chinese company, with highly respected local partners, will multiply and streamline our opportunities there and around the world.”
"This partnership will allow us to bring the highest quality Hollywood content to the Chinese audience, as well as local language adaptations, and merchandising opportunities. This partnership will also allow SinoLicensing to achieve its mission of fostering growth for legitimate entertainment properties in China,” Added Bi. “We will be combatting the local piracy of AMBI’s, our partners’ and our intellectually properties. The China film industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in the world and we are excited to work with Andrea and the AMBI team, who not only have strong passion for the China market, but also respect and understand the differences and uniqueness of the local audience and ecosystem here. The partnership of SinoLicensing and AMBI will leverage the resources and strengths of both companies to deliver the highest caliber content to a global audience.”