33POSTCARDS RELEASED IN 2000 CINEMAS IN CHINA                     A SPECIAL SCREENING TO BE ORGANIZED IN CANBERRA 

THE LARGEST THEATRICAL RELEASE OF AN AUSTRALIAN FILM TO DATE

33POSTCARDS will receive the largest theatrical release of an Australian film in China.  According to the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Association's statistics, to the end of this half-year, there are around 2000 cinemas in China. The Mandarin version of the official Australia/China co-production will be released into every cinema in China when it opens on September 2, 2011.

Shot in NSW and at the Hengdian World Studios in China, 33POSTCARDS was directed by Pauline Chan and produced by Portal Pictures and Zhejiang Hengdian Film Productions, in association with IFS Capital Limited and Screen NSW.

Starring Guy Pearce, Zhu Lin, Claudia Karvan, Elaine Jin and Lincoln Lewis, 33POSTCARDS  world premiered at the Sydney Film Festival where it was awarded the Sydney Film Festival CRC Award. In June the film received its international premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival, with lead actress Zhu Lin receiving the Shanghai International Film Festival Asian New Talent Award for her debut performance in 33POSTCARDS.

33POSTCARDS tells the tale of Chinese orphan Mei Mei (Zhu Lin) who for ten years dreams of meeting her Australian sponsor - Dean Randall (Guy Pearce). At 16, when her orphanage travels to Australia to attend a Choir Festival, Mei Mei takes the opportunity to look him up.  What she finds however is far from the idyllic life he depicted in his postcards.  Initially mismatched and disconnected – the two begin a journey in search of belonging, family, redemption, love and acceptance.

Since screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival last month, the film has been announced ’In Competition’ for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2011 as well as being selected for other major international film festivals.  33POSTCARDS will be released theatrically in Australia in November 2011 through Titan View, and is being represented for international sales by Arclight Films.

As part of The Year of Chinese Culture in Australia, a special screening of 33POSTCARDS will be organized in Canberra on Nov 2nd.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

PLEASE CONTACT   Catherine Lavelle, CLPR                                                                                        T: 0413 88 55 95            E: catherine@clpr.com.au