Renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai is set to produce the film "Bai Du Ren" under Alibaba Pictures, the film production arm of the online retail giant Alibaba, the company announced on Monday. The movie will also star Hong Kong actor and frequent Wong collaborator Tony Leung and will be written and directed by Zhang Jiajia.
"Bai Du Ren," which is roughly translated as "The Ferryman" in English, is based on a short story by Zhang, who said it was about helping people facing difficulties "to get to the other side." It will be the first film to be greenlit under Alibaba Pictures since its rebranding, following Alibaba's acquisition of ChinaVision Media Group last year.
"Cooperation with Alibaba Pictures is a new experience for me because it is a film co-produced with a technology and Internet company," said Wong, who won international critical acclaim for "In the Mood for Love" (2000) and more recently for "The Grandmaster" (2013).
"The film is a combination of literature, movie and technology," Wong added.
The movie will be distributed via networks generated by Alibaba's existing online platforms, including Taobao and Tmall.com. Alibaba's mobile payments platform will also be used to facilitate online ticket sales.
"The company will leverage Alibaba Group's cloud computing and big data technologies to help tap customer demand and create a comprehensive ecosystem for its film and television production and marketing business," Alibaba Pictures Group CEO and executive director Zhang Qiang said in a prepared statement.
Described by its founder and CEO Jack Ma as the "the world's biggest entertainment company," Alibaba has made no secret of its forays in the entertainment industry. In June 2014, the group acquired music-streaming service Xiami and a 50-percent stake worth 1.2 billion yuan ($192 million) in leading Chinese soccer team Guangzhou Evergrande.
Ma also signed a deal in Nov. 2014 with Huayi Bros., China's biggest privately held media company that covers online entertainment and movie development.