Fortissimo Gets "Blood Brothers"

Alexi Tan's first feature "Blood Brothers" has been acquired for worldwide sales, outside of Asia, by Fortissimo. The $10 million Chinese language film was acquired from CMC Entertainment and Lions Rock Productions (Terrence Chang and John Woo's company). Fortissimo intends to launch sales of the film at the European Film Market in Berlin next week. The cast includes Liu Ye, Daniel Wu, Chang Chen, Shu Qi, and Tony Yang. The director studied in London and at NYU, starting his career as a still photographer. His first short film, "17.17," screening at the Brooklyn International Film Festival in 2000 and he has since directed TV commercials and music videos, as well as the 2003 short, "Double Blade." In the words of a description, "Blood Brothers" is set in 1930s Shanghai, "Three innocent young men have arrived to this seeming paradise in search of a better life. As time passes, each is forced on a different path, but all face a life of crime...With the backdrop of decadence, life takes a difficult turn for all when a forbidden love affair is exposed. Friends turn against friends, brother against brother. The days of innocence have passed; they must stand up as men and make their choices. [Eugene Hernandez]