BEIJING, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Youku Inc.
(NYSE: YOKU), China's leading
Internet television company ("Youku"), announced today that the
micro-movie "Walker," produced by Youku for its "Beautiful 2012"
campaign, has been selected to screen on the closing night of
Critics Week at this month's Cannes Film Festival. The 25-minute "Walker",
directed by Tsai Ming-liang, has
been one of the most hotly debated movies on Youku since it debuted
in late April, receiving nearly 20,000 comments so far.
As an incubator, Youku invited Tsai
Ming-liang and three other major Asian auteurs to contribute
web-native "micro-movies" for the launch of its year-long
"Beautiful 2012" campaign, which will offer a wide range of
compelling original content from leading creative talents. The
films were first screened at the Hong
Kong International Film Festival in late March, and became
available for viewing on Youku's platform in late April. These
movies have been viewed a total of more than 10 million times thus
far. "Walker," which examines the past, present, and future of
Hong Kong through an elderly
monk's silent, slow walk through the city's bustling
streets, struck a chord with viewers, receiving more than
10,000 comments within two days.
"The Cannes Film Festival's
recognition of 'Walker' is also a recognition of online video's
potential as an artistic medium for world-class filmmakers," said
Frank Ming Wei, Youku's senior
vice-president of operations. "Since 2008, Youku has worked with
filmmakers and creative talents to build a platform allowing them
to reach new audiences and explore new creative possibilities."
In addition to Cannes, "Walker"
and some other micro-movies in the "Beautiful 2012" series have
also been selected for screening at international film festivals
including the Shanghai
International Film Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the
Pusan International Film Festival.
The series also includes "My Way"
from Ann Hui, which tells the story
of a conventionally successful businessman who knows, deep inside,
that he is in fact a woman; "Long Tau," an experimental film from
Gu Changwei telling the intertwined stories of a writer, an artist,
a young girl, and a trash-picker; and "You Are More Than Beautiful"
by director Kim Tae-Yong, telling
the story of a man who hires a woman to pretend to be his partner
while he visits his ailing father.
Youku pursues a hybrid content strategy, which focuses on
offering a combination of licensed professional content, in-house
production from Youku Original, and user-generated content.
About Youku
Youku Inc. is China's leading
Internet television company. Our Internet television platform
enables users to search, view and share high-quality video content
quickly and easily across multiple devices. Youku, which stands for
"what's best and what's cool" in Chinese, is the most recognized
online video brand in China.
Youku's American depositary shares, each representing 18 of our
Class A ordinary shares, are traded on NYSE under the symbol
"YOKU."
For more information, please contact:
Jean Shao
Director, International Communications
Youku Inc.
Tel: +86-10-5885-1881 x7128
Email: shaodan@youku.com
SOURCE Youku Inc.