Sil-Metropole Organisation

Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd. (Chinese: 銀都機構有限公司), is a Hong Kong production company involved in the co-production and distribution of films made throughout Hong Kong and China.

Background

History

After World War II, Shanghai filmmakers moved to Hong Kong and established four production companies--Great Wall Movie Enterprises Ltd, The Feng Huang Motion Pictures Co., The Sun Luen Film Co. and The Chung Yuen Motion Picture Co., a joint venture between Great Wall and Sun Luen. These four companies were highly influential in the early 1950s. They were known as "left-wings" and often made idealistic movies that were social commentaries. Few were of the Kung Fu genre, but the collective library does include Shaolin Temple and Kids From Shaolin.^[1]

After China's Cultural Revolution in the mid-1970s, the Chinese audience largely dried up. In 1982, the four companies decided to merge and became today's Sil-Metropole. While Sil-Metropole is a Hong Kong-registered company with an island office of around 50 people, it is managed by the Chinese Government.^[1]

Company

Sil-Metropole is given the same status as a Mainland China state-owned studio, allowing it to be the Chinese partner on co-productions. Its portfolio ranges from co-productions to distribution, as well as TV series and operating a Hong Kong studio and theater.^[1]

Sil-Metropole typically works on more than 10 co-productions a year as a Chinese partner. Some of its projects include Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, Invisible Target, Throw Down, Confession of Pain and Star Runner. The company is also involved in television series and currently produces its own projects.^[1]

While its arthouse theater, Cine-Art, was closed down in late 2006, Sil-Metropole still owns and operates the Silver Theater in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, which it has had since 1963 under one of the original four companies.^[1]

References