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PHILIPPINES, MARCH 19, 2019 – HBO Asia today unveiled a line-up of brand new Asian original productions that are scheduled to premiere soon. Since the regional network’s first original production in 2012, HBO Asia has been committed to ramp up the number of quality Asian original content to their audiences in the region and globally. To date, HBO Asia has produced and aired fifteen HBO Asia Original productions and is expanding its repertoire further in the coming years.

Yesterday, HBO Asia hosted a press conference in Hong Kong to further showcase four upcoming projects that included an anthology drama series, a crime drama, a sci-fi thriller and the second season of a coming-of-age drama series. Actors Vivian Hsu, David Wang and James Wen, directors Eric Khoo and Billy Christian and executive producer, Cheang Pou-Soi were present to share insights about the upcoming HBO Asia Original productions. All upcoming HBO Asia Originals will be available exclusively on HBO Asia’s network of channels including HBO and the on-demand service, HBO On Demand.

Mr. Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia said, “Over the past 7 years, we recognise the significance and importance of locally produced programming. Since 2012, the number of Asian original productions we have done has been increasing and they have all proven to be very effective for us. We are encouraged to learn that our Asian productions are working well across the region, especially those in local languages.” He further adds, “We maintain our commitment to producing outstanding programming and will continuously aim to present our content to our audience in the region, in an easily accessible way. We will continue to produce the highest quality content that the HBO brand represents and showcase to the world the best Asia has to offer.”

Series premiering soon on HBO Asia’s network of channels include (in alphabetical order):

DREAM RAIDER《獵夢特工》is HBO Asia’s first science fiction drama series. DREAM RAIDER is an eight-episode hour-long series that brings together production expertise from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan featuring cast and crew including actors Vivian Hsu (徐若瑄), David Wang (王耀慶), Jason Wang (王識賢), Weber Yang (楊一展) and Ellen Wu (吳子霏), executive producer, renowned filmmaker, Cheang Pou-Soi (鄭保瑞), directors, Daniel Fu (傅鶫) and Simon Hung (洪昇揚), and producer, Freeman Xiang (向峰). Set in the near future, DREAM RAIDER features a misfit team of scientists and cops that are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal conspiracy that exploits human consciousness. The series opens with a criminal police officer that is investigating a case of missing girls and uncovers a mysterious cutting-edge technology that enables them to enter the dreamscapes of others to find the truth. The series is produced with the support of the Taipei Film Commission and Taipei Cultural Foundation.

FOOD LORE is an eight-episode hour-long anthology series that explores the human condition with narratives inspired by and showcased through the perspectives of Asian cuisines, weaving tales of the tastes and aromas that have filled the Asian souls – tales of longing and forbidden passion, of connection and loss, of childhood memory. Helmed by award-winning Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo, the series is shot in eight countries across Asia and directed by some of Asia’s most talented storytellers including Don Aravind (Singapore), Billy Christian (Indonesia), Takumi Saitoh (Japan), Ho Yuhang (Malaysia), Erik Matti (Philippines), Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand) and Phan Dang Di (Vietnam). FOOD LORE is produced as part of a two-year partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in Singapore. Through a series of workshops and collaborations with local companies and talent on HBO Asia Original productions, the partnership aims to develop the content production capabilities of Singapore’s media industry.

THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC《通靈少女》is HBO Asia’s second returning series, following the success of the first season. The eight-episode hour-long second season of the coming-of-age Taiwan drama series returns with Kuo Shu Yau (郭書瑤) reprising her lead role as Xiao Zhen, a psychic born with the ability to see spirits and learning to use her abilities to help others. Starring alongside her will be new cast members including two-time Golden Bell Award-winning actress, Wen Chen-Ling (溫貞菱) and rising star, Fandy Fan (范少勳). The new season of THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC sees Xiao Zhen back from her summer break and determined to have a fresh start at school, but life is not that simple, especially when she is still coming to terms with the loss of the love of her life. Things get even more complicated with the arrival of Zhan Xiao Tong, played by Wen Chen-Ling (溫貞菱), a soft spoken yet resourceful new member of the drama club. Juggling the multiple pressures from school, the drama club and the demands of the spirit world, things are about to take a turn for the worse for the 17-year-old. THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC season two will be directed by up-and-coming director Liu Yan-Fu (劉彥甫). Chen Ho-Yu (陳和榆), director of THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC season one, will executive produce.

THE WORLD BETWEEN US《我們與惡的距離》is a ten-part hour-long Taiwan drama series that follows the aftermath of a mass-shooting where all parties involved – the killer, the victims, the victims’ families, the media and the defense teams, whose fates are all intertwined. Shot entirely in Taiwan, the series features an all-star ensemble cast from Taiwan including Alyssa Chia (賈靜雯), James Wen (溫昇豪) and Wu Kang-Jen (吳慷仁). The series is directed by award-winning filmmaker, Lin Chun-Yang (林君陽) and written by the renowned award-winning screenwriter, Lu Shih-Yuan (呂蒔媛). The series is produced by Taiwanese broadcaster, Public Television Service (PTS), and will be jointly distributed by HBO Asia and CATCHPLAY outside of Asia. THE WORLD BETWEEN US premieres in Asia on Sunday, March 24 with two back-to-back episodes from 9pm onwards exclusively* on HBO. Two new episodes will debut at the same time every Sunday. The series will also be available on HBO On Demand.

2018 was a great year for HBO Asia Original productions. MISS SHERLOCK, the network’s first Japanese original drama series, and the first HBO Asia Original documentary, THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS were both recognised at the Asia Academy Creative Awards 2018. MISS SHERLOCK was the national winner for Japan under the categories for Best Drama Series, Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role. THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS was the national winner for Singapore under the Best Documentary Series category. In addition, all six episodes from FOLKLORE, HBO Asia’s first horror anthology series, were recognised at major International film festivals that included the Toronto International Film Festival (Toronto, Canada), SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain), Fantastic Fest (Texas, USA), and selected for competition at the International Panorama section of Series Mania International Festival (Lille, France).

HBO Asia Original productions have also reached audiences worldwide. Select titles are available in territories outside of Asia including Spain (on HBO España), Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark (on HBO Nordic), and in Central European territories including Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Croatia (on HBO Europe). They are also available to HBO’s U.S. subscribers across the channel’s platforms, including HBO GO®, HBO NOW®, HBO On Demand®, and participating television and streaming partner platforms. These productions most recently included MISS SHERLOCK, FOLKLORE and GRISSE, the network’s first Asian-inspired Western period drama.

* Except in Taiwan where the series will be available on HBO, PTS and CATCHPLAY.

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HBO, Home Box Office and HBO Asia Originals are service marks of Home Box Office, Inc.

About HBO Asia

Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia with six 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels: HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits, Cinemax and Red by HBO, internet streaming platform, HBO GO, subscription video on demand service, HBO On Demand, and in China, 鼎级剧场(ding ji ju chang). HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel in the region. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

PHILIPPINES, 13 MARCH 2019 – The drama series WARRIOR begins its ten-episode season on Saturday 6 April, same time as the U.S. at 10am, with a same day encore at 10pm, exclusively on CINEMAX. New episodes debut every Saturday at the same time.Filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, the show is based on the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee and is created and executive produced by Jonathan Tropper (CINEMAX’s “Banshee”) under Tropper Ink Productions, executive produced by Justin Lin (director of “Fast & Furious 6”) for Perfect Storm Entertainment and executive produced by Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment.

Starring Andrew Koji (“Fast & Furious 6”) as martial arts prodigy Ah Sahm, WARRIOR also features series regulars Kieran Bew (“The Street”), Olivia Cheng (“Marco Polo”), Dianne Doan (“Vikings”), Dean Jagger (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Langley Kirkwood (“Invictus”), Hoon Lee (CINEMAX’s “Banshee”), Christian McKay (“Me and Orson Welles”), Joe Taslim (“Fast & Furious 6”), Jason Tobin (“The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift”), Joanna Vanderham (“The Paradise”), Tom Weston-Jones (“Copper”) and Perry Yung (CINEMAX’s “The Knick”).

WARRIOR is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. After proving his worth as a fighter, Ah Sahm becomes a hatchet man for the Hope Wei, one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs (Chinese organized crime family).

Befriended by Wang Chao (Hoon Lee), a fixer and profiteer in Chinatown, Ah Sahm is taken under the wing of Young Jun (Jason Tobin), the hard-partying son of the Hop Wei’s leader, Father Jun (Perry Yung), who is facing an imminent opium war with a rival tong. As he is indoctrinated in the rules of Chinatown gangs, Ah Sahm wins the confidence of a canny brothel madam, Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng), revealing to her the true intentions of his journey to America.

Over the course of the season, Ah Sahm crosses boundaries inside and outside Chinatown, bringing him into contact with tong rivals Mai Ling (Dianne Doan), a beautiful and ruthless Chinese woman who has achieved a position of power in one of the tongs, and Li Yong (Joe Taslim), a tong lieutenant and Gung Fu master. As violence erupts, Sergeant “Big Bill” O’Hara (Kieran Bew) and Richard Henry Lee (Tom Weston-Jones), a transplanted southerner and rookie cop, are tasked with forming a Chinatown squad.

Meanwhile, working-class leader and tough Irishman Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger) is fighting for all Irish laborers by trying to inflict as much damage as possible on the Chinese immigrants he says are stealing their jobs. Amidst the strife, power-hungry San Francisco Mayor Samuel Blake (Christian McKay) and Deputy Mayor Walter Buckley (Langley Kirkwood), who has his own political aspirations, engage in widespread corruption, while the mayor’s young wife, Penny (Joanna Vanderham), finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage.

Episodes include:

Episode 1: “The Itchy Onion”

Debut date: Saturday, 6 April at 10am

San Francisco, 1878. Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a newly arrived Chinese immigrant with serious fighting skills, is introduced to Chinatown’s most ruthless tong, the Hop Wei, by Chao (Hoon Lee), a fixer. After impressing Young Jun (Jason Tobin), son of tong leader Father Jun (Perry Yung), Ah Sahm is branded and taken to a brothel, where he befriends Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng), a courtesan with connections. Later, in search of a woman who left China two years earlier, Ah Sahm crosses paths with Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) and Li Yong (Joe Taslim), followers of the rival tong leader Long Zii (Henry Yuk), who is trying to avoid an opium war with the Hop We – a war that Walter Buckley (Langley Kirkwood), deputy to San Francisco Mayor Samuel Blake (Christian McKay), actively promotes. Meanwhile, after two Chinese laborers are killed by white thugs, police sergeant “Big Bill” O’Hara (Kieran Bew) is tasked with creating a Chinatown squad. Enlisting southern-born cop Richard Henry Lee (Tom Weston-Jones), Bill soon finds that the hostility between the Chinese and white dock workers, whose unofficial leader is Irish tough Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger), is unlikely to end anytime soon. Written by Jonathan Tropper; directed by Assaf Bernstein.

Episode 2: “There’s No China in the Bible”

Debut date: Saturday, 13 April at 10am

Intercepting a shipment of opium at the docks, Young Jun (Jason Tobin), with Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and his Hop Wei lieutenant Bolo (Rich Ting) in tow, decides to send a message to Long Zii (Henry Yuk). Big Bill (Kieran Bew) and Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) investigate a grisly murder scene in an alley next to an Irish bar, The Banshee. Penny Blake (Joanna Vanderham), the young wife of San Francisco’s mayor (Christian McKay), finds herself in a bind while visiting the wharf with her Chinese manservant, Jacob (Kenneth Fok). Ah Sahm pays a steep price for playing the hero. The Long Zii clean up a mess, and brace for more bloodshed. Written by Jonathan Tropper; directed by Loni Peristere.

Episode 3: “John Chinaman”

Debut date: Saturday, 20 April at 10am

Leary (Dean Jagger) pressures gentleman industrialist Byron Mercer (Graham Hopkins), who is Penny’s father, to hire his men for a cable-car track job – despite the fact that Mayor Blake (Christian McKay) hasn’t yet awarded Mercer the contract. Accused of assault and perhaps worse, Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) gets a cold shoulder from the Hop Wei, with his fate in the hands of an unexpected ally. Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) urges Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) to eschew restraint and start a war with the Hop Wei. Written by Adam Targum; directed by Loni Peristere.

Episode 4: “The White Mountain”

Debut date: Saturday, 27 April at 10ams

Big Bill (Kieran Bew) finds himself compromised by his gambling excesses, but discovers a possible solution after an opium-den raid. Penny (Joanna Vanderham) reveals the circumstances that prompted her to marry Mayor Blake (Christian McKay), who’s determined to show voters he won’t tolerate San Francisco’s “Yellow Peril.” After meeting with leaders of the Fung Hai tong, Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) offers Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) a way out of a protracted – and bloody – tong war. Written by Kenneth Lin; directed by David Petrarca.

WARRIOR is produced for CINEMAX by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment; created and executive produced by Jonathan Tropper. Justin Lin and Danielle Woodrow executive produce on behalf of Perfect Storm Entertainment. Shannon Lee executive produces for Bruce Lee Entertainment. Executive produced by Brad Kane and co-executive produced by Richard Sharkey. The pilot was directed and executive produced by Assaf Bernstein.

Watch the trailer here.

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About HBO ASIA

Wholly owned by HBO (a subsidiary of WarnerMedia), Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Lionsgate and DreamWorks Animation. HBO is available across 23 territories across Asia. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes produced exclusively for HBO viewers. HBO Asia broadcasts five 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels: HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax; an Asian movie channel, Red by HBO; internet streaming platform, HBO GO; subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, HBO On Demand; and a branded SVOD service in China, 鼎级剧场 (ding ji ju chang). HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst channel in the region. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

CINEMAX, HBO and Home Box Office are trademarks of Home Box Office, Inc. Used with permission.

HBO Films Presents NATIVE SON, HBO Documentary THE INVENTOR: OUT FOR BLOOD IN SILICON VALLEY Debuts, and VEEP and BARRY Reprise with Latest Seasons

PHILIPPINES, 12 MARCH 2019 – A remarkable line up comes to HBO for March and April. From the hotly anticipated final season return of award-winning comedy series, VEEP Season 7 and Barry Season 2 on April 1, on HBO to the debut of HBO Documentary THE INVENTOR: OUT FOR BLOOD IN SILICON VALLEY on March 19 and HBO Film’s presentation of NATIVE SON debuting April 7, exclusively on HBO GO. All the above titles premiere in Asia, same time as the U.S..

THE INVENTOR: OUT FOR BLOOD IN SILICON VALLEY investigative documentary examines the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her multibillion-dollar healthcare technology company. Academy  award-winning Director Alex Gibney (HBO’s Emmy®-winning “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”) delves into the riveting tale of how Theranos CEO Holmes set out to change the world and ended up committing a massive medical fraud, a classic example of how truth is more dramatic than fiction. The documentary debuts in Asia, same time as the U.S. on Tuesday 19 March at 9am, exclusively on HBO GO.

EMMY®-WINNING comedy series, VEEP, kicks off for its seventh and final season same time as the U.S. on Monday 1 April at 10:30am, with a same day encore on HBO at 11:30pm. The show stars Emmy® and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, who is hitting the campaign trail as she runs for president hoping to regain the highest office in the land, despite the scandals and blunders that have followed her and her staff for years. New episodes debut on Mondays at the same time.

Bill Hader and Henry Winkler reprise their Emmy®-winning roles in BARRY returning for its eight-episode second season on Monday 1 April, same time as the U.S. at 10am, with a same day encore at 11pm, exclusively on HBO. New episodes debut on Mondays at the same time. Created and executive produced by Hader and Alec Berg, the dark comedy series showcases the life of a depressed war vet-turned-hitman who finds passion and romance in a local acting class while on a job in LA.

HBO Films presents the premiere of NATIVE SON, based on Richard Wright’s seminal novel of the same name, debuting the same time as the U.S. on Sunday 7 April at 10am exclusively on HBO GO. The film will also be available on HBO on Wednesday 10 April at 11:15pm.The modern reimagining of Wright’s 1930’s-set coming-of-age drama follows Bigger Thomas, a young African-American man who takes a job working for a highly influential Chicago family — a decision that changes the course of his life. Directed by first-time director and renowned visual artist Rashid Johnson from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (“Topdog/Underdog”), the drama had its world premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival.

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About HBO ASIA

Wholly owned by HBO (a subsidiary of WarnerMedia), Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Lionsgate and DreamWorks Animation. HBO is available across 23 territories across Asia. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes produced exclusively for HBO viewers. HBO Asia broadcasts five 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels: HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax; an Asian movie channel, Red by HBO; internet streaming platform, HBO GO; subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, HBO On Demand; and a branded SVOD service in China, 鼎级剧场 (ding ji ju chang). HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst channel in the region. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

HBO and Home Box Office are trademarks of Home Box Office, Inc. Used with permission.

For The Entire Month Of March And April, HBO SIGNATURE Will Be A Dedicated GAME OF THRONES Channel.

PHILIPPINES, 11 MARCH 2019 – HBO released the official trailer of the highly-anticipated eighth and final season of GAME OF THRONES (#GameofThrones) last March 6th. Watch the trailer here. The eighth and final season of GAME OF THRONES will debut in Asia same time as the U.S. on Monday, 15 April at 9am, with a same day encore at 10pm, exclusively on HBO. New episodes will premiere every Monday at the same time.

For the entire month of March and April, HBO SIGNATURE will be a dedicated GAME OF THRONES channel with 24/7 programming – screening all past seasons of the hit-series, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Based on the popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, this hit Emmy®-winning fantasy series chronicles an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent kingdom. Members of the ensemble cast for the seventh season included Emmy® and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Aidan Gillen, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. Season seven credits: executive producers, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger, Bernadette Caulfield; co-executive producers, Bryan Cogman, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, George R.R. Martin.

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About HBO ASIA

Wholly owned by HBO (a subsidiary of WarnerMedia), Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Lionsgate and DreamWorks Animation. HBO is available across 23 territories in Asia. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes produced exclusively for HBO viewers. HBO Asia broadcasts five 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels: HBO, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits and Cinemax; an Asian movie channel, Red by HBO; internet streaming platform, HBO GO; subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, HBO On Demand; and a branded SVOD service in China, 鼎级剧场 (ding ji ju chang). HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst channel in the region. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

HBO and Home Box Office are trademarks of Home Box Office, Inc. Used with permission.