{"id":74970,"date":"2025-08-27T13:52:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T20:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=74970"},"modified":"2025-09-06T08:49:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:49:47","slug":"exclusive-ellen-eliasoph-on-the-shadows-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=74970","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: Veteran Film Producer Ellen Eliasoph on THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAPost \/ Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2025)\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Last Friday, at the launch\u00a0of\u00a0\u201cBright Future of Humanity\u201d\u00a0\u00a0held at Warner Bros.\u2019 Steven J. Ross Theater in Burbank,\u00a0an\u00a0event\u00a0co-hosted by China Media Group (CMG) and New York Film Academy (NYFA),\u00a0I\u00a0had the chance to meet with\u00a0producer\u00a0Ellen Eliasoph again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eliasoph\u2014known in China as\u00a0\u827e\u79cb\u5174\u2014is one of the most respected film executives\u00a0and producers\u00a0bridging East and West. A Yale\u00a0College and\u00a0Yale\u00a0Law School graduate fluent in Mandarin, she\u00a0became\u00a0the first Hollywood executive stationed in China when she founded Warner Bros. China in 1994. Sheimported\u00a0The Fugitive\u00a0as the first Hollywood\u00a0blockbuster released in\u00a0China\u00a0and\u00a0spearheaded the China\u00a0releases of\u00a0The Matrix\u00a0and\u00a0Harry Potter\u00a0series.\u00a0As head of local production for Warner Bros. China and subsequently Village Roadshow Asia,\u00a0she\u00a0produced and distributed landmark titles includingStephen Chow\u2019s\u00a0Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons(2013), Jackie Chan\u2019s\u00a0Bleeding Steel\u00a0(2017), and Zhang Yimou\u2019s\u00a0Shadow\u00a0(2018).\u00a0\u00a0The first production from her independent\u00a0film studio\u00a0Starry Dome Productions,\u00a0Robin Wang\u2019s\u00a0Neither Donkey Nor Horse\u00a0(2024), won a Student Oscar award.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 26, following a screening of\u00a0writer\/director Larry Yang\u2019s\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE\u00a0(\u6355\u98ce\u8ffd\u5f71) in Los Angeles, Eliasoph\u00a0sat down for an\u00a0exclusive interview with LAPost.us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ellen Eliasoph <\/span>(Photo by: Tanxuan Shi\/lapost)<\/p><\/div>\n

Ellen Eliasoph on\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than approaching\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE\u00a0as a film critic or audience member being interviewed, please allow me, as a film producer who has been working in the Chinese film industry for thirty years, to talk about my experience of watching the film, which was one of the most exciting, entertaining and,\u00a0at the same time, touching films I have seen in years.\u201d<\/p>\n

She explained that her connection to the film is both personal and professional\u2014rooted in\u00a0her\u00a0long-standing collaborations with\u00a0writer-director\u00a0Larry Yang\u00a0(\u6768\u5b50)\u00a0producer Victoria Hon(\u97e9\u80af),\u00a0as well as actors Wang Ziyi\uff08\u738b\u7d2b\u9038and Lang Yueting\u00a0\uff08\u90ce\u6708\u5a77\uff09, with whom she worked on the award-winning\u00a0film\u00a0Mountain Cry\u00a0(\u558a\u5c71)\u00a0(2015)\u00a0which was written and directed by Larry\u00a0Yang,\u00a0produced by Eliasoph and Hon, and shot entirely on location in the mountains of southern Shanxi Province, as well as her work with Jackie Chan and his team on the sci-fi comedy\u00a0Bleeding Steel\u00a0(\u673a\u5668\u4e4b\u8840)(2017), a film for which Eliasoph arranged for Jackie to do something never before \u2013 and never since \u2013 done: a hand-to-hand\u00a0combat scene\u00a0shot on the roof of the Sydney Opera House<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the minute\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE\u00a0began, I was immersed in a vibrant, kinetic world that felt epic, fresh and ground-breaking, yet at the same time, deeply familiar. I was back on set with\u00a0Larry,\u00a0Victoria\u00a0, Ziyi and Yueting; then\u00a0I was\u00a0in the\u00a0studio where\u00a0Jackie\u00a0and his action team were designing and rehearsing their fight scenes\u00a0and\u00a0planning\u00a0for the complexities of the Sydney Opera House rooftop shoot. \u00a0I felt like I was at home among friends, enjoying\u00a0the special buzz that only filmmaking can bring.<\/span><\/p>\n

She highlighted the film\u2019s unique creative DNA: a fusion of Hong Kong\u2019s\u00a0iconic action style and creativity\u00a0with Mainland China\u2019s cinematic scale and emotional storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe genius of the film lies in something unprecedented and unique: it weaves together seamlessly all the strengths of the Hong Kong and Mainland film industries, creating something excitingly new while preserving what the world loves about Chinese films\u2014their style, pacing, explosive energy, visualspectacle, incredible action choreography, and sincere performances \u2018from the heart.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Film\u00a0that Brings\u00a0Generations\u00a0Together<\/span><\/p>\n

Eliasoph\u00a0enthusiastically\u00a0praised the ensemble cast, noting how Jackie Chan and Tony Leung Ka-Fai (\u201c\u6881\u5bb6\u8f89\u201d) delivered some of the strongest performances of their careers, while rising stars such as Zhang Zifeng ( \u5f20\u5b50\u67ab ) and CiSha( \u00a0\u6b64\u6c99 ) brought fresh energy to the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

She particularly loved how the film positioned \u201cold school\u201d detectives Huang Dezhong (Chan) and Fu Longsheng (Leung) in\u00a0the\u00a0new world of AI-driven\u00a0comprehensive digitalsurveillance, symbolizing the balance between tradition and modernity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis outstanding film shows us how we can achieve wonders through cutting-edge technology, while never abandoning the values and traditions of the past\u2014or our essential, indestructible humanity.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cultural Bridges and Personal Milestones<\/span><\/p>\n

The screening carried an extra layer of meaning for Eliasoph. That very day,\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE\u00a0climbed to a Douban score of 8.2, surpassing\u00a0that of Larry Yang\u2019s\u00a0previous highest-ranked work,\u00a0Mountain Cry\u2014the\u00a0film she co-produced with Victoria Hon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was also the anniversary of another memory:\u00a0it was exactly\u00a0nine years\u00a0ago when\u00a0Jackie\u00a0climbed onto the roof of the Sydney Opera House for\u00a0Bleeding Steel. Watching\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE\u00a0transported me back to those incredible collaborations. And I felt again the pulse\u00a0and savored the drama\u00a0of Nicolas Errera\u2019s music, the same composer\u00a0Larry brought\u00a0on for\u00a0Mountain Cry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Eliasoph also pointed to the influence of Johnnie To, a filmmaker she deeply admires.\u00a0Eye in the Sky\u00a0(2007), which To produced,\u00a0was the original inspiration for\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have followed Johnnie\u2019s career ever since we invited him to direct Turn Left, Turn Right when I was Managing Director of Warner Bros. China. To see Larry reimagine a story born of To\u2019s creative lineage is deeply meaningful.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/span><\/p>\n

For Eliasoph,\u00a0THE SHADOW\u2019S EDGE\u00a0is not just another crime thriller\u2014it\u2019s a cinematic milestone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a film that excites, entertains, and moves audiences,\u00a0while carrying\u00a0the legacy of Chinese cinema\u00a0forward\u00a0into the future.\u00a0And it\u00a0proves that\u00a0Chinese filmmakers\u2019\u00a0imagination, artistry\u00a0and innovation\u00a0can\u00a0result in the creation\u00a0of films\u00a0that will\u00a0resonate powerfully with global audiences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

(By Richard Ren \/ LAPost)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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