Normal view

Neon’s Tom Quinn Hails ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’: ‘I Don’t See This as YouTube or Otherwise, I See This as Cinema’

4 June 2026 at 09:55
Tom Quinn landed in the U.K. for a special talk at SXSW London less than two weeks after Neon claimed its seventh consecutive Palme d’Or in Cannes, this time thanks to Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord.” The exec — whose indie distributor marks only its 10th birthday next year — said the ongoing run of wins was “extraordinary,” but […]

SXSW London Guide: The 9 Best Panels and Premieres to Catch, From Michelle Obama to the Russo Brothers to a New Virginia Woolf Film

29 May 2026 at 11:00
SXSW London kicks off with near perfect timing: Just weeks earlier, the U.K.’s AI sector reported record investment numbers, underscoring London’s status as the AI capital of Europe. “AI as the New Power Structure” is, aptly, a central theme of the second edition of the Austin spinoff. In fact, a big reason SXSW made the […]

Dónal Finn, ‘Young Sherlock’ & ‘The Other Bennett Sister’ Star, Signs With WME

9 June 2026 at 19:49
EXCLUSIVE: Rising Irish actor Dónal Finn has signed with WME for representation in all areas. Finn can currently be seen in the Amazon Prime Video series Young Sherlock, working opposite Hero Fiennes Tiffin, the Sherlock Holmes to Finn’s Moriarty. Guy Ritchie developed the series alongside Peter Harness, with Ritchie also executive producing. The series debuted at […]

‘Young Sherlock’ Team Unpacks Creating An Elementary Course On The Making Of A Master Detective: “How Does He Get There?”

26 May 2026 at 20:29
For as iterated as Sherlock Holmes has been since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first introduced the character in 1887’s novel A Study in Scarlet, Prime Video entered a bit of uncharted on-screen territory with Young Sherlock. The series, which is based on the Young Sherlock Holmes novels by Andrew Lane, reimagines the prolific detective as […]

Neon Boss Tom Quinn Isn’t A Fan Of Industry Consolidation: “How Would You Feel If A24 & Neon Merged? That Would Be Ridiculous”

30 May 2026 at 19:22
“I wouldn’t survive a day in that environment.” That’s indie distributor Neon’s co-founder and CEO Tom Quinn’s take on working within a major studio, let alone two combined. In his first public appearance since taking home Neon’s seventh Cannes Palme d’Or last week, this time for Fjord, Quinn was asked at the Produced By Conference […]

Neon Boss Tom Quinn Hails Success Of ‘Backrooms,’ Saying It Shows Young People Are “Willing To Walk Away From Phones” — SXSW London

4 June 2026 at 09:58
Neon CEO Tom Quinn has heralded the success of Backrooms and Obsession, saying the films show “there’s a younger generation here that’s willing to walk away from their phone.” Quinn said the box office breakouts were “incredible” for the industry, and he equated it to a Blair Witch Project-style moment. He also claimed some credit […]

  • ✇Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
  • Hong Kong competition body mulls criminalising bid-rigging after deadly Tai Po blaze Irene Chan
    Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has announced that it is considering criminalising bid-rigging, proposing a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment. Barrister Jat Sew-tong, chairperson of the Competition Commission, announced on Friday plans to amend the Competition Ordinance to criminalise bid-rigging, local media reported. Barrister Jat Sew-tong. File photo: GovHK. The commission hopes to table the amendment by the end of this year, Jat said, adding that the proposed maximum pe
     

Hong Kong competition body mulls criminalising bid-rigging after deadly Tai Po blaze

5 June 2026 at 08:04

Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has announced that it is considering criminalising bid-rigging, proposing a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.

Barrister Jat Sew-tong, chairperson of the Competition Commission, announced on Friday plans to amend the Competition Ordinance to criminalise bid-rigging, local media reported.

Barrister Jat Sew-tong.
Barrister Jat Sew-tong. File photo: GovHK.

The commission hopes to table the amendment by the end of this year, Jat said, adding that the proposed maximum penalty would be seven years in jail.

Under the Competition Ordinance, bid-rigging is currently a civil violation, not a criminal offence, and it is penalised with a fine.

Jat said that he had been discussing the proposal with the city’s leader John Lee and the Hong Kong Bar Association, NowTV reported.

He said Lee had conveyed “orders” or “expectations” but did not specify what.

The commission’s move comes after a deadly fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in Tai Po, in November. The estate was undergoing a large-scale renovation at the time of the fire.

The blaze, which claimed 168 lives, has brought to light the widespread issue of bid-rigging and corruption in major maintenance works at residential buildings.

Residents told HKFP in February that they had suspected graft and bid-rigging in the renovation project, and had attempted to report it to authorities without any success.

People watch smoke coming from Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 27, 2025, a day after the fire broke out at the housing estate. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
People watch smoke coming from Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 27, 2025, a day after the fire broke out at the housing estate. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Jat also said on Friday that investigations by the Competition Commission revealed triads were involved in rigging bids for many large-scale maintenance projects.

However, due to the Competition Ordinance’s limitations, the commission cannot prosecute the cases and has to transfer them to law enforcement departments.

The Competition Commission is a statutory body established under the Competition Ordinance in 2012.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said in February that the city’s corruption watchdog had received multiple complaints involving bid-rigging in building maintenance works over the past five years.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) received 24 complaints in 2025, more than double the number in 2021, Linn said.

Allie and Dean, the Audio Version: ‘Off Campus’ Breakouts Mika Abdalla and Stephen Kalyn to Narrate ‘Intoxicating’ Quinn Erotic Drama ‘Rent Free’ (EXCLUSIVE)

27 May 2026 at 16:00
Mika Abdalla and Stephen Kalyn, best known as Allie Hayes and Dean Di Laurentis in Prime Video’s “Off Campus,” will star in Quinn’s three-episode immersive original audio romance “Rent Free.” This marks the second Quinn Originals duet production, following Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie’s “Ember & Ice.” A preview of episode one is available now […]

❌
Subscriptions