McCourry Films

14/03/2024

DVD Release - Battlebox - coming Summer 2024!

Synopsis:
In 1941, Hong Kong is the Eastern Fortress of the British Empire. With the sudden attack by Japanese forces, three intertwined stories unravel against the backdrop of a collapsing city. First, the story of two Chinese sisters, one who works as a courtesan, the other inside British military headquarters known as the Battlebox, become swept up in a botched spy operation. Second, a tight band of Rajput soldiers on the Gin Drinkers Line becomes trapped in a Japanese ambush, requiring an act of bravery to save the others. Third, an unnerving fog-of-war descends upon Major-General Maltby and his top officers as they struggle with the decision to either fight to the death or offer a humiliating surrender of the British Colony.

Starring: Mira Leung, Jai Day, Michael Szuc, Lucia Lam, Alexander Zorn, Inderjeet Singh, Aryaman Jain, Anthony Chan Yui Keung

Supporting Actors: Nick Ford, Stuart Woods, Cyril Ma, Alan Chang, Margaret Lee, Evelyn Wang, Bowie Wing Wai Chan, Carmen Doida, David Li, Clive Miners, Rex Yiu, Kannie Chung, Kathy Wen, Marc Rooney, Covin Cheng, Michelle Ng, Jasmine Lam, Amod Kumar Rai, Benjamin L. O'Neill, Kathy Mak, Paresh Nyati, Callum Chan, Michael Worboys, Charlene Hua, Jenny Chan, Patrick Brousseau, Mark Sung, Catherine Mang, Carlo Go, Jecky Irawan, Neela Gioswami, Neil Ward, Alok Jain, Eugene Hsiang, Taine Elson, Gordon Struthers, Yip Chan Wai, Iwan Wai Fung Mok, Morgan Guth, Timothy Rankin, Lee Jean Chang Jenson, Yuen Man Nok, Anson Snedden D’Costa, Stefan Antonic, Jim Ruel, Preston Yeung

Written & Directed by Craig McCourry
Executive Producers: Kathy Wen, Stuart Woods, Clive Miners, Craig McCourry
Producers: Grace Yan Yan Mak, Gordon Struthers, Teacup Productions, Sandra McCourry-Oldaker
Director of Photography: William Kwok
Camera Operators: Sherman Leung, Craig McCourry, William Wong
Aerial Drone Photography: William Wong, Wesley Yip Chan Wai
Sound Recordists: Eric Low, Wesley Yip Chan Wai
Boom Operators: Benjamin Robinson, Craig Addison
Film set designers & builders: Stuart Woods, Clive Miners, Gordon Struthers
Gaffers: William Wong, Kwan Kwun Leong
Additional dialogue/Historical consultant: Tony Banham
Historical consultant: Bill Lake
Military uniform advisor: Taine Elson
Makeup & Hair: Josephine Vibar
Production assistant: Jasmine Lam
Special Thanks: Michael Tse, Leigh Hardwick
Production companies: Banyan Tree Movies & McCourry Films

16/07/2023

Worldwide streaming channel guide for the Battle of Hong Kong WW2 trilogy.

**See below for all the streaming channel URL links**

BATTLEBOX
n 1941, Hong Kong is the Eastern Fortress of the British Empire. With the sudden attack by Japanese forces, three intertwined stories unravel against the backdrop of a collapsing city. First, the story of two Chinese sisters, one who works as a courtesan, the other inside the British military headquarters known as the Battlebox, become swept up in a botched spy operation. Second, a tight band of Rajput soldiers on the Gin Drinkers Line becomes trapped in a Japanese ambush, requiring an act of bravery to save the others. Third, an unnerving fog-of-war descends upon Major-General Maltby and his top officers as they struggle with the decision to either fight to the death or offer a humiliating surrender of the British Colony. Movie length: 77 minutes.

BATTLEBOX is now available on these channels:
Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8MM1PKN
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B8T7FPSK/
Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/712768/battlebox (United States, Mexico, Australia)
Plex TV: https://watch.plex.tv/movie/battlebox (Worldwide)
The Roku Channel: https://tinyurl.com/5y6kdrkr
Hoopla: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/15722007
Flixwest: https://tinyurl.com/3enbjda7

HONG KONG 1942
n 1942, Hong Kong is under Japanese occupation. But unbeknownst to the Japanese, British agents are operating inside the city. Ling, a beautiful Chinese dancer who works at the Pearl Club is part of the resistance. For Ling, it’s personal, as her brother Covin is being held prisoner inside a POW camp. Covin is dying and desperately needs penicillin to save his life. Charles, posing as a Swedish national, has set up a clandestine smuggling operation to help funnel food and medicine to the Allied prisoners. Unfortunately, a run-in with Norimoto, the Japanese camp commander, arouses suspicions about Charles's activities. When Ling gets injured on a mission to Cheung Chau, a bond starts to form between Charles and Ling. But the Kenpeitai (Military Police Corps) investigation turns up the heat as their illicit operations start to unravel. Ling feels trapped, as escaping from Hong Kong means leaving her brother behind. For love, for a future, a price for freedom will have to be paid. Movie length: 99 minutes.

HONG KONG 1942 is now available on these channels:
Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8SVPVS6/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8SVPVS6/
Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/674579/hong-kong-1942
Plex TV: https://watch.plex.tv/movie/hong-kong-1942 (Worldwide)
Xumo: https://bit.ly/3OS6Oxn
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/hongkong1942
Reveal: https://reveel.net/programs/1299886/hong-kong-1942

CHRISTMAS AT THE ROYAL HOTEL
Christmas at the Royal Hotel tells the story of the 1941 Battle of Hong Kong. In an attempt to fortify the military defensive lines, a large contingent of Canadian soldiers sailed to the shores of this far-flung British colony. One of the Canadian soldiers named Tom checks into the Royal Hotel, a slightly defunct establishment full of war profiteers, refugees, and spies. At the hotel, Tom meets a mysterious Chinese lady named Mayling who works for the South China News Agency. Mayling is haunted by the ongoing war in China, especially after her husband goes missing during a secret meeting with some Chinese revolutionaries. Mayling’s quest for answers leads her to Mr. Cheung, a hard-nosed political operator with uncertain loyalties. It is within this vortex of intrigue that a young hotel maid named Lily has stumbled onto hard times since losing contact with her family in China. In her struggle for a hopeful future, Lily makes plans to celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday with someone who has captured her heart. On December 8th, the sudden Japanese attack on Hong Kong changes everything. The fighting goes badly for the British, as the Japanese forces quickly gain the upper hand. It soon becomes apparent to Tom, Mayling, and Lily that Hong Kong will fall to the Japanese. In a city on the verge of collapse, these desperate survivors must make hard sacrifices as the sword of fate drops without fear or favor. Some promises will never be kept during Hong Kong’s darkest hour. Movie length: 108 minutes.

CHRISTMAS AT THE ROYAL HOTEL is now available on these channels:
Xumo: https://bit.ly/38ORNft
Plex TV: https://watch.plex.tv/movie/christmas-at-the-royal-hotel (Worldwide)
Tubi: https://bit.ly/3QTxq1g
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/royalhotel
Apple TV+: https://tinyurl.com/mthmjvdz

*This is only a partial listing of the primary channels that are streaming the movies Battlebox, Hong Kong 1942, and Christmas at the Royal Hotel. Depending upon your country’s location, some of these URL links may not work due to being geo-blocked. If that is the case, try the PLEX-TV channel, as it does work in most countries.

06/05/2023

Coming soon on America’s Comcast XUMO channel.

The rollout of Battlebox in the USA continues. The American audience has multiple choices for viewing Battlebox including Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Hoopla, Plex TV, and soon on XUMO.

The international rollout also continues as Battlebox is streaming on 14 channels in over 100 countries. From small towns in Brazil to the central business district of Berlin, a small slice of Hong Kong’s history is reaching viewers through digital platforms.

Each small step, as the movie hits screens in the weeks, months, years, and decades ahead, can impact the historical narrative. Hong Kong has been a cultural crossroads, with a unique history, a city between worlds.

13/04/2023

Two more streaming channels pickup Battlebox today. The whole movie trilogy is powering forward as the rollout continues worldwide. The maverick spirit of independent filmmaking doesn't wait for the stars to align but moves forward, as time can never be replaced. Time is a finite resource, use it wisely.

11/04/2023

A historical site for this upcoming screening.

Located 20 meters below the Pacific Place Mall are the former British military command war rooms used during World War II. This secret, long-forgotten concrete bunker was known as the Battlebox, part of the Victoria Barracks complex that included the explosive magazines that have now been converted into the Miller Theater at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center.

For one evening only, the new feature film BATTLEBOX will be screened inside the Miller Theater. The movie, Battlebox, follows the struggles of British Major-General Maltby and his top officers as they confront the decision to either fight to the death or offer a humiliating surrender to the Japanese. Take a step back into the past, within the grounds where this WWII event happened, with this special event screening of Battlebox at the Asia Society on 18 April.

The movie is in English with a running time of 77 minutes. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Craig McCourry, and some of the cast. Organized by the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand in partnership with Asia Society Hong Kong.

Asia Society Members $100

Non-Member $150

Tuesday 18 Apr 2023

6:45 - 9:30 p.m.

Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong

RSVP link in comments...

25/06/2022

🎬 Hong Kong 1942 🎬 has launched on Tubi. 🥳📣

We do actively track the media landscape as it shifts rather quickly in the hyper-competitive American market. As an ad-supported screening channel, Tubi is one of the larger streaming companies impacting the movie business. Available in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia, Tubi has a wealth of movie content that is now attracting about 50 million active monthly viewers. Take a browse of Tubi’s extensive catalog of movie titles, you might be amazed what is available.

12/05/2022

On the film set...some behind-the-scenes imagery from the movie productions. 🎬
https://youtu.be/HDDhEGdWm7w

http://www.BanyanTreeMovies.com/A behind-the-scenes look of the feature films; Hong Kong 1942, Christmas at the Royal Hotel & Battlebox.

28/04/2022

Coming soon on a Worldwide streaming company.

Christmas at the Royal Hotel: In 1941, Hong Kong was the Casablanca of the East, a city full of war refugees, profiteers and spies. With the sudden attack by Japanese troops, a Canadian soldier's Christmas promise is broken during the Battle of Hong Kong.

Starring: Harry Oram, Lydia Lee Tang, Ashley Leung, Wil Cheung, Michael Szuc, Vimal Vaz, Parker Chen, George John Alex, Rayve Zen, Perrie Kapernaros, Ines Laimins, Jai Day, Jane Choi, Hiu Ching Li and Nick Daryanani.

I will announce more details, including the launch date once the information hits my desk.