Youku Celebrates Anniversary with Original Short Film "Father"

BEIJING, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Youku, China's leading Internet television company, celebrated the fifth anniversary of its public launch today with the premiere of "Father (Daughter)," an original short film from acclaimed duo-directors the Chopstick Brothers.

"Father" follows up on Chopstick Brothers film "Old Boys," which was released last year as a crowning ending piece of the highly successful 11 Degrees New Media Short Film Project series. The 11 Degrees films promoted the Chevy Cruze as a lifestyle brand to Youku's predominantly young, upwardly mobile audience, and received more than 100 million views. The campaign also got Youku named as "Best Contribution to a Campaign by a Media Owner" by the Festival of Media Asia Awards this past November.

"Father (Daughter)" has only been online a few hours and has already racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Like "Old Boys," "Father" harnesses the Chopstick Brothers' unique blend of humor and drama with a healthy side of nostalgia, and encourages viewers to reflect on their own past and their relationships with their parents and children.

"In the internet era, it doesn't take a huge production company, famous directors and big superstars to make a film that moves people. What it takes is a commitment to honestly transmitting feelings from real life in a way that touches on social issues and can resonate with people," said Frank Ming Wei, Youku's senior vice president.

"In the past, we were fans of traditional film, and also struggling practitioners of it," says one "Father" director Xiao Yang. "Now, the internet video industry is getting more developed by the day. Whether it's "Old Boys" or "Father" we're talking about, we wouldn't have been able to get any content out there without Youku's platform as well as the support of Chevrolet Cruze."

Youku pursues a hybrid content strategy, which focuses on offering a combination of licensed professional content, in-house production from Youku Original, and user-generated content. Youku has had great success with its original productions. This year, Youku Original followed up with similar successful in-house productions including Miss Puff and One Step Away.

About Youku

Youku Inc. is China's leading Internet television company. Our Internet television platform enables users to search, view and share high-quality video content quickly and easily across multiple devices. Youku, which stands for "what's best and what's cool" in Chinese, is the most recognized online video brand in China. Youku's American depositary shares, each representing 18 of our Class A ordinary shares, are traded on NYSE under the symbol "YOKU".

SOURCE Youku.com Inc.

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