Primary Details (Country)

General Info

The Country field in Primary Details identifies the title’s main country on the database. This is the country displayed on the title page and used to categorize the title in filters, search results, statistics, and country-specific lists.

This field is separate from Production Countries in the Production Information section.

• Use Country to select the title’s main country.

• Use Production Countries only when the title is officially produced by companies from two or more countries.

• When a co-production is confirmed, Production Countries must include the main country selected in Primary Details, along with every other confirmed co-production country.

• Leave Production Countries empty when only one country produced the title.

Choosing the Correct Country

Whenever possible, base the country on official production information.

The most useful sources include:

• opening or ending credits;

• official production company pages;

• official broadcaster or streaming pages;

• press releases and production announcements;

• festival or film-market listings;

• official posters or promotional materials that identify the producer.

When submitting a country change, please include a direct source showing the title’s production company, producing organization, or officially listed country.

Production Companies

When credits identify a production company, the country in which that company is officially based will normally determine the title’s country.

Common labels may include:

• Production Company

• Produced by

• Production

• Co-produced by

• A production of

• Presented by

• 制作公司 / 製作公司

• 出品公司

• 制作 / 製作

• 제작사 / 제작

• บริษัทผู้ผลิต / ผลิตโดย

• Produksiyon

• Produksi

• தயாரிப்பு

The wording may differ between countries and titles. A company listed in the credits is not always a producer, so its role should be checked carefully.

Companies that only handled distribution, promotion, casting, talent management, subtitles, post-production, filming services, or international sales do not normally determine the title’s country.

Multilingual Production-Credit Reference

Production credits may be written in the title’s original language. The following terms can help you locate information about the production company, producer, co-production, or copyright holder.

These are search clues only. Finding one of these terms does not automatically prove that the adjacent person or company determines the title’s country. Please provide the complete credit, screenshot, or official page so the approval staff can verify the organization’s role.

China — Simplified Chinese

Hong Kong — Traditional Chinese

Taiwan — Traditional Chinese

Traditional Chinese terminology used in Taiwan may look almost identical to terminology used in Hong Kong. The writing system alone does not establish the country.

Japan — Japanese

In Japanese credits, 製作 and 制作 may identify different types of involvement. Please submit the complete credit rather than only the company name.

South Korea — Korean

A broadcaster may be listed under 기획 while another company appears under 제작. Please include both lines when possible.

Thailand — Thai

The word บริษัท means “company” and may help distinguish a company name from an individual’s name.

Philippines — English and Filipino

Philippine production credits are often written in English.

“In association with” and “Presented by” do not always identify the production company. Check whether another company is separately credited under “Production Company” or “Produced by.”

Singapore — English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil

Singaporean productions may use English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, or several languages in the credits.

ENGLISH

CHINESE

MALAY

TAMIL

The language of the credits does not establish the country. For example, a Mandarin-language production may be from Singapore, Taiwan, China, or another country.

Credit Terms That Need Additional Context

The following labels may identify an officially involved company, but they do not always mean that the company produced the title:

• Presented by

• In association with

• Planning

• Production cooperation or support

• Commissioned by

• Copyright holder

• Distributed by

• International sales

• Filming or production services

When submitting a source, include enough of the credits to show the company’s exact role. Approval staff may request further evidence when the credit is ambiguous.

Official Streaming Information

When no production company or usable credit list is available, the country shown by an official broadcaster or licensed streaming service may be used.

Examples include:

• GagaOOLala;

• Heavenly;

• Viki;

• iQIYI;

• WeTV;

• Netflix;

• Disney+;

• Prime Video;

• an official television network or domestic streaming service.

Please link directly to the title’s official page. Screenshots without a source link may not be sufficient.

When official sources disagree, the approval staff will review the available production and distribution information and apply the database’s source rules.

Co-Productions

A title is considered a co-production only when official information confirms that production companies or producing organizations from more than one country were meaningfully involved in the production.

The following do not establish a co-production on their own:

• foreign cast or crew members;

• filming in another country;

• release on a foreign streaming service;

• a foreign distributor or sales agent;

• a foreign talent agency;

• subtitles in another language;

• source material from another country.

Choosing the Main Country

Since the database displays only one main country on the title page, every co-production must have one country selected in the Country field under Primary Details.

Whenever possible, this will be the country of the title's lead or primary producer, based on official production information.

If the production is officially presented as an equal co-production and no lead producer or primary production country can be identified, the approval staff will determine the main country using the database's internal review guidelines.

The remaining confirmed production countries should be added to the Production Countries field under Production Information.

Examples

Example 1

A title is mainly produced by a company from China, with an additional Singaporean company officially credited as a co-producer.

• Country: China

• Production Countries: China, Singapore

Example 2

A title is officially described as a Japan–South Korea co-production, but no lead producer or primary country is identified.

• Country: Determined by the approval staff according to the database's internal guidelines.

• Production Countries: Japan, South Korea

Example 3

A title is produced only by one Singaporean production company.

• Country: Singapore

• Production Countries: Leave empty.

Information That Is Not Enough on Its Own

The following may help with research, but they do not independently prove a title’s country:

• the nationality of the cast or crew;

• the original language;

• the filming location;

• the country of the novel, manga, webtoon, or other source material;

• the intended audience;

• the title’s promotional language;

• where the title was announced;

• where most viewers are located;

• community descriptions such as “Chinese BL” or “Thai GL.”

A Mandarin-language title with Chinese actors is not automatically a Chinese production. Likewise, a title released through a platform based in another country is not automatically produced by that country.

Social Media Account Locations

The country displayed on a YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, or other social media account must not be used by itself to determine a title’s country.

These locations may:

• be manually selected;

• represent the account manager’s location;

• change over time;

• differ between platforms;

• be affected by travel or temporary relocation;

• or have no connection to the production company.

For YouTube-only or independently released titles, please provide any available production credits, official descriptions, company names, copyright details, or other information directly connected to the production.

When no reliable production information is publicly available, the approval staff may need to classify the title using the best available evidence. The country may be corrected later if stronger official information becomes available.

Copyright Information

A copyright notice can help identify an officially involved company, but the copyright owner is not always the producer.

Copyright may belong to:

• the production company;

• a broadcaster;

• a streaming platform;

• a distributor;

• a production committee;

• or another rights-holding company.

Please use copyright information together with other official production evidence whenever possible.

Censorship and International Releases

Some titles may be produced, registered, financed, or released through another country because of censorship, licensing restrictions, distribution arrangements, or other legal and commercial reasons.

Do not request a country change solely because a title:

• has Chinese actors;

• is spoken in Mandarin;

• was announced on Weibo;

• is based on Chinese source material;

• or appears intended for a Chinese audience.

The database records the production structure that can be officially verified rather than assumptions about where the title may have originated behind the scenes.

Before Submitting a Country Change

Please check that your source:

• refers to the same title;

• identifies a production company, producing organization, or official country listing;

• explains the role of the company when several organizations are named;

• is more direct or reliable than the information already on the page.

Repeated submissions based on the same language, cast nationality, social media location, or unsupported assumption may be rejected.

Country information can be updated when new and reliable official evidence becomes available.