2023 Korean film fest presents 'Ka-ja! Korea Through Films'
MANILA – Buckle up as the 2023 Korean Film Festival (KFF) brings the “Ka-ja! Korea Through Films” featuring Korea's finest movies from Sept. 22 to 26.
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Veteran showbiz reporter Dumaual writes 30
MANILA – Veteran showbiz reporter Mario Dumaual passed away on July 5 at 8:01 a.m., his family had announced.
Netflix Lands Richard Linklater-Helmed ‘Hit Man’ For $20 Million Toronto Deal; Aggregate/AGC Studios Pic Stars Glen Powell & Adria Arjona
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix closed a $20 million deal on Hit Man, making the biggest deal at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and of the year for that matter. After the Richard Linklater-directed noir comic thriller debuted to raves at Venice, the film was expected to fetch the biggest deal of the fall festivals so far. Hit Man did not disappoint. Hit Man stars Top Gun Maverick’s Glen Powell and Adria Arjona (Andor) playing the most unlikely romantic partners, in performances that will boost each of their careers. Especially Powell, who co-wrote with Linklater what will be a major star turn for him. Netflix got US, UK, Australia/New Zealand, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, and Iceland. There is also a theatrical component to the deal, I’ve heard.
Kim Jee-woon’s ‘Cobweb’ Overcomes Injunction, Confirms Major Holiday Release (EXCLUSIVE)
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Cobweb,” the Kim Jee-woon-directed satire that debuted at Cannes this year, has been cleared for theatrical release in its native Korea later this month. On Monday it saw off an injunction that sought to derail its hometown debut. The film is a tongue in cheek tribute to the Korean movies of the 1970s and plays partly as a film within a film, jumping from color to black and white as it does so. It stars Song Kang-ho (“Parasite,” “Broker”) as director Kim, who needs just two more days of reshoots to craft a new ending to his latest film (also called “Cobweb”) so that it will no longer be the trashy potboiler everyone thought he was making.
Ryan Donowho, Charlie Saxton, Rob Raco & More Set For Indie ‘Art Of A Hit’ With IA; Tom Sizemore Horror ‘Impuratus,’ Chumbawamba Doc ‘I Get Knocked Down’ Set Release; More – Film Briefs
EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Donowho (The O.C.) is set to topline Art of a Hit (fka Excelsis), an indie psychological horror film directed by Gaelan Draper that will begin shooting in France this month under a SAG Interim Agreement. Rounding out the cast are Rob Raco (Riverdale), Charlie Saxton (Hung), Tim Jo (This Is Us), Allie MacDonald (Under the Silver Lake), James Earl (White Men Can’t Jump), and David Valdes (Speechless). Draper and Saxton co-wrote and are co-producing under their Dewey & Bug banner.
‘Moving’, ‘The Long Season’ Head Nominations For Busan Film Festival’s Asia Content Awards
Disney’s Korean superhero thriller Moving heads the nominations for this year’s Asia Content Awards at Busan International Film Festival with nods in six categories, followed by Tencent Video’s The Long Season with five nods.
Philippines QCinema Film Festival Adds Southeast Asian Project Market (EXCLUSIVE)
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The QCinema International Film Festival in the Philippines has beefed up its industry program by introducing a project market strand, QCinema Project Market (QPM). It acts as a networking and funding platform for Filipino and Southeast Asian projects in advanced development.
Busan Film Festival Competition Showcases Mori Tatsuya’s Feature Debut, Choi Ji’s Exploration of Hong Kong, Bangladesh Trio
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The main competition section of the Busan International Film Festival is set to showcase two new features from Bangladeshi directors, the feature debut of Japanese documentary maker Mori Tatsuya and ruminations on Hong Kong by mainland Chinese director Choi Ji. The festival on Wednesday unveiled its New Currents competition section, reserved for films by directors making their first or second works of fiction, as well as its Jiseok section, a showcase for somewhat more established Asian auteurs. In addition to the Bangladesh duo, New Currents includes two films from Japan, two from Korea and one each from China, Thailand, Malaysia and India. From Bangladesh, Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s “The Wrestler” sees an old fisherman challenge a wrestling champion to combat, and in “The Stranger” Biplob Sarkar tells a coming-of-age, gender-identity tale. From Japan, Mori recounts the events of the Great Kanto earthquake in “September 1923,” while Yamamoto Akira delves into profound and shocking love in “After the Fever.” New Currents’ Korean contributions come from Lee Jong-su, whose “Heritage” tracks a man who opts out of military service and his supervisor, and Sohn Hyun-lok, whose “That Summer’s Lie” blurs truth and fiction in memories of a past romance. India’s Rajesh S.