Global Flicks: Amanda Nell Eu Has Renounced The Censored Version Of Her Film In Open Letter
Africa: Adire is set to release on Nov. 3. The film is set in a conservative village in Oyo town and follows the story of a retired sex worker who starts a lingerie-making business using the iconic Nigerian fabric, adire. Her venture draws the disapproval of the town’s deaconess, creating tension between tradition and modernity. The film is directed by Adeoluwa ‘Captain Degzy’ Owu and stars Kehinde Bankole, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Kelechi Udegbe, Femi Branch, Yemi Blaq, Tomi Ojo, Mike Afolarin, Ifeanyi Kalu, Ibrahim Chatta, Lizzy Jay, Idowu Phillips, Yvonne Jegede, Jack’enneth Opukeme, and Layi Wasabi.
Asia: Amanda Nell Eu, director of Tiger Stripes, has renounced the censored version of the film launched in Malaysia. In a quote from the director in an open letter: “...I am here to state that the film that will be shown in local cinemas is not the film that we made, and it is not the film that won the Grand Prize of Critics Week in Cannes.” The coming-of-age drama received wide acclaim from Cannes and has been selected as Malaysia’s Oscar contender.
Salman Khan and singer Arijit Singh will star in Tiger 3. Tiger 3 is the latest installment for Aditya Chopra‘s spy universe with Maneesh Sharma as the director. The story follows Tiger after being framed as enemy number one and wants to clear his name. The film releases on Nov. 12.
Sony Pictures has acquired the remake rights to the Chinese comedy-drama Hi, Mom. Jia Ling directed the film and follows a young woman who travels back to the early 1980s, where she becomes best friends with the younger version of her mother. Laura Kosann is adapting the screenplay with Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Becky Sanderman. The film will be produced with Wenxin She and Jia attached as executive producers.
Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron has announced its official English voice cast. Studio Ghibli’s North American distributor, GKIDS, has announced that the cast will star Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki, Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King, Gemma Chan as Natsuko, Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican, Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Mark Hamill as Granduncle, Robert Pattinson as The Gray Heron, Florence Pugh as Kiriko, Luca Padovan as Mahito Maki and Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolri and Dan Stevens as the Parakeets.
Dhak Dhak produced by Taapsee Pannu, follows four women who set out for a road trip on a motorbike journey of self-discovery. The film will star Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Sheikh, and Sanjana Sanghi. The film is produced by Outsiders, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, BLM Pictures, and One India Stories.
Twenty film projects have been selected to participate in the QCinema Project Market on November 18-19 and the expansion of the QCinema Film Festival in Quezon City, Philippines. The selected titles include projects by several of East Asia’s independent and art-house directors and projects.
Guneet Monga Kapoor and Karan Johar are moving ahead with their Hindi-language adaptation of the Intouchables and hiring director Collin D’Cunha. The Hindi adaptation will faithfully retain the source material while adding a unique Indian perspective for local audiences.
Director Choy Ji debuts feature Borrowed Time, which shows Hong Kong in a new perspective that isn’t usually seen. The film is produced by Mo Jinjin and executive produced by Stanley Kwan and follows a young girl from Guangzhou who travels to Hong Kong to look for her father.
IMAX expands its partnership with Hengdian Films for 20 new IMAX Laser systems across China. This became IMAX's biggest deal in systems in four years, reinforcing the demand for the premium experience with Hollywood. The new locations include Jingdezhen, Ulanqab, Zhangjiakou, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Jiujiang, Hohhot, and Yangzhou, with more to be announced.
Chinese director Ning Hao debuts his latest film, The Movie Emperor, which will star Andy Lau. The film is a satire of China’s film industry and follows an old-school movie star trying to regain relevance. The theatrical release for China and North America is November 17.
Netflix‘s documentary Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club will launch worldwide on October 27. The documentary is a love letter to movie connoisseurship itself. The film is directed by Lee Hyuk-rae (Sewing Sisters) and will take viewers back to Seoul, South Korea, in the 1990s, where film clubs were appearing at local college campuses and allowed for a platform to study film.
Road Pictures is further expanding into the anime IP and physical entertainment business. The Beijing-based company unveils a new venture to license, promote, and monetize high-value ACGN properties in animation, comics, games, and YA novels. The new entity will go by GuGuGuGu in Chinese and Animation Valley in English.
UTA has signed Hirokazu Kore-eda for representation in all areas. The agency continues to expand its presence in Asia. Kore-eda will work with UTA’s Asia Business Development division, which looks to platform Asian and Asian-American content by curating diverse opportunities between Hollywood and Asia.
Cinema Guild acquired North American rights to Somai Shinji’s 1993 movie Moving. The film was restored in 4K by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation. The film follows Renko (Tabata Tomoko), who is left alone with her mother, Nazuna, in Kyoto after her father, Kenichi, splits. Cinema Guild will open the film in theaters in the U.S. and Canada in 2024, along with restorations of Somai’s Typhoon Club (1985) and P.P. Rider (1983).
Japan’s Nikkatsu studio is pitching River at the top of its TIFFCOM sales slate. The film is directed by Yamaguchi Junta (Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes) and produced by Europe Kikaku. The story follows people in an inn stuck in a time loop. The film stars Fujitani Riko, Kubo Shiori (Nogizaka46), and Kondo Yoshimasa (The Magic Hour).
Baloji - Kristin Lee Moolman
Europe: Baloji has signed with UTA for representation in all areas and will also be represented by Juanita Fellag at AS Talents. This follows his directorial debut earlier this year with Omen at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Ch’ulel - Fotosíntesis Media
Latin America: Fotosíntesis Media has unveiled Ch’ulel, an animated feature tapping into the mindset of the Tzeltal community. The feature will debut director Sarah Emilia Páramo and is written by Uriegas and Celia Varona and produced by Uriegas and María Sojob. There will be no star voice cast for the film and instead, the main characters will be performed by an indigenous woman from the Tzeltal community, the 80-year-old María Ruz will perform in her native tongue.
Neom
Middle East: Neom aims to become a major film and TV production hub in Saudi Arabia and has forged a strategic partnership with the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) to set up training programs. The full-service production hub will host courses by The Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA). They will offer training workshops and masterclasses on production, direction, screenwriting, cinematography, and sound design.
