Global Flicks: Oscar Winning Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto Passes Away At 71; Saddam Hussein’s Final Days To Be Examined In Upcoming Film

DW Akademie

Africa: The DW Akademie Film Development Fund has announced its 2023 grantees. Among the fifteen names listed are Ethiopian filmmaker Abigail Megbar Debebe and Ugandan podcaster Ruth Nazzinda. The fund provides support to five grantees from each country across the continent to aid in the development of their creative projects.

MultiChoice has announced a new technology division that will comprise of the technology, business, digital media, and streaming offices under one banner. Additionally, Nyiko Shiburi has been appointed as the division’s chief officer.

Humanity Stoked, a documentary that examines a number of issues that humanity collectively faces, was developed entirely without any cost. The film, directed by Michael Ian Cohen, was produced for free and comprised of a team of volunteers who refused any form of compensation. This led to the entire revenue of the film being donated to charity.

Hoshino Koji - Tullio M. Puglia / Stringer

Asia: Jellyfish Pictures, the UK-based animation company, has set up a new production office in Mumbai, India, and enlisted producer Jasjit Singh to take up the position of General Manager of the new outpost. Singh recently worked as a Senior Producer in the fields of VFX and animation.

Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away last week at the age of 71 after battling cancer. Sakamoto is primarily known for his work scoring The Last Emperor, which garnered him an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

Amazon has signed a deal with India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in an effort to bolster India’s creative industry. The deal seeks to provide a wider global platform for Indian-made film and television content. Additionally, Prime Video and miniTV will foster and provide internships and scholarships to students of film schools such as the Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Singapore Tourism Board are partnering to develop a $7.5 million fund to boost travel to the city-state via film and TV content. Through the partnership, the fund will support select projects by international media companies that are set in Singapore and launched before 2027. Projects will be evaluated based on multiple factors, including but not limited to, market reach, opportunities to feature Singapore and the scale of involvement of local talent.

The North American rights to the Japanese body horror film, New Religion, have been acquired by Cinedigm. The film, directed by Kondo Keishi, made its North American premiere a month ago at Slamdance Film Festival. Cinedigm also plans to release the film on its horror streaming service, Screambox, and intends to label the film as an original film for the streamer.

President of Studio Ghibli Koji Hoshino has announced his resignation from the studio. Suzuki Toshio, co-founder of the iconic Japanese animation studio, will be taking Koji Hoshino’s place in the role. The news comes in the wake of media allegations surrounding Toshio, but the studio has denied any connection between the scandal and Koji’s resignation.

Hayao Miyazaki - Frazer Harrison

Europe: My Neighbour Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed classic, is getting another season of a stage adaptation at London’s Barbican from Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company. The show will play from November 21- March 23.

Yellow Veil Pictures has picked up the North American distribution rights to the thriller film Rebel, directed by Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. The directing duo is known for directing Bad Boys for Life. The film will arrive in the U.S. sometime this fall.

Acclaimed French actress-director Maïwenn is being sued by Mediapart’s editor-in-chief, Edwy Plenel, who is accusing her of aggressive assault. Plenel filed a police report in Paris on March 7 where he alleges the French filmmaker assaulted him at a restaurant. Meanwhile, Maïwenn’s upcoming film, Jeanne du Barry, has been chosen as the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival.

Andrés García - Tommaso Boddi

Latin America: Pantelion Films has released a clip of the film, La Usurpadora, The Musical, where the cast performs the song Bidi Bidi Bom Bom to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Selena Quintanilla. The film, directed by Santiago Limón, is based on the 1990s telenovela of the same name.

Mexican-Dominican telenovela actor Andrés García passed away on April 4 at age 81. García has known for his work in films such as Chanoc, La noche del halcón, and Los destrampados. García’s reported cause of death was hepatic cirrhosis, a condition that entails scarring of liver tissue.

MBC Group

Middle East: Fremantle and Sinestra are developing a feature film titled The Prisoner in His Palace, which chronicles the final days of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The film, based on the book The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein by Will Bardenwerper, will be directed by Johan Renck and will be written by Darby Kealey.

MBC, Saudi Arabia’s largest media conglomerate, has partnered with popular anime developer, TokyoPop, to launch the MBC Anime Initiative. The new division aims to license and promote anime content within the country as well as invest in and develop a number of anime projects.