Global Flicks: Riz Ahmed Attached To ‘Joyland’; Sun Valley’ Director He Ping Passes Away At 65
Asia: Actor Riz Ahemd’s production company, Left Handed Films, has signed on to executive produce the new Pakistani film, Joyland. The film is written and directed by Saim Saddiq and tells the story of a man named Haider who finally escapes unemployment after finding work as a background dancer and soon falls in love with the show’s lead performer, a trans woman named Biba. Joyland premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and looks to be a contender for the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.
He Ping, the renowned Chinese filmmaker known for titles such as Swordsmen In Double Flag Town and Sun Valley, has passed away at the age of 65. He was known for being one of the first Chinese filmmakers to collaborate with a U.S. studio which found him directing the film Warriors Of Heaven And Earth. He reportedly passed away due to illness on January 10th.
The UK and Ireland rights to The Wandering Earth 2, the upcoming prequel to the Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth, has been acquired by Trinity CineAsia. Based on the short novel by Liu Cixin, the film follows humanity’s undertaking to build engines on the Earth’s surface in an effort to find a new home for the human race. The film is slated for release on January 22 in North America.
The Legend And Butterfly is an upcoming Japanese historical drama directed by Keishi Ohtomo. The film follows a man and his wife, who were originally married to bring peace between two regions, working together to overthrow and defeat an enemy attacker. The film stars Takuya Kimura and Haruka Ayase and is scheduled for release in Japan on January 27.
Directed and co-written by Zhang Yimou, Full River Red is a Chinese historical thriller that follows an investigation into the murder of an envoy sent by the Kingdom of Jin to negotiate with Prime Minister Qin Hui. The film is slated for release in China on January 22.
R Madhavan will join forces with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar on a C Sankaran Noir biopic. Set in the 1990s, the courtroom drama has officially begun shooting, though no release date has been confirmed as of yet.
Kashish Arts Foundation and Lotus Visual Production have partnered with Four Line Entertainment to produce an LGBTQ+-centered drama titled Taps. The film is written and directed by Arvind Caulagi and follows a gay relationship in Mumbai. Taps was awarded the Kashish QDrishti Film Grant, an honor given to films centered around topics and themes pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community.
Korean entertainment giant, CJ ENM, has appointed Steve Chung to head and oversee the company’s international ventures. CJ ENM is responsible for the success of films such as Parasite and Decision To Leave. Chung’s role expands across the Americas as well as the Asian Pacific and will cover areas pertaining to the company’s film, TV, and other entertainment endeavors.
Over at Netflix, the Head of Asian Original Documentaries, Aloke Devichand, has left the position after five years in the role. Devichand worked on documentary projects such as Blackpink: Light Up The Sky and Naomi Osaka, which centered on the renowned tennis player. Despite Devichand’s exit, Netflix has restated it’s commitment to developing non-scripted content from the Asia-Pacific region.
Africa: EbonyLife Media, the Nigerian entertainment powerhouse, has set an official Valentine’s Day release date for its upcoming film, A Sunday Affair, scheduled to drop on Netflix on February 14th. The film follows close friends who end up in a love triangle with the same man. A Sunday Affair stars Nse-Ikpe-Etim, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, and Oris Erhuero. It is written by Darrel Bristow-Bovey and directed by Walter Taylaur.
Middle East: Egyptian actress Enjy Kiwan will be sharing the screen with social media influencer Meredith Mickelson in the upcoming action thriller, Paradox Effect. The film, which has begun production in Italy, follows a woman who aims to rescue her kidnapped daughter from a kingpin seeking a ransom.
Saudi Arabian comedian, actor, and filmmaker Hisham Fageeh has partnered with producer Sultan Tamer to launch an independent film and TV production company called DH’BAB Productions. The company is being repped by CAA and is currently developing its first feature with the upcoming horror film, Desolation, which is being written by Fageeh.
Rising French-Moroccan filmmaker, Sofia Alaoui, will be returning to Sundance with her newest supernatural drama, Animalia. The film follows a young woman of humble background who attempts to adjust to life in her husband’s wealthy family until they disappear due to an inexplicable occurrence. Alaoui won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize back in 2020 for her short film, So What If The Goats Die.
Polo Polo
Latin America: Bad Bunny's undertakings in the world of film don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon as the global superstar is currently attached as an executive producer for an upcoming film adaptation of They Both Die At The End, an LGBTQ sci-fi novel written by Adam Silvera that examines a world where company informs individuals when they only have 24 hours left to live and allows them to utilize an app to found others to open their final day with. Netflix is developing the adaptation with Bridgerton creator, Chris Van Dusen.
Mexican stand-up comedian, Polo Polo, has passed away at the age of 78 in Mexico City. Polo Polo rose to fame throughout the ‘80s and eventually hosted his own TV series, Con Ganas, which provided a platform for other up-and-coming comedians. His son, Paul Garcia, claimed his father had been recently suffering from vascular dementia after a series of strokes.