Global Flicks: ‘The Woman King’ and Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Castle In The Sky’ Both Granted China Release
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Africa: Kaye Ann Williams, former M-Net executive, has been appointed to the head of scripted film and TV for Amazon Prime Video South Africa. Williams joined Prime Video in October 2022 after being the head of local production at M-Net for 7 years.
Asia: Kartik Aaryan is reteaming with director Anees Bazmee for a third installment in the popular horror-comedy franchise, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3..
Hayao Miyazaki’s 1986 film, Castle in the Sky, is getting a theatrical rerelease in China on June 1. This marks the first time the film will be screened in theaters across the country, as the film has now been cleared by Beijing’s censors.
Korean public broadcaster MBC and Netflix have defeated a court injunction requiring them to stop airing the documentary In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal. The Netflix original series began airing on March 3. Through the injunction, the group Jesus Morning Star claimed the documentary series was fictional and violated the presumption of innocence.
Mikhail Red, director of Deleter, is set to begin working on an esports focused film, Friendly Fire. The film follows a CEO who seeks to put Philippine esports on the map after she scouts a young female player and recognizes her potential. Starring in the film are Loisa Andalio and Coleen Garcia.
The official trailer for Zwigato has been released. The film stars Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami and is being directed by Nandita Das.
The 2018 Bollywood hit, Sui Dhaaga: Made in India, will make its release in China on March 31. The popular drama was developed by Yash Raj Films and was directed by Sharat Katariya and starred Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma.
The Woman King, the Viola Davis-led drama released last September, has been granted a theatrical run in China and is expected to premiere on April 14.
Singaporean filmmaker Pearry Reginald Teo, known for films such as The Gene Generation and Fast Vengeance, has passed away at the age of 44. His work was primarily known for its striking genre-centric style. Teo’s cause of death is still unknown.
The Chinese animation studio Fantawild Animation has struck a number of international deals for its newest blockbuster, Boonie Bears: Guardian Code, the ninth film in the Boonie Bears franchise. The animation powerhouse has snagged theatrical deals for the film across Canada, France, U.K., Spain, and the Middle East among other regions.
Zhang Hanyi, director of Dragonfly Eyes (2017), is tackling another equally sinister project in The Walking Bird, which was presented as an in-development project at the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum. The film follows a woman who learns how her grandmother used a certain method to commit murder and plans on using the same practice against her father.
The upcoming Hong Kong romance drama, The Marriage Drive, looks to examine love life through the backdrop of the region’s economy. Written and directed by Lawrence Kan, the film follows a middle class couple throughout ten years marriage all the way to divorce.
Jackie Chan took the center stage in Hong Kong along with Nicolas Tse to co-present Emperor Motion Pictures’ 2023 slate. Among the titles listed include Chan’s latest film, New Police Story 2, in which he will star and produce.
The Chinese TV production company Linmon Media, took a heavily international approach during its 2023-2024 slate presentation. Presenters spoke in languages such as English and Korean as well as in Chinese in addition to projects being developed with the international cooperation. One of these projects is a remake of the female-led drama, Nothing But Thirty, in Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.
Europe: The Iron Butterflies, a documentary about the Russian downing of Malaysian Airline Flight MH17, has made its debut at Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival. The Berlin documentary specialist group Rise and Shine is behind the international representation of the film.
The Danish film industry is taking steps to address to continuing lack of diversity across the country’s films and TV shows. In the wake of Denmark’s growing anti-immigration, a female-led advocacy group called A Bigger Picture has been flagging all-white casts of high-profile productions. The group has enlisted the support of numerous filmmakers and other production bodies.
Latin America: The first trailer for La Usurpadora, The Musical, the feature film reboot of the 1990s telenovela, has been released. The film is directed and co-written by Santiago Limón and makes its way into theaters on April 7.
Middle East: Lamya’s Poem, the animated tale that follows a Syrian refugee, has made its way to North America via internet, satellite, and cable on February 21 by way of Freestyle Digital Media. The film follows a 12-year-old refugee girl who finds herself in a dream world where she meets a poet whose poem could potentially save her life.
Female creatives across Iran have continued calling for change in regards to the place of women within the country. Largely sparked by the killing of 22-year-old Jina “Mahsa” Amini while detained by morality police for wearing a loose headscarf, the demonstrations of female protestors have included acts of publicly removing their hijab or cutting their hair.