The question of who will continue the legacy of the 4Ks and particularly their successes on the international movie scene is one of the most dominant in the discussions among critics and scholars of Japanese cinema. Following the 2016 Un Certain Regard Jury Prize for “Harmonium”, one of the names that provides an answer to the aforementioned question is that of Koji Fukada. In the following text, we will take a closer and more thorough look at all the elements that make the 1980 born filmmaker a worthy successor of the aforementioned masters, starting from the very beginning of his life.
Born in Tokyo in Tokyo on January 5, 1980, Koji Fukada had a father who was a film buff, which resulted in him growing up in an environment surrounded with hundreds of VHS tapes, and subsequently, to become a cineaste, just like his old man. He watched the movies that inspired him to...
Born in Tokyo in Tokyo on January 5, 1980, Koji Fukada had a father who was a film buff, which resulted in him growing up in an environment surrounded with hundreds of VHS tapes, and subsequently, to become a cineaste, just like his old man. He watched the movies that inspired him to...
- 3/30/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Indian animated feature Heirloom won two awards at the closing of this year’s Hkiff Industry Project Market (March 11-13) in Hong Kong, where 21 cash and in-kind awards worth $223,000 were handed out.
Heirloom, which will be the feature debut of Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and is produced by Arya A Menon and Shubham Karna, won the Wip award for a non-Hong Kong project as well as being one of five films selected for the Haf goes to Cannes programme.
It centres on a married couple who come into conflict when the husband inherits a handloom trade and wants to maintain traditions while...
Heirloom, which will be the feature debut of Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and is produced by Arya A Menon and Shubham Karna, won the Wip award for a non-Hong Kong project as well as being one of five films selected for the Haf goes to Cannes programme.
It centres on a married couple who come into conflict when the husband inherits a handloom trade and wants to maintain traditions while...
- 3/13/2024
- ScreenDaily
Yin Chen-Hao’s Call Of Lobster and Gao Linyang’s Dying Fire were presented with the inaugural Hcg Awards, a joint initiative of Hkiff Industry and CAA China, as the Hong Kong projects market wrapped with 21 cash and in-kind prizes worth more than US$223,000.
The objective of Hcg [Hkiff Industry – CAA China Genre Initiative], according to CAA China CEO Mary Gu, is to provide the next generation of filmmakers in the region with a network of support to help them launch their careers, both locally and in the international marketplace.
Two animation projects were the big winners in the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf). The Excreman – On The Road, from McDull creator and veteran animator Brian Tse, won the Idp Award for Hong Kong projects, while Indian animation feature Heirloom, from Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, won the Wip Award as a non-Hong Kong project.
“Both projects demonstrate lively reimaginings of local tales and a strong connection to their domestic social landscapes,...
The objective of Hcg [Hkiff Industry – CAA China Genre Initiative], according to CAA China CEO Mary Gu, is to provide the next generation of filmmakers in the region with a network of support to help them launch their careers, both locally and in the international marketplace.
Two animation projects were the big winners in the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf). The Excreman – On The Road, from McDull creator and veteran animator Brian Tse, won the Idp Award for Hong Kong projects, while Indian animation feature Heirloom, from Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, won the Wip Award as a non-Hong Kong project.
“Both projects demonstrate lively reimaginings of local tales and a strong connection to their domestic social landscapes,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The honors were evenly distributed at the 2024 Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum awards with no film project winning more than two prizes.
Zhang Zhongchen’s work-in-progress “The Land is Our Navel” (China), that tracks a surreal journey beginning in a village, will be one of five projects invited to go to Cannes. It will be joined by Upamanyu Bhattacharya’s animation “Heirloom” (India), which examines the dark side of nostalgia while celebrating Indian textiles; and Oliver Chan Siu-kuen’s “Montages of a Modern Motherhood” (Hong Kong), where a troubled new mother seeks an immediate solution to her problems.
“The Land is Our Navel” also won the AimMedia Award, while “Heirloom” and “Montages of a Modern Motherhood” won the market’s Work In Progress award for non-Hong Kong and Hong Kong project respectively.
In all, awards worth $223,000 were handed out on Wednesday at the market. In total of 47 projects were...
Zhang Zhongchen’s work-in-progress “The Land is Our Navel” (China), that tracks a surreal journey beginning in a village, will be one of five projects invited to go to Cannes. It will be joined by Upamanyu Bhattacharya’s animation “Heirloom” (India), which examines the dark side of nostalgia while celebrating Indian textiles; and Oliver Chan Siu-kuen’s “Montages of a Modern Motherhood” (Hong Kong), where a troubled new mother seeks an immediate solution to her problems.
“The Land is Our Navel” also won the AimMedia Award, while “Heirloom” and “Montages of a Modern Motherhood” won the market’s Work In Progress award for non-Hong Kong and Hong Kong project respectively.
In all, awards worth $223,000 were handed out on Wednesday at the market. In total of 47 projects were...
- 3/13/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
For a world grown weary of familiar superheroes, fear not! A new hero is on the way — and he’s made out of poop.
The Excreman — On the Road is the working title of a new production from Hong Kong’s Bliss Concepts, the company that produced the massive McDull franchise in the early 2000s, and it’s been among the most talked about productions at this year’s Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) program.
“It’s a story about life in the sewer, and how the creatures there are fighting to survive,” says producer and Bliss Concepts general manager Samuel Choy. “They create an Exreman hero to save them but when he becomes human he discovers life among the humans is the same as it was in the sewers.”
My Life as McDull was a huge hit in Hong Kong and across Asia in 2001, winning awards at home...
The Excreman — On the Road is the working title of a new production from Hong Kong’s Bliss Concepts, the company that produced the massive McDull franchise in the early 2000s, and it’s been among the most talked about productions at this year’s Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) program.
“It’s a story about life in the sewer, and how the creatures there are fighting to survive,” says producer and Bliss Concepts general manager Samuel Choy. “They create an Exreman hero to save them but when he becomes human he discovers life among the humans is the same as it was in the sewers.”
My Life as McDull was a huge hit in Hong Kong and across Asia in 2001, winning awards at home...
- 3/12/2024
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Taking place alongside Filmart, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) is one of Asia’s oldest and most established project markets, helping a string of award-winning films to get made.
Recent Haf successes include Mongolian drama If Only I Could Hibernate, which was selected for last year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard, and Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka’s Stonewalling, which won best film at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and was sold to KimStim for North America.
However, Haf is now just one component in an expanding range of activities organised by Hkiff Industry, the industry platform of Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff). This year, the festival has partnered with CAA China to launch the Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which is presenting six selected projects to an industry-wide audience during Haf.
Hkiff Industry director Jacob Wong explains that a genre initiative is a logical next...
Recent Haf successes include Mongolian drama If Only I Could Hibernate, which was selected for last year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard, and Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka’s Stonewalling, which won best film at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and was sold to KimStim for North America.
However, Haf is now just one component in an expanding range of activities organised by Hkiff Industry, the industry platform of Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff). This year, the festival has partnered with CAA China to launch the Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which is presenting six selected projects to an industry-wide audience during Haf.
Hkiff Industry director Jacob Wong explains that a genre initiative is a logical next...
- 3/5/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The Skip City International D-Cinema Festival 2024 will celebrate its 21st edition from July 13th (Sat) to 21st (Sun), 2024 for 9 days at Skip City, which is an integrated institution for digital cinema production.
(See: https://www.skipcity-dcf.jp/en/)
Submission period: January 31st, 2024 (Wed) – March 1st, 2024 (Fri)
Skip City International D-Cinema Festival remains committed to discovering and nurturing new talent, with the aim of helping these filmmakers seize new business opportunities that have arisen in the changing landscape of the film industry. Now calling for works (60 min. or longer) that have been shot digitally and must be the director's 1st, 2nd, or 3rd feature film from all over the world for the International Competition section.
Call for entries for the International Competition!!
Entry Deadline: Must be received by March 1st, 2024 (Fri)
Submit via FilmFreeway
https://filmfreeway.com/Skipcityinternationald-CinemaFESTIVAL (Online registration / Free)
All nominated films in competition categories are eligible for the Festival Organizers awards.
(See: https://www.skipcity-dcf.jp/en/)
Submission period: January 31st, 2024 (Wed) – March 1st, 2024 (Fri)
Skip City International D-Cinema Festival remains committed to discovering and nurturing new talent, with the aim of helping these filmmakers seize new business opportunities that have arisen in the changing landscape of the film industry. Now calling for works (60 min. or longer) that have been shot digitally and must be the director's 1st, 2nd, or 3rd feature film from all over the world for the International Competition section.
Call for entries for the International Competition!!
Entry Deadline: Must be received by March 1st, 2024 (Fri)
Submit via FilmFreeway
https://filmfreeway.com/Skipcityinternationald-CinemaFESTIVAL (Online registration / Free)
All nominated films in competition categories are eligible for the Festival Organizers awards.
- 2/2/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) has unveiled 26 in-development projects for the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), which will become part of the newly expanded Hkiff Industry Project Market.
The lineup features both veteran and rising filmmakers including Koji Fukada, Hong Khaou, Jang Kun-jae, Qiu Jiongjiong, Patiparn Boontarig, Wang Xiaoshuai, Teruhisa Yamamoto, and Zhang Lu. The projects cover comedy, horror, action, romance and family drama, including seven first features, two animations and a string of cross-country collaborations.
Scroll down for full list of projects
“The selection is a testament to the resurgence of diversity and the revitalisation of international collaborations,...
The lineup features both veteran and rising filmmakers including Koji Fukada, Hong Khaou, Jang Kun-jae, Qiu Jiongjiong, Patiparn Boontarig, Wang Xiaoshuai, Teruhisa Yamamoto, and Zhang Lu. The projects cover comedy, horror, action, romance and family drama, including seven first features, two animations and a string of cross-country collaborations.
Scroll down for full list of projects
“The selection is a testament to the resurgence of diversity and the revitalisation of international collaborations,...
- 1/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Leading Asian film directors including Josh Kim, Fukada Koji and Patiparn Boontarig line up to pitch their in-development projects at the March edition of the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf).
Leading directors Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Lu will also be on the ground at Haf, operating as producers. So too will established producers Yamamoto Teruhisa (“Drive My Car”) and Michael J. Werner.
The 22nd edition of the Haf project market will run March 11-13 and sit alongside the four-day FilMart (March 11-14) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Haf is operated by The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society and this year will showcase 26 in-development projects. This year it will also be accompanied by the first edition of the Hkiff Industry – CAA China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which aims to support the development of Chinese language genre films.
Among the highlights: Wang Xiaoshuai will produce Zhang Yushan...
Leading directors Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Lu will also be on the ground at Haf, operating as producers. So too will established producers Yamamoto Teruhisa (“Drive My Car”) and Michael J. Werner.
The 22nd edition of the Haf project market will run March 11-13 and sit alongside the four-day FilMart (March 11-14) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Haf is operated by The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society and this year will showcase 26 in-development projects. This year it will also be accompanied by the first edition of the Hkiff Industry – CAA China Genre Initiative (Hcg), which aims to support the development of Chinese language genre films.
Among the highlights: Wang Xiaoshuai will produce Zhang Yushan...
- 1/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
France’s Centre National du cinéma et de l’image animée (Cnc) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) have signed a cooperation agreement, aimed at increasing collaboration and exchanges between the film and TV industries of Taiwan and France.
The agreement was signed by Cnc President Dominique Boutonnat and Taicca Chairperson Homme Tsai at the on-going Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) today. At the Tccf closing ceremony tomorrow, Taicca and Cnc will also present the Taicca X Cnc Award with a $30,000 cash prize.
Speaking at today’s signing ceremony, both sides stressed their common values, such as cultural exception and diversity, and said the agreement focuses on supporting emerging talent, encouraging creative freedom, digital content creation and international co-production.
Boutonnat said France and Taiwan would become key partners in “the work undertaken by all countries seeking a strong independent sector in the face of American or Chinese giants and streaming platforms.
The agreement was signed by Cnc President Dominique Boutonnat and Taicca Chairperson Homme Tsai at the on-going Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) today. At the Tccf closing ceremony tomorrow, Taicca and Cnc will also present the Taicca X Cnc Award with a $30,000 cash prize.
Speaking at today’s signing ceremony, both sides stressed their common values, such as cultural exception and diversity, and said the agreement focuses on supporting emerging talent, encouraging creative freedom, digital content creation and international co-production.
Boutonnat said France and Taiwan would become key partners in “the work undertaken by all countries seeking a strong independent sector in the face of American or Chinese giants and streaming platforms.
- 11/9/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
After focusing on Taiwanese projects for its first three years, the pitching section of Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) opened its doors to international projects for the first time this year.
The move attracted 539 projects from 20 regions including Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Iran, France and the U.S. After a selection process overseen by four separate juries, the applications were whittled down to 43 across four sections: Project to Screen, divided further into Feature Films and Series; Animation Features & Series; and Documentary Features & Series.
The feature film section includes projects from leading filmmakers such as Japanese director Koji Fukada, Indonesia’s Edwin, the Philippines’ Sheron Deyoc (Women Of The Weeping River) and Japan-based, Indian-origin filmmaker Anshul Chauhan (December).
Tccf pitching also includes an additional ten Taiwanese IPs that have strong potential for adaptations. These include books, webtoons and...
The move attracted 539 projects from 20 regions including Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Iran, France and the U.S. After a selection process overseen by four separate juries, the applications were whittled down to 43 across four sections: Project to Screen, divided further into Feature Films and Series; Animation Features & Series; and Documentary Features & Series.
The feature film section includes projects from leading filmmakers such as Japanese director Koji Fukada, Indonesia’s Edwin, the Philippines’ Sheron Deyoc (Women Of The Weeping River) and Japan-based, Indian-origin filmmaker Anshul Chauhan (December).
Tccf pitching also includes an additional ten Taiwanese IPs that have strong potential for adaptations. These include books, webtoons and...
- 10/30/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Busan’s industry platform, Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm), is a marketplace where sales agents set up their stalls to sell projects in development and completed films. But increasingly, it’s also becoming a place where producers can find the stories and other source material they need to bring those films and series to life.
Last year, Acfm launched the Busan Story Market, a more user-friendly moniker for the various strands of the market that present works available for adaptation and remake. The initiative was a hit with industry participants and this year has been adjusted further to include a greater number of early stage IPs.
“The feedback we received last year is that the industry hoped to discover more original works, rather than material that has already been adapted, including stories that have yet to be published,” explains Acfm general manager Seri Park.
“We didn’t necessarily intend it,...
Last year, Acfm launched the Busan Story Market, a more user-friendly moniker for the various strands of the market that present works available for adaptation and remake. The initiative was a hit with industry participants and this year has been adjusted further to include a greater number of early stage IPs.
“The feedback we received last year is that the industry hoped to discover more original works, rather than material that has already been adapted, including stories that have yet to be published,” explains Acfm general manager Seri Park.
“We didn’t necessarily intend it,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Previous recipients include Steven Spielberg, Yoji Yamada and Hou Hsiao-Hsien.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is to honour Chinese filmmaker Gu Xiaogang and Indonesian director Mouly Surya with the Kurosawa Akira Award at its upcoming 36th edition, which runs October 23 to November 1.
The award, which was revived last year after an absence of 14 years, is presented to filmmakers who have “made waves in cinema” and are expected to help guide the industry’s future. A ceremony to present the awards will be held at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel on October 31.
Director Gu broke through with internationally acclaimed debut Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains,...
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is to honour Chinese filmmaker Gu Xiaogang and Indonesian director Mouly Surya with the Kurosawa Akira Award at its upcoming 36th edition, which runs October 23 to November 1.
The award, which was revived last year after an absence of 14 years, is presented to filmmakers who have “made waves in cinema” and are expected to help guide the industry’s future. A ceremony to present the awards will be held at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel on October 31.
Director Gu broke through with internationally acclaimed debut Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The Tokyo Film Festival has set Gu Xiaogang and Mouly Surya as the recipients of the Kurosawa Akira Award at its upcoming 2023 edition, running October 23 — November 1.
The award was handed out for the first time last year after a 14-year gap. The gong is “presented to filmmakers who have made waves in cinema and are expected to help guide the industry’s future.” Last year’s recipients were Alejandro González Iñárritu and Kōji Fukada.
The 2023 winners were chosen by a selection committee, including Yamada Yoji, Dan Fumi, Narahashi Yoko, Kawamoto Saburo, and TIFF programming director Ichiyama Shozo.
Xiaogang is best known for his first feature, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and also won the Special Jury Prize at Tokyo Filmex in 2019. Surya’s debut feature, Fiction, won four awards, including Best Picture at the Festival Film Indonesia in 2008. Her second feature, What...
The award was handed out for the first time last year after a 14-year gap. The gong is “presented to filmmakers who have made waves in cinema and are expected to help guide the industry’s future.” Last year’s recipients were Alejandro González Iñárritu and Kōji Fukada.
The 2023 winners were chosen by a selection committee, including Yamada Yoji, Dan Fumi, Narahashi Yoko, Kawamoto Saburo, and TIFF programming director Ichiyama Shozo.
Xiaogang is best known for his first feature, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 and also won the Special Jury Prize at Tokyo Filmex in 2019. Surya’s debut feature, Fiction, won four awards, including Best Picture at the Festival Film Indonesia in 2008. Her second feature, What...
- 9/25/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Game Show Returns
The British version of the iconic reality TV series “Big Brother,” which first launched 23 years ago, is set to return to ITV screens on Oct. 8. The show is hosted by Aj Odudu and Will Best and produced by Initial, part of Banijay U.K. “Big Brother: The Launch” will air on ITV1, ITV2 and streamer Itvx, while the remainder of the series will be available nightly at 9pm on ITV2 and Itvx, except Saturdays.
“Big Brother” will be followed each night by “Big Brother: Late & Live,” hosted live by Odudu and Best from the site of the Big Brother house in front of a studio audience, where evictees will be interviewed. Following this, “Big Brother: Live Stream” will stream live footage seven nights a week on Itvx.
The Banijay format is popular globally with some 500 seasons of the show having aired around the world in 64 countries and regions.
The British version of the iconic reality TV series “Big Brother,” which first launched 23 years ago, is set to return to ITV screens on Oct. 8. The show is hosted by Aj Odudu and Will Best and produced by Initial, part of Banijay U.K. “Big Brother: The Launch” will air on ITV1, ITV2 and streamer Itvx, while the remainder of the series will be available nightly at 9pm on ITV2 and Itvx, except Saturdays.
“Big Brother” will be followed each night by “Big Brother: Late & Live,” hosted live by Odudu and Best from the site of the Big Brother house in front of a studio audience, where evictees will be interviewed. Following this, “Big Brother: Live Stream” will stream live footage seven nights a week on Itvx.
The Banijay format is popular globally with some 500 seasons of the show having aired around the world in 64 countries and regions.
- 9/25/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
A record 53 projects will be presented in November.
The Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) is set to take place on a larger and more international scale this year, presenting a record 53 projects with international productions included for the first time.
Project pitching is one of the main sections of Tccf, the content licensing and project investment market organised by Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which will run from November 7-10 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. A record 539 submissions from 29 regions were received this year. The total cash prizes are worth more than $150,000.
The selected projects are divided...
The Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) is set to take place on a larger and more international scale this year, presenting a record 53 projects with international productions included for the first time.
Project pitching is one of the main sections of Tccf, the content licensing and project investment market organised by Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which will run from November 7-10 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. A record 539 submissions from 29 regions were received this year. The total cash prizes are worth more than $150,000.
The selected projects are divided...
- 9/22/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
‘Rise Of The Footsoldier: Veagence’, ‘Rally Road Racers’ and ‘Bolan’s Shoes’ among other releases
Disney’s A Haunting In Venice leads a busy weekend at the UK-Ireland box office as the crime horror opens in 715 cinemas.
Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation follows the now-retired detective as he attends a séance where one of the guests ends up dead and he must solve the murder.
The director stars in the film once again as Hercule Poirot while the A-list cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly.
It is a similar number of sites...
Disney’s A Haunting In Venice leads a busy weekend at the UK-Ireland box office as the crime horror opens in 715 cinemas.
Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation follows the now-retired detective as he attends a séance where one of the guests ends up dead and he must solve the murder.
The director stars in the film once again as Hercule Poirot while the A-list cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly.
It is a similar number of sites...
- 9/15/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
‘Rise Of The Footsoldier: Veagence’, ‘Rally Road Racers’ and ‘Bolan’s Shoes’ among other releases
Disney’s A Haunting In Venice leads a busy weekend at the UK-Ireland box office as the crime horror opens in 715 cinemas.
Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation follows the now-retired detective as he attends a séance where one of the guests ends up dead and he must solve the murder.
The director stars in the film once again as Hercule Poirot while the A-list cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly.
It is a similar number of sites...
Disney’s A Haunting In Venice leads a busy weekend at the UK-Ireland box office as the crime horror opens in 715 cinemas.
Kenneth Branagh’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation follows the now-retired detective as he attends a séance where one of the guests ends up dead and he must solve the murder.
The director stars in the film once again as Hercule Poirot while the A-list cast also includes Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey and Kelly Reilly.
It is a similar number of sites...
- 9/14/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Warner Bros.’ “The Nun II” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.7 million ($2.1 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.
Yash Raj Films release “Jawan,” headlined by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, bowed in second place with a strong £1.3 million.
In its second weekend, Sony’s “The Equalizer 3” collected £1 million in third position for a total of £4.7 million. In fourth place, in its eighth weekend, Warner. Bros.’ “Barbie” earned £561,118 for a mighty total of £93.7 million. The film is, by some distance, the highest grosser of the year in the territory and is in seventh position on the all-time chart behind “Spectre” (£95.2 million).
Studiocanal’s “Past Lives” debuted in fifth place with £515,509. In its eighth weekend, Universal’s “Oppenheimer” grossed £483,101 in sixth place for a total of £56.3 million.
The only other debut in the top 10 was Universal’s “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” which took in £411,191 in seventh place.
Yash Raj Films release “Jawan,” headlined by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, bowed in second place with a strong £1.3 million.
In its second weekend, Sony’s “The Equalizer 3” collected £1 million in third position for a total of £4.7 million. In fourth place, in its eighth weekend, Warner. Bros.’ “Barbie” earned £561,118 for a mighty total of £93.7 million. The film is, by some distance, the highest grosser of the year in the territory and is in seventh position on the all-time chart behind “Spectre” (£95.2 million).
Studiocanal’s “Past Lives” debuted in fifth place with £515,509. In its eighth weekend, Universal’s “Oppenheimer” grossed £483,101 in sixth place for a total of £56.3 million.
The only other debut in the top 10 was Universal’s “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” which took in £411,191 in seventh place.
- 9/12/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Tim Mackenzie-Smith’s feature debut tells the story of the 1970s Black British group.
BFI Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to music documentary Getting It Back: The Story Of Cymande.
It will receive a theatrical release in early 2024. Getting It Back launched at SXSW 2022, before a UK premiere at last year’s BFI London Film Festival, and festival screenings at Doclisboa and Doc ‘n’ Roll Festival.
The feature debut of UK director Tim Mackenzie-Smith, Getting It Back tells the story of Cymande, a group of Black musicians who came to the UK from the Caribbean as children, and formed...
BFI Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to music documentary Getting It Back: The Story Of Cymande.
It will receive a theatrical release in early 2024. Getting It Back launched at SXSW 2022, before a UK premiere at last year’s BFI London Film Festival, and festival screenings at Doclisboa and Doc ‘n’ Roll Festival.
The feature debut of UK director Tim Mackenzie-Smith, Getting It Back tells the story of Cymande, a group of Black musicians who came to the UK from the Caribbean as children, and formed...
- 8/18/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
by Cláudio Alves
Under the right circumstances, a whisper can sound like a shout, soft caresses like barb-wire across the skin. In Kôji Fukada's cinema, a directorial style full of quiet oddities becomes the perfect context for such paradoxes to thrive ferociously. They never resolve themselves completely either, a sense of mystery prevailing until the end credits roll, whether it's the perversions of Harmonium or A Girl Missing's puzzle box plot. For his latest film, now in limited release, the Japanese auteur let go of those previous projects' violent spirits, redirecting his attention to a premise that sounds like easy-digestible melodrama. But, of course, that's not what Fukada has in store for his audience
Love Life was reportedly inspired by a romantic tune, but its final song rings barren, no rose-colored loveliness muffling the agony hiding between the notes. The sound produced is no crooning chant but a shattering,...
Under the right circumstances, a whisper can sound like a shout, soft caresses like barb-wire across the skin. In Kôji Fukada's cinema, a directorial style full of quiet oddities becomes the perfect context for such paradoxes to thrive ferociously. They never resolve themselves completely either, a sense of mystery prevailing until the end credits roll, whether it's the perversions of Harmonium or A Girl Missing's puzzle box plot. For his latest film, now in limited release, the Japanese auteur let go of those previous projects' violent spirits, redirecting his attention to a premise that sounds like easy-digestible melodrama. But, of course, that's not what Fukada has in store for his audience
Love Life was reportedly inspired by a romantic tune, but its final song rings barren, no rose-colored loveliness muffling the agony hiding between the notes. The sound produced is no crooning chant but a shattering,...
- 8/14/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Love the One You’re With: Fukada Explores Love and Death as Unhappy Accidents
The instability of romance is the only real given in the intimate complexities of Kôji Fukada’s latest, Love Life, which feature a cadre of peripheral characters populating what could be classified as members of the ‘first lives club.’ Fukada has a particular knack for examining pulp scenarios and mining the aching human frailties which underlie our often innate penchant for self sabotage, this time in a fluctuating melodrama. An unforeseen tragedy exacerbates an already tenuous familial dynamic, driving a couple into reconsidering the merits of their past partners, partially due to a sense of unfinished business, but really to rediscover the frivolity afforded connections which aren’t yet tempered by actual responsibility.…...
The instability of romance is the only real given in the intimate complexities of Kôji Fukada’s latest, Love Life, which feature a cadre of peripheral characters populating what could be classified as members of the ‘first lives club.’ Fukada has a particular knack for examining pulp scenarios and mining the aching human frailties which underlie our often innate penchant for self sabotage, this time in a fluctuating melodrama. An unforeseen tragedy exacerbates an already tenuous familial dynamic, driving a couple into reconsidering the merits of their past partners, partially due to a sense of unfinished business, but really to rediscover the frivolity afforded connections which aren’t yet tempered by actual responsibility.…...
- 8/11/2023
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The opening stretch of Fukada Kôji’s Love Life is rich in textures that put the characters’ present-day lives into nuanced context. When we first meet Taeko (Kimura Fumino), she’s playing a game of Othello—a modern version of Reversi—against Keita (Shimada Tetsuta), her young son from a prior marriage. They live with her current husband, Jiro (Nagayama Kento), in an apartment furnished by his parents and currently decorated to celebrate Keita’s win in an Othello tournament. When Taeko steps out to the balcony, she calls out to some of her friends, who are rehearsing a routine to hold up congratulatory signage. Then she drops by the soup kitchen where she works, and on her day off, after being called in to defuse a situation.
The significance behind some of those details and how it slowly comes into focus is one of Fukada’s signatures. Several scenes...
The significance behind some of those details and how it slowly comes into focus is one of Fukada’s signatures. Several scenes...
- 8/7/2023
- by Steven Scaife
- Slant Magazine
Projects by Rima Das and Emma Kawawada also among 30 titles set to be pitched.
South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has unveiled the 30 titles selected for the 2023 Asian Project Market (Apm), including new works by Makbul Mubarak, Koji Fukada, Rima Das and Emma Kawawada.
The film financing event, which runs as part of Biff’s Asian Contents and Film Market, will take place from October 7-10 and comprises projects by directors who have made at least one short or full-length feature as well as producers who have been involved with at least one feature. They will conduct four...
South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has unveiled the 30 titles selected for the 2023 Asian Project Market (Apm), including new works by Makbul Mubarak, Koji Fukada, Rima Das and Emma Kawawada.
The film financing event, which runs as part of Biff’s Asian Contents and Film Market, will take place from October 7-10 and comprises projects by directors who have made at least one short or full-length feature as well as producers who have been involved with at least one feature. They will conduct four...
- 8/3/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Busan International Film Festival has announced the 30 projects selected for this year’s Asian Project Market (Apm), including new works from leading Asian filmmakers such as Japan’s Koji Fukada, Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak and India’s Rima Das.
Fukada, whose previous films have premiered at Cannes and Venice (Love Life), will present Japan-France co-production Nagi Notes, produced by Osanai Terutaro.
Mubarak, whose Autobiography premiered at last year’s Venice before embarking on an awards haul across Asia, is bringing Watch It Burn, produced by Indonesia’s Yulia Evina Bhara, one of the producers on this year’s Cannes Critics Week winner Tiger Stripes.
Das is a Busan regular who has also had films play in Toronto and Berlin (Bulbul Can Sing). She will present Malti My Love, which the self-taught filmmaker will also produce, just as she has produced, written,...
Fukada, whose previous films have premiered at Cannes and Venice (Love Life), will present Japan-France co-production Nagi Notes, produced by Osanai Terutaro.
Mubarak, whose Autobiography premiered at last year’s Venice before embarking on an awards haul across Asia, is bringing Watch It Burn, produced by Indonesia’s Yulia Evina Bhara, one of the producers on this year’s Cannes Critics Week winner Tiger Stripes.
Das is a Busan regular who has also had films play in Toronto and Berlin (Bulbul Can Sing). She will present Malti My Love, which the self-taught filmmaker will also produce, just as she has produced, written,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Emerging as one of the most accomplished Japanese directors of the last decade, Harmonium and A Girl Missing director Kōji Fukada is back with his next feature. Love Life, which premiered at Venice Film Festival last fall, follows a couple living with their young son, when a tragic accident brings the boy’s long-lost father back into their life. Ahead of an August 11 release beginning at IFC Center, the first U.S. trailer has now arrived from Oscilloscope Laboratories.
Rory O’Connor said in his Venice review, “Love Life is one of those films that really wears its screenplay. The plot follows a mother’s attempts to come to terms with the death of a child, but it’s more about unusual paths the journey takes for her to get there. The director is Kôji Fukada, a filmmaker who studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa and cites Rohmer as a key influence. The...
Rory O’Connor said in his Venice review, “Love Life is one of those films that really wears its screenplay. The plot follows a mother’s attempts to come to terms with the death of a child, but it’s more about unusual paths the journey takes for her to get there. The director is Kôji Fukada, a filmmaker who studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa and cites Rohmer as a key influence. The...
- 8/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Busan film festival’s Asian Project Market is set to welcome several of the region’s top auteurs either as producers or prospective directors at its next edition in October.
Apm organizers Thursday unveiled 30 projects to be presented during a four-day round of one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions.
India’s Rima Das (“Tora’s Husband”) will pitch “Malti My Love.” Japan’s Fukada Koji will pitch “Nagi Notes.” Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak (“Autobiography”) will pitch “Watch It Burn.”
Among the successful producers adding their weight to Apm contenders are: Patrick Mao Huang selling Peter Ho’s project “Appetite for Desire”; Jeremy Chua, pitching Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana”; Ichiyama Shozo (“Ash Is Puirest White”) pitching Song Fang’s Japan-China collaboration “Full Moon”; Fran Borgia pitching Aakash Chhabra’s “I’ll Smile in September”; and Tan Chui Mui (“Barbarian Invasion”) pitching Jian Xiaoshuan’s “To Kill A Mongolian Horse.”
The project...
Apm organizers Thursday unveiled 30 projects to be presented during a four-day round of one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions.
India’s Rima Das (“Tora’s Husband”) will pitch “Malti My Love.” Japan’s Fukada Koji will pitch “Nagi Notes.” Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak (“Autobiography”) will pitch “Watch It Burn.”
Among the successful producers adding their weight to Apm contenders are: Patrick Mao Huang selling Peter Ho’s project “Appetite for Desire”; Jeremy Chua, pitching Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana”; Ichiyama Shozo (“Ash Is Puirest White”) pitching Song Fang’s Japan-China collaboration “Full Moon”; Fran Borgia pitching Aakash Chhabra’s “I’ll Smile in September”; and Tan Chui Mui (“Barbarian Invasion”) pitching Jian Xiaoshuan’s “To Kill A Mongolian Horse.”
The project...
- 8/3/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Award
Paramount+ and Tving‘s Korean series “Bargain” has won the critics’ choice award at the Seriencamp Festival in Cologne. In April, “Bargain” became the first-ever Korean series to win best screenplay at the Canneseries Festival in France.
The series stars actors Jun Jong-seo (“Money Heist: Korea”) and Jin Seon-kyu (“Extreme Job”) and is an adaptation of director Lee Chung-hyun’s 2015 short film of the same name. Director Jun Woo-sung, who was part of the production team of the short, picked up the story and developed it into a six-part series. “Bargain” revolves around a group of strangers who gather at a remote motel with ulterior motives – seeking to bargain. Unlike the original film, the series follows the characters after an unexpected earthquake traps them inside the building. With no one to trust, they must find a way to survive.
“Bargain” is developed by Paramount+ and Tving, out of Paramount...
Paramount+ and Tving‘s Korean series “Bargain” has won the critics’ choice award at the Seriencamp Festival in Cologne. In April, “Bargain” became the first-ever Korean series to win best screenplay at the Canneseries Festival in France.
The series stars actors Jun Jong-seo (“Money Heist: Korea”) and Jin Seon-kyu (“Extreme Job”) and is an adaptation of director Lee Chung-hyun’s 2015 short film of the same name. Director Jun Woo-sung, who was part of the production team of the short, picked up the story and developed it into a six-part series. “Bargain” revolves around a group of strangers who gather at a remote motel with ulterior motives – seeking to bargain. Unlike the original film, the series follows the characters after an unexpected earthquake traps them inside the building. With no one to trust, they must find a way to survive.
“Bargain” is developed by Paramount+ and Tving, out of Paramount...
- 6/19/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The film played in Competition at Venice before heading to TIFF and Lff.
BFI Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Koji Fukada’s Love Life.
The film premiered in Competition at Venice Film Festival in September 2022, going on to play festivals including Toronto and BFI London Film Festival.
BFI Distribution acquired the film from mk2 Films, and has set a release date of September 15, 2023. The film will play concurrently with the BFI’s Yasujiro Ozu season, from September 1 to October 3.
Inspired by a song of the same name by Japanese singer Akiko Yano, Love Life tells the story of...
BFI Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Koji Fukada’s Love Life.
The film premiered in Competition at Venice Film Festival in September 2022, going on to play festivals including Toronto and BFI London Film Festival.
BFI Distribution acquired the film from mk2 Films, and has set a release date of September 15, 2023. The film will play concurrently with the BFI’s Yasujiro Ozu season, from September 1 to October 3.
Inspired by a song of the same name by Japanese singer Akiko Yano, Love Life tells the story of...
- 6/19/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Stan Refreshes Lionsgate Output Deal
Australian streamer Stan has refreshed its output deal with Lionsgate. The new agreement means Stan lands the local first-run of shows including the upcoming CIA thriller series Gray, starring Patricia Clarkson, Lydia West and Rupert Everett. Also on the menu are Son of a Critch, Welcome to Flatch and Steven K. Knight’s Spartacus sequel series. Theatrical features include White Bird, Alice and Darling. Stan will remain the Aussie home of the Power franchise, The Serpent Queen, Minx, Bmf, Gaslit and Hightown and also picks up Lionsgate catalog titles such as Mad Men, Weeds, The Spanish Princess, Black Sails, La La Land and Twilight.
Indigenous Canadian Stand-Up Show Readied
Exclusive: Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and the Canada Media Fund are among the backers of a comedy TV series billed as the first all-Canadian and Indigenous stand-up show. They have signed on to develop...
Australian streamer Stan has refreshed its output deal with Lionsgate. The new agreement means Stan lands the local first-run of shows including the upcoming CIA thriller series Gray, starring Patricia Clarkson, Lydia West and Rupert Everett. Also on the menu are Son of a Critch, Welcome to Flatch and Steven K. Knight’s Spartacus sequel series. Theatrical features include White Bird, Alice and Darling. Stan will remain the Aussie home of the Power franchise, The Serpent Queen, Minx, Bmf, Gaslit and Hightown and also picks up Lionsgate catalog titles such as Mad Men, Weeds, The Spanish Princess, Black Sails, La La Land and Twilight.
Indigenous Canadian Stand-Up Show Readied
Exclusive: Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and the Canada Media Fund are among the backers of a comedy TV series billed as the first all-Canadian and Indigenous stand-up show. They have signed on to develop...
- 6/19/2023
- by Jesse Whittock, Max Goldbart and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Behind the Scenes with Jane Campion (Prisca Bouchet & Nick Mayow)
In the wide-open spaces of Montana, a glimpse of the set of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, which earned her an Academy Award for best directing after a decade-long hiatus. Narrated by Campion herself, it also features her sketches, notes, and visual inspirations.
Where to Stream: Le Cinéma Club
Enys Men and Bait (Mark Jenkin)
Perched on the cliff of a windswept island off the coast of Cornwall is a shock of white flowers. Every day a woman studies their petals in religious silence before heading home and jotting notes in a diary. Date. Daily temperature. Observations. The year is 1973, the month April, and that’s about as much...
Behind the Scenes with Jane Campion (Prisca Bouchet & Nick Mayow)
In the wide-open spaces of Montana, a glimpse of the set of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, which earned her an Academy Award for best directing after a decade-long hiatus. Narrated by Campion herself, it also features her sketches, notes, and visual inspirations.
Where to Stream: Le Cinéma Club
Enys Men and Bait (Mark Jenkin)
Perched on the cliff of a windswept island off the coast of Cornwall is a shock of white flowers. Every day a woman studies their petals in religious silence before heading home and jotting notes in a diary. Date. Daily temperature. Observations. The year is 1973, the month April, and that’s about as much...
- 4/21/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Young and talented director Kwon Man-ki's graduation project from the Korean Academy of Film Arts (Kafa) is a work of shocking maturity and pathos. “Clean Up” – also written by him – is his debut feature after few short movies and has already won 2 top prizes (New Current Award and Kth Award) at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival (Biff) and the Best Film Award at the International Film Festival and Awards of Macao. And my guess is that this is just the beginning …
“Clean Up” is available from Echelon Studios
Jung-ju (Yoon Ji-hye) has learned to disguise herself everyday behind a clean, respectable façade. She works diligently in a cleaning company during the day, she is a fervent catholic churchgoer and she washes dishes in a small restaurant at night. She is kind, hard working and polite, never angry, never loud so that nobody can see the vast ocean of pain nested inside hear heart.
“Clean Up” is available from Echelon Studios
Jung-ju (Yoon Ji-hye) has learned to disguise herself everyday behind a clean, respectable façade. She works diligently in a cleaning company during the day, she is a fervent catholic churchgoer and she washes dishes in a small restaurant at night. She is kind, hard working and polite, never angry, never loud so that nobody can see the vast ocean of pain nested inside hear heart.
- 3/25/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including David Easteal’s The Plains (one of the best films we saw on the festival circuit last year), Christophe Honoré’s Winter Boy, Koji Fukada’s 10-part series The Real Thing, Bruce Labruce’s Saint-Narcisse, and more.
Additional highlights include three films by Joan Micklin Silver, additions to their Lars von Trier series, Sylvain Chomet’s The Triplets of Belleville, Sally Potter’s Orlando, Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire, Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
April 1 – Henry Fool, directed by Hal Hartley
April 2 – Waltz with Bashir, directed by Ari Folman
April 3 – The All-Round Reduced Personality – Redupers, directed by Helke Sander | What Sets Us Free? German Feminist Cinema
April 4 – Saint-Narcisse, directed by Bruce Labruce
April 5 – Jaime Francisco, directed by Javier Rodríguez | Brief Encounters
April 6 – Hester Street, directed by Joan Micklin...
Additional highlights include three films by Joan Micklin Silver, additions to their Lars von Trier series, Sylvain Chomet’s The Triplets of Belleville, Sally Potter’s Orlando, Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire, Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
April 1 – Henry Fool, directed by Hal Hartley
April 2 – Waltz with Bashir, directed by Ari Folman
April 3 – The All-Round Reduced Personality – Redupers, directed by Helke Sander | What Sets Us Free? German Feminist Cinema
April 4 – Saint-Narcisse, directed by Bruce Labruce
April 5 – Jaime Francisco, directed by Javier Rodríguez | Brief Encounters
April 6 – Hester Street, directed by Joan Micklin...
- 3/23/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Once again, First Look Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image is upon us, showcasing new, adventurous films from around the world. Encompassing features, shorts, narratives and non-narratives, this year's wide ranging selections include Tori and Lokita, a new film from the Dardennes; this year's Sundance favorites, Fremont and Mami Wata (Opening Night and Closing Night film respectively); a new movie from Koji Fukada (Love Life); plus films from Argentina, China, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Senegal, and a whole lot more. First Look has been and remains the unmissable go-to New York film event for surveying the most exciting current filmmaking from around the world and discovering new talents. I am very privileged to sample the following films, which you can find in the gallery below. ...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/14/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada is back with another middle-class (melo)drama about common people in uncommon life situations. “Love Life” premiered at Venice and after that went on the tour of festivals.
“Love Life” is screening at the Museum of the Moving Image, as part of the First Look 2023 program
Taeko and her husband Jiro live a peaceful life. At the beginning, their mood could be seen as celebratory, since they are throwing a party for his stern father's 65th birthday, and also celebrating her son Keita's local Othello championship title. However, Jiro's father has a hard time accepting the fact that his son married a divorcee with a child from her previous marriage.
A sudden tragedy resulting in Keita's accidental death starts the spiral of events. Firstly, Keita's biological father Park (Atom Sunada) suddenly appears at the funeral and Taeko has the urge to do her best to...
“Love Life” is screening at the Museum of the Moving Image, as part of the First Look 2023 program
Taeko and her husband Jiro live a peaceful life. At the beginning, their mood could be seen as celebratory, since they are throwing a party for his stern father's 65th birthday, and also celebrating her son Keita's local Othello championship title. However, Jiro's father has a hard time accepting the fact that his son married a divorcee with a child from her previous marriage.
A sudden tragedy resulting in Keita's accidental death starts the spiral of events. Firstly, Keita's biological father Park (Atom Sunada) suddenly appears at the funeral and Taeko has the urge to do her best to...
- 3/13/2023
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Now in its 12th edition, the Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look festival brings together a varied, eclectic lineup of cinema from all corners of the world––including a number of films still seeking distribution, making the series perhaps one of your only chances to see these works on the big screen. With the five-day festival kicking off Wednesday, March 15, we’re delighted to exclusively premiere the festival trailer and we’ve also gathered eight essential films to check out. Watch and read on below.
Fremont (Babak Jalali)
In Fremont, Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) is often alone. She lives in a small apartment in Fremont, California, commuting each day to her job in a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. She has a single friend that works there with her. Donya splits time between her apartment, the factory, and a therapist’s office, in hopes of receiving sleeping pills.
Fremont (Babak Jalali)
In Fremont, Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) is often alone. She lives in a small apartment in Fremont, California, commuting each day to her job in a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. She has a single friend that works there with her. Donya splits time between her apartment, the factory, and a therapist’s office, in hopes of receiving sleeping pills.
- 3/9/2023
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired North American rights to Japanese director Kôji Fukada’s drama Love Life.
The film world premiered in Competition in Venice last year (you can check out the Deadline reveal of a first clip here) and went on to play at multiple festivals including Toronto and London.
The acquisition announcement followed hot on the heels of news that the film had been selected for the Museum of The Moving Images (MoMI) First Look Festival, running in New York from March 15 to 19.
Oscilloscope will release the film this year.
The film stars Fumino Kimura as Taeko, a woman living a peaceful life with her husband (Kento Nagayama) and young son.
A tragic accident brings Taeko’s ex-husband, who is the father of her son, back into her life. He is deaf, down on his luck and homeless. To deal with her own pain and guilt, she throws herself into helping him out,...
The film world premiered in Competition in Venice last year (you can check out the Deadline reveal of a first clip here) and went on to play at multiple festivals including Toronto and London.
The acquisition announcement followed hot on the heels of news that the film had been selected for the Museum of The Moving Images (MoMI) First Look Festival, running in New York from March 15 to 19.
Oscilloscope will release the film this year.
The film stars Fumino Kimura as Taeko, a woman living a peaceful life with her husband (Kento Nagayama) and young son.
A tragic accident brings Taeko’s ex-husband, who is the father of her son, back into her life. He is deaf, down on his luck and homeless. To deal with her own pain and guilt, she throws herself into helping him out,...
- 2/10/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
We are happy to announce that the Skip City International D-Cinema Festival 2023 will celebrate its 20th anniversary edition from July 15th (Sat) to 23th (Sun), 2023 for 9 days at Skip City, which is an integrated institution for digital cinema production
(See: https://www.skipcity-dcf.jp/en/)
Submission period: January 25th, 2023 (Wed) – March 1st, 2023 (Wed)
We remain committed to discovering and nurturing new talent, with the aim of helping these filmmakers seize new business opportunities that have arisen in the changing landscape of the film industry. Now we call for works (60 min. or longer) that have been shot digitally and must be the director’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd feature film from all over the world for the International Competition section.
Call for entries for the International Competition!!
Entry Deadline: Must be received by March 1st, 2023 (Wed)
Submit via FilmFreeway
https://filmfreeway.com/Skipcityinternationald-CinemaFESTIVAL (Online registration / Free)
Our International Competition welcomes you!
(See: https://www.skipcity-dcf.jp/en/)
Submission period: January 25th, 2023 (Wed) – March 1st, 2023 (Wed)
We remain committed to discovering and nurturing new talent, with the aim of helping these filmmakers seize new business opportunities that have arisen in the changing landscape of the film industry. Now we call for works (60 min. or longer) that have been shot digitally and must be the director’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd feature film from all over the world for the International Competition section.
Call for entries for the International Competition!!
Entry Deadline: Must be received by March 1st, 2023 (Wed)
Submit via FilmFreeway
https://filmfreeway.com/Skipcityinternationald-CinemaFESTIVAL (Online registration / Free)
Our International Competition welcomes you!
- 1/25/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada is back with another middle-class (melo)drama about common people in uncommon life situations. “Love Life” premiered at Venice and after that went on the tour of festivals.
Love Life is screening at Black Movie
Taeko and her husband Jiro live a peaceful life. At the beginning, their mood could be seen as celebratory, since they are throwing a party for his stern father’s 65th birthday, and also celebrating her son Keita’s local Othello championship title. However, Jiro’s father has a hard time accepting the fact that his son married a divorcee with a child from her previous marriage.
A sudden tragedy resulting in Keita’s accidental death starts the spiral of events. Firstly, Keita’s biological father Park (Atom Sunada) suddenly appears at the funeral and Taeko has the urge to do her best to help this troubled deaf homeless Korean man.
Love Life is screening at Black Movie
Taeko and her husband Jiro live a peaceful life. At the beginning, their mood could be seen as celebratory, since they are throwing a party for his stern father’s 65th birthday, and also celebrating her son Keita’s local Othello championship title. However, Jiro’s father has a hard time accepting the fact that his son married a divorcee with a child from her previous marriage.
A sudden tragedy resulting in Keita’s accidental death starts the spiral of events. Firstly, Keita’s biological father Park (Atom Sunada) suddenly appears at the funeral and Taeko has the urge to do her best to help this troubled deaf homeless Korean man.
- 1/22/2023
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada is back with another middle-class (melo)drama about common people in uncommon life situations. “Love Life” premiered at Venice and after that went on the tour of festivals. We caught it at a special screening at Zagreb Film Festival.
Taeko and her husband Jiro live a peaceful life. At the beginning, their mood could be seen as celebratory, since they are throwing a party for his stern father’s 65th birthday, and also celebrating her son Keita’s local Othello championship title. However, Jiro’s father has a hard time accepting the fact that his son married a divorcee with a child from her previous marriage.
A sudden tragedy resulting in Keita’s accidental death starts the spiral of events. Firstly, Keita’s biological father Park (Atom Sunada) suddenly appears at the funeral and Taeko has the urge to do her best to help this troubled deaf homeless Korean man.
Taeko and her husband Jiro live a peaceful life. At the beginning, their mood could be seen as celebratory, since they are throwing a party for his stern father’s 65th birthday, and also celebrating her son Keita’s local Othello championship title. However, Jiro’s father has a hard time accepting the fact that his son married a divorcee with a child from her previous marriage.
A sudden tragedy resulting in Keita’s accidental death starts the spiral of events. Firstly, Keita’s biological father Park (Atom Sunada) suddenly appears at the funeral and Taeko has the urge to do her best to help this troubled deaf homeless Korean man.
- 11/5/2022
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu also donated proceeds to a Mexican scholarship programme.
Filmmakers Koji Fukada and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu each received an honorary Kurosawa Akira Award at Tokyo International Film Festival on Saturday (October 29) and donated proceeds to supporting talent.
Japan’s Fukada is known for directing features such as Venice competition title Love Life, Cannes 2016 Un Certain Regard jury prize winner Harmonium, and Locarno 2019 competition title A Girl Missing. But he is also a well-known activist who campaigns on behalf of independent filmmakers in Japan and used his TIFF platform to draw attention to ongoing struggles in the industry.
“I...
Filmmakers Koji Fukada and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu each received an honorary Kurosawa Akira Award at Tokyo International Film Festival on Saturday (October 29) and donated proceeds to supporting talent.
Japan’s Fukada is known for directing features such as Venice competition title Love Life, Cannes 2016 Un Certain Regard jury prize winner Harmonium, and Locarno 2019 competition title A Girl Missing. But he is also a well-known activist who campaigns on behalf of independent filmmakers in Japan and used his TIFF platform to draw attention to ongoing struggles in the industry.
“I...
- 10/30/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Tokyo – As the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) roars back into life this year after two years of going hybrid, it brings along with it the jejune of milestones and the dim realities that have beleaguered the Japanese film industry, pre- and during the pandemic.
In one of the festival’s most notable highlights, Japanese director Koji Fukada and Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu were accorded the 2022 Kurosawa Akira Award on Oct. 29, the re-emergence of which after 14 years could not have come at a more critical time according to Hiroyasu Ando, chairman of this year’s filmfest.
“A family member of Kurosawa told me that justice and humanity have been the underlying common themes of his films,” Ando said during the awarding ceremony. Looking at the world now, the former diplomat-turned TIFF head said that these are the very same things we currently “need the most.” “The rebirth...
In one of the festival’s most notable highlights, Japanese director Koji Fukada and Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu were accorded the 2022 Kurosawa Akira Award on Oct. 29, the re-emergence of which after 14 years could not have come at a more critical time according to Hiroyasu Ando, chairman of this year’s filmfest.
“A family member of Kurosawa told me that justice and humanity have been the underlying common themes of his films,” Ando said during the awarding ceremony. Looking at the world now, the former diplomat-turned TIFF head said that these are the very same things we currently “need the most.” “The rebirth...
- 10/30/2022
- by Purple Romero
- AsianMoviePulse
The two directors were in conversation at Tokyo International Film Festival.
Award-winning directors Koji Fukada and Tsai Ming-liang voiced concerns about the state of filmmaking in Japan and Taiwan respectively during an on-stage conversation at Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).
Tsai, whose films have won top prizes at Cannes, Venice and Berlin, reflected on the rich period for Taiwanese art cinema that began in the 1980s with the emergence of directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang before lamenting the move into genre features to make a profit.
“That was a great period for Taiwanese films, but in recent years,...
Award-winning directors Koji Fukada and Tsai Ming-liang voiced concerns about the state of filmmaking in Japan and Taiwan respectively during an on-stage conversation at Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).
Tsai, whose films have won top prizes at Cannes, Venice and Berlin, reflected on the rich period for Taiwanese art cinema that began in the 1980s with the emergence of directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang before lamenting the move into genre features to make a profit.
“That was a great period for Taiwanese films, but in recent years,...
- 10/30/2022
- by Matt Schley
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
In his second year as programming director, industry veteran Shozo Ichiyama believes he has taken another step closer to realizing his vision for the Tokyo International Film Festival.
A producer known for working with China’s Jia Zhangke, Japan’s Takeshi Kitano and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien, Ichiyama is striving to make TIFF a gateway between the Japanese and global film worlds, and raise the level of the content screened.
Ichiyama’s delight at the return of overseas guests for this edition is palpable. And he says he’s been particularly encouraged at the number of people who have been prepared to pay their own way to Tokyo to attend the festival with their films.
Another positive for Ichiyama and the festival, this time on the domestic front, is the higher number of Japanese films in all the major sections this year.
“Last year,...
In his second year as programming director, industry veteran Shozo Ichiyama believes he has taken another step closer to realizing his vision for the Tokyo International Film Festival.
A producer known for working with China’s Jia Zhangke, Japan’s Takeshi Kitano and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien, Ichiyama is striving to make TIFF a gateway between the Japanese and global film worlds, and raise the level of the content screened.
Ichiyama’s delight at the return of overseas guests for this edition is palpable. And he says he’s been particularly encouraged at the number of people who have been prepared to pay their own way to Tokyo to attend the festival with their films.
Another positive for Ichiyama and the festival, this time on the domestic front, is the higher number of Japanese films in all the major sections this year.
“Last year,...
- 10/26/2022
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Fragments Of The Last Will’ opened 35th edition.
The 35th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has launched with its first full-scale red carpet in three years.
At the Takarazuka Theatre in the festival’s new main area of Hibiya-Yurakucho-Ginza, relocated last year from Roppongi, international competition jury president and US director Julie Taymor spoke from the red carpet: “It’s an incredible time now that – since Covid – you’re able to have many more international guests, which is so critical at a time in the world which is so divisive.”
TIFF was only able to host eight foreign guests last year,...
The 35th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has launched with its first full-scale red carpet in three years.
At the Takarazuka Theatre in the festival’s new main area of Hibiya-Yurakucho-Ginza, relocated last year from Roppongi, international competition jury president and US director Julie Taymor spoke from the red carpet: “It’s an incredible time now that – since Covid – you’re able to have many more international guests, which is so critical at a time in the world which is so divisive.”
TIFF was only able to host eight foreign guests last year,...
- 10/24/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Festival revives Kurosawa Akira Award After 14 years.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is to honour Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada with its Kurosawa Akira Award and give its Lifetime Achievement Award to Kurosawa collaborator Nogami Teruyo.
It marks the first time the Kurosawa Akira Award will have been given in 14 years and is presented to filmmakers who are making extraordinary contributions to world cinema and are expected to help define the film industry’s future. Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, Yamada Yoji and Hou Hsiao Hsien.
The selection committee was made up of Yamada, Nakadai Tatsuya,...
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is to honour Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada with its Kurosawa Akira Award and give its Lifetime Achievement Award to Kurosawa collaborator Nogami Teruyo.
It marks the first time the Kurosawa Akira Award will have been given in 14 years and is presented to filmmakers who are making extraordinary contributions to world cinema and are expected to help define the film industry’s future. Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, Yamada Yoji and Hou Hsiao Hsien.
The selection committee was made up of Yamada, Nakadai Tatsuya,...
- 10/7/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
The Tokyo International Film Festival revealed Friday that Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu and Japan’s own Koji Fukada will both receive the Kurosawa Akira Award at the event’s upcoming 35th edition later this month. The Tokyo festival decided to revive the honor in 2022 after a 14-year hiatus. Presented to filmmakers “who are making extraordinary contributions to world cinema and are expected to help define the film industry’s future,” the prize was previously awarded to film luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Yoji Yamada and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien.
This year’s honorees were chosen by a selection committee including director Yoji Yamada, acclaimed actor Tatsuya Nakadai, veteran actress Mieko Harada, film critic Saburo Kawamoto and Tokyo’s programming director Shozo Ichiyama.
The committee said it chose to award this year’s prize to Iñárritu, “as his debut film...
The Tokyo International Film Festival revealed Friday that Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu and Japan’s own Koji Fukada will both receive the Kurosawa Akira Award at the event’s upcoming 35th edition later this month. The Tokyo festival decided to revive the honor in 2022 after a 14-year hiatus. Presented to filmmakers “who are making extraordinary contributions to world cinema and are expected to help define the film industry’s future,” the prize was previously awarded to film luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Yoji Yamada and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien.
This year’s honorees were chosen by a selection committee including director Yoji Yamada, acclaimed actor Tatsuya Nakadai, veteran actress Mieko Harada, film critic Saburo Kawamoto and Tokyo’s programming director Shozo Ichiyama.
The committee said it chose to award this year’s prize to Iñárritu, “as his debut film...
- 10/7/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While we’re in the middle of the fall festival season, with Telluride, Venice, and TIFF in the rearview, and NYFF, BFI London, and AFI Fest on the horizon, it’s time to round up some of our early favorites. We’ve polled our contributors from Venice and TIFF to share their top picks, which one can see below along with our ongoing coverage here.
David Katz (@davidfabiankatz)
1. Saint Omer (Alice Diop)
2. Trenque Lauquen (Laura Citarella)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)
5. The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)
6. Love Life (Kôji Fukada)
7. Blonde (Andrew Dominik)
8. A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)
9. In Viaggio (Gianfranco Rosi)
10. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
Luke Hicks (@lou_kicks)
1. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
2. Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
5. Athena (Romain Gavras)
6. White Noise (Noah Baumbach)
7. The Banshees of Inisherin...
David Katz (@davidfabiankatz)
1. Saint Omer (Alice Diop)
2. Trenque Lauquen (Laura Citarella)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)
5. The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)
6. Love Life (Kôji Fukada)
7. Blonde (Andrew Dominik)
8. A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)
9. In Viaggio (Gianfranco Rosi)
10. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
Luke Hicks (@lou_kicks)
1. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
2. Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)
3. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
4. The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)
5. Athena (Romain Gavras)
6. White Noise (Noah Baumbach)
7. The Banshees of Inisherin...
- 9/21/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Click here to read the full article.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) will open with a full red carpet for the first time in three years as the event looks to bounce back from two relatively subdued editions held during the pandemic.
Fest chairman Hiroyasu Ando said at a line-up press conference that he expected around 100 overseas guests and participants to attend. A very limited number of visitors made the trip for the last two events.
Japan’s government has kept tighter restrictions on its borders for longer than most other countries and a daily limit of 50,000 inbound travellers currently remains in place. Further loosening is expected by the time the fest unspools, with a parliamentary discussion on border controls set for tomorrow.
TIFF will also revive the Kurosawa Akira Award, given to filmmakers for contributions to global cinema, after a hiatus of 14 years. Previous recipients include Steven Spielberg, Yamada Yoji and Chen Kaige.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) will open with a full red carpet for the first time in three years as the event looks to bounce back from two relatively subdued editions held during the pandemic.
Fest chairman Hiroyasu Ando said at a line-up press conference that he expected around 100 overseas guests and participants to attend. A very limited number of visitors made the trip for the last two events.
Japan’s government has kept tighter restrictions on its borders for longer than most other countries and a daily limit of 50,000 inbound travellers currently remains in place. Further loosening is expected by the time the fest unspools, with a parliamentary discussion on border controls set for tomorrow.
TIFF will also revive the Kurosawa Akira Award, given to filmmakers for contributions to global cinema, after a hiatus of 14 years. Previous recipients include Steven Spielberg, Yamada Yoji and Chen Kaige.
- 9/21/2022
- by Gavin Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the first flush of fall festivals behind us — we’re talking the triple whammy of Venice, Telluride, and Toronto — and the New York Film Festival just on the horizon, we’re taking stock of the best films of the circuit so far. And while it’s easy to use the fall fests as a window into this year’s awards contenders, of which many debuted over the past few weeks, including Venice winner “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” and TIFF People’s Choice hit “The Fabelmans,” the festivals have also provided us with some of the best films of 2022, full stop.
These standouts include everything from the aforementioned winners from Laura Poitras and Steven Spielberg, plus new features from perennial favorites Sarah Polley, Martin McDonagh, Luca Guadagnino, Rian Johnson, Joanna Hogg, Kōji Fukada, and Todd Field. Rising stars aren’t in short supply either, including first narrative features...
These standouts include everything from the aforementioned winners from Laura Poitras and Steven Spielberg, plus new features from perennial favorites Sarah Polley, Martin McDonagh, Luca Guadagnino, Rian Johnson, Joanna Hogg, Kōji Fukada, and Todd Field. Rising stars aren’t in short supply either, including first narrative features...
- 9/19/2022
- by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
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