“Asian Persuasion,” the film directing debut of three-time Tony Award- and Grammy-winning producer Jhett Tolentino, has set North American distribution and will have a sales launch at the imminent American Film Market. Hawaii-based Scatena & Rosner Films has acquired the worldwide rights to the romantic comedy. The film tells the story of a lovable underachiever who […]

The last element of a trilogy exploring subterranean spaces that began with the 2015 “Aragane” and continued with the 2019 “Cenote,” Oda Kaori’s docudrama “Underground” ventures from a subway in Sapporo to caves (locally called “gama”) in Okinawa. It also marks a new direction for the director, whose previous trilogy entries were documentaries. “Underground” is […]

N Lite animation studio has unveiled a new partnership with Emmy-winning Japanese anime studio Gonzo K.K. (“Afro Samurai”) and Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” director Peter Ramsey to produce two animated projects: a noir thriller feature titled “Ripper” and the sci-fi adventure series “Hotaru.” Ramsey is lined up to executive producer and co-write the screenplay […]

Veteran director Johnnie To discussed the challenges of filmmaking under increased regulation in Hong Kong during a conversation with Japanese filmmaker Yu Irie at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). “There is a lot of regulation in Hong Kong, especially when it comes to expression,” To said Thursday when asked about balancing culture with freedom. […]

Alex Boden, producer of Max/Wowow series “Tokyo Vice,” outlined the hurdles and triumphs of filming the first U.S. studio streamer series shot entirely in Japan during a keynote at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The keynote was delivered as part of a Motion Picture Association event at the festival. Created by J.T. Rogers and starring […]

Asian film and tech leaders gathered at TIFFCOM, the market allied to the Tokyo International Film Festival, to discuss the transformative impact of generative AI on film production. They highlighted its potential for dramatic cost reductions and new investment opportunities. Kevin D.C. Chang, AI director and CEO of Metavision Co., South Korea, demonstrated how AI […]

Veteran action movie ace Sammo Hung, Japanese actor Kurata Yasuaki and action choreographer-turned director Tanigaki Kenji had a ball on Thursday in Tokyo as they took a light-hearted trip down memory lane to discuss the state of martial art action movies from Hong Kong. In a panel discussion held in the confines of TIFFCOM, the […]

Female empowerment meets Mongolian mysticism in “Where the Mountain Women Sing,” a genre-bending feature from director Zhang Juefang that arrives at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market with 60% of its $800,000 budget secured. The project market is part of TIFFCOM, the content market that is allied with the Tokyo International Film Festival. The film follows Stephanie, […]

“Black Ox,” a powerful rural drama from Japan’s Tsuta Tetsuichiro, has been picked up for world sales by Hong Kong and Beijing-based agency Asian Shadows. The film has its world premiere on Friday in the Asian Future section of the Tokyo International Film Festival and will go on commercial release in Taiwan the following week. […]

Ohku Akiko’s Tokyo competition title “She Taught Me Serendipity” seems to fit right in with the director’s signature romantic drama genre style. That is a flavor Ohku has made her own through a succession of films that blend comedy and pathos, relatable protagonists and universal themes that have appealed to audiences worldwide.  Based on a […]

Industry veterans gathered at the Tokyo International Film Festival’s (TIFF) annual Motion Picture Association (MPA) seminar to discuss the evolving landscape of filming in Japan and the impact of emerging technologies on global production, with participants highlighting both opportunities and challenges in attracting international projects to the country. Japan’s location incentive scheme, which offers reimbursement […]

Independent Chinese film distributor Road Movies has already tasted success with a succession of imported Japanese animation films. But the company says that China’s youth market is best accessed through a vastly broader strategy that embraces IP, fandom, events, retail and merchandizing. “Our aim is to be a Chinese Disney – not in scale. But […]

The new co-production treaty signed between Japan and Italy is being touted as a significant step towards reintegrating Japan’s film production industry with those overseas countries. The agreement – signed in June and activated in August – was directly referenced on Monday by Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and has colored the programming of this […]

A feature debut exploring The Philippines’ underground punk scene and social activism is participating at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, which is part of the Tokyo International Film Festival’s TIFFCOM market. “Ria,” directed by award-winning short filmmaker Arvin Belarmino, centers on 25-year-old Ria, who lives in a punk commune facing demolition while caring for her diabetic […]

Paz Vega-starrer “Death Has No Master,” a Venezuela-set thriller from director Jorge Thielen Armand, is participating in TIFFCOM’s Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, as the producers seek to secure the final 30% of the film’s $1.2 million budget. The film, which previously participated in the Venice Production Bridge’s Gap-Financing Market, stars Vega as a woman who returns […]

Modern Films has taken on the film adaptation of Jessica Au’s award-winning novel “Cold Enough for Snow,” with theater veteran Jemima James set to make her feature directorial debut. The project is at TIFFCOM’s Tokyo Gap-Financing Market. The source material, which won the inaugural Novel Prize from publishers Fitzcarraldo Editions, New Directions and Giramondo, follows […]

Hong Kong-based sales firm Cappu Films will use TIFFCOM, the rights market attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival, to launch world sales activities on two films that were recently at the Busan festival. Psychological thriller “Waterdrop,” was winner of two awards at the Busan festival earlier this month while crime comedy “So It Goes” […]

Youth romance film “She Taught Me Serendipity” which has its world premiere in competition on Tuesday at the Tokyo International Film Festival, has also enjoyed its first overseas rights sales. The film was licensed to South Korea’s NK Entertainment and to France’s Art House. Rights are represented by Tokyo-based Free Stone Productions. A release in […]

Paris- Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based film sales company All Rights Entertainment has picked up worldwide distribution duties on “Ellie and the Christmas Creep,” a 3D animated comedy adventure. The company will begin marketing the film at the upcoming American Film Market, which has relocated this year from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and runs […]