“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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Hungarian film director Ildiko Enyedi heaped praise on the film and talent discovery functions of major film festivals like the Tokyo International Film Festival, where Tuesday she started her role as a jury member. “Festivals are the allies of the filmmakers. They help to uncover the truth of our work as filmmakers. It is a […]

Crunchyroll, the Sony-owned anime streaming service, is being launched in Australia as an add-on to the Prime Video platform. Crunchyroll will be offered at two membership tiers Fan-level (AUD $10.99, $7.25) or Mega Fan (AUD $13.99, US$9.20), both of which allow customers to stream the entire Crunchyroll library ad-free, while enjoying new episodes shortly after […]

‘After the Quake,’ a film adaptation of a Murakami Haruki story collection, has been picked up by Japan’s Bitters End for international rights sales. Directed by Inoue Tsuyoshi (“Amachan”) and produced by “Drive My Car” producer Yamamoto Teruhisa, the film is based on four of the six short stories in Murakami’s 2000 book of the […]

Chinese artist and filmmaker Qiu Jiongjiong has begun production of “Fuxi,” his second feature film, following an acclaimed debut with 2021’s “A New Old Play.” The film expands on Qiu’s use of history and folklore and uses food as a through-line to explore a narrative that blends myths, legends, literature and folk tales. The title […]

Nikkatsu, the venerable Japanese studio which is representing “Cloud,” the latest film by Kurosawa Kiyoshi, has added a quartet of new titles to its sales lineup, in time for TIFFCOM the rights market that accompanies the Tokyo International Film Festival. These are headed by “The Hotel of My Dreams,” a comedy-drama directed by Tsutsumi Yukihiko. […]

“Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital,” an adaptation of the South Korean box office hit “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” is headed for a world premiere in December at the Metro Manila Film Festival. The 2018 Korean original was a found footage type supernatural horror film directed by Jung Bum-shik. Based on an actual psychiatric hospital located in […]

The Tokyo International Film Festival got underway Monday, just hours after a general election delivered a reduced parliamentary mandate for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. But if Japanese voters once again demonstrated their political apathy, there are signs that Japanese audiences have maintained their appetite for the entertainment industry – and further signals that the […]

“Venom: The Last Dance” delivered on its pre-release buzz in mainland China with an opening weekend that was the second biggest this year by a Hollywood movie. The third film in the “Venom” trilogy earned RMB221 million ($31.1 million) in the conventional Friday-Sunday definition of the weekend in China, according to consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. […]

“Venom: The Last Dance” waltzed to a weekend win in South Korea, but failed to shake the country’s box office out of its recent torpor. The third film in the “Venom” trilogy earned $2.66 million over the Friday to Sunday period, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council […]