Singer Studios has announced exciting new additions to their Emmy-nominated virtual reality experience, The Pirate Queen, which stars Lucy Liu. This innovative project, which immerses audiences in the life of Cheng Shih—the most powerful pirate in history—will be expanding into a graphic novel series and a podcast. Directed by Eloise Singer and narrated by Liu,…
Category: Film
The 29th BIFF Unveils “New Currents” & “Jiseok” Selections
The 29th Busan International Film Festival, running from October 2nd to October 11th, has announced its selections for the prestigious Asian film competition sections, “New Currents” and “Jiseok”. 10 Films, 10 Unique Visions: The Future of Asian Cinema New Currents is the flagship competition section of the Busan International Film Festival, spotlighting the first or…
The 29th BIFF announces Special Program in Focus “Teen Spirit, Teen Movie”
Compilation of the Best Asian Coming-of-Age Stories Garnering Global Attention in 2024 This program brings together films that have been acclaimed at major international film festivals over the past two years, highlighting the growing global interest in Asian coming-of-age stories. Notable films in the lineup include Tiger Stripes (2023), winner of the Grand Prix Prize…
The 29th BIFF Announces Selections for ‘Korean Cinema Today – “Special Premiere” & “On Screen”
The 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced its lineup for the ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’ section, featuring five films, and the ‘On Screen’ section, which includes six drama series. The ‘Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere’ section highlights and debuts the newest and most significant contemporary Korean commercial films, recognized for…
Inside China: How Two Emerging Talents Are Getting Their Movies Made – Interview with Lu Dan and Fan Zhang
Lu Dan says she entered the film industry to find an outlet for her emotions, and the Chinese filmmaker’s debut feature certainly feels deeply personal. The director was born in the northwest Chinese province of Xinjiang, and in The Absent, she returns there to explore notions of family and home. “I like to tell stories…
OMEGA X: Spotlight on New Achievements in Music and Acting
OMEGA X has been busy with various solo and group activities since their first solo concert in Seoul in February. Here are some recent highlights: JAEHAN’s OST Contribution for Love Interference JAEHAN, the leader and vocalist of OMEGA X, lent his voice to an original soundtrack for the popular Korean variety show Love Interference, where…
“Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970” – Thu 3 Oct – Thu 12 Dec 2024 at the Barbican Cinema (UK)
Explore the impact of Indian Parallel Cinema, a groundbreaking post-colonial film movement, in Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970. This three-month cinema season presents innovative films from the 1970s to the 1990s, known for their social and political commitment. The season is part of the Barbican’s major exhibition The Imaginary Institution of India:…
“Sleep” Review: A Sleepless Thriller That Thrives on Paranoia and Friction
There’s one thing that everybody who snores has in common: the belief that their snoring is nowhere near as bad as what other people make it out to be, if they can admit to themselves they snore at all. It causes friction on a nightly basis in millions of relationships, and as a result, makes…
An Escapade of Wistful Souls: “Camper” Review
Polish film is often some flavour of extreme. It’s brought us revered historical retellings, adored comedies, and sometimes just the deep-red scandalous. But it’s also brought us the beautiful gems missed by those who don’t dare step foot into the broad, imaginative world that is non-English cinema. Katyń (2007), The Peasants (2023), and The Hater…
Herman Yau on His Latest Work, “Customs Frontline”, and Filmmaking
Herman Yau’s latest film, Customs Frontline, premiered globally at the FEFF 26 in Udine this past May and is set for its Asian premiere in Hong Kong this July. A maverick director known for his prolific output, Yau was born in China in 1961 and studied Film at Hong Kong Baptist University. Over a remarkable…
“Bushido”: Exploring Humanity Through the Lens of a Fallen Samurai – An Insight with Director Kazuya Shiraishi
“Any movie that I make, I always think: ‘What is a human being?’” director Kazuya Shiraishi shares as he reflects on his latest project Bushido. The samurai period drama, or jidaigeki, tells the story of ronin Yanagida Kakunoshin (Tsuyoshi Kuanagi) who has fallen into poverty but has found peace in a humble living with his…
Discussing “Alienoid: Return to the Future” with Director Choi Dong-hoon and Producer Ahn Soo-hyun – Exclusive Interview
I first interviewed Choi Dong-hoon, one of South Korea’s leading directors and screenwriters, in 2015 at the BFI London Film Festival, where he was promoting his espionage action film Assassination. Choi, renowned for his consistent box-office success, spent several years developing the script for Alienoid, a sci-fi fantasy action film. After premiering Alienoid at the…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “When the Light Breaks” Review
Under the moody lilac skies of the Northern hemisphere, comes an 80-minute life sampler of the hopeful and free-spirited youths of Iceland, directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson. There’s only really two plot points of the whole film, which would explain its length; the rest is filled in with the characters’ – particularly Una’s – emotional conflicts…
77th Cannes Film Festival: “Universal Language” Review
The latest absurdist gem sitting behind the oh-so-frightening curtain of non-English cinema is Cannes Directors’ Fortnight: Audience Award winner Universal Language, directed by and starring Matthew Rankin. In Persian and French, the film lands us in the snow-laid streets of Winnipeg, starting off in the French immersion school attended by Nazgol (Saba Vahedyousefi), Negin (Rojina…
