Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Singapore has banned the release of “#LookAtMe,” a feature film by local director Ken Kwek. The InfoComm Media Development Authority said that the film exceeds film classification guidelines because it denigrates a religious community. Supposedly based in true events, the film depicts a man who is offended by a pastor who preaches against homosexuality, but whose behavior contradicts his teachings. The protagonist’s viral video about the aberrant priest lands him in jail, causing the man’s gay identical twin to fight for justice. “#LookAtMe,” premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival and local media report that the film has been selected for next month’s Singapore International Film Festival. But the IMDA ruling means that it cannot now be shown in any form in Singapore unless Kwek is successful with an appeal.
‘Ajoomma’ Director He Shuming on how Korean and Singapore Film Crews Bonded Over Food and Golf
06.10.2022 - 09:53 / variety.com
Rebecca Souw Along with “Return to Seoul” and Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Broker,” Singaporean comedy film “Ajoomma” joins a growing list of recent foreign movies set in Korea or probing contemporary Korean culture. “Ajoomma,” which premieres at the upcoming Busan International Film Festival on Friday in the New Currents competition section, tells the story of stereotypical Singaporean middle–aged woman (or “auntie”). Her obsession with Korean TV dramas leads her to visit Korea for the first time and as a result, embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
This week, Singapore announced that “Ajoomma” will be its national representative in the International Feature Film race at the Oscars.
Variety spoke with the movie’s director, He Shuming about the story’s inspiration and cross-border production. I was in LA for graduate school at the American Film Institute so there was a lot of Skyping with my family. My mother would go on and on about the two or three K-dramas she was watching at any one time. It was interesting to witness. So, I thought, “Would my mom travel on her own to somewhere? And what would happen if she went on a trip by herself?” It started there and evolved into the idea of this woman being the Singapore auntie that we can relate to. We’re lucky to have this Korean cast because working with them has been so good. (laughs) Working with a foreign director, actors never know what to expect. I learnt a lot from everyone, in terms of communication and watching them work on their craft. I have a lot of respect for the film industry in Korea. And I see why it’s so revered and still booming. There’s a huge sense of pride that comes with being a Korean filmmaker. They’re proud of their culture and films. My script was
Indonesia’s KawanKawan Teams With Singapore’s Momo to Co-Produce ‘Dreaming & Dying,’ ‘Don’t Cry Butterfly’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Naman Ramachandran Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media has partnered with Singapore’s Momo Film Co on Nelson Yeo’s “Dreaming & Dying” and Duong Dieu Linh’s “Don’t Cry Butterfly,” it was revealed at this week’s Asian Contents & Film Market, held on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival. “Dreaming & Dying,” about three middle aged individuals who are forced to confront their inner demons as a long-buried love triangle between them resurfaces, is currently in production. Yeo said: “ ‘Dreaming & Dying’ is the accumulation of my obsession with dreams and memories. Primarily, it is about how we choose to remember things in our own ways, and as time passes, that fantasy becomes the reality.”
Singapore Jails OnlyFans Star Titus Low
In one of the first such cases of its kind, a court in Singapore sentenced adult content creator Titus Low Kaide to three weeks imprisonment and a fine of $3,000 over his OnlyFans account. A local court convicted him of charges of transmitting obscene materials online and breaching a police order not to access his OnlyFans account. The Strait Times reported that Low pleaded guilty to both charges. Following his sentencing, Low took to social media to address his fans. He said that he will start his prison sentence in a few weeks, but he “was glad the case was over” as it was taking a toll on his mental health. In another Instagram story, he posted from an event: “Enjoying my time outside first”.
South Asian International Film Festival Sets New Leadership, Outgoing Director to Set Up Sales Outfit (EXCLUSIVE)
Manori Ravindran International Editor New York’s South Asian International Film Festival has appointed Chayan Sarkar as its new president. A filmmaker, entrepreneur and festival director, Sarkar is also the founder of the Indian International Film Festival of Queensland in Australia. He takes over from SAIFF founder Shilen Amin, who will step down as president, but will remain a member of the festival’s board of directors. Sarkar joins SAIFF as the festival enters its 19th year as a leading film festival in the U.S. for new cinema from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, and within the Indian diaspora. In recent years, SAIFF has become increasingly influential as a platform for South Asian cinema, both in the U.S. and internationally. Fourteen of India’s submissions for the international feature film Oscar have had their North American premieres at the festival.
How it Took Seven Years for ‘Ajoomma,’ Korea-Singapore Co-Produced Film to Get from Script to Screen – Busan Case Study
Rebecca Souw TITLE: Behind The Scenes For Singapore-Korea Co-Production “Ajoomma” And Its Journey Ahead Post-Busan The past few weeks have gone by in a blur for Singapore-Korean co-produced comedy film “Ajoomma.” In a short span, it had a world premiere at the 27th Busan International Film Festival, earned four Golden Horse nominations including best actress, best new director, best original screenplay and best supporting actor. And Singapore has selected the film as itOscars contender. But it took seven years to get his far. At a Busan workshop on Saturday, first-time director He Shuming, co-founder of Giraffe Pictures and the film’s executive producer Anthony Chen and co-producer Lee Joon-han discussed the how the film came to life. “Ajoomma: The Curious Case Study of a Singaporean-Korean Co-production” was presented by mylab at the Asian Contents & Film Market.
Korea’s Park Eun Bin and ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ Bag Top Prizes at Busan’s Asian Content Awards
Rebecca Souw The Astory-produced “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” claimed the ‘Best Content Award’ Saturday at the fourth edition of the Asian Contents Awards in Busan. The hit show’s lead actress, Park Eun-bin bagged the best actress award, thrilling assembled local fans. The ceremony took place outdoors at the BIFF Theater at the Busan Cinema Center, on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival. With the venues filled to almost 80% capacity, the best of Asia TV, OTT and online content were presented with a total of 12 awards.
‘Ajoomma’ Review: An Older Woman Obsessed With Korean Soap Operas Leaves Her Heart in Seoul
Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In what plays like Singapore’s answer to “About Schmidt,” never-too-late-to-live dramedy “Ajoomma” follows a widowed housewife as she steps out of her comfort zone by making a solo trip to South Korea. This upbeat debut from director He Shuming — whose title is the Korean equivalent of all-purpose Asian term of respect “Auntie” — offers longtime TV actor Hong Huifang (“Housewives’ Holiday”) a chance to shine in the title role, which has already netted her a Golden Horse Award nom. Selected to rep Singapore at the Oscars, affable “Ajoomma” is more of a dark horse in that race, albeit one with art-house sleeper potential. Mrs. Lim’s life is light on excitement. What it lacks in drama, she fills by binging on Korean soap operas — a not at all uncommon obsession among Asian women (and a growing number of Americans, thanks to services like Kocowa and Viki). “Auntie,” as most of the other characters call Hong’s character, fusses a bit too much over her only son, who long ago agreed to accompany her on a special tour of Seoul. Now, mere days before they’re to depart, he backs out for a job interview in New York — one that would put some much-needed distance between the closeted young man and his overly suffocating mom.
Singapore’s Momo Boards ‘Andragogy,’ ‘A Useful Ghost,’ ‘Dreaming & Dying’; ‘Don’t Cry, Butterfly’ Finds U.K. Funding – Busan ACFM (EXCLUSIVE)
Naman Ramachandran Singapore’s Momo Film Co has boarded a raft of projects, it was revealed on the opening day of the Busan Asian Contents & Film Market on Saturday. Momo, in which Blue Ant Media’s Beach House Pictures has a majority stake, was founded in 2018 by writer-director Kris Ong (“Sunday”) and Tan Si En, who is a co-producer on Busan and Locarno title “Arnold is a Model Student.” Tan has boarded “Andragogy” by Wregas Bhanuteja (Cannes winner “Prenjak,” Busan 2021 title “Photocopier”) as a co-producer. The film will follow Prani, a middle-aged schoolteacher, whose angry video goes viral and she gets trolled online. Adi Ekatama is producing for Indonesia’s Rekata Studio (“Photocopier”).
Southeast Asian Producers on Increased Budgets for Independent Films, Local Challenges: ‘We Have to Hit it Hard Right Now’
Naman Ramachandran A heavyweight producers panel discussed the modalities of producing independent films in Southeast Asia at a mylab panel on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival on Thursday. Panelists included: Liza Diño, former chair of Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) who had greenlit several films during her tenure; Indonesia’s Yulia Evina Bhara, producer of Venice-winner “Autobiography” that’s also playing at Busan; Thailand’s Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, producer of Locarno and Busan title “Arnold is a Model Student,”; and Malaysia’s Haris Sulong, producer of “Beautiful Mind.” The discussion was moderated by Variety Asia editor Patrick Frater.
Oscars: Singapore Submits ‘Ajoomma’, Produced By Anthony Chen, To International Feature Race
TheSingapore Film Commission has selected He Shuming’s Singapore-Korea co-production Ajoomma as its submission to the best international feature category at the Oscars.
Donnie Yen, Zhang Ziyi on Board as Peter Chan Launches Changin’ Pictures, Filmmaker-Led Asian TV Producer (EXCLUSIVE)
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Projects starring Donnie Yen and Zhang Ziyi are among the independently produced TV series to be launched on the sidelines of this week’s Busan International Film Festival. The company responsible is Changin’ Pictures, a would-be studio being hatched by Hong Kong-based film director and producer Peter Chan Ho-sun. Propelled by the growing recognition of Asian talent and the worldwide distribution potential of multinational SVOD platforms, Changin’ Pictures aims to be a powerhouse production hub suppling premium drama content to streaming players. The company has raised very substantial finance from Asian sources and aims to develop and produce series which it will pitch and license to the platforms, without recourse to the OTT companies’ production funding, greenlighting and editorial constraints.
Ex-Endemol Shine, Discovery & Nippon TV Execs Team To Launch Asian Content Firm Empire Of Arkadia
A trio of senior international execs are taking their new Asia content-focused company to Mipcom Cannes.