APOS 2022: Netflix East Asia Content Chief Minyoung Kim On Pushing Into Southeast Asia, And How ‘Squid Game’ Is A Local Show

 EXCLUSIVE: Since the service was made available across the Asia Pacific region in 2016, Amazon Prime Video has focused on producing content in the markets where Amazon has a strong retail membership service – India, Japan and Australia. Based in Los Angeles, Erika North, Amazon Studios’ Head of Originals, Asia Pacific, has been tasked with expanding that local content footprint into other APAC territories. North joined Amazon in February 2020 after similar stints heading production in the region for HBO Asia and Netflix.

Netflix is currently in talks to stream upcoming Korean blockbuster The Match exclusively on its platform.South Korean news outlet The Korea Herald reported on October 12 that The Match – which stars Squid Game’s Lee Byung-hun and Hellbound’s Yoo Ah-in as its leading stars – is currently considering forgoing a theatrical release in favour of a Netflix premiere.The producers of The Match had reportedly previously sorted out a release date for its theatrical premiere, but are now in talks to change tactics considering local movie theatre attendance has yet to improve since the ease of COVID-19 restrictions in South Korea. However, representatives of Netflix told The Korea Herald that “nothing has been decided yet”.Based on true events, The Match follows the tale of two notable Go (a traditional Chinese board game) players set in the ’80s and ’90s.

Nick Cave has named the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde his favourite film of all time.The musician, who composed the score for the Netflix film with Warren Ellis, was asked to name his favourite film ever by a fan on his newsletter The Red Hand Files.In response to the question, Cave simply wrote: “Blonde. Love, Nick.”Directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Ana de Armas, Blonde is based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates and is described as a “reimagining” of Monroe’s life.A synopsis reads: “Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe.

Netflix has decided to pull their newest hit Korean series, Little Women, from the streaming service in Vietnam.

Rebecca Souw Independent Korean film sales agent, M-Line Distribution is bringing a total of 26 films to Busan’s Asian Content & Film Market (ACFM) this year. Eight of them are screening at the Busan International Film Festival and a handful have planned releases in the fourth quarter of 2022 or early 2023. M-Line is handling sales on “Jiseok,” the documentary feature about the Busan festival’s co-founder and former head programmer who died in 2018 and now has a festival section named in his honor. The film plays at the festival as a BIFF Special Screening. “A Letter From Kyoto” depicts the story of a widow who raised her three daughters after her husband passed away. One of her daughters chanced upon a letter written in Japanese which sparked her curiosity. As mother and daughter delved deeper into her mother’s past life, secrets buried for decades begin to surface. Directed by Kim Min-ju, this is her debut feature and stars Cha Mi-kyeong and Han Seon-hwa. The film was also selected for BIFF’s Panorama section. 

“Big Mouth” pushes the envelope in the most absurdly wonderful ways but not every idea makes it to Netflix screens. Just ask Joel Kim Booster.

“Obliterated,” the upcoming Netflix action-comedy series from the creators of “Cobra Kai,” is adding to its cast. Joining previously announced series regulars (Shelley Hennig, Nick Zano, Paola Lázaro, Eugene Kim, Alyson Gorske, Terrence Terrell, Kimi Rutledge and C. Thomas Howell) in recurring roles are Carl Lumbly, David Costabile, Costa Ronin, Lindsey Kraft, Tobias Jelinek and Minnie Mills.“Obliterated” “tells the story of an elite special forces team who thwarts a deadly threat to Las Vegas.

Netflix has shared the first look at its upcoming K-drama, The Fabulous, starring SHINee’s Minho.The much-anticipated first glimpse at the new series was shared by Netflix on October 5, and features snippets pulled from The Fabulous encompassing the fast-paced, glamorous world of South Korea’s illustrious fashion scene. Freelance photo editor Ji Woo-min (played by SHINee’s Minho) is at the heart of its schemes, crossing paths and eventually developing a romance with PR manager Pyo Ji-eun (Rookie Cops’ Chae Soo-bin).It also features cameo appearances from several top South Korean models, most notably including Choi So-ra, best known as the winner of the third cycle of Korea’s Next Top Model. Slated to make its global premiere on the streaming platform on November 4, The Fabulous, set against the backdrop of Seoul’s fashion industry and will depict the stories of young men and women as they navigate their work, personal lives, friendships and romances, along with their struggles to stay afloat in a fast-changing and competitive fashion landscape.Other cast members previously announced to be joining Minho and Chae on The Fabulous include Kim Min-kyu, a past Produce X 101 contestant, as well as Byun Jun-seo (Woori The Virgin), Lee Mi-do (Kiss Sixth Sense, House Of Lies), Kwon Hae-sung (Cafe Minamdang, The Devil Judge) and rookie actress Ye Seon-ho, among others.The first official details of the upcoming romance series first surfaced as early as September 2021.

Netflix has announced the premiere date of its upcoming original K-drama Somebody.On October 4, Netflix unveiled the premiere date for the upcoming eight-episode crime-thriller series along with its first teaser clip. Somebody, which stars Kim Young-kwang (On Your Wedding Day) and rookie actress Kang Hae-lim will premiere exclusively on the streaming platform on November 18.The series will follow a young woman named Sum (played by Kang), a developer of a social connecting app called “Somebody”, as she gets caught up in a series of murders and crimes connected to the app.

adapted from Jessica Knolle’s best-selling novel and a new YA spin on ghost stories, “The Midnight Club.”More book adaptations to keep your eye on for October’s Netflix arrivals include “The School for Good and Evil,” out Oct. 19 and based on the best-selling series by Soman Chainani.

Netflix has announced the cast for its forthcoming K-drama, Dak Gang Jeong (literal title).According to a report by South Korean media outlet Asian Economy, the streaming platform’s newest Korean series is set to star Kim Yoo-jung (Lovers of the Red Sky), Ahn Jae-hong (Be Melodramatic) and Ryu Seung-ryong (Jirisan).ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo was reportedly in talks to join the cast, but no decision has been reached regarding this offer at the time of publication.Based on a webtoon named after a Korean chicken dish, Dak Gang Jeong is a comedy surrounding a machine that turns people into fried chicken. Kim is set to play Min Ah, a girl who is turned into fried chicken after mistaking the machine for one that helps people with fatigue.Ryu will be playing Choi Sun-man, a father who will do anything to reverse the machine’s effects on his daughter; while Ahn will be playing Go Baek-joon, an intern with a crush on Min Ah.Dak Gang Jeong will be helmed by Lee Byung-hun, who has previously worked with several members of the cast—namely Ryu on the 2019 film Extreme Job and Ahn on 2019 K-drama Be Melodramatic.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran film executive David Kosse is leaving his post as VP of International Film at Netflix amid a restructure of the company’s European content business. Kosse joined the streamer in 2019, overseeing all international film production and acquisitions with a focus on making and acquiring significant non-English language films with global appeal. He is expected to continue to produce for Netflix and others.

Premier League football could go D2C in Asia at some point in the coming years, according to Richard Masters, CEO of one of the world’s most lucrative sports leagues.

Kelly Day, Amazon Prime Video Vice President, International, outlined the company’s localisation efforts across Asia, Europe and Latin America in the first keynote session of APOS 2022, which is taking place virtually and as an in-person event in Singapore (September 27-29).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Kevin Mayer says that the investment strategy at Candle Media, the hard-charging entertainment startup that he heads with Tom Staggs, is product of his career time at Disney and TikTok. While those two companies are behemoths and Candle Media a newcomer, the claim is not as outlandish as it seems. At Disney, Mayer was largely responsible the launch of the direct-to-consumer streaming businesses that became Disney+. And as Disney, Pixar and other group content was made exclusive and contained within a walled garden, it stoked demand for premium independently-made content. Candle Media sets its sights on becoming just such a supplier.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender has rounded out its cast, adding 20 actors, including George Takei, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Danny Pudi and Arden Cho.

“Dahmer” Netflix series just launched to some impressive premiere numbers, and considering how many people checked out the true crime limited series in its first week, its ’80s and ’90s-infused soundtrack is no doubt of interest.Jeffrey Dahmer was one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he committed a series of brutal murders, often dismembering his victims and keeping body parts as souvenirs.

Lady Tamara,” that documents her glamorous life.Singer Julio Iglesias is a father figure to her, and his singer son, Enrique Iglesias, is her half-brother. She’s one of the most photographed women in her native Spain, with more than 50 covers of Hola magazine under her designer belt.She’s as famous as Kim Kardashian in Spain but virtually unknown in the U.S.Which is okay with Falcó.

Netflix has shared a first look at the upcoming original Korean film 20th Century Girl, which follows the lives and loves of 17-year-old girls in 1999.The extended preview was shared as part of the streaming platform’s TUDUM event today (September 24), in which upcoming content for the rest of 2022 and beyond was revealed.The film was introduced by All Of Us Are Dead star Cho Yi-hyun, who described it as “depicting friendships and first love of 17-year-old girls”. “The movie is titled 20th Century Girl, starring Kim Yoo-jung,” she added.

An unseen clip from Squid Game has debuted at Netflix’s Tudum event in Korea, along with teasers from Money Heist: Korea and Hellbound season two.