Chinese Hit Film ‘The Ex-Files 4’ Set for U.K. Release Through Trinity CineAsia (EXCLUSIVE)

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In news that is sure to move waves in Spain, Portugal and beyond, former Netflix exec Juan Mayne, a name inextricably linked to the build of Spain as a global film-TV power, has been appointed as SkyShowtime regional content director for Iberia, encompassing Spain and Portugal. The move creates an effective new streaming door to knock on for Spanish producers as some other – though not all – platforms are curbing commissions or orders in the two countries.

EXCLUSIVE: The Nun and Gangs Of London director Corin Hardy is set to direct high school horror movie Whistle, which Black Bear will be selling at AFM after soft-launching the project at TIFF.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sony Pictures has acquired the English-language remake rights to Chinese comedy drama, “Hi, Mom,” which until recently overtaken by “Barbie” had been the world’s highest grossing film directed by a solo female. The original picture, directed by Jia Ling and released in early 2021, sees a young woman whose mother has been fatally injured in a car accident, travel back to the early 1980s where she becomes best friend to the younger version of her mother. That enables her to work on giving her mother a better life than first time around.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two titles which debuted at Cannes this year were named as the major prize-winners at the seventh edition of the Pingyao International Film Festival in China. Wei Shujun’s black comedy-thriller “Only the River Flows” won the festival’s Fei Mu prize for best Chinese film.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A dearth of new release films allowed Zhang Yimou’s “Under the Light” to retain a comfortable lead at the China box office over the weekend, in its third week of release. The contemporary crime drama film earned $13.5 million (RMB97.2 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. Since releasing on Sept. 28, it has accumulated gross revenues of $163 million (RMB1.17 billion).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Iqbal H. Choudhury’s “The Wrestler” and Mori Tatsutya’s “September 1923” were announced joint winners of the New Currents competition at the Busan International Film Festival. “The Wrester” “was like a single round match, magically depicting an exciting narrative,” the jury said.

Christopher Vourlias Beta Film has released a moving trailer for the Ukrainian war drama “In Her Car,” a gripping series about the ongoing crisis told through the eyes of those who are living it, the company announced ahead of Mipcom. “In Her Car” (10 x 30’) is produced by Starlight Media and Gaumont in co-production with France Télévisions, ZDF (Germany) and Swiss public broadcaster SRF. The show was also boarded in its early stages by Nordic public broadcasters SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), NRK TV (Norway) and RÚV (Iceland).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australian TV journalist Cheng Lei has returned to her home country after three years in jail in China, the Australian government said on Wednesday. Born in China, but holding an Australian passport, having grown up in Melbourne, Cheng was a high-profile TV anchor for CGTN, the international broadcast arm of state-owned China Central Television. She fronted the “Global Business” daily show.

The trailer for The Iron Claw is finally here.

Béla Tarr Set For European Film Awards Honor

Olympic gold-winning US gymnast Mary Lou Retton is currently battling a rare form of pneumonia in intensive care.The 55-year-old retired sportsperson's daughter, McKenna Kelley, shared that her mum is currently "fighting for her life" and "unable to breathe on her own" in hospital. She's also launched a fundraiser to help pay for Mary Lou's medical treatment because she doesn't have life insurance. McKenna posted on fundraising site Spotfund, "My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life.

Salford city council’s cabinet has agreed to ask to public what they think of plans to expand MediaCityUK and Salford Quays with thousands of new homes. Proposals for 3,200 homes, 300 new hotel rooms and 800,000 sq ft of commercial space will be subjected to six weeks’ public consultation, starting on Wednesday October 18.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Leading Chinese film director Zhang Yimou is to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Tokyo International Film Festival later this month. The award will be presented to him during the festival’s opening ceremony on Oct. 23. Later, Zhang will take part in a special talk session at the TIFF Loungeco-hosted by the Japan Foundation. Additionally, his “Full River Red,” which was a box office sensation in China at the beginning of the year, will play as a gala selection during the Tokyo festival. Zhang, consider to be among China’s “fifth generation” of filmmakers, has had an extraordinary career that he has sustained for over three decades.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taiwanese actors King Jieh-wen and Hsueh Shih-ling and Indonesia’s Angga Yunanda are set to star in “Malice,” a multinational Asian thriller that will shoot next year. The film’s producers, actors and government backers presented the fully-assembled package to press and industry on Monday at the Busan International Film Festival. The film, pitched as “a road movie at sea,” is a dark tale of three men who put out to sea in search of a particular, large swordfish that had been rumored to have died out.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Zhang Yimou-directed contemporary drama film “Under the Light” retained its top spot at the mainland China box office for a second weekend, but with numbers that dropped steeply, as macro-economic weakening led to a Golden Week of across the board disappointment. Financial media Monday reported that consumers travelled less and spent less on leisure than had been forecast, likely reflecting general economic belt tightening, high unemployment and property sector worries. Before the holidays, cinema ticketing firm Maoyan had forecast that the first three days would throw up box office of RMB1.5 billion (208 million) and that “Under the Light” alone would reach RMB2 billion ($278 million) by the end of the eight-day holiday season (Sept. 29-Oct.

The Cannes Film Festival has admitted six filmmakers, five women and one man, to its 2024 residency program. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Feted in Busan this week as the Asian Filmmaker of the Year, Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat bemoaned censorship in China for its impact on the film industry. “We have a lot of censorship requirements in mainland China. Scripts must go to many departments. So, we need [to portray] clear situations in scripts.

to be returned to their “forever home” in England.The Jonas Brothers frontman, 34, and the “Dark Phoenix” star, 27, were not present in court – although Turner did call into the hearing, but didn’t speak except to ask if the judge and lawyers could hear her.Her attorneys pressed the judge to set a trial date as soon as possible, arguing that Turner had a new project beginning in England in January and urging that the case should be resolved before then.“We have young kids, and we have the petitioner who is here now in the United States, but she has work commitments in the UK in January,” one of her lawyers said.Jonas’ side asked for a date next year after his music tour ended.The singer filed for divorce from Turner in a Florida court in early September seeking to end their four year marriage.Turner argued in her Sept. 21 lawsuit that prior to the relationship imploding, the couple had planned to move into a stunning Wallingford, Oxford estate by December – making the UK their daughters’ home base.The pair agreed that while they duke out custody in court the children will temporarily remain in New York City.Taylor Swift has loaned out her Big Apple pad to Turner until the custody battle is resolved.The estranged duo are also fighting each other about what court should have jurisdiction over the custody struggle.

Grimes is suing her ex Elon Musk.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A clutch of Chinese movies released for the end of September holiday season dominated the global box office over the latest weekend. Mainland Chinese-produced films took first, third and fifth places across the planet, according to U.S.-based data service Comscore. Comscore shows “Under the Light,” which released only in mainland China, grossing an estimated $54 million between Friday and Sunday.