Events Cinema Newcomer Iconic Events Hires Steve Bunnell as CEO

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorMona Fastvold’s “The World to Come,” starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, will open the hybrid summer component – running June 2-6 – of the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s 50th edition. Hirota Yusuke’s animated feature “Poupelle of Chimney Town” will close the event.“The World to Come” is a romantic drama about the forbidden love between two women, played by Waterston and Kirby, in 1850s Upstate New York.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese streaming firm iQIYI published first quarter results that were better than its previous guidance and a lengthy letter to shareholders asserting that it has the best content model and technology in the sector.In a regulatory filing, the company said that revenues in the January to March first quarter of its 2021 financial year had grown 4% to RMB8.0 billion ($1.2 billion) and that net losses had been more than halved, falling from RMB2.9 billion in the

Rebecca Davis editorSony Music Entertainment (SME) said Monday that it has signed both a new direct China digital distribution deal with NetEase Cloud Music and a multi-year extension of its existing agreement with Tencent Music Entertainment (TME).Sony’s NetEase deal is the latest to shift power away from TME in China’s streaming industry and make the space slightly more competitive. It comes amidst a government antitrust probe of TME and its parent company Tencent Group.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefZhang Yimou’s period espionage thriller “Cliff Walkers” ran out a comfortable winner at the mainland Chinese box office, ahead of other holdovers and new release titles including Jason Statham-starring “Wrath of Man.”“Cliff Walkers” dropped only 32% between its second and third weekends, taking $16.6 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

China has joined the United States in safely sending an unmanned lander to Mars.

Iann Dior is globetrotting for a remix to his 2020 hit “Prospect”.

Rebecca Davis editorShe may not be a household name anywhere other than her native China, but Chinese helmer Jia Ling has officially overtaken Patty Jenkins as the world’s highest-grossing female director for a single film.After an extended three-month run, Jia’s Chinese New Year blockbuster “Hi, Mom,” finally left Chinese theaters Tuesday. It has grossed $838 million (RMB5.41 billion) since its Feb.

Armie Hammer is reportedly dating a woman in the Cayman Islands. The "Call Me By Your Name" actor has been linked to a local dental hygienist since earlier this year, People magazine reports.

Armie Hammer, who has been floating in troubled waters, ever since accusations of sexual assault and cannibalism surfaced seems to have found love. The actor, who has been dropped from several projects, is reportedly dating a dental hygienist from Cayman Islands.

Rebecca Davis editorA recent Chinese state media report has added to rumors that two major Marvel superhero films, “The Eternals” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” may not be approved for release in China.In a report on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four films, the CCTV6 China Movie Channel aired a list of the U.S. release dates for eight of the ten scheduled titles, but conspicuously left out “The Eternals” and “Shang-Chi.” After “Black Widow,” which hits the U.S.

It looks like Armie Hammer is moving on with his love life.

Stephen Colbert mocked the GOP’s latest attempt to try to prove the 2020 presidential election was rigged in favor of Joe Biden on Monday’s “Late Show,” where he tore into the Cyber Ninjas security firm attempting to find traces of bamboo on Maricopa County ballots to tie them to China.“Maricopa already had two official audits right after the election, both of which revealed exactly zero shenanigans,” Colbert said.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIf it is not one thing then it is another. China’s entertainment-tech sector is feeling blow upon blow from an ongoing regulatory crackdown.Companies such as Alibaba and Tencent which have been huge forces for modernization of China’s economy are repeatedly being fined and castigated by different regulators.

Gemma Chan is speaking out about the ongoing anti-Asian racism happening in the United Kingdom, as well as all over the world.

AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron was nearly giddy Thursday, quoting Winston Churchill, trying to top him, talking up a box office recovery, the chain’s expanded market share, cash position and hiring plans and millions of new retail investors who have replaced China’s Wanda Group as its core shareholder base.