Famed directors denounce sexual abuse in Japanese filmmaking

Mixmag reports, the initiative – which is called Face The Music Now – was set up by author and talent manager Dorothy Carvello, who became the first female A&R scout for Atlantic Records.“As a survivor myself, I have seen and experienced firsthand how sexual harassment and abuse shatters survivors psychologically, financially, and professionally,” Carvello said in a statement.“It’s not a matter of money; it’s about helping them put the pieces back together. This is about the decades-old and widespread abuse of power in the music industry.

Would you let your toddler out alone to run errands? Do you think they could do the shopping on their own?

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentA few hours after unveiling Cannes Film Festival’s 2022 Official Selection on the Champs Elysees, artistic director Thierry Fremaux sat down with Variety to discuss the festival’s drive to not give in to calls for a cultural boycott of Russian films and filmmakers, efforts to have more female directors in competition, discussions to bring back streamers in a near future and what those rumors about David Lynch in the lineup were about. The all-star competition lineup of this upcoming 75th edition boasts no less than four Palme d’Or winning directors, including Japanese master Kore-eda Hirokazu (Japan) and Swedish helmer Ruben Ostlund (“Triangle of Sadness”), as well new films by David Cronenberg (“Crimes of the Future”), Kelly Reichardt (”Showing Up”), James Gray (“Armageddon Time”) and dissident Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov (“Tchaïkovski’s Wife”).

UPDATED, 12:50 PM: Cuba Gooding Jr. has made a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time over his June 2019 arrest on misdemeanor sex abuse charges. The Jerry Maguire Oscar winner agreed to plead guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court to one count of forcible touching, and his conviction would be reduced to a violation and his criminal record cleared if Gooding complies with the terms of his deal.

Valorant esports player Jay “Sinatraa” Won was suspended by Riot Games for “failing to fully cooperate” with an investigation into accusations of sexual assault.However, yesterday (April 12) Sinatraa took to social media to say he was “ready for a return to competitive play.”Sinatraa was a pro gamer and a member of Valorant team Sentinels when his ex-girlfriend Cleo Hernandez released a statement on Twitter detailing her relationship with him. In the lengthy post, Hernandez detailed multiple instances of alleged sexual assault, gaslighting, and mental and emotional abuse at the hands of Sinatraa alongside supporting evidence.Within days, Sinatraa was temporarily suspended by Sentinels with Riot Games later handing out a six-month ban due to his failure to fully cooperate with the investigation.Speaking about the decision Alex Francois, the Head of Competitive Operations for Valorant Esports said that while the investigation “did not come to a definitive conclusion”, the Competitive Operations team that was reviewing the case “had serious concerns with Sinatraa’s conduct during the course of the investigation.”The ban expired in September but since then, Sinatraa hasn’t taken part in any professional tournaments.However, yesterday (April 12) he took to Twitter to say “It’s been a year since I was forced to step back from competitive play.

EXCLUSIVE: After collaborating  on the film Greyhound — with  sequel in the works — and the just wrapped WWII series Masters of the Air, Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman have made multi-year exclusive television overall deal with Apple TV+.

EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles-based Synepic Entertainment is launching Sakka, a streaming service specializing in Japanese cinema. The platform will debut in North America and select further territories in early May, the company said. At launch, it will feature five movies: Happy Hour, the 2015 movie from recent Oscar nominee Ryusuke Hamaguchi; Shô Miyake’s 2018 feature And Your Bird Can Sing; Seiji Tanaka’s 2018 film Melancholic; Chihiro Amano’s 2019 pic Mrs Noisy; and Hajime Tsuda’s 2020 drama Daughters. Synepic said it was focusing on independent films and would be acquiring two further titles later in the summer. The company is also looking to host in-person screenings of films it acquires. “We are beyond proud to create this unique platform for Japanese films of new generations,” commented Chiaki Yanagimoto, the president of Synepic Entertainment and the founder of the platform. “There are many Japanese films that unfortunately don’t see their full potential outside of Japan because of the traditional distribution system there. After the win of Drive My Car, several critics pointed out that the Japanese system is outdated and indifferent to the international market. It is time to change that narrative and find new ways to share these inspiring works coming from Japan, and create a platform that truly cares about the films and the filmmakers.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefFilmRise, the New York-based film and television studio and streaming network, has acquired the North American rights to a large swath of Japanese anime titles, headlined by more than episodes of the “Yu- Gi-Oh!” franchise.The deal with Konami Cross Media NY, part of Japan’s Konami Group, grants AVOD streaming rights for the FilmRise Streaming Network, including apps and free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels.The Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise is based on the manga series that inspired a trading card game played with monsters, spells, and traps, several video games, and a television series.“This iconic Japanese property will be featured alongside other beloved anime content, on our FilmRise Anime channel a growing new destination for North American anime fans,” said Max Einhorn, FilmRise’s SVP of acquisitions and co-production. The video streaming package includes 808 episodes of the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” TV series in English, and 541 dubbed in Spanish.

(P.S. The product below is a product—you don't have to leave Glamour to buy it.)Courtesy of brandThe toaster oven uses moisture and high heat to crisp bread on the outside, while preserving the aroma and texture on the inside.

Emily Longeretta SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the first three episodes of “Long Slow Exhale,” streaming now on Spectrum.“Long Slow Exhale” is not a laid-back watch. The Spectrum Originals series, which dropped its first three episodes this week, tells a heavy, at times dark, story about a college women’s basketball team in the middle of a sexual assault scandal — and a shocking murder.Over the course of the first episodes, head coach J.C. Abernathy (Rose Rollins) is blindsided when she learns that her assistant coach, Eddie Hagan (Ian Harding), is accused of sexual assault by her star player.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterJapanese film producer Umekawa Haruo has been accused of sexual harassment by Bunshun Online, a sister site of the Shukan Bunshun weekly tabloid publication.According to a shortened web version of a longer story that is set to appear in print, Umekawa has pressured actresses for sexual favors in exchange for being cast in his films.The veteran producer has been active since the 1990s and is an associate of cult director Sono Sion. On Monday, Sono was accused of being a sex predator by the Shukan Josei PRIME entertainment news and gossip site.Umekawa’s credits include the 1990 indie drama “Swimming Upstream,” Sono’s 2008 international festival hit “Love Exposure” and his 2011 drama “Themis.” Umekawa’s most recent credit is Netflix’s lesbian-themed road movie “Ride or Die.” The multiple accusations against prominent figures appear to suggest that the #MeToo movement has belatedly arrived in Japan, where the entertainment industry has previously succeeded in sweeping many such matters under the carpet.On Wednesday, Sono issued a handwritten statement on his company’s website apologizing for the “inconvenience and disturbance” caused by the Shukan Josei report.

Prolific Japanese director Sion Sono, known for such films as Love Exposure and Antiporno, as well as the recent Nicolas Cage-starrer Prisoners Of The Ghostland, has reportedly been accused of sexual harassment by several actresses in Japan.

Shukan Josei link his alleged predatory behavior to his acting workshops, and in addition to the two unnamed women, the piece also includes a quote from a Japanese film executive who accused Sono of misconduct. “Even now, there is a director who has no qualms about saying ‘If you screw me, I’ll give you work’. His films are acclaimed and many actresses want to appear in them.

Sion Sono, the self-proclaimed maverick Japanese film director known for raunchy indie movies including “Love Exposure” and “Antiporno,” has been accused of sexual harassment by several actresses in Japan’s film industry.The accusations were published Monday by the Shukan Josei PRIME entertainment news and gossip site. In a lengthy article, several actresses made accusations against Sono under the protection of anonymity.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn the day before Thanksgiving 2021, Variety interviewed Michelle Zauner about her close friend Sasami and her new album “Squeeze” for our “Up Next” series — and since Zauner had just received two Grammy nominations two days before, we asked her about those as well, along with the success of her moving memoir about the death of her mother, “Crying in H Mart” and its forthcoming film, her songwriting process, and what might be coming next.We’d originally thought that we’d be publishing this article just a few weeks later, in advance of the Grammys Awards that were then scheduled for January 31, but the pandemic had other plans; the awards are now taking place this Sunday, April 3, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Regardless, Zauner’s comments on all of the above are relevant and a revealing look at her creative and craft processes and inspirations — and check out our “Up Next” video on Sasami here.

Japanese with updates from their country that bring the harsh realities of war closer to Japan.The Russian invasion of Ukraine began just after the duo, Sava Tkachov, 26, and his younger brother Yan, 20, celebrated the second anniversary of their YouTube debut with subscribers exceeding 2 million for their Sawayan Channel and Sawayan Games that Sava hosts.The first word of war came from their father, a business consultant who had returned to Kyiv two months ago just before Russian troops rolled in and has stayed since to help defend his country. The siblings’ YouTube content, which used to be full of pranks, jokes and action videos, has become more serious.Worried about their 53-year-old father and friends in Ukraine, the brothers in early March announced on their channel that they planned to volunteer as defenders too.

Japanese Breakfast has shared a cover of Bon Iver‘s ‘Skinny Love’ as part of the Spotify Singles series, highlighting this year’s Best New Artist Grammy nominees. Listen to the track below.“We decided to record Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ because it felt like a very surprising cover for Japanese Breakfast,” Michelle Zauner said.

Doubling down on investment and expanding its offer in Japan, Prime Video has unveiled a slate of new Japanese originals including a reboot of iconic game show Takeshi’s Castle and a local adaptation of anthology series Modern Love. The streamer revealed the lineup at a showcase event in Tokyo today, where it also announced it will livestream the World Bantamweight title fight between Naoya Inoue and Nonito Donaire on June 7.