Filmmaker Kotsuji Yohei On Self-Funding Tokyo Competition Title ‘A Foggy Paradise’ & The State Of Indie Filmmaking In Japan

Elizabeth Wagmeister is joining CNN as correspondent covering entertainment, based in Los Angeles.

Late Friends actor Matthew Perry reportedly stayed in a Beverly Hills rental with his live-in assistant until a couple of weeks before his untimely death. The actor, most famous for portraying Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom Friends, tragically passed away on 28 October at his home in LA at the age of 54. Kenny Iwamasa, his 59-year-old personal assistant, is suspected to be the person who discovered the late actor unresponsive in the hot tub.

JRock News, Morie died in late October after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. Morie reportedly faced medical complications earlier in the year that ultimately led to him being diagnosed with cancer, though it hasn’t been revealed what kind of cancer he suffered from.He also reportedly did not share the news of his cancer diagnosis with his fellow X Japan bandmates, per JRock News.After hearing of Morie’s death, X Japan drummer and pianist Yoshiki reportedly cancelled a November 1 appearance at a gala in San Francisco to fly back to Shinjuku, Tokyo to pay his respects to the late bassist.

Taiwan Creative Content Fest kicked off in Taipei today with organizer, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), emphasizing its soft power ambitions and growing international cooperation activities, in particular with France, South Korea and Japan. 

Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever topping the list.The list compiles the worst movies based on their critics score on the website, with only films that have at least 20 reviews being eligible.Ballistic Ecks Vs. Sever starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu finished in the number one spot.

EXCLUSIVE: Crunchyroll announced today a special one-day-only private pop-up installation MAKOTO SHINKAI: A Journey from Voices of a Distant Star through Suzume which will explore the complete works of Japanese animation filmmaker Makoto Shinkai.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two films from Japan, Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” and Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” won the top prizes at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards on Friday. Multiple other honors went to films from Korea and Kazakhstan. The 16th edition of the APSA Awards was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and recognized films from eight countries. “Perfect Days,” a gentle comedy drama about a toilet cleaner in Tokyo finding happiness in the everyday, premiered in Cannes and more recently was selected as Japan’s Oscar contender and as the opening title of the Tokyo International Film Festival.

EXCLUSIVE: Two-time Tony and Emmy Award-nominated actor Arian Moayed (Succession) and Oscar-winning filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi (Period. End of Sentence.) have boarded Liam LoPinto‘s Oscar-qualifying live-action short The Old Young Crow as executive producers.

Warner Bros Discovery‘s international restructuring has continued with James Gibbons setting out the shape of his Asia Pacific team, with Japanese Country Manager Masami Takahashi choosing to retire.

This year’s Tokyo Film Festival closes this evening with the world premiere of Godzilla Minus One, the latest edition in Toho’s monster franchise, directed by filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki. 

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent “Snow Leopard,” the last film by Tibetan director Pema Tseden prior to his death in May, was awarded the Grand Prix at the closing ceremony of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on Wednesday. Premiering out of competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival and later screening at Toronto, the film depicts the argument between a father and his adult son of how to deal with the title beast, which has descended from the mountains to kill sheep in their village.

Family drama Snow Leopard, directed by the late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, has won the Tokyo Grand Prix, the top prize at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. Scroll down for the full list of winners.

Carole Horst The American Film Market kicks off Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 5 in its new headquarters at the Le Meridien Delfina in Santa Monica.

Very little has been heard from Indonesian filmmaker Mouly Surya since her buzzy 2017 Cannes title Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts. 

“Ticket sales have gone up 27%, and we’re only at the midway point, so I’m quite happy,” Ando Hiroyasu, Tokyo Film Festival (TIFF) Chairman, told Deadline as he shuttled between engagements at this year’s busy and buzzy comeback edition. 

There’s been much celebratory talk here at the Tokyo Film Festival about a new dawn of internationally-minded Japanese artists led by directors such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Makoto Shinkai, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi. 

As the Tokyo Film Festival returns with a focus on international expansion, this year’s MPA seminar hosted as part of the festival industry program was centered around how to make the country a more attractive production environment for international producers.

Godzilla Minus One, the latest edition in Toho’s monster franchise and the closing film at this year’s Tokyo Film Festival, has locked a deal for distribution in the UK and Ireland. 

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung spoke about the making of “The Taste of Things” (previously titled “The Pot-au-Feu”) the food-themed romantic drama that won him best director award at Cannes this year, at the master class held Tuesday at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Screening in TIFF’s Gala section, the film stars Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel as respectively a chef and gourmet.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed Hirokazu Kore-eda, the internationally celebrated Japanese filmmaker known for titles like Monster and Shoplifters, for representation in all areas.