G4 TV President Russell Arons Exits Revived Network; Gaming Vet Joe Marsh Expands Duties At Comcast Spectacor

Pan Nalin’s Last Film Show, produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Nalin, Dheer Momaya and Mark Duale, has been selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Oscar race.

US President Joe Biden has taken a swipe at Liz Truss's economic plan ahead of their meeting in New York at the United Nations tomorrow.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks subsidiary The Remake Company has closed a remake deal with Italy’s Marco Belardi and his new label Bamboo Prod. for Ariel Winograd’s latest film “Today We Fix the World” (“Hoy se Arregla el Mundo”).  Produced by powerhouse shingle Patagonik, the family dramedy was picked up by Netflix for several key territories after its theatrical release by Disney’s Star early this year.  Mexico’s BH5 has also acquired the remake rights and is about to produce its version while talks are underway with Korean and French companies, said FilmSharks founder and CEO, Guido Rud. Winograd is already a known quantity in Italy. His last film “Ten Days Without Mom” topped the box office in Italy when it was released.

Queen Elizabeth‘s funeral took place today (Monday, September 19) in both London, England and Windsor, England.

The Princess of Wales wore Queen Elizabeth II’s necklace to her state funeral. Princess Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge sported a diamond and pearl choker to her grandmother-in-law’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday (19. 09.

More than two million people are expected to pour into ­London for the Queen’s funeral. The crowds are forecast to be double those who turned out for Princess Diana in 1997.

Another olive branch extended. King Charles III has invited senior royals to meet with world leaders one day before Queen Elizabeth II‘s funeral — with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle joining the bunch.

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent Kadokawa Tsuguhiko, the chair of media conglomerate Kadokawa, has been arrested on bribery charges. Taken into custody on Wednesday, the veteran executive is suspected of bribing Takahashi Haruyuki, a former director of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee and former top executive of the giant Dentsu ad agency, to the amount of JPY69 million ($483,000). Kadokawa, a member of the company’s founding family, is accused of funneling payments to a consulting firm led by Fukami Kazumasa, another former Dentsu executive with connections to Takahashi. The objective, to secure an Olympics sponsorship deal for Kadokawa, was achieved in April of 2019, with Kadokawa publishing the official guidebooks and records for the Games.

Around 500 world leaders and dignitaries have been invited to Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday (19. 09. 22).

With the next world cup in Qatar fast approaching, Sony Pictures Television is distributing a landmark examination of the tournament that has been running for nearly 100 years, titled The Moment of Truth.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Gianni Amelio’s “Lord of the Ants,” a biopic of Italian poet and playwright Aldo Braibanti, who was jailed in 1968 due to a Fascist-era anti-gay law, has reached the top spot at Italy’s box office following its launch from the Venice Film Festival. “Ants” on Monday reached the numero uno position at the local box office roster with a €483,474 ($487,000) intake from more than 300 screens following its September 8 release. While far from stellar in normal times, this result is being hailed as an encouraging sign for the country’s still sagging post-pandemic theatrical sector. Amelio’s film is now ahead of Japanese anime pic “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo,” which was released as an event on Monday for a three day run, and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which is at the end of its run, following it’s Aug. 18 Italian outing.

Naman Ramachandran Collective Media Group and Entourage Sports and Entertainment‘s soccer documentary feature “Brazil 2002: The Real Story,” recounting the story of the 2002 World Cup on its 20th anniversary, has sold a raft of territories worldwide. The film uses six hours of unseen archive material shot by Brazilian soccer player Juliano Belletti during the tournament, and also features interviews with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu and Gilberto Silva from the World Cup winning Brazil team; and, from the opposing teams across the tournament, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Oliver Kahn, Hasan Şaş and Marc Wilmots as well as referee Pierluigi Collina. FIFA has taken the film for its own streamer FIFA+, for territories including Asia (excluding Japan), Turkey and New Zealand. This is complemented by deals confirmed by distribution partner Abacus Media Rights including: Canal+ Group for Canal+ Foot and myCanal (France); Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg); Sky Italia (Italy, Republic of San Marino, Vatican City, Malta, Capodistria, Montecarlo and Italian speaking Switzerland); DBS Satellite Services (Israel and West Bank); Supersport Africa (for Africa); NOS Portugal (Portugal and PALOPs); Movistar Plus+ (Spain); and Stan Entertainment Pty (Australia).

Naman Ramachandran After world premiering at Tribeca and travelling the world since, Pan Nalin’s “Last Film Show” (“Chhello Show”) is coming home to India, with Siddharth Roy Kapur’s Roy Kapur Films set to distribute it across the country. The partly autobiographical drama takes Nalin back to his roots in Saurashtra, Gujarat, western India, where “Last Film Show” was filmed. The story is set against the backdrop of Indian cinemas witnessing a massive transition from celluloid to digital where hundreds of single-screen cinemas are either in ruins or have disappeared altogether. The film follows nine-year-old boy Samay, whose life turns upside down after watching his first movie. He passionately falls in love with films against his father’s wish. Samay strikes a deal with Fazal, the projectionist, who will let him watch movies for free in exchange for eating the contents of his lunchbox. Their food-for-films deal turns into an endearing friendship, but heartbreaking choices lie ahead.

Jay Park’s newest music label, More Vision, has launched its first-ever auditions for an upcoming boyband.On September 7 at Midnight KST, More Vision shared several posts across its social media accounts in English, Korean, Japanese and Mandarin announcing that it has opened up auditions for its first-ever boy group.According to More Vision, the label is seeking males born 2005 or after to audition with either vocals, dance, rap or producing with no limitations on nationality. It also states that the ability to speak Korean may be preferred, but is not mandatory for potential applicants.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Prolific Japanese film director Miike Takashi and Indonesian genre specialist Kimo Stamboel will be among the star names in the ‘On Screen’ section of the Busan International Film Festival given over to TV series. Miike has made “Connect,” a Korean-language crime fantasy thriller about a man who is kidnapped and has one of his eyes removed by a gang of organ harvesters and transplanted into the body of a notorious serial killer. The unwilling donor now has terrible visions as he witnesses terrifying attacks on the residents of Seoul. The show was written by Nakamura Masaru and Heo Dam (“Monstrum”). It features Korean talent including Jung Haein (“Snowdrop,” “Start-Up,” “Tune in for Love”) in the lead role and Ko Kyungpyo (“Decision to Leave,” “Seoul Vibe,”) as the serial killer, and Kim Hyejun (“Inspector Koo,” “Kingdom,” “Sinkhole”) as the mysterious Irang.

Disney+ has announced an all-star cast for its upcoming Korean original series, Connect, inclusive of Jung Hae-in, Ko Kyung-po and more.The new crime-thriller series, which was announced on September 7, is set to follow a man who is suddenly kidnapped by a gang of organ harvesters. He awakens following the procedure to find one of his eyes missing, however discovers that he is still able to see out of his missing eye, which is now being used by an infamous serial killer.Connect will star Jung Hae-in (Snowdrop, Start-Up) as the show’s main character Ha Dong-soo, a man with the secret ability to immediately heal from any injury, no matter how life-threatening.

On her team? Larsa Pippen was spotted out in Miami with Marcus Jordan — the son of Michael Jordan, who famously played on the Chicago Bulls alongside her ex-husband, Scottie Pippen, in the 1990s.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Prominent arthouse sales company The Match Factory has closed multiple sales on Italian auteur Gianni Amelio’s Venice competition title “Lord of the Ants” ahead of its Venice premiere on Tuesday. The Match Factory has sealed deals on Amelio’s latest work – which is a biopic of Italian poet, playwright and director Aldo Braibanti, who was jailed in 1968 due to a Fascist-era anti-gay law – that will ensure the film’s theatrical release in: Australia/New Zealand (Palace Films); Japan (Zazie Films); Spain (Surtsey Films); Sweden (TriArt Film) and Greece (Ama Films). Further deals are in negotiation, the company said. Braibanti was convicted after a complaint from his partner’s father, who later forced his son to be treated with electroconvulsive therapy in an ill-conceived attempt to rid him of his homosexuality. The Fascist-era law that punished Braibanti, which made it a crime to lead innocent or unwary people “morally” astray, was repealed in 1981.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two Korean and two Indian movies make the cut in the Busan International Film Festival’s New Currents main competition section. Thet are joined by one each from Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Germany. The section has a track record of making significant discoveries among new Asian films and directors.The selected titles are eligible for multiple awards, including the New Currents Award, the FIPRESCI Award, the NETPAC Award, and the KB New Currents Audience Award. The selection comprises: “Ajooma,” directed by Hu Shuming (Singapore-Korea); “Blue Again” from Thailand’s Thapanee Loosuwan; “Hail to Hell,” by Korea’s Lim Oh-jeong; “Memento Mori: Earth,” by Vietnam’s Marcus Vu Manh Cuong; “No End,” directed by Nader Saeivar and flying the flags of Germany, Iran and Turkey; “A Place Called Silence,” by Malaysia’s Sam Quah; “Shivamma,” fromIndia’s Jaishankar Aryar; Japanese director Kubota Nao’s “One Thousand and One Nights”; “A Wild Roomer,” from Korea’s Lee Jeong-hong; and The Winter Within,” directed by Aamir Bashir, and structured as a co-production between India, France and Qatar.