‘Gravity Rush’ Film Based On PlayStation Game In Works From PlayStation Productions & Scott Free; Anna Mastro Attached To Direct From Emily Jerome’s Script

India’s Kajol To Star Disney+ Hotstar Remake Of ‘The Good Wife’

Nicolas Cage’s cutie! The actor’s wife, Riko Shibata gave birth to their first baby together — daughter August Francesca Coppola Cage, Us Weekly can confirm.

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent Kobayashi Masahiro, the director of four films that screened at Cannes, died in Tokyo on August 20, 2022, age 68. His death was disclosed only on Wednesday, with the cause given as colonic cancer.   Born in Tokyo in 1954, Kobayashi started out as a folksinger and scriptwriter for television and erotic features called ‘pink films.’   In 1996, at age 42, he made his directorial debut with “Closing Time,” a self-financed indie about the life and loves of an alcoholic scriptwriter. The film won the grand prize at the first Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.  

Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (October 5-14) has announced its full line-up, including opening film Scent Of Wind, directed by Iran’s Hadi Mohaghegh, while Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai will be honoured as Asian Filmmaker Of The Year.

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Fascist-era law that punished Braibanti, which made it a crime to lead innocent or unwary people “morally” astray, was repealed in 1981.

The tragedy at the center of “Love Life,” the new film from Japanese director Kōji Fukada which premieres in Competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival, does not come to disrupt a perfectly happy family. Cracks are visible in the facade of the life shared by Taeko (Fumino Kimura) and Jiro (Kento Nagayama) even before the fatal accident that claims the life of Keita (Tetta Shimada), her young son from a previous marriage.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has scored key territory deals on Japanese director Koji Fukada’s “Love Life,” which makes its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Set in contemporary Japan, “Love Life” is a character-driven film revolving around Taeko and her husband, Jiro, who are living a peaceful existence with her young son, Keita. When a tragic accident brings the boy’s long-lost father, Park, back into her life, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man to cope with the pain and guilt. Popular Japanese actress Fumino Kimura (“The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill”) headlines the film. MK2 Films has now sold the movie to Teodora (Italy), Imagine (Benelux), Leopardo (Portugal), Demiurg (Ex Yugoslavia), New Cinema (Israel), Swallow Wings (Taiwan), Edko (Hong Kong), Impact Films (India) and Encore Inflight (Airlines).

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.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Venice Film Festival’s market is kicking off with an attendance level close to its 2019 pre-pandemic days and strong interest in feature films and VR works being pitched at its gap-financing platform “We already have a total of more than 2,400 industry professionals registered to attend, which is close to pre-pandemic levels since in 2019 the number was 2,700 [at the end of the market],” says Pascal Diot, head of the Venice Production Bridge, as the informal mart is known. Of these, 1,700 are accredited with the VPB’s Golden Trade pass, while the remaining 1,000 are registered as part of film delegations.

Wilson Chapman editor Some of the most acclaimed films in animation history are finally available to rent online. GKIDS, the animation specialist distributer, has released the catalog of acclaimed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli starting Tuesday. 22 films from the studio — including Oscar winner “Spirited Away” and nominees such as “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “When Marnie Was There” — will be made available to rent on all major digital platforms, including Apple TV, Amazon VOD, Vudu, Google Play and Microsoft. The films will be be priced at $4.99 per title, and all will be available in HD, with most being offered in the original Japanese language as well as English dubs.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Lee Jung-jae, the star of hit Netflix series “Squid Game,” is to reprise his role as a manic killer in “Ray,” a TV series spun off from 2020 Korean action-horror film “Deliver Us From Evil.” Korean media sources report that Lee will star in and co-produce the series through his own Artist Studio company and Hive Media, producer of “Deliver Us From Evil.” Variety has reached out for further details. In the original movie, Hwang Jung-min played In-Nam, a former black ops agent who travels to Thailand to investigate an abduction. There he is pursued by Lee’s character Ray, a Korean-Japanese ruffian whose brother had been killed by In-Nam. Both heavily tattooed and charming, Ray embarks on a bloody rampage of revenge.

Clayton Davis It’s late summer, so it’s time to start talking about awards season. Cannes issued the first slate of contenders in the international feature Oscar race, and now Venice and Toronto are ready to screen another batch, which begs the question: What looks like the breakout pics from the festival circuit that should contend for kudos? More than 90 countries have been submitting films for Academy consideration for the past few years, in order to walk away with the coveted best international feature Oscar. Coming off the Cinderella story of Japan’s “Drive My Car” from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, which was also nominated for three other Oscars including best picture, it became the tenth film to be recognized for both best picture and international feature.

Andrew Garfield is extremely dedicated to his career!

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Hideo Kojima, the renowned Japanese game creator behind hit titles “Death Stranding” and “Metal Gear,” will launch a weekly podcast exclusively on Spotify next month — covering a wide range of his favorite topics. “Hideo Kojima Presents Brain Structure,” premiering Sept. 8 on Spotify, will be released in both Japanese and English. According to Spotify, the new show “unravels the genius behind Kojima’s ideas and creative thinking.” The podcast will feature talk-show-style discussions on topics like games, movies, books, art, philosophy and the social landscape. Guests who will periodically join Kojima on the show will include both local and global leaders as well as top creators from business, technology and entertainment.

EJ Panaligan editorReality competition series “Ink Master” will return for its 14th season on Wednesday, September 7 in the United States on Paramount+, and the streamer has released a first-look trailer for the new season which highlights the show’s returning contestants.Tattoo artists from previous seasons will return to the show to compete for a grand prize of $250,000 and the title of “Ink Master.” Competitors include Angel Rose (Season 11, 13), Bob Jones (Season 13), Chris Shockley (Season 11), Creepy Jason (Season 12), Deanna James (Season 10), Gian Karle (Season 8), Hiram Casas (Season 13), Holli Marie (Season 12), Katie McGowan (Season 6, 9) and Pon (Season 12). Joel Madden, lead vocalist for pop-punk band Good Charlotte, will replace Dave Navarro as host of the ink-based competition show.

“Ink Master” Season 14 is nearly here, and the brand new trailer, exclusive to TheWrap, promises that when it arrives on Paramount+, the competition will be fierce.A host of fan favorites are returning for this season’s installment. TheWrap can also exclusively reveal the contestants.