Hong Kong Cinemas to Reopen as Virus Threat Recedes

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe 25th edition of the Busan International Film Festival will shrink by a third and be presented in a hybrid in-person and offline format, due to the challenges posed by the coronavirus.Running with newly announced dates of Oct.

Lee Min Ho is the king of social media, on the South Korean actors' front. The actor, who was last seen in The King: Eternal Monarch, has over 19 million followers on Instagram, becoming the most followed Korean actor on the platform.

Jessica Kiang Once more with rather less feeling: after “Love in a Fallen City” and “Eighteen Springs,” acclaimed Hong Kong director Ann Hui returns to the work of celebrated 20th century author Eileen Chang with “Love After Love,” a not-at-all-short adaptation of a Chang short story laboring under the English title “Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier.” Hui has assembled something of an all-star lineup, with the young leads played by rising actors Sandra Ma (“Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHong Kong Disneyland may reopen soon, following reduced social distancing restrictions announced Tuesday by the territory’s government.The park was closed between Jan. 23- June 18 due to precautions against the coronavirus outbreak.

As Disney's mega-budget live-action remake of Mulan prepares to roll out in theaters in select markets across Asia, pro-democracy activists in several countries in the region are calling on audiences to steer clear of the movie via the growing #BoycottMulan movement.

Mulan” is facing renewed boycott calls from Asian activists.Thai and Taiwanese activists have joined Hong Kong protestors fighting for democratic reform who first raised the call for boycotts of the film last year, after its Chinese-born star sided with the Hong Kong police and their crackdown of pro-democracy militants.“I support the Hong Kong Police,” said Liu Yifei, who is also an American citizen, sharing a post from the Beijing People’s Daily on Weibo, a Chinese blog site in August 2019.

Disney film’s online release yesterday (September 4).After the film’s initial March release date in cinemas, which was curtailed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the film finally arrived on the Disney+ streaming service this week.Fans have been calling for a boycott of the film due to star Liu Yifei’s reported support of Hong Kong police during ongoing clashes in the country.Posting on Chinese social media site Weibo (via The Los Angeles Times) last year, Liu shared a statement from reporter Fu

attacking passengers at the station during their arrest of suspected protesters.

Superhero genre pic The New Mutants opened to $7 million from 2,412 theaters in North America as struggling cinemas reopen amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. From 20th Century and Disney, the long-delayed horror movie is one of the first titles to launch nationwide after a five-month theater shutdown across the U.S.

Hong Kong actress/producer Josie Ho is set to collaborate with French director Luc Besson and American History X helmer Tony Kaye through the Hong Kong-based 852 Films, the production company she had founded with husband Conroy Chan in 2009. Ho will star in the entire slate, she and Chan will also take up producer duties for the films.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHollywood blockbuster “Tenet” opened on top of the Korean box office, but its performance is declining as the coronavirus makes a comeback in the country. Releases of other films, including “Mulan,” are now being postponed or halted.Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” began its commercial career in the world’s fourth largest theatrical market on Wednesday earning $596,000 from 2,228 screens, according to data from the Korean Film Council’s KOBIZ system.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterSong Kang-ho, the star of Oscar sensation Parasite and the 2013 feature Snowpiercer, will lead the cast of Korean feature Broker. The film marks the Korean directing debut of Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose previous credits include the Palme d’Or-winning and Oscar-nomianted 2018 drama Shoplifters.Also starring in Broker will be Gang Dong-won and Bae Doona.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSong Kang-ho, star of Oscar-winner “Parasite,” will head the cast of “Baby, Box, Broker,” the Korean-language debut of “Shoplifters” director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Rounding out a stellar acting lineup are Bae Doona (“Cloud Atlas,” “The Host”) and Gang Dong-won (“Peninsula,” “The Priests”).The film takes as its starting point boxes that are left out for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies.

Hong Kong's Filmart, Asia's largest film and television content market, on Wednesday kicked off its first-ever virtual edition amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In an auspicious sign for the local industry, the event's online panel discussions and virtual dealmaking sessions got underway in earnest just after news broke that Hong Kong's movie theaters would be allowed to reopen as the third wave of novel coronavirus infection was brought back under control.

Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that Suzy, Nam Joo Hyuk, Kim Seon Ho, And Kang Han Na are coming together to film a new series titled Start-Up. And now, we have a teaser of the Korean drama in our hands.

Vivienne Chow Solidly-established Hong Kong film director Soi Cheang (“Accident,” “SPL II,” “The Monkey King” series) returns to action with the new crime thriller “Limbo.” He says his ambition is to revive the former glory of the city’s action cinema by targeting international audiences outside China.Announced just ahead of the opening of Wednesday’s FilMart, which has been postponed from its usual March slot and changed to an online format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, “Limbo” is

If you have been following K-dramas for ages, you'd realised the connection between Son Ye Jin and Lee Min Ho. However, if you're someone who's new the world of Korean dramas, here's an interesting throwback for you.

Vivienne Chow The Hong Kong International Film Festival named Zheng Lu Xinyuan’s “The Cloud in Her Room” and “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese as winners of its Firebird Young Cinema competitions, despite the event having been canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic.The festival was initially postponed from its usual spring slot to summer due to the coronavirus, and was eventually canceled.