Hong Kong’s Factwire News Publication Closes With Immediate Effect

Death is not the end for the characters of “Days Of Our Lives”.

Vivienne Chow A Taiwanese filmmaker has made his short film inspired by Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests available online for free after it failed to get approval from the city’s censorship authorities.Wu Zi-en, director of “Islander,” has uploaded the full 25-minute film noir to online platform Vimeo last week, after it became the third film in a month to have been censored by Hong Kong authorities.The city last year changed censorship regulations to effectively ban any film that is politically sensitive or poses a threat to national security.“Islander” follows a man and his grandson’s journey to visit the son, who has been placed behind bars as a political prisoner in Taipei. The film was selected as part of the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival in Hong Kong, but its public screening was canceled because the film did not receive the approval in time. Fresh Wave organizers did not respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

A financial advisor embezzled £170,000 from an elderly Scots widow who battled dementia by charging her up to £1000 a day to read bank statements to her.

The next movie in the “Spider-Man” universe is getting going.

Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has crossed the $400M threshold at the global box office, including $190.6M from domestic and $209.5M internationally through Tuesday. It is currently the No. 8 film worldwide in 2022 and is likely to jump up a few notches as it still has Japan and Hong Kong to release. At Paramount’s CineEurope presentation today, a threequel was touted.

EXCLUSIVE: Derek Tsang, who directed the Oscar-nominated Chinese drama Better Days, has signed with Anonymous Content for representation.

Vivienne Chow To Hong Kong documentary filmmaker Ngan Chi-sing, seeking asylum in the U.K. is going to be one of his priorities in the coming year. That’s because he has made a film about the 2019 protests that he fears would endanger his security, should he ever return to his home city.“Hong Kong cannot tolerate documentary films like mine anymore,” Ngan, the director of “Love in the Time of Revolution,” which premieres this week at the inaugural edition of the Melbourne Hong Kong Film Festival running from June 12-19 in Australia, told Variety.

K.J. Yossman Josh Charles (“The Good Wife”) and Anders Danielsen Lie (“Bergman Island”) are set to join Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway in “Mothers’ Instinct.”The film, which is based on Barbara Abel’s novel “Derrière la Haine,” tells the story of Alice (Chastain) and Celine (Hathaway), two best friends and mothers living an outwardly idyllic life a stone’s throw from each other in 1960s America.

Reelz & Paramount+ Among Pre-Buyers Of Princess Diana Doc

Naman Ramachandran U.K. TV producer Content Kings and production finance broker and distribution agent Silverlining Rights have revealed a raft of international pre-sales for “Diana: The Ultimate Truth” (1×60’), a documentary which investigates the circumstances leading up to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, 25 years ago.

Petrol prices in the UK have reached a record breaking high, with experts warning that costs will continue to rise.

Big Bang’s T.O.P will soon be launching his very own wine label.Today (June 13), the Big Bang rapper unveiled new product images of his upcoming wine label, T’SPOT. The official brand logo features art by Kyoto-based artist Kohei Nawa, who T.O.P also tagged in his post.“Here it is- T’SPOT.

A month before Christmas on a bitterly-cold winter evening in the heart of Manchester city centre, two homeless men died in a fire which engulfed a derelict building. At first they were identified only by their nicknames - Popeye and Uncle Albert - but eventually their characters, personalities and lives were revealed.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese-Canadian superstar Kris Wu is to be sentenced for rape after a secret trial in Beijing on Friday, Hong Kong media reports. He risks spending between three and ten years in jail.Wu was arrested and formally charged in August last year after allegations were made in late July by Du Meizhu, 18, a beauty industry influencer. The woman used social media to accuse the musician and actor of date-raping her while she was 17 and a time when she was drunk.

Vivienne Chow Hong Kong director Alan Mak (“Infernal Affairs,” “Overheard 2 and 3”) has brought together award-winning actors Francis Ng (“Drifting”) and Aaron Kwok (“Port of Call,” “Cold War 1 and 2”) in new Hong Kong crime thriller “Insider,” 22-years after the two shared the big screen together.Produced by Tenky Tin for Emperor Motion Picture, the film also stars Simon Yam and Niki Chow. A start of production ceremony took place on Monday, attended by EMP supremo Albert Yeung. Kwok also uploaded images to his Instagram account.