Hong Kong’s Oscars Submission ‘A Light Never Goes Out’ Disqualified; Reason Remains Unclear

The countdown to Christmas is on at Nonnatus House in December 1968 as Apollo 8 prepares for a moon mission. Sister Monica Joan (played by Judy Parfitt) is this could be her last yuletide and that she will not live to see man walk on the moon. Meanwhile, as Shelagh (Laura Main) and Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) navigate family life, they are unsettled when a parcel arrives from May’s mother in Hong Kong.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “If you really missed not seeing us on screen together, then ‘The Goldfinger’ is your opportunity to do so,” says Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau of his new crime movie where he is again paired with Tony Leung Chiu-wai (“In the Mood for Love”). The film releases at the end of the month in different parts of Asia and North America (from Dec. 30).

If you’re anything like me, you are still reeling, not over, and have not forgiven Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai for what he did with his Criterion Collection 4K boxset remasters of all his original films (he may be an auteur, one of the true grandmasters of cinema, but his aesthetic revision there is akin to a cinematic crime that rivals what George Lucas did with the “Star Wars” prequels, worse actually).

Both of the region’s MPs voted in favour of sending UK asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban pose for photos together at a special screening of Expats at the Palace Verona on Wednesday (December 20) in Sydney, Australia.

Single’s Inferno has finally returned with its highly-anticipated third season – here’s everything you need to know about the new cast.As with previous seasons of Single’s Inferno, the series sees a cast of attractive singles travelling to a remote island called “inferno” as they search for romantic connections.However, cast members are not allowed to share personal details like their ages and occupations with one another until they have successfully paired up with another contestant for a night’s stay in “paradise”.The first cast member to be introduced is Kim Gyu-ri, who is a 28-year-old model. According to posts on her Instagram account (@citruszl), Kim was also a participant in Miss Korea 2022.A post shared by 김규리 (@citruszl)The next cast member to be introduced is Choi Hye-seon, a 26-year-old college student at the prestigious Ewha Women’s University.

As BBC police procedural drama Vigil comes to its nail biting conclusion, fans will no doubt be sitting on the edge of their seats as they wait to discover exactly who was behind the hacked drones and what exactly they hoped to achieve by doing so. Since arriving on our screens two weeks ago, the exciting drama has captivated viewers at home for a second time, with the current season having followed hot on the heels of the show’s debut back in 2021, which was set on board a submarine.

Caroline Brew editor Amazon Prime Video has released the trailer for “Expats,” directed by Lulu Wang and starring Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue and Ji-young Yoo. The series will debut on Prime Video on Jan. 26, 2024, with new episodes launching weekly until the Feb.

SHINee member and soloist Taemin has released a music video for his song ‘The Rizzness’.The new video feature SHINee’s Taemin with a team of backup dancers as they perform in a cave-inspired set, with the scenes flitting between light and darkness. “You know I got the rizz / The rizzness / Swallows you up / My rizzness / Sit down and listen up, ooh / Sit down and listen up,” he sings in the chorus.The new clip came shortly after Taemin held the second day of his ‘Metamorph’ solo concert at the Inspire Arena in Seoul, South Korea over the weekend.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor International Film Festival Rotterdam has revealed that Belgian cinematographer Grimm Vandekerckhove will be the recipient of the fifth annual Robby Müller Award, which pays homage to the craft of artists working behind the lens in the spirit of the celebrated cinematographer. Vandekerckhove is “known for delicately capturing the inner lives of characters,” the festival said, such as a cleaning lady on a late-night journey in “Ghost Tropic” or the encounter of a foreign construction worker and a moss researcher in “Here,” both directed by Bas Devos.

Naman Ramachandran One of the most popular events at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) was a panorama event where six of the country’s leading indie film lights shared a panel to discuss opportunities and challenges. Opportunities are plentiful, with the festival world embracing Singaporean films and filmmakers warmly. Hong Kong-based Anthony Chen has had a stellar year with his directorial efforts “Drift” and “The Breaking Ice” which premiered at Sundance and Cannes, respectively.

Pharrell Williams has unveiled his new single ‘Airplane Tickets’, featuring contributions from Swae Lee and Rauw Alejandro. Watch the song’s video below. The song received its public debut at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton Men’s Pre-Fall 2024 Runway Show in Hong Kong on November 30.A new video for the song has now been released, directed by Maxime Quoilin and filmed on location in Hong Kong, including around the area’s Avenue of Stars.

Silent Night UK release. This has been on my mind for a little while as the latest film from Hong Kong action supermodel John Woo has been out in the US since last weekend but there has been little to no hint about when the movie will hit British territory.

Creamfields has unveiled a new 30,000 capacity indoor main stage called APEX for its 2024 edition.The festival, which will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend from August 22-25 next year at its usual site in Daresbury, Cheshire, is already sold out.The festival claims that APEX will be the largest indoor festival superstructure in the world, and promises it will be paired with “jaw dropping production”. The stage will also allow the festival to extend until 4am on Saturday night for the first time.The lineup for the dance festival’s 2024 incarnation has yet to be announced, although the organisers have confirmed that the arena hosts will include Teletech and techno promoters XXL.At the 2023 edition of Creamfields, the weekend was headlined by Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Swedish House Mafia, Tiësto and Four Tet.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Wang Jianlin, the Chinese billionaire who previously sought to buy a controlling position in Hollywood, is preparing to complete his imminent exit from the film industry. The troubled conglomerate is facing debt repayment pressure.Wanda Film, which remains China’s largest cinema operator, Wednesday said in a regulatory filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange that Wang and his Wanda Investment vehicle expect to sell their remaining stake 51% in the company to China Ruyi Holdings. Ruyi, which operates across film, TV and online games, counts games, social media and streaming giant Tencent among its largest shareholders.

Naman Ramachandran Canadian conglomerate, Blue Ant Media has scored sales of some 550 hours of programming to Asia Pacific broadcasters, it was revealed at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF). Content was sourced from across Blue Ant’s portfolio companies.

Naman Ramachandran Shows featuring Stephen Fry are popular in Asia as sales from Abacus Media Rights and Passion Distribution demonstrate. Abacus has sold more than 70 hours of scripted and unscripted programming broadcasters across Asia, it was revealed at Singapore’s Asia TV Forum and Market.

Amber Liu, a member of K-pop girl group f(x), has announced new dates for her upcoming 2024 ‘No More Sad Songs’ world tour.Today (December 5), Amber Liu revealed the new Asia, Australia and New Zealand legs of her upcoming 2024 tour. It’ll feature four shows in Asia – in Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore – alongside two Aussie concerts and one New Zealand performance in February and March.In addition, the f(x) singer also announced that indie pop singer-songwriter Marielle Kraft will join her on the North American leg of the tour, which features eight shows across January 2024.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief I.E. Entertainment, the global distribution outfit founded and run by industry veterans Indra and Erlina Suharjono, has come on board to handle worldwide sales for Cathay Film Company’s “Coolie.” The TV miniseries is inspired by the little-known history of enslaved Chinese ‘coolies’ in Cuba in the 1860s.

Refresh for latest…: New global entry Queen Bey’s concert movie/documentary Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé put a ring on a $27.4M global debut this weekend. Included in that is $6.4M from 2,621 overseas cinemas.