City Busan Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Naman Ramachandran MetFilm Distribution has acquired U.K. and Ireland rights to Vinay Shukla’s documentary “While We Watched.” Produced by the U.K.’s Lono Studio and BritDoc Films, the documentary is a newsroom drama intimately chronicling the working days of Indian broadcast journalist Ravish Kumar as he navigates a spiralling world of truth and disinformation. Kumar, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, was a senior journalist at Indian news platform NDTV, who resigned after billionaire Gautam Adani took over the company. “While We Watched” debuted at Toronto in 2022 where it won the Amplify Voices award, followed by Busan, where it won the Cinephile award. Most recently, the film won the international competition at Helsinki’s DocPoint Festival.

K-Pop legend BTS may be on hiatus but fans are decidedly not. Concert film BTS: Yet To Come hit no. 5 at the North American Box office this weekend with $5.1 million on 1,100+ screens, for a cume topping $7.8 million from the first showing Feb. 1.

EXCLUSIVE: Activist Artists Management has signed award-winning Mongolian filmmaker Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir. She’ll be represented at the full-service music and talent management firm by Bernie Cahill and Jon Kanak.

The Berlinale’s European Film Market was the last major physical market to take place in 2020 as the world began shutting down because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

EXCLUSIVE: Trailblazing Pakistani movie Joyland has been picked up for U.S. distribution by Oscilloscope.

Park Chan-wook’s stylish crime drama Decision to Leave leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards with a sweeping 10 nods, including Best Director and Best Film.

South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho already has a great relationship with Netflix. The “Train To Busan” director teamed up with the streaming giant for the series “Hellbound,” its second season coming soon.

EXCLUSIVE: Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber, has acquired all U.S. rights to the animated feature Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman from The Match Factory.

Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) in China’s Sanya has returned as an in-person event, following a relatively short Covid-related postponement, with separate competition sections for features, documentaries and shorts. 

French author and now filmmaker Annie Ernaux is having a year. She was just awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize for literature. Her autobiographical L’Événement was adapted by director Audrey Diwan into the critically acclaimed Happening, released last spring. And this weekend, Kino Lorber presents her directorial debut, The Super 8 Years, at Film at Lincoln Center and DCTV Firehouse in NYC, expanding to LA and select markets through January.

Jordanian director Darin J. Sallam and producers Deema Azar and Ayeh Jadaneh have accused Israel of mounting a disinformation campaign against their film Farha and also rebuked the country for attempting to get it removed from theatres and Netflix.

Award-winning Indian journalist Ravish Kumar has stepped down from his role at broadcaster NDTV, which is in the process of a hostile takeover by Indian billionaire Guatam Adani. 

Singapore-based producer and distributor Clover Films is teaming with filmmaker Jack Neo’s J Team Productions to launch a joint venture production company, HiJack Pictures. 

The International Film Festival Of India (IFFI) has announced the 15 films that will screen in competition at this year’s edition of the annual event, including recent festival favourites such as Maha Haj’s Mediterranean Fever and Lav Diaz’ When The Waves Are Gone, and three Indian films, including recent Busan premiere The Storyteller. 

BTS member Jin has said that he originally planned to enlist in the South Korean army shortly after the band announced their “non-hiatus” hiatus earlier this year. However, the decision was made to postpone until after their concert supporting Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030 last month.“I originally planned to enlist in June but in order to be courteous to fans, I waited until our October performance”, he explained in a live broadcast on the Weverse platform, according to Soompi.

Netflix must like working with South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho. With a new season of “Hellbound” on the way and an adaptation of the manga series “Parasyte: The Grey,” another series from Yeon is coming to the streamer.

Netflix is staying in the Yeon Sang-ho business, confirming production on his latest creation, The Bequeathed. A suspense drama, it weaves an intricate family history into a subject matter deeply rooted in Korean tradition: family burial grounds. 

Jin, of South Korean supergroup BTS, is due to drop his first solo single on October 28, agency Big Hit Music said today. Titled “The Astronaut,” the song will see Jin become the second member of the K-pop sensation to release solo material following J-Hope whose debut album landed last July.

Netflix announced an upcoming thriller Korean series, The Bequeathed, to be written by Train To Busan and Hellbound director Yeon Sang-ho.South Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency reported yesterday (October 18) that Netflix had decided to produce the brand-new series written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho. The streaming platform also announced the casting of actors Kim Hyun-joo (Trolley, Love All Play) and Park Hee-soon (A Model Family, My Name) in lead roles for The Bequeathed.

BTS‘ Jin has dropped new teasers for his forthcoming debut solo single ‘The Astronaut’, out later this month.On October 19 at midnight KST, the Korean idol announced the impending release of his debut solo single album ‘The Astronaut’, alongside its release date of October 28 at 1pm KST.Simultaneously, a logo trailer for the new project was also shared via the HYBE Labels’ YouTube channel. The two-minute clip begins with an A-shaped spaceship orbiting around Earth.

BTS vocalist Jin will be releasing a solo single later this month, Big Hit Music has confirmed.On October 18, the K-pop agency confirmed to MBN that the idol will soon be dropping his solo single at the end of the month. This comes days after Jin himself shared his plans to release a solo track at the boyband’s recent Busan ‘Yet To Come’ concert.Several South Korean news outlets have also reported that Jin’s upcoming single will be a collaboration with British rock band Coldplay.

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The members of K-pop band BTS will fulfil their mandatory military duties under South Korean law, their management company has said. Big Hit Music said the band’s oldest member, Jin, will revoke his request to delay his conscription at the end of the month and undertake the required conscription steps.

After much speculation about whether they’d be exempt or not, BTS is enlisting in the military!

Hybe’s BigHit Music has announced that the seven members of BTS will enlist in full military service in South Korea after more than two years of debate over whether or not they should be granted an exemption.In a statement issued this morning, the label says: “BigHit Music is proud to announce today that the members of BTS are currently moving forward with plans to fulfil their military service. After the phenomenal concert to support Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030 [this weekend], and as each individual embarks on solo endeavours, it’s the perfect time and the members of BTS are honoured to serve”.The oldest member of the group, Jin, will be the first to enlist in the military after he completes promotional activities for his recent solo album later this month.Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men must begin serving around two years in the military at some point between the ages of eighteen and 28.

The members of K-pop band BTS will serve their mandatory military duties under South Korean law, their management company said Monday, effectively ending a debate on exempting them because of their artistic accomplishments.

BTS is switching gears and preparing to fulfill their duty to their country. The band's record label, BIGHIT MUSIC, has announced that the members of BTS are on their way to fulfilling their mandatory military service requirements for the South Korean government. The group's eldest member, Jin, 29, will be the first to enlist. Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to perform 18-21 months of military service. NBC News notes that the band has already been granted a two-year extension on their government-mandated military service, with top-performing athletes and musicians occasionally granted exemptions.

The members of South Korean supergroup BTS will fulfill their mandatory military service before reconvening “around” 2025, agency Big Hit Music announced on Monday. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief BTS, the biggest names in K-Pop, announced Monday that they will sign up for Korea’s mandatory military service, with Jin initiating the process at the end of October. The move means that the septet will become temporarily inactive as a group. But, “both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment,” said label Bighit Music. “The members of BTS are currently moving forward with plans to fulfill their military service. Group member Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October. He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government. Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans,” Bighit said in a statement. 

Big Hit Music have confirmed that all seven members of BTS will be serving their mandatory military terms without special exemptions.On October 17, Big Hit Music released a statement announcing that all members of BTS are planning to fulfil their mandatory military service terms as required of all able-bodied male South Korean citizens. The boyband recently performed for the first time in sixth months at their ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan on October 15, which was also live-streamed worldwide for free.“After the phenomenal concert to support Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030, and as each member embarks on solo endeavours, it’s the perfect time and the members of BTS are honoured to serve,” wrote the agency.Big Hit added that eldest member Jin will “initiate the process” as soon as he wraps up promotions for his upcoming solo release in late October.

BTS have unveiled the official performance of ‘Proof’ B-side ‘Run BTS’ from their recent Busan concert.On October 15, the boyband held their ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan as part of the city’s World Expo 2030 bid, marking their first show in six months. At the concert, BTS also debuted the performance of ‘Run BTS’ from their June 2022 compilation album ‘Proof’.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief While the Busan International Film Festival was busily hailing a return to normality the slump at South Korea’s commercial box office deepened dramatically over the most recent weekend. Cinemagoing nationwide was worth only $4.20 million between Friday and Sunday, the lowest weekend total since April and a time before Korean cinemas shed their COVID restrictions. The weekend’s top film “Life Is Beautiful” managed the lowest first place score of any film this year, with a weekend haul of just $777,000, according to data from Kobiz, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

Thania Garcia Jin will be the next BTS member to release solo music, the singer announced during the band’s free-of-charge “Yet to Come” concert in South Korea on Saturday. Jin made sure to spare the details on names and dates, but he did state there was a single he made in collaboration “with someone that I’d always really liked,” according to a translation by Soompi. “It’s not a huge album or anything, it’s just a single,” he confirmed. “I’ve filmed a lot different things recently, and there’s still a lot left to film, so I hope you’ll enjoy all of it.” The collaboration will be his first lone release since BTS announced that its seven members — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook — would be taking a hiatus earlier this June.

BTS member Jin has announced his debut solo album and said that a new single will arrive “soon”.The K-pop star told fans towards the end of BTS’ World Expo 2030 Busan Korea concert on Saturday (October 15) that he has been working on his own material.“I have something to tell you… I’ve ended up becoming the second [BTS member] after J-Hope to release my own album. It’s not a huge album or anything, it’s just a single.“I was able to work together with someone that I’d always really liked, so I’ll be releasing a new song.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The free concert by K-pop sensation BTS in Busan, Korea, was viewed by upwards of 49 million people on Saturday. The free-of-charge “BTS ‘Yet to Come’ in Busan” concert was held in support of Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo and represented an attempt to introduce the city and Korean culture to global audience. After a change of venue, the physical component was held at the city’s Asiad Main Stadium and attracted some 50,000 in-person guests. An additional 10,000 people in the city watched a live retransmission at the Busan Port, and a further 2,000 gathered in Haeundae, the tourist area that recently played host to the Busan International Film Festival.

BTS is hitting the stage!