City Taipei Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Ben Croll Director Chou Tung-Yen’s bathhouse cruising experience “Traversing the Mist,” a dreamlike odyssey awash in fear and flesh, took the top honors at Paris’ NewImages Festival on Friday, claiming the festival’s Grand Jury Prize to the tune of $6,424. Produced by Taipei’s Very Theatre and Very Mainstream Studio, the NewImages-winning project offers a steamy experience in every sense of the term, ushering users through underground corridors rife with sensual possibilities, dimly lit and driven by conflicting desires.

Fundamental Films chairman Mark Gao and his CEO Ivy Hua are in Cannes to reconnect with the international industry as part of the Shanghai-based company’s return to international acquisitions and production. 

NME’s compiled a list of musicians and bands performing in the continent this year, from pop heavyweights like Olivia Rodrigo and Anne-Marie to metal favourites like Arch Enemy and more.And if you’re wondering where all the K-pop concerts and fanmeets have gone – we’ve got a whole other list for them, which you can check out here. And here’s a small sample of the K-pop artists who are coming to Asia in 2024: aespa, RIIZE, (G)I-DLE and many more.If music fests are more up your alley, you can check out NME’s list of Asia festivals taking place in 2024.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hit crime thriller “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon” received 13 nominations for the upcoming Taipei Film Festival’s Taipei Film Awards. These include nominations for best feature, best director, best screenplay, best actor, best supporting actress, and best supporting actor.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The feature “Tales of Taipei” is a tribute to the low-pressure, culturally rich city, which has been shaped by its regional neighbors, taken in diverse peoples and distilled the multiple competing influences into a messy, happy-go-lucky morass. Produced by Bowie Tsang and Amy Ma, the film calls on 10 directors hailing from Malaysia, France, Bhutan and Hong Kong, and Taiwanese locals Yin Cheng-han and Remii Huang to contribute.“Everything is possible in Taiwan, everything exits side by side,” says Tsang, who was born in Hong Kong. “We have old Chinese myths.

NME, Japanese rock band King Gnu have discussed touring abroad for the first time, frontman Daiki Tsuneta’s upcoming collaborations with Daniel Caesar, and much more.NME caught up with the quartet at the Singapore stop of their sold-out Asia tour in April, which also called at Taipei, Shanghai and Seoul and marked the J-rockers’ first-ever tour abroad. King Gnu sold out all seven shows on the tour – a victory lap after the band’s sold-out dome tour in Japan three months prior.King Gnu have been touring behind their eclectic, flamboyant 2023 album ‘The Greatest Unknown’.

BIBI, GOT7‘s BamBam, Kwon Eun-bi and more. Read on for all you need to know.The iconic South Korean music festival Waterbomb will make its way to Singapore for the first time in 2024.

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed Shanghai and Los Angeles-based production, distribution and investment company Fundamental Films for representation.

K-pop touring cycle is in full swing. Stars including SEVENTEEN, aespa and NCT Dream are touring the world with new tunes in tow – and hitting Asia very soon.While some of those artists are staging their own headline shows, others are on the line-ups of music festivals with both multi-genre and Hallyu-only line-ups.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Asian TV channels operator Celestial Tiger Entertainment and myTV SUPER, the OTT platform of Hong Kong’s Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) are to launch PopC, a movie channel dedicated to Chinese online films, with content supplied by mainland China streamer iQiyi. It launches in Hong Kong from May 1. “The idea of PopC first came about when we saw the amount of great, high quality movies that were being produced for the online space in China.

OnlyOneOf have announced more dates and concerts for their ongoing ‘Things I Can’t Say LOve’ world tour in 2024.Today, (April 26), OnlyOneOf revealed the cities and date for their long-awaited Asia and Australia legs of their 2024 world tour. It comes after the K-pop boyband announced the Japan, America and Europe legs of the tour over the past few months.In July 2024, OnlyOneOf will hold concerts in eight Asian cities, which include Taipei, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore and more.

Taiwan‘s major awards body Golden Horse will have a consolidated presence at Cannes‘ Marché du Film for the first time, under the umbrella ‘Golden Horse Goes to Cannes’.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Showtime, Taiwan’s second largest cinema chain, is to open eight ScreenX auditoriums across the island. Developed by Korea’s CJ group of companies, ScreenX is cinema technology that expands specially selected sequences of a film onto the left-and-right-side walls of the auditorium, creating a 270-degree panoramic experience. The first four theaters are expected to be completed before summer this year in northern, central and southern Taipei. The others will be completed by mid-2025. Among the first sites, Taichung Wenxin will bring both the inaugural ScreenX auditorium and the first EWD laser 4K projection system to Taiwan.

Celeb Confirmed.Following the Seoul shows, the remaining four member of VANNER will host concerts in the East Asia cities of Taipei, Tokyo and Hong Kong in May and July 2024. More information about the concerts, including venue and ticketing details, are expected in the coming weeks.Meanwhile, tickets to the Seoul dates of VANNER’s 2024 ‘The Flag: A to V’ tour are on sale now from the official Yes24 website.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Underscoring the growing ties between France and Taiwan in the film and television sector, French and Taiwanese producers CinéFrance, Alef One and Yoosonn Entertainment have presented two new series co-productions at Series Mania. “Fly,” co-produced by Paris-based CinéFrance and Taipei’s Yoosonn Entertainment, is a spy drama series adapted from Taiwanese author Chang Kuo-Li’s original IP that is set to shoot in France and Taiwan.

XG have announced their 2024 ‘The First Howl’ world tour, featuring concerts in Asia, North America, Europe and more.On March 18, XG announced that they would be embarking on their first-ever world tour, title ‘The First Howl’, which will include shows and concerts in Asia, North America, Europe and more.The girl group will kick-off their trek with a two-date show at the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan on May 18. In the same month, they will also play concerts in the Japanese city of Yokohama.While the dates for the rest of XG’s 2024 ‘The First Howl’ world tour in Asia have yet to be announced, they have teased concerts in cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei, Seoul and more.The girl group have also revealed upcoming legs in North America and Europe, set to take place in October and November this year.

BABYMONSTER have announced their upcoming 2024 ‘See You There’ fanmeet tour, featuring concerts in Singapore, Thailand and more.Today (March 18), BABYMONSTER announced the cities for their upcoming 2024 ‘See You There’ fanmeet tour. While specific dates have yet to be revealed, the girl group will hold events in Tokyo, Jakarta, Singapore, Taipei and Bangkok in the coming months.Ticketing and venue details have yet to be released for BABYMONSTER’s upcoming tour.

EXCLUSIVE: Justin Calen-Chenn, a staff writer on Netflix’s recent crime action series The Brothers Sun from creators Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu, has signed with M88 for management.

HCG AwardPresented by CAA ChinaTwo cash awards of $20,000 value each. CAA China may board the winning projects later by entering into script development agreements. “Call of Lobster” (Taiwan) Dir.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taipei-based Screenworks Asia has picked up innovative anthology series “Urban Horror” for international sales ahead of this week’s FilMart in Hong Kong. Directed by Lee Chun-Hong (“Mom, Don’t Do That!”), Chen Bao-Zhong and Huang Dan-Chi, a group of young and upcoming filmmakers, “Urban Horror” comprises 34 short episodes revolving around the mysterious, the unexplained and the disturbed. They make use of six modern city settings, such as night clubs, office buildings, youth hostels and other places where ghosts and monsters are not normally found. The deliberately limited number of locations also enables the 34 short films to be re-packaged as six longer episodes. In each episode, the audience will see a familiar face that could be an award-winning actor, a pop star, or an internet celebrity.

Michelle Yeoh has said that she is “heartbroken” by news that her Netflix series The Brothers Sun has been cancelled after one season.Last week, it was confirmed that the show had been cancelled, just two months after its first and now only season was released.The crime drama was set in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley and follows Taiwanese mobster Charles Sun (played by Justin Chien), whose father is assassinated in Taipei. In the aftermath of his death, Charles travels to Los Angeles to protect his estranged mother (played by Yeoh) and younger brother (played by Sam Song Li).A post shared by Michelle Yeoh 楊紫瓊 (@michelleyeoh_official)In an Instagram post yesterday (March 5), the Everything Everywhere All At Once star wrote: “Heartbroken… and finding it so hard to understand why… however, I am so very proud of My Brothers Sun family and what we presented to the world.

Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh on Tuesday weighed in on Netflix’s decision not to proceed with a second season of The Brothers Sun with an emotional Instagram post.

Michaela Zee Michelle Yeoh has reacted to the cancellation of her Netflix series “The Brothers Sun.” In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Yeoh wrote, “Heartbroken… and finding it so hard to understand why… however, I am so very proud of My ‘Brothers Sun’ family and what we presented to the world. heads held high.” Variety confirmed on Friday that Netflix canceled the crime family dramedy after one season. Created by Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk, “The Brothers Sun” followed Charles Sun (Justin Chien), a Taiwanese gangster who must travel to Los Angeles to protect his mother and younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li), after his father — the head of a Taipei triad — is shot by a mysterious assassin.

RIIZE have announced their upcoming 2024 ‘RIIZING Day’ fan-con world tour, with concerts in the US, Asia and more.Today (March 5), RIIZE revealed that they would be going on a fan-con world tour in 2024, titled ‘RIIZING Day’, featuring concerts and stops in nine different cities and territories in the coming months.The boyband’s tour will kick off with a two-day concert at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul, South Korea on May 4 and 5. In the same month, the group will play hold shows in Tokyo, Japan and Los Angeles, California.The following month, RIIZE will bring their ‘RIIZING Day’ fan-con tour to Hong Kong and Taipei, before heading to the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand in July 2024.

Michelle Yeoh‘s recent Netflix series The Brothers Sun has been cancelled just two months after its first and now only season was released.The crime drama is set in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley and follows Taiwanese mobster Charles Sun (played by Justin Chien), whose father is assassinated in Taipei. In the aftermath of his death, Charles travels to Los Angeles to protect his estranged mother (played by Yeoh) and younger brother (played by Sam Song Li).The eight-episode series was created and executive produced by Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu and landed on Netflix on January 4.Chien took to Instagram to post a tribute to the show.A post shared by Justin Chien 錢裕揚 (@justin_chien)“To all the fans of The Brothers Sun, Thank you for riding with us on this labor of love.

Netflix has culled yet another original show after just one season - leaving fans rather gutted. Action-comedy The Brothers Sun, which dropped on January 4, was previously hailed 'the best show in a long time' by viewers.

The Brothers Sun star Justin Chien has spoken out following Netflix‘s decision not to proceed with a second season of the action comedy-drama.

Netflix is canceling another show.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix will not be proceeding with a second season of The Brothers Sun, the action comedy-drama from Glee and American Horror Story co-creator Brad Falchuk and newcomer Byron Wu.

As U.S. policymakers try to bolster defense for Taiwan vis a vis mainland China, S. Leo Chiang, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary short Island in Between, talks of the “crazy gymnastics” that the country finds itself in between the two world superpowers.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor German filmmaker Nele Wohlatz‘s “Sleep With Your Eyes Open,” which had its world premiere on Saturday in the Encounters section of the Berlin Film Festival, tells a story about the search for a sense of belonging in a foreign country. It starts with Kai, a young Taiwanese woman with a broken heart, arriving at a Brazilian beach resort for a holiday. Here, her life crosses paths with a group of Chinese migrants living in a luxury tower block, and in particular a young woman called Xiaoxin, who accepts her fate, and Fu Ang, who is working in an umbrella store when we meet him but harbors ambitions to become wealthy.

aespa have announced their upcoming 2024 ‘SYNK: Parallel Line’ world tour, featuring concerts in Asia, Australia and more.Today (February 19), the K-pop girl group announced their new tour, titled ‘SYNK: Parallel Line’, on their official Weverse artist page. aespa’s 2024 tour currently features 19 concerts across 13 different cities in Asia and Australia from June to September 2024.The tour will kick off at the end of June with a two-night concert in Seoul, South Korea.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taipei and Los Angeles-based Organic Media Group has picked up rights to U.S.-produced classical music documentary title “Crescendo” and will be launching it at the European Film Market, which accompanies the Berlin Film Festival. The picture had its first commercial release in South Korea in December and became the highest grossing foreign documentary in the last three years.

ITZY have announced the dates and venues for their upcoming 2024 ‘Born to Be’ world tour, featuring concerts in North America, Europe, Asia and more.Today (January 25), ITZY revealed the dates and venues for their upcoming 29-date world tour, titled ‘Born to Be’ after their new studio album of the same name.ITZY’s new tour will kick-off with a two-night concert at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. The following month, the K-pop girl group play three shows in Oceania, as well as one in Bangkok Thailand.April and May 2024, ITZY play a one-night-only concert in Singapore, before starting the Latin America, Europe and Japan legs of their tour.

Wave to Earth have announced the Asia and Europe legs of their upcoming 2024 ‘flaws and all’ world tour.Today (January 24), Wave to Earth revealed the the first 13 dates of their brand-new 2024 ‘flaws and all’ world tour. It will kick off in Asia on March 18 with a concert in Hong Kong, before the band head to Taipei and Tokyo in the same week.Thereafter, the trio will bring their 2024 ‘flaws and all’ world tour to Europe, starting with a show in Milan, Italy on March 28.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The CinemAsia Film Festival in Amsterdam has unveiled titles from seven different Asian countries for its competition section. The festival will play at the Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp and Rialto VU venues March 5-10, 2024. The event will close with the out-of-competition screening of “Gaga,” a drama about indigenous communities in Taiwan, directed by Laha Mebow. “Gaga” documents the challenges faced by a commune after the death of a respected tribal elder who, while alive, had held things together.