‘Shoplifters’ Director Kore-eda Hirokazu Developing Series and Film for Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Papa Fujii’s Unexpected Journey,” a film project about a Japanese man’s attempt to understand his dead daughter’s life in Taiwan was named as the grand prize winner at the 2012 edition of the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion event. It wins a NT$1 million ($36,000) prize.Prizes were announced on Wednesday evening at a ceremony as part of the ongoing Golden Horse Film Festival (Nov.

In the world of filmmaking, there are always a dozen or so names of directors who cinephiles will argue about when it comes to answering the question—who is the best ever? However, if you narrow it down to animated features, many will immediately drop the name, Hayao Miyazaki.

GKIDS, the producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced that it has acquired the North American distribution rights for Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (Gyoko no Nikuko-chan).

Alyssa Mora With the arrival of Netflix’s long-anticipated live-action “Cowboy Bebop,” renewed interest in the original 1998 series has once again highlighted the growing cultural permeation of Japanese anime in the mainstream.While the popularity of anime in the U.S. is not entirely new — other classics like “Naruto,” “Sailor Moon” and “Dragon Ball” serve as a handful of early examples — there’s no question the medium has strengthened its foothold.

The full list ranks a total of 100 records, with the top 20 – topped by ‘New Long Leg’ by Dry Cleaning, and rounded out with records like Japanese Breakfast’s ‘Jubilee’, ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ by Little Simz and ‘Daddy’s Home’ by St. Vincent – all receiving new colourways exclusive to Rough Trade.In a statement shared alongside the news, Dry Cleaning said: “Rough Trade record shops have played a huge role in our musical lives.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic(This post contains no spoilers for the first season of “Cowboy Bebop,” now streaming on Netflix.)Netflix’s live-action remake of “Cowboy Bebop” tries to be so much all at once, and appeal to so many different potential audiences, that it ends up struggling to forge an identity of its own.For fans of the iconic, relatively solemn Japanese anime that inspired it, the show’s reliance on borderline whacky hijinks (think an R-rated “Scooby Doo”) will be nothing short

Starz has set a March premiere date for Shining Vale, starring Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear and Mira Sorvino. The genre-bending horror comedy series will debut Sunday, March 6 at 10 PM across all Starz platforms in the U.S. and Canada, and will air day and date internationally on StarzPlay across Europe, Latin America and Japan.

Guy Lodge Film CriticFilm festivals have been the primary hatching-ground for Oscar contenders ever since the Academy’s tastes shifted predominantly from studio to independent cinema earlier this century — though in the international feature category, this has been the case for far longer.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNetflix aims to increase its appeal to Japanese filmmakers as the streaming giant engineers a pivot towards local production and feature movies, in particular.

Folks who are longtime readers of The Playlist will no doubt be familiar with our love of the work of filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. And sadly, since the release of his 2019 film, “The Truth,” just a year after his Palme d’Or-winning “Shoplifters,” we have yet to see a new feature from the acclaimed director.

Netflix Makes Deal With ‘Shoplifters’ Director

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe decision to make a second season of Netflix global hit “Squid Game” is a sound one, according to analysis firm Media Partners Asia which finds that Korean and Thai content have the strongest cross-border travel potential within the Asia-Pacific region.The company’s “Netflix in the Asia Pacific: The Scalability of Local Content” report is based on passive measurement of 30,000 streaming consumers in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines,

Netflix has unveiled a hefty list of upcoming Japanese titles, including both anime and live-action films and series. The company is hosting a two-day event this week – the Netflix Japan Festival 2021 – at which it will significantly expand its local slate in the country.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefGlobal streaming giant, Netflix is in the process of unveiling a huge expansion of its slate of Japanese film and TV content. These are aimed at cementing and strengthening its position in the critical Japanese market and also showcasing live action and anime programming that is expected to cross borders.After the recent success of Korean series “Squid Game,” many eyes have turned to Asia for further high concept non-English-language shows.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentNot too long ago, the Japanese film industry was enclosed in a tight domestic bubble, with local filmmakers mostly making local films for local audiences.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefFast-rising Philippines-based director Mikhail Red has gained a dedicated following after delivering a succession of powerful films in just a few years.In addition to establishing Red on the festival circuit – he has been consistently programmed by the Tokyo International Film Festival – his pictures have been acquired by Netflix.

SEGA is considering investing nearly $1billion in game development over the next few years.In the company’s annual report (as spotted by VGC), the Japanese publisher’s parent company SEGASammy has said that it would consider investing almost $1billion over the next 5 years into what it calls its “super game” ambitions.The Japanese publisher has also said that the investment could be spent on not only its internal development but also on potential acquisitions.“The way people interact with games

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefOkinawa-born actor Shogen used to be told that he didn’t look Japanese enough for the Japanese film industry.

EXCLUSIVE: The second ACA Cinema Project series, “Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors,” has set its lineup for a hybrid program that will run from December 3-23. Presented by the New York-based non-profit Japan Society and the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with the Visual Industry Promotion Organization, the event will be comprised of 20 films streaming in the U.S.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentFestival Ambassador for this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, Hashimoto Ai is an inspired choice for the role and not only because she is an A-list actor who has starred in hit TV series (“Amachan”) and worked with internationally acclaimed directors like Nakashima Tetsuya (“Confessions”) and Yoshida Daihachi (“The Kirishima Thing”).She is also a certified film nerd, who has proclaimed her love of everything from 1970s “pink” (softcore adult) classics