Tokyo’s Indian Female Sumo Wrestler Tale ‘Sumo Didi’ Recounts Battles With Social Prejudices and Patriarchal Mindsets (EXCLUSIVE)

It’s that time of the year when Manchester city centre transforms into a Christmas wonderland. The Christmas Markets are finally up and running, welcoming hordes of shoppers to buy food, drink and presents from the picture perfect wooden huts.

Festival and specialty fare crowded the top ten this weekend with Priscilla (A24) and The Holdovers (Focus Features) expanding to hit nos. 4 and 6 respectively. Yash Raj Films’ Bollywood thriller Tiger 3 is at no. 8, and world of mouth continued to buoy Radical (Pantelion/Participant) with Eugenio Derbez, rounding out the list at no. 10.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Polish actress and singer Joanna Kulig (“Cold War,” “The Eddy”) and French icon Fanny Ardant are co-starring in “Island,” a psychological thriller by Italian-German writer director Nora Jaenike filmed on the Italian island of Elba. Filming on the mostly English-language atmospheric noir wrapped on Nov. 4 on the island, which is located off the coast of Tuscany.

The Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the 10 cinema figures who will participate in its In Conversation With program at its 20th edition running from November 24 to December 2.

EXCLUSIVE: Lisa McGee has signed with CAA for U.S. representation. 

Naman Ramachandran India’s Matchbox Shots is developing a project on slain Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala. Indian rapper, singer and songwriter Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was a star of Punjabi-language music and cinema whose work charted on Billboard globally. His work was not without controversy – it delved into raw, unfiltered issues, making him a voice for many.

K.J. Yossman Bella DeLong (“The Winchesters”) and Amber Janea (“A Predator Returns”) have been cast in Andy Fickman’s upcoming horror feature “Blue Light.” Daryl Tofa (“Two-Bit”), Ana Zambrana (“La Traición en la Amistad”), Crystal Lake Evans (“Hightown”), Jarrett Brown (“Colin in Black and White”), John Bucy (“Frasier”) and Finley Rose Slater (“Playing with Fire”) round out the cast. “Race to Witch Mountain” and “Anaconda” helmer Fickman directs the film, which “follows a group of friends on a road trip who soon realize something terrifying and unworldly is threatening their lives.” It is apparently based on “true and and terrifying unexplained events.” The feature, which is set to premiere at AFM, has already sold to Germany (Lighthouse Home Entertainment), India (VR Films and Studios), the Middle East (Eagle Films Middle East) and Poland (Media4Fun).

Naman Ramachandran Stewart Copeland, founder and drummer of The Police, is reuniting with Indian musician Ricky Kej for the Resonance Climate Concert in Dubai during the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Copeland and Kej previously collaborated on “Divine Tides,” which won two Grammys and on “Police – Beyond Borders” where the legendary rock band’s classic songs are recreated in global languages.

Naman Ramachandran Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino and Indian filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti‘s Tiger Baby will lay the ground for future collaborations at a Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival event. The event, designed as a celebration of Guadagnino, will honor his work. “Tiger Baby’s celebration of Luca Guadagnino’s contributions to world cinema marks a significant step toward fostering international collaboration and sharing diverse stories with a global audience.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bhutan’s official Oscar entry “The Monk And The Gun,” Pawo Choyning Dorji‘s follow-up to “Lunana: A Yak in The Classroom,” has been bought by a raft of well-established international theatrical distributors. Following its festival premieres at Telluride, Toronto, Rome and Busan, “The Monk and the Gun” has been sold by Films Boutique to Pyramide Distribution (France), September Films (Benelux), Rialto Distribution (Australia), Future Films (Scandinavia), A Contracorriente (Spain), Lev Films (Israel), Aurora Films (Poland), Trigon (Switzerland), Alambique Films (Portugal) and Impact Films (India and Indian Subcontinent). Earlier this week, the crowdpleaser was also acquired by Roadside Attraction for the U.S.

Mumbai Film Fest To Honor Luca Guadagnino & Mani Ratnam

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Toei Animation, the Japanese studio behind “Dragon Ball,” “Slam Dunk” and the “One Piece” cartoon franchises, is planning to open a European office in Italy. That may be followed by others in Latin America and India as well as a ramp up of its international production. The group already has a handful of overseas regional offices covering Asia, the Americas and Australasia, and Europe-Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Jordan Moreau The International Documentary Association announced the 17 feature-length and 25 short documentaries included on the shortlists for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards, which will be held during the week of Dec. 11in Los Angeles.

Disney could be offloading its Indian operation in a deal valuing the business at $10B.

There were two major new entries this weekend at the international box office, one local (Tamil thriller Leo: Bloody Sweet) and one from Hollywood. Starting with the latter, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon from Apple, Paramount and Imperative Entertainment, had a big opening with $21M in 63 offshore markets and No. 1s in 24 of those, including France, Germany, Australia, Spain, Netherlands and Switzerland. The global bow, factoring in its strong domestic opening, was $44M; great for a period movie with a long running time and at a moment when talent could not promote it due to the actors strike.

A trio of Indian films led by Leo: Bloody Sweet, at no. 8, and two Fathom events bulked up the specialty box office this weekend as debuted, entered week two and Dicks: The Musical expanded nationwide.

Nineties pop star Jas Mann, who was the lead singer of Babylon Zoo, is now living a very different life, just like this 90s star who was also propelled to international stardom. Known for his iconic look – short hair tucked behind his ears, a goatee beard and geek chic specs – Jas, now 52, made waves with the song Spaceman, which was the fastest selling single in the UK for 30 years.

Naman Ramachandran Celebrated Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap was in vintage free, frank and forthright form at a masterclass in Toronto on Sunday. “I have a massive problem with authority and authority has problems with me,” was one of the many nuggets from Kashyap, whose very first film “Paanch” (2003) was banned in India and whose subsequent work has been the subject of domestic scrutiny while being celebrated both at home and globally. Kashyap’s cop noir “Kennedy,” which had its world premiere at Cannes earlier this year, is on an extended festival run.

A popular Indian street food restaurant is bringing its famous build-your-own naan rolls and rice bowls to Manchester. Rola Wala will be opening its doors on Deansgate, next to KFC and Pret a Manger from early November.

The Wrestler, directed by Bangladeshi-Canadian filmmaker Iqbal H. Chowdhury, and September 1923, from Japan’s Tatsuya Mori, picked up the New Currents Awards as Busan International Film Festival wrapped a busy 28th edition on October 13.