Watch Cloud and Sephiroth Make Nice On Mount Nibel In ‘Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’ Hands-On Demo

Naman Ramachandran Distributor, Day for Night has acquired a trio of Asian titles for U.K. and Ireland at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market. Day for Night is acquiring the late Pema Tseden‘s “Snow Leopard” from Rediance.

U.S. producer E. Bennett Walsh, who has made films including Mortal Kombat, Meg 2: The Trench and The Kite Runner across the APAC region, says he’s got his eye on Japan and Korea as the next hot destinations for footloose Hollywood productions.

Powerhouse Japanese boyband agency Johnny & Associates, which is embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal relating to its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa, has announced it will change its name and split into two companies. In September, the pop giant acknowledged that Kitagawa, who died in 2019 at age 87, had sexually abused boys signed by the agency over a span of several decades.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Coccinelle Film Sales has acquired world rights to German director Veit Helmer’s poetic love story “Gondola,” which will world premiere at the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival. Helmer is well known on the international festival circuit for funny, fable-like films with little or no dialogue such as “Tuvalu”; the Azerbaijan-set “Absurdistan,” which went to Sundance in 2008; and “The Bra,” that launched from Tokyo in 2018.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Coccinelle Film Sales has acquired world rights to German director Veit Helmer’s poetic love story “Gondola,” which will world premiere at the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival. Helmer is well known on the international festival circuit for funny, fable-like films with little or no dialogue such as “Tuvalu”; the Azerbaijan-set “Absurdistan,” which went to Sundance in 2008; and “The Bra,” that launched from Tokyo in 2018.

The Tokyo Film Festival has set the lineup for its bumper 2023 edition, running October 23 to November 1. Scroll down for the full list. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Equal numbers of Chinese and Japanese titles adorn the main competition section of the Toyo International Film Festival, which was announced on Wednesday – three each. Among the Chinese films is “Snow Leopard,” the last feature by the late Pema Tseden, and “Dwelling by the West Lake,” directed by Gu Xiaogang, the surprisingly inexperienced joint recipient of this year’s Kurosawa Award. The full competition with 15 titles, set to play between Oct. 23 and Nov.

Marc Anthony and Nadia Ferreira spent the weekend in Mexico. The married couple met up with some of their closest friends and family members for a celebration of their baby. Sources spoke with HOLA! Americas and confirmed that the baptism was this Saturday, with the the trio surrounded by an intimate group of friends and family.

The Tokyo Film Festival has set Gu Xiaogang and Mouly Surya as the recipients of the Kurosawa Akira Award at its upcoming 2023 edition, running October 23 — November 1. 

Quantic Dream‘s Star Wars Eclipse will share a lot of similarities with the developer’s previous titles, such as making no promises for the safety of its characters.Eclipse is an action-adventure but it will still feature a determinant and winding narrative that the French developer has become famous for. In 2021, a new studio was opened in Montréal, Canada, to support the development of Eclipse but details have been light on its progress.“Can I say it still exists? Because it exists,” replied vice president of marketing Lisa Pendse in an interview with IGN at Tokyo Game Show last week.

The ongoing talks between the WGA and the AMPTP continued to look promising through the weekend, but the writers couldn’t help but have fun with the studios’ claim that they made their “best and final offer.”

Scientists have just discovered that a common kitchen ingredient often used in sandwiches could help lower the risks of dementia.

Anti-abortion protesters are set to target Glasgow hospitals in a 40-day long protest starting from next week.

Last year, it was confirmed that a popular Leeds ramen and dumpling spot, House of Fu, would be heading to Manchester. Now, the team behind the hit restaurant have confirmed the exact date it will open.

William Earl Visual effects firm Digital Domain and Production Resource Group have teamed to expand the menu of vfx and post-production services offered by both firms. Digital Domain and PRG together aim to offer clients one-stop-shopping for high-end visual effects, holograms, virtual production and other content creation-related services. The new partners bill the deal as a “co-branded” arrangement that extends the reach of both firms.

Microsoft suggest Bethesda Softworks has remasters for Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion in the works.In a Resetera post published today (September 19), an image appearing to be a “title release schedule” for Microsoft was shared, taken from court documents related to the company’s ongoing Activision Blizzard acquisition.While the schedule begins with releases from 2020, such as Doom Eternal and The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor, a number of unannounced projects are also listed.This includes a remaster for Bethesda Softworks’ role-playing game The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, which was listed as launching in 2022. There’s also a remake for post-apocalyptic shooter Fallout 3 marked down for 2024.However, certain dates – such as Redfall being listed for 2021 when it only launched this year – suggest this release schedule, if legitimate, is no longer accurate.These remasters would come at a time when both Fallout and The Elder Scrolls are going to be without new entries for a while.

Indonesia has selected Makbul Mubarak’s award-winning drama Autobiography as its submission in the Best International Feature category of the Oscars. 

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Fresh off the world premiere of her last directorial effort, “Priscilla,” at the Venice Film Festival (where star Cailee Spaeny won best actress), Sofia Coppola joined Rolling Stone to reflect on the 20th anniversary of her beloved “Lost in Translation.” Coppola, whose script for “Lost in Translation” won the Oscar for original screenplay, partly used the dissolution of her marriage to fellow director Spike Jonze as inspiration for the film, which follows a college graduate (Scarlett Johansson) who accompanies her celebrity photographer boyfriend (Giovanni Ribisi) on a trip to Tokyo. While he’s out flirting with a Hollywood actress (Anna Farris), she befriends a faded movie star (Bill Murray) who’s in town to shoot a commercial. Since the film premiered in 2023, viewers have associated Johansson’s character with Coppola and Ribisi’s with Jonze.

EXCLUSIVE: Lighthouse Media & Management has signed the multi-hyphenate Kiko Mizuhara, best known for starring in Toho’s adaptation of Norwegian Wood and the beloved manga Attack on Titan, for representation in all areas.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Japan rugby union team on Sunday thrashed tournament newcomers Chile 42-12 on the first weekend of the freshly kicked-off Rugby World Cup. But in 2015, Japan were the underdogs and yet pulled off a surprise result against rugby titans South Africa. In the first ever match between the two nations Japan won 34-32, due to an 80th minute try. “The Brighton Miracle,” a docu-drama capturing and re-constructing that shock match, has been picked up by Blue Sky Media.