Digital map launched to encourage people to share King's Coronation plans

King Charles' state visit to France has been postponed, the French Presidency has confirmed, amid the country's ongoing protests over retirement reforms.The visit would have been Charles' first to France since becoming King.The French Presidency confirmed the postponement on Friday morning, 24 March. A Government spokesperson said: “The King and Queen Consort’s state visit to France has been postponed.

Visitors to Westminster Abbey can for the first time stand in the exact spot where the King will be crowned - but only in socks. Special guided “barefoot” tours in celebration of the Coronation on 6 May will include access to the Cosmati pavement, one of Britain’s greatest medieval art treasures, which is usually roped off to the public.

The Coronation of King Charles will take place at Westminster Abbey in just under six weeks, and the final stage of planning is well underway with reports revealing which royals will take a prominent role in the historic ceremony. It's been 70 years since the last coronation, that of the late Queen Elizabeth II, meaning it's the first time that many in the country will have seen such a spectacle.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Toronto’s Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, has added 12 films to its Special Presentations program. The first tranche of titles was announced March 14. The festival runs April 27 to May 7. World premieres include Canadian journalist Michelle Shephard’s “The Man Who Stole Einstein’s Brain,” the uncovering of the story behind the pathologist who stole the genius’ brain in 1955; “The Rise of Wagner,” a chilling exposé on the collusion between Wagner Group mercenaries and the Kremlin, which has resulted in secret killings and countless human rights violations; “We Are Guardians,” the story of the Indigenous guardians of the Brazilian Amazon, struggling to protect their territories from the ravages of extractive industries, deforestation, corrupt politicians and profit hungry global corporations; “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?,” a chronicle of dissident Hong Kong politician and activist Nathan Law’s fight for democracy; and director Barry Avrich’s “Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella,” a portrait of Canada’s first Jewish Supreme Court judge, a passionate advocate for the disabled community and visible minorities.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Like & Share” from Indonesia’s Gina S. Noer was named the best picture and collected the Grand Prix on Sunday at the Osaka Asian Film Festival. “All of us on the jury were struck by the film’s clear and powerful message, which affirms young women’s sexual curiosity and desire while clearly saying no to sexual violence. The style of the film is also original. The sweet, poppy feeling that fascinates the audience in the first half of the film becomes darker as the story progresses, making us shudder. “Like & Share,” with its strong message and brilliant direction, is a film that needs to be seen now more than ever,” said the jury in a statement.

Calling in the grandkids. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will all reportedly be part of King Charles III‘s coronation.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children are all expected to take part in the procession from Westminster Abbey which will follow the King’s coronation on May 6, according to new leaked plans. Leaked plans reveal that Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, are likely to accompany the King and Queen Consort as they leave the Abbey after the service, the Times reports.The three siblings are expected to join their parents in a carriage behind King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, who will travel in the Golden State Coach as they return to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey.

The King's Coronation will be shown on big screens in Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre and in Parliament Square in Oldham town centre, it was revealed today.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent New York-based investment firm MEP Capital, which previously acquired the library of Lotus Entertainment, is launching West Side Pictures, a new independent rights management banner. Along with Lotus Entertainment, MEP also recently acquired the distribution rights to over 500 films and TV shows from Kew Media, including “Line of Duty,” “Thank You For Smoking” and “Jack Taylor and Rules of Engagement.” Now boasting a library comprising more than 800 movies, TV series and documentaries, MEP Capital has signed deals with Magnolia and Abacus Media Rights to handle the distribution of these titles in the U.S. and internationally, across streamers and TV channels.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor When NBC News announced in January that Hallie Jackson, its senior Washington correspondent, would leave the anchoring duties she had held at MSNBC since 2016, some eyebrows rose. But NBC News was chasing something else on the rise: Digital audiences. Since Jackson began anchoring a late-afternoon hour on NBC News Now in December 2021, a growing audience has sought her out. Viewership surged 108% over the course of a year. “You don’t see those numbers in many businesses,” says Janelle Rodriguez, the NBC News executive vice president who oversees the streaming outlet, in an interview. “When you see that level of audience increase, you know you are on to something,” On Monday, Jackson will double her time on her program, “Hallie Jackson Now,” to two hours, which means she will hold forth from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

LIVE – Updated at 14:00Harry and Meghan’s children Archie and Lilibet have not yet been invited to King Charles’s coronation in May, according to news reports. The Telegraph on Saturday (11 February) reported that Archie and Lilibet’s participation will be discussed after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirm their own attendance at the royal ceremony. Questions over whether the couple will attend the King and Queen Consort’s coronation are still hanging over the occasion.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Asian premiere of Soi Cheang’s “Mad Fate” is just one of three locally-produced movies that have been set as the opening and closing titles of the upcoming Hong Kong International Film Festival. “Mad Fate” is joined in the festival opening slot on March 30 by “Elegies,” Ann Hui’s documentary portrayal of the topography of contemporary local poetry, which will have its world premiere. The closing film, another world premiere, is “Vital Sign,” an affecting drama directed by Cheuk Wan-chi and starring Louis Koo, Yau Hawk-sau, and Angela Yuen, which will wrap up proceedings on 10 April. In total, the festival has programmed some 200 films from 64 countries and territories. These include nine world premieres, six international premieres, and 67 Asian premieres.

This year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) will open with two local films – Soi Cheang’s noir thriller Mad Fate and the world premiere of Ann Hui’s Elegies, a documentary about contemporary local poetry.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Philippines media powerhouse ABS-CBN is launching “The Bagman” action drama series as a remake of its own “Bagman” digital production and will launch it at Hong Kong’s FilMart next week. The original “Bagman,” which ran to two seasons and sold to Netflix in The Philippines, follows a neighborhood barber who lands a job as the governor’s henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption, and political turmoil. That is a familiar story for ABS-CBN itself. The company was until 2020 The Philippines leading broadcaster. But it dared to criticize the policies of then president Rodrigo Duterte and found its TV licenses were not renewed. Since the loss of its TV broadcast operations, ABS-CBN has repositioned itself as a mass content company working as a producer with other producers and broadcasters and outputting news to its website, streaming service iWantTFC and YouTube channels. It also operates related businesses in talent management and events.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been in “email correspondence” with King Charles’ office over whether they will attend the coronation. Following the publication of Harry’s controversial memoir Spare, and the Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan which proceeded it, it has been unclear whether the Duke and his wife would be invited to the ceremony on May 6.The Coronation of the King and Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on the Saturday morning, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.Tens of thousands of street parties are expected to be staged during the weekend, with people urged to come together across the nation for the Coronation Big Lunch on May 7.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been in “email correspondence” with the King’s office over whether they will attend the Coronation, PA reports.

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla are set to visit France and Germany for the first state visits of his new reign, it has been announced. The royal couple will use the occasion to "celebrate Britain’s relationship" with the two countries through an array of engagements. It will be the first time that Charles, 74, has travelled abroad in an official capacity since becoming King.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Already the highest grossing local film in its home market, courtroom drama, “A Guilty Conscience” has broken into Hong Kong’s all-time top ten box office ranking with a cumulative of HK$107 million ($13.7 million). Data from Hong Kong Box Office Ltd. shows the film achieving the feat after just 41 days in cinemas and coming within HK$1 million ($150,000) of overtaking “Top Gun: Maverick.” The data firm noted that the last time a Hong Kong film got this far was with fantasy-action-comedy “Kung Fu Hustle” in 2004. Since then, it has been overtaken by a fleet of Hollywood titles. Hong Hong’s current top ten is headed by “Avengers: Endgame” and includes six Marvel movies, the two “Avatar” titles and “Titanic.”

After three years of taking place entirely online, Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (Filmart), the largest content market in Asia before the pandemic, is finally returning as a fully-fledged in-person event (March 13-16, 2023). 

At previous in-person editions of Filmart, Hong Kong’s major film companies, including Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP), One Cool Group, Universe Films and Media Asia, always anchored the trade show floor with huge, elaborate booths promoting the latest Hong Kong films, animation and TV series.