Isabelle Huppert on Her Unique Partnership With ‘A Traveler’s Needs’ Director, Korea’s Hong Sang-soo: ‘I Hope It Goes on Forever’

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief This month’s Hong Kong International Film Festival will showcase over 190 films from 62 countries and regions, including five world premieres, and 64 Asian premieres. Running 12 days (March 28 – April 8), the festival will open with the Asian premiere of local director Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well,” which won the Teddy Award at the recent Berlin festival.

Crown Prince Leka II of Albania has claimed that he was viciously attacked by his estranged wife, Princess Elia, and her father just weeks after announcing their divorce.The royal, who announced that he was splitting from his wife after seven years of marriage in January, is seeking police involvement following the alleged domestic attack.According to video footage circulating on social media this week, Leka, 41, was allegedly involved in a physical bust-up with Elia, 41, and her father, Gjergj Polikron Zaharia, 73.The alleged altercation took place just two months after the couple, who share 3-year-old daughter Princess Geraldine, announced the end of their union.The Albanian palace has since issued an official statement in response to the viral clip of the heated exchange, claiming the Crown Prince was “physically attacked with strong objects.”The statement claims that his ex-wife and her father were behind the attack.Princess Elia has since broken her silence over the alleged attack, telling Albanian Daily News that she was merely trying to break up the “terrible” fight that unfolded in front of her.“It is a very difficult situation for me and my family, as it is not easy to return home and find Leka trying to violate my 73-year-old father,” she told the local outlet.“The conflict has nothing to do with me, except that I tried to stop it.

French director Claire Denis is set to return to West Africa for her next feature film, an adaptation of late French playwright Bernard-Marie Koltès’s 1980 work Black Battles With Dogs (Combat de nègre et de chiens).

Tributes have flooded in for Dave Myers following the death of the Hairy Bikers star - and the latest episode of the final "magical" series he made with best friend Si King is airing as planned on Tuesday night (March 5). Myers, one half of the motorcycle-riding cooking duo, died last week after a battle with cancer.

Prior to making headlines the next day after a short-lived health scare that required a brief stay in hospital, Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins arrived at Dublin’s Complex arts center last Wednesday to present the Dublin film festival’s highest honor to Steve McQueen. Introduced in 2007 and named the Volta Award, after the first commercial cinema set up in Dublin in 1909 by writer James Joyce, its previous recipients include Daniel Day Lewis, Claudia Cardinale and Al Pacino. The famously serious director was in high spirits, enthusing that “festivals are about passion, a passion for film.” “There’s always a buzz, isn’t there?” he continued. “[As you] go to the next picture, the next film, you tend to give people tips and say, ‘Oh, you’ve got to see this, you’ve got to see that…’”

Members of the Royal Family rarely give interviews or speak candidly on subjects close to their hearts - but when they do, the public pay attention. Whether it is Prince William calling for fighting to end “as soon as possible” in the Israel-Hamas war or Queen Camilla throwing her support behind challenging causes such as domestic abuse, there are many times when a royal voice can elevate a project and raise a charity's profile.The Princess of Wales has become an important voice on the topic of Early Years Development and her work to support children's mental health.

Jim Sheridan has dispelled rumors around a possible return to acting by Daniel Day-Lewis, who gave an Oscar-winning performance in the Irish director’s drama My Left Foot and also starred in his subsequent films In The Name Of The Father and The Boxer.

Ashley Benson and Brandon Davis are officially parents!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hybe, the Korean entertainment group behind BTS, saw revenues and profits both grow by more than a fifth in 2023 as album sales doubled and post-COVID conditions allowed more concerts. The company Monday reported annual revenues of KRW2.17 trillion ($1.63 billion), up 23% compared with 2022. Net profits reached KRW187 million, more that three times 2022’s depressed result and exceeding 2021’s figure.

Jamie Carragher has reignited his feud with Rio Ferdinand by calling his ex-England teammate a "poor man's Virgil van Dijk".

to fiancé in April 2023. From the lacy beach dress in her engagement photos to the she wore in front of a neon “Mr. and Mrs.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief In Berlin with “The Roundup: Punishment,” part four of the action movie series that he created and stars in, the larger-than-life Korean American Don Lee finds himself simultaneously in multiple timely and lucrative businesses. These include the Marvel superhero business, the Korea-to-Hollywood remake business, “The Roundup” franchise and its multiple spinoff possibilities. Lee may even be in the business of saving Korean cinema, which is currently having one of its periodic wobbles.

Former BBC Breakfast star Kate Silverton enjoyed nine gruelling but joyful weeks on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.The mum of two was partnered with pro dancer Aljaž Škorjanec and the couple have remained firm friends in the six years since. As she chats exclusively to OK! after waving goodbye to London in favour of a new life in the country, she reveals her two children -Clemency Florence Rose, 12, and Wilbur, nine, are now huge fans of the show too.

Korean director Hong Sang-soo is such a Berlinale favorite that his film in competition, featuring Isabelle Huppert as an apparently penniless tourist trying to scrape together a living in Seoul, is his sixth film to be invited to the festival since 2020 — remarkably, that’s not even his entire output over that time. He hits this pace by keeping things simple, shooting each film in just a couple of weeks with very few crew and small casts, most of whom have been his collaborators for years, and covering many of the key technical jobs himself.

Guy Lodge Film Critic Iris, the petite enigma at the center of “A Traveler’s Needs,” dresses at once to be noticed, and to disappear. Over a bright sundress, spattered all over with red and violet blossoms, she wears a cardigan of a most assertive, eye-searing green.

“This might sound very irresponsible, but I don’t know what I’m doing,” South Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo told a Berlinale presser this afternoon when quizzed on his unique directing style. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM has appointed Jung Jhong-hwan, as president of content, global business. He is expected to spearhead growth of global content production and distribution and continue the group’s multi-studio approach to business.

Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix are expecting their second child together!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Production firm Movierock and rights sales outfit Hive Filmworks are in advanced production on “Hear Me: Our Summer,” a Korean remake of hit 2009 romance film “Hear Me” from Taiwan. The story involves a motorbike delivery man who falls in love with a hearing-impaired younger woman. Comparing themselves with water birds and trees the pair slowly try to break through the barriers in their relationship, pursue their dreams and take things to the next level. The retread stars Hong Kyung, who has a recent string of appearances including Netflix’s “D.P,” “TV’s Revenant” and “Hero,” and the upcoming “Troll Factory.” Co-star Roh Yoon-seo has credits in “Crash Course in Romance” and “Our Blues” and is currently one of the most ubiquitous faces in Korea thanks to her position as the face of the Paris Baguette bakery and café chain. Stylistically, the adaptation aims for the feel of Iwai Shunji’s pan-Asian hit “Love Letter,” and is directed by Jo Seon-ho, who previously made “A Day.” Movierock previously produced a 2018 Korean remake of 2004 Japanese hit “Be With You.” The film is already being pre-sold to multiple territories in Asia.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for “Central,” the fifth episode of “Expats,” now streaming on Prime Video. Lulu Wang’s “Expats” steps into feature-length territory for this week’s episode, which focuses on the working class women by diving into the lives of the help, Essie (Ruby Ruiz) and Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla).