Japan Opens First Funding Round of Location Production Incentive Scheme

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Fremantle has acquired global production rights to the Japanese format “Freeze.” The high-energy comedic game show, which has aired for two seasons in Japan, was developed and produced by FANY Studio and Yoshimoto Kogyo for Amazon Prime Video. It is FANY Studio’s first global deal since it was set up in May 2023.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at actor Ravi Patel (Wonder Woman 1984, Animal Patrol) suited up in Kiss Of The Con Queen, the true crime thriller inspired by the life of accused fraudster Hargobind Tahilramani dubbed the “con queen of Hollywood” after allegedly impersonating movie executives in an elaborate and high profile fraud scheme. 

With four TV and film projects in as many years, few filmmakers right now are more prolific than Hirokazu Kore-eda. 

Ben Shephard was given a 'warning' by some of Cat Deeley's former co-stars as they finally appeared at the helm of This Morning for their first show as the new permanent hosts.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Lily Franky, the Japanese acting sensation who starred in “Shoplifters” and “Like Father Like Son,” heads the cast of “Diamonds in the Sand,” a multinational co-production that appears at the Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) as a work in progress. Developed and directed by Janus Victoria, the film started as an exploration of the Japanese phenomenon of kodokushi, or lonely death, where elderly people who live alone are discovered dead only months after their passing due to the isolated lives that they lead.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Film projects to be produced by Andrew Lau (“Infernal Affairs,” “Initial D”) and Han Sanping, the former head of China Film Corp., are among the new in-development titles that grace the FilMart slate of Hong Kong studio Media Asia. The Peter Lam-controlled studio is also poised, at an event within FilMart on Monday, to detail its new alliance with China’s Alibaba Pictures Group. Lau is producing “Behind the Scene,” a book-to-film adaptation to be directed by Lee Kwong-yiu (“Insanity”) in which four friends uncover a meticulously planned murder that is carefully disguised as a kidnapping. Suspicions fall on a bank president who is involved in counterfeiting. Han is aiming to produce “Fading Tracks,” another crime title that is also adapted from a novel.

Grant Gustin is making his Broadway debut in the new musical Water for Elephants and the first photos have been released!

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.

Jordan Moreau The world of “Pokémon” is evolving with “Pokémon Horizons: The Series,” a show with two brand new protagonists after Ash Ketchum finally caught ’em all and became the very best, like no one ever was. After 26 years with Ash as the face of its anime series, “Pokémon” introduced Liko and Roy in “Horizons,” which began airing in Japan last year and is now available on Netflix in the U.S.

Ben Croll Originally developed as an eight-episode series, the WWI-era adventure “Lucy Lost” will instead hit the silver screen now that Paris-based powerhouse Xilam Animation has retooled the project as a feature. “Klaus” alum Olivier Clert has boarded as co-writer and director, joining BAFTA-winning screenwriter Helen Blankman for a seaside family tale adapted from “War Horse” author Michael Morpurgo’s 2014 novel “Listen to the Moon.” Xilam has shared this first-look with Variety ahead of the reformatted project’s pitch at Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux.

Morgan Matthews‘ upcoming road movie 500 Miles, starring Academy Award nominee Bill Nighy and buzzy teen actor Roman Griffin Davis, has sold to multiple territories for Beta Cinema, following its launch at the Berlinale’s European Film Market (EFM) last month.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Superstar Japanese auteur Hamaguchi Ryusuke will unveil “Gift,” a companion piece to his recent “Evil Does Not Exist” as a one-off live performance at next month’s Hong Kong International Film Festival. Following the success of his breakout “Drive My Car,” which won the Oscar for best international feature film, Hamaguchi initially made “Gift” as a silent film project to accompany the live performance of Ishibashi Eiko, the music composer of both “Drive” and later “Evil.” From the same project, Hamaguchi also derived “Evil Does Not Exist,” which then went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Venice International Film Festival.

A bakery offering a kaleidoscope of filled doughnuts to people with a sweet tooth in Salford has opened its first store, after building a following at markets around Greater Manchester.

NCT’s Taeyong has released his sophomore solo mini-album, ‘Tap’, along with a music video for its title track of the same name.In the whimsical music video for ‘Tap’, Taeyong, dressed in an oversized business suit, wakes up in the closet of an empty ryokan, which kick starts his exploration of Japan, as he searches for Japanese delicacies such as dango, omurice and more.“Tap, tap, tap, tap, tapping on me / Awkward stare and then slinkin’ away / Looks different now, you got that right / Then I’mma stare back like I know nothing,” the NCT leader raps on the song’s funky chorus.‘Tap’ was co-written by Taeyong, while the album’s five remaining B-sides – ‘Moon Tour’, ‘Run Away’, ‘APE’, ‘Ups & Downs’ and ‘404 Loading’ – also credit Taeyong as a co-lyricist. Most of the tracks on the ‘Tap’ record were co-composed and produced by SQUAR, who also worked with Taeyong on his previous solo work.Taeyong first debuted as a solo artist last June with the mini-album ‘SHALALA’, led by a title track of the same name.

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.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Occult drama-thriller “Exhuma,” dominated the South Korea box office in its opening weekend with a scarily good debut approaching $17 million. The film, about two shaman, a feng shui master and a mortician who attempt to undo the mysterious events happening to a U.S.-based Korean family, grabbed $14.5 million between Friday and Sunday, representing a 77% share of the overall box office market. Including the earnings since its Wednesday debut, the film earned $16.8 million in its full opening session, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).

Jennifer Lopez is celebrating her twins’ 16th birthday with a fun-filled trip!

Naman Ramachandran Tokyo-based global advertising giant Hakuhodo Inc. is further expanding its India footprint.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sakaki Hideo, a well-known Japanese actor and film director, was arrested on Tuesday in Tokyo on suspicion of sexual assault. Japanese media, quoting police reports, said that the arrest relates to an alleged incident in May 2016. They also cite Sakaki’s denial of the charges, which he calls “false accusations.” The assault is alleged to have occurred at Sakaki’s apartment, where he took an actor in her 20s in order to give her acting advice.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two Taiwan-based production companies with features in this week’s Berlin Film Festival have joined forces to launch new venture, Long Hu Bao × An Attitude. Taiwan’s Yi Tiao Long Hu Bao International Entertainment, is one of eight co-producers on main competition film “Shambhala,” from Nepal’s Min Bahadur Bham.