Korean Crime Thriller ‘Bargain’ wins Critics’ Choice Award at Seriencamp – Global Bulletin

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Pham Thien An’s debut feature “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.” The Vietnamese drama appeared in Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight section and was winner of the Camera d’Or. The company plans a theatrical release as well as a digital and home video releases on all major platforms after the film makes multiple stops on the international film festival circuit. “The sudden death of his sister-in-law brings unexpected responsibilities to Thien (Le Phong Vu), who is reluctantly tasked with bringing his five-year-old nephew Dao to their countryside hometown. On the road, Thien is drawn into a search for his long missing older brother, haunted and spurred forward by a series of sublime dreams that reignite suppressed memories, forbidden desires, and specters of his own youth. What began as a journey home becomes a pilgrimage marked by visual splendor and mystical overtones, a quest for understanding and certainty in a Vietnam that seems unable to provide any clear answers. As Thien battles with his own existential question of what is worth living for, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell interrogates the persistence and complexity of faith, not only in the spiritual but in the delicate beauty of earthly existence,” said Kino Lorber by way of a long synopsis.

STV Studios has acquired the 15 companies operated by “Lego Masters” company Greenbird Media for £21.4 million ($27.3 million). Israel’s Keshet International acquired 60% of Greenbird five years ago. STV Studios has now acquired 100% of Greenbird, including Keshet’s stake. Greenbird founders, Jamie Munro and Stuart Mullin, will join the STV Studios board in the roles of chief commercial officer and finance and integration director respectively, working alongside COO, Paul Sheehan, and under the leadership of MD, David Mortimer. The deal boosts the number of labels within STV Studios from nine to 24. As a result of the acquisition, STV Studios now has expanded bases in Glasgow and London, as well as offices in Cardiff, Belfast, Brighton and Manchester.

Naman Ramachandran Jim Wiseman’s Sky original documentary “Williams and Mansell: Red 5” is set for a debut on Sky Documentaries and Now on July 8. Featuring some of the biggest names in F1, it follows Nigel Mansell and the Williams Racing team’s rise to fame told through the eyes of his team, family and drivers including Jenson Button, Damon Hill and Karun Chandhok. Mansell grew up in England in the 1960s, dreaming of becoming a professional race car driver, despite not having the financial means for it, while Frank Williams was realizing his own dream at the company he founded, Williams Grand Prix Engineering. The two joined forces, and after years of trying to win together, Mansell left to join Ferrari and then ultimately retired from racing after years of ups and downs, without ever winning the Formula One Drivers’ Championship. But seemingly overnight, he came out of retirement and re-joined Williams Racing. And in 1992 Nigel and his FW14B Williams car became one of the most formidable combinations in sports history.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon miniTV, the free streaming service available on the Amazon Shopping app in India, is dubbing a raft of Korean, Turkish, Mandarin and Spanish dramas into the Hindi language for local consumption under the MiniTV Imported banner. The first set of shows, which streams from July 7, are all Korean and includes “Cheer Up,” “Heart Surgeons” and “Doctor Detective.” Amogh Dusad, head of content, Amazon miniTV, said: “In recent times, the viewing preferences of digital video consumers in India have changed significantly. They love diversity in content offering and are looking for unique stories & captivating characters from across the world. We have curated a list of blockbuster shows, from Korean, Turkish, Mandarin, Spanish and many more languages, that we believe will resonate with Indian viewers.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean tech firm CJ 4DPLEX has struck a deal with Thailand’s Major Cineplex to add two ScreenX locations in Cambodia and Thailand. One will be located at the AEON Mall Mean Chey, have almost 500 seats and have a 75-foot-wide central screen, making it the largest ScreenX auditorium in Southeast Asia. The other will be at Bangkok’s ICONSiam Mall location, debuting on July 27. ScreenX is a multi-projection system with an immersive 270-degree field of view. That creates a virtual reality-like setting with cinema quality resolution. Major’s first ScreenX launched in 2022 at its Siam Paragon location in central Bangkok.

Naman Ramachandran Google has joined Meta in blocking access to Canadian news links after Bill C-18 AKA the Online News Act that will eventually make the tech giants pay local media outlets for news was passed. C-18 was set up to ensure “fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news outlets”; provide for “collective bargaining by news outlets”; promote “voluntary commercial agreements between digital platforms and news outlets, with minimal government intervention”; and “as a last resort,” establish a “mandatory arbitration framework when digital platforms and news outlets cannot reach commercial agreements,” according to the Canadian government.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Zhang Yimou, China’s most enduring filmmaker, is joining the worldwide shift by feature film directors into the streaming arena. Zhang, who directed “Full River Red,” the most successful film of 2023 in China, is to be involved with his first TV series. He will executive produce “The First Shot,” his representatives confirmed to Variety. The show is to be directed by Xing Lu and is backed by Tencent Video. It is currently in development, with a tentative air date in 2025. That’s because Zhang has a film directing project with an anticipated Chinese New Year release date, due to begin shooting this summer.

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical has picked up rights to the crime thriller Mother’s Milk, directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte (As You Are), with plans to distribute it in North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The film in which two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) stars opposite Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon) and Jack Reynor (Midsommar) will hit theaters across North America beginning September 1, debuting in the other territories shortly thereafter.

Naman Ramachandran Prime Video India has revealed a blockbuster lineup of Indian and international titles ahead of Prime Day 2023 on July 15 and 16. The lineup includes the Hindi-language version of “Ponniyin Selvan 2,” starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, “Babylon,” headlined by Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, Gerard Butler thriller “Kandahar” and Nawazuddin Siddiqui‘s Hindi-language drama-comedy “Tiku Weds Sheru.” Hindi-language original horror series “Adhura,” headlined by Rasika Dugal, the final season of hit series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” Tamil-language superhero film “Veeran” and Telugu-language family entertainer “Anni Manchi Sakunamule” are also part of the lineup as are Tamil-language series “Sweet Kaaram Coffee” that captures the journey of three women and Telugu-language Young Adult series “Hostel Days.”

Naman Ramachandran The 2023 Glastonbury Festival has broken previous digital audience records for viewing and listening on the BBC, with content streamed a record 50.3 million times across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, up 47% on 2022. On BBC iPlayer, viewers streamed Glastonbury programming a record 47.5 million times, up 49% on 2022. On BBC Sounds, listeners played Glastonbury content 2.8 million times, up 26% on 2022. On BBC iPlayer, the Glastonbury live channel was the most popular, with Elton John‘s farewell U.K. performance on Sunday topping the charts after it was streamed 4.3 times. Saturday’s live channel came second, with 3.8 million streams and Friday’s third with 3.2 million streams. Live coverage from the Pyramid and The Other Stage followed with 2.1 million and 1.9 million streams.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent TOLEDO, Spain — Global producer-distributor Fremantle has dropped an international trailer for “Negotiator,” a sleek, slick and chic eight-part  São Paulo crime thriller produced by two prominent players on the Latino and Latin-American TV scene – Miami-based Spiral International and Brazil’s Boutique Filmes.  Acquiring world rights outside Latin America and Portugal, Fremantle will use Conecta Fiction in Toledo, Spain to introduce “Negotiator,” which underscores building market trends coursing through the international TV scene. The busy trailer begins with a desperate kidnapper bursting through big church doors, revolver in hand pointing to a victim’s head. “I’m going to kill him,” he shouts hysterically. 

K.J. Yossman The BBC has acquired the Australian version of hit gameshow “The Traitors” for broadcast and streaming this summer. “The Traitors Australia,” which sees contestants compete for a prize of AUS $250,000 in a luxury hotel in the Southern Highlands, is set to drop on BBC Three and iPlayer on July 9. It is hosted by Rodger Corser. “’The Traitors’ is an addictively fiendish format and I am so pleased that viewers can get their summer fix of treachery and suspicion as we head Down Under for the Australian version of the show on BBC Three and iPlayer,” said Nasfim Haque, head of content for BBC Three.

Naman Ramachandran The return of long-running Australian soap “Neighbours” will see a new family, the Varga-Murphys, featuring mums, Remi (Naomi Rukavina) and Cara (Sara West) and teenage sons, JJ (Riley Bryant) and Dex (Marley Williams), moving to the iconic Ramsay Street. West said: “Cara has a bold, impassioned love for her family and I love that her intentions have, so far, always been good. I hope having the Varga-Murphys on telly will help better reflect the beautiful LGBTQIA+ community that I’m proud to be a part of and I can’t wait to share the family with you.” Rukavina added: “As a stalwart of Australian drama television, the show is on the front foot of showcasing diverse and real representations of Australian families, not in a tokenistic way.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent British actor Jefferson Hall (“House of the Dragons,” “Oppenheimer”) will soon appear on screen in Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller “Three,” about a young boy who appears to be possessed. Al Khaja – who is known for standout shorts including horror film “The Shadow” and “Animal” that both play on Netflix – has just wrapped the independently-produced “Three,” her debut feature, which was shot in Thailand. Besides, Hall, “Three” also stars Faten Ahmed; Noura Alabed (“Wiladah”); veteran U.A.E. actor Mari Al Halyan (“On Borrowed Time”); Mohannad Bin Huthail (“Rashash”) and emerging Emirati talent Saud Alzarooni.

K.J. Yossman Riccardo Vannuccini has set a sequel to his feature “Commedia.” Titled “Tarzan,” the project will see him again team up with “This England” star Greta Bellamacina, with whom he starred in “Commedia.” The duo will reprise their roles as Rocco and Irene, this time in a post-industrial landscape. Manolo Cinti is on board as DP. “Tarzan,” which begins shooting in Italy this November, is co-produced by Artestudio in Rome and Sulk Youth in the U.K. “Commedia” is set to be released on Prime Video in the U.K. and U.S. this month. “Our heroes have managed to mysteriously escape from where they were – but where were they?” says Vannuccini. “They are busy doing nothing, making small acts, to leave imaginative traces of their passage, imagined signs of being in the world. Scratches, noises, silences, poses, runs, drinks, wounds, escapes, kisses, stealing. The world they inhabit is our own post-industrial landscape, a world scarred by the industry and sadness of the twentieth century, but in it they find beauty, and they create beauty. They are the archetypal romantic runaways.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday that Swiss-based, Chinese-owned Infront Sports & Media would handle broadcast right sales in much of Asia for the next series of Summer and Winter games. The deal covers 22 territories including Afghanistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam – but not China, Japan or South Korea, and runs 2026-2032. That means it will cover the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Summer games. The 2030 Winter Olympics, which have yet to be allocated a host, and all Youth Olympic Games during this period will also be covered.

Naman Ramachandran The world premiere of Scottish writer-director Johnny Barrington‘s debut feature “Silent Roar” will open the 2023 Edinburgh International Film Festival on Aug. 18. Billed as a “teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire” set in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, the film stars emerging actor Louis McCartney as Dondo, a young surfer struggling to accept his father’s recent disappearance at sea. Caught up in grief, he is brought to his senses by rebellious crush Sas (Ella Lily Hyland), a high achiever who dreams of escaping the island. When an oddly-behaved new minister arrives on the island, Dondo begins to have cosmic visions. The film is produced by Scottish producer Chris Young (“The Inbetweeners Movie”) and was made with the participation of Screen Scotland, BBC Films and BFI. MK2 Films is handling sales.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hong Kong icon Johnnie To will head the jury of the sixth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) next month. Other jurors include: Truong Ngoc Anh from Vietnam, Ryuichi Hiroki from Japan, Zizan Razak from Malaysia, and Eric Khoo from Singapore. The event will open with the world premiere of “Eraser,” directed by Mark Lee See Teck. The Malaysian film features the final on-screen appearance of the late Adibah Noor, a beloved Malaysian gem known for her timeless charisma. MIFFest will play “See You at the Rally,” directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Kanny Chang as its closing title. The festival is set to take place at LaLaport BBCC from July 23-29 and will play a total of 42 films from 15 countries.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief German filmmaker Wim Wenders is to be the president of the jury that decides the main competition prizes later this year at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Wenders has frequent connections with the Japanese capital and last year shot his “Perfect Days” film in the city. The film recently appeared in competition in Cannes and earned Yakusho Koji the best actor prize. The Tokyo festival confirmed plans to host a celebration of Japanese director Ozu Yasujiro, who was born 120 years ago and died exactly 60 years later. Wenders previously shot 1985 documentary “Tokyo-ga” as a tribute to Ozu.

K.J. Yossman One Direction star Niall Horan is set to cameo on rail-themed Channel 4 digital series, “Trainspotting with Francis Bourgeois.” Produced by Untold Studios, the series sees TikTok creator Bourgeois introduce celebrities to the obscure hobby. Horan will join Bourgeois for a “day of locomotive escapades” starting at Liverpool Street Station in London – but will a series of train cancelations and delays scupper their plans? During the episode, which is available from June 14 on Channel 4’s YouTube, Horan reveals a very personal connection to trains, telling Bourgeois that his grandfather was a train driver. Movie buffs will also be thrilled to discover Horan’s grandfather drove the train in “The Great Train Robbery.”