Lumière Festival’s Revamped Classic Film Market Unveils Re-Birth Program, Showcases Documentaries, Wim Wenders Foundation

Japan has dominated this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), with German filmmaker Wim Wenders’ latest Tokyo-set pic and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car follow-up taking the top prizes. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Two films from Japan, Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” and Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” won the top prizes at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards on Friday. Multiple other honors went to films from Korea and Kazakhstan. The 16th edition of the APSA Awards was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and recognized films from eight countries. “Perfect Days,” a gentle comedy drama about a toilet cleaner in Tokyo finding happiness in the everyday, premiered in Cannes and more recently was selected as Japan’s Oscar contender and as the opening title of the Tokyo International Film Festival.

EXCLUSIVE: James McAvoy (X-Men franchise), Lucas Bravo (Emily In Paris), Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale) and Almudena Amor (The Good Boss) have been set for thriller Turn Up The Sun! which has begun production in the UK under an Equity PACT agreement.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent 2023’s American Film Market may be shaping up for “a rather quiet year,” says Martin Moszkowicz, chairman of the executive board at Germany’s Constantin Film. That said, Moszkowicz will stay in Los Angeles for around 10 days. “We have so much business there – and much of it is not related directly to the market,” he says.

Just last month, “Star Wars” fans were treated to the news that Guillermo del Toro was working with Lucasfilm, at least at one point, on a couple of projects, including a solo film about the villainous Jabba the Hutt. Obviously, that was during a time where “Star Wars” was in a state of flux and Lucasfilm was desperately trying to figure out the way of the world under Disney’s ownership.

Miffy Englefield, the former child star of The Holiday, has got us in the mood for the annual viewing of The Holiday this festive season after recreating scenes from the film, and she's now a mother herself. At 24 years old, Miffy, who played Jude Law's daughter, Sophie, in the 2006 classic, is now a proud mom to a little girl named Frankie, born in April 2020. She recently excited her fans by embarking on a countryside home swap, just as in the iconic film, with the help of HomeExchange.com.

With “All The Light We Cannot See” hitting Netflix next week, Shawn Levy is making the press rounds to promote his miniseries. And that gives him a chance to talk about his upcoming projects, too, like “Deadpool 3” and the “Star Wars” project he has in development.

Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke is relieved that the festival he founded in the ancient walled city of Pingyao in China’s Shanxi province is back on track after a tricky few years during the pandemic. 

Movistar Plus+ Shooting Comedy ‘Muertos S.L.’

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Sales agency Sola Media is set to present its new project “The Sloth Lane” to buyers at the American Film Market. The animated film, an addition to the “Tales From Sanctuary City” franchise, is described as “a story of self discovery, family and friendship.” Australia’s Like a Photon Creative is producing the film and Sola Media is handling world sales, after recently acquiring international distribution rights for the next three animated feature films in the Sanctuary City franchise.

As you’re probably aware, “Star Wars” and Lucasfilm are at an inflection point. Having pivoted towards streaming for several years, “The Mandalorian,” etc., “Star Wars” Celebration earlier this year indicated that the new future would return to cinemas, announcing three “Star Wars” movies by Dave Filoni, one formerly from Damon Lindelof that will include Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker, and a prequel set in ancient Jedi times from filmmaker James Mangold.

Thierry Frémaux is best known internationally as the long-time head of France’s Cannes Film Festival, which is organized out of its offices in Paris’s trendy Marais neighborhood.

Tokyo’s International Film Festival returned this evening for its first completely unrestricted, post-COVID-19 edition with a well-attended screening of Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days. 

Wim Wenders introduced the cast and crew of “Perfect Days” at an outdoor stage, giving the opening ceremony of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival a moment of European cool. Inside the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater, Wenders was brought on stage twice more. “I had a dream that with ‘Perfect Days,’ I’d make a film that would play at the Cannes Film Festival. I dreamed that it would win the best acting prize.

Close to 40 years after Wim Wenders won the Cannes Palme d’Or for Paris, Texas, its enigmatic ending continues to spark debate in cinephile circles.

Actress Charlotte Gainsbourg made a moving presentation of her documentary Jane By Charlotte, capturing her complex relationship with her late mother Jane Birkin, ahead of a screening at the Lumière Film Festival on Saturday.

Wim Wenders and Thierry Frémaux signalled their support on Saturday for the Hollywood actors strike as the industrial action hits its 100th day.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Swedish niche film specialist Klubb Super 8 and its global streaming platform sister company Cultpix have launched a restoration initiative to “preserve the diverse cinematic heritage that has shaped Swedish cinema across all genres.” Swedish cinema and restoration efforts in the country are in focus at the Lumière Festival’s International Classic Film Market (MIFC) this year. Collaborating with leading international institutions, Klubb Super 8 has undertaken extensive restoration work on a range of films under its rights.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While at the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon, German film master Wim Wenders said he shares Martin Scorsese’s deep concern over Hollywood’s obsession with sequels, and worries about AI in line with U.S. actors who are still on strike.

Lise Pedersen With typical modesty and humor, Wim Wenders opened his masterclass at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon by answering the question: ‘Do you feel like a survivor in the history of cinema?’ with a ‘Yes, in a funny kind of way, I do sometimes feel like a dinosaur.” Expanding on his answer, the 78-year old director, who is being awarded the festival’s Lumière Award lifetime achievement prize later today, said he had been lucky enough to experience great changes in cinema throughout his lifetime and that he felt more like he had experienced rather than survived cinema –“vécu plutôt que survécu,” as he said in his fluent French. Looking back on his 1984 cult movie “Paris, Texas,” for which he won the Palme d’Or in Cannes, the German director explained it had been the culmination of one of his greatest lessons in life.