Sugoi Co. Launched as Specialist Anime Distributor in Australia

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief New Zealand-based specialty sales firm Black Mandala has picked up global rights to upcoming U.S. supernatural horror film “Cheat.” Written and directed by Kevin Ignatius and Nick Psinakis (“The Long Dark Trail”), the film is set for its world premiere at FrightFest. The picture’s premise is the urban legend that a supernatural being from the afterlife will violently murder anyone who cheats on their partner.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sound of Freedom, the indie action-drama film that has already earned over $125 million at the North American box office, will begin to move into international distribution from next month.Angel Studios, the crowd-funded, Utah-based production and distribution firm behind the picture, says it has set releases in territories including the U.K., Australia and Latin America. The company explained that it has arranged direct-to-theater distribution deals in Latin America, the U.K, and Ireland. In other territories it will take the more conventional route of partnering with distributors.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Melbourne International Film Festival has confirmed that it will provide $202,000 (A$300,0000 of cash prizes, making it one of the world’s most generous film events. Nearly half of the prize pool $95,000 (A$140,000) will go to the winner of its Bright Future competition for features by first- and second-time directors.

With help from DC Comics, Coles will be bringing to life heroic and noble characters including (but not limited to), Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman, alongside iconic supervillains The Joker, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy.

Everyone’s preference differs when it comes to washing machines. Some prefer a front loader, while others tend to opt for a top loader.

Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly tells New Idea violence against women is a 'national crisis' in Australia.''This violence, these deaths, are preventable,'' Patty explains. ''The fear that women live with, the visibility of this national crisis, usually only makes it into public discussion when a woman is killed by a current or former partner.''''Violence against women, including murder, is not inevitable.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Rita Ora's album launch party descended into chaos this week after a fan was arrested for behaving erratically. Security tried to calm the man down but the police then had to be called.They handcuffed him and escorted him out of the venue, putting him into the back of a cop car.The incident delayed Rita's appearance at the gig in Pryzm, Kingston, by an hour. She was there to showcase her new album You & I to fans.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The scheduled Aug. 24 release of the Eric Bana-starring Australian thriller film “Force of Nature: The Dry 2” has been indefinitely postponed, due to the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike. The strike is also forcing adjustments at the Melbourne International Film Festival, which starts in early August. “It is with some regret, but a large amount of conviction that we have decided to postpone the release of ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’,” said Bana, who both stars and produces through his Pick Up Truck Pictures.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Cineverse, the streaming and content distribution company previously known as Cinedigm, has acquired North American rights to the Chinese animated fantasy film “Warrior King.” Inspired by the legend of the hero and warrior, King Gesar, the film is directed by Lu Qi from a screenplay by Lu Wunan and Wang Yunsheng. Cineverse says that it will release the film in U.S. theaters Aug. 25, following its international theatrical debut.  The story of Gesar is considered one of Central Asia’s literary classics and was passed down in oral tradition for some 1,000 years, as well as literary, poetic and stage play versions. Its Tibetan iteration may now be the most prominent, It is certainly one of the longest, running to over 100 volumes and a million verses, according to some calculations.   

At each festival, paw-some homegrown Aussie talent will be on hand for a number of exciting showcases, educational talks, and interactive events. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Screen Producers Australia, an Australian guild, moved quickly on Friday to explain that wholly local film and TV productions, even if they involve Screen Actors Guild members, can continue to roll despite the SAG-AFTRA strike notice and order, which has been in place since midnight Pacific time. The English-speaking country has an oversize production and post-production sector, with much of it set up to service inbound foreign productions, sometimes known as “runaway productions.” Strike orders “will apply to some scripted TV and feature films produced in Australia. SPA anticipates that a limited number of scripted ‘offshore’ (i.e. non-Australian) productions will be affected by the strike, with cast and crew stood down while the strike continues,” the SPA notice says.

As an expansion of their plant-based range, IKEA restaurants across Australia will welcome a veggie hot dog option.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sakamoto Ryuichi, the Japanese film composer and music supervisor who died in March, has been posthumously named as the recipient of the Jecheon Film Music Award at the 19th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (Aug. 10-15). Sakamoto won Academy Awards and Golden Globes for his score for “The Last Emperor” and has other credits including “The Sheltering Sky,” “Railroad Man,” “The Revenant,” “Call Me By Your Name” and “The Fortress.”Abrai Joji from Commons the music label established jointly with Sakamoto, and Yutaka Toyama from Promax, which had produced Sakamoto’s concerts since 1986, will visit the festival. Additionally, a tribute concert will be held on Aug. 12 at the Jecheon Stadium.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Wanda Investment, a subsidiary of the privately-owned Chinese property giant Dalian Wanda, has sold an 8.3% stake in Wanda Film Holding for RMB2.2 billion ($306 million). Wanda Film, which is listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange, operates China’s largest circuit of multiplexes and retains a stake in Hollywood producer Legendary Entertainment (“Dune”). The buyer is Lu Lili, the wife of Shen Jun, the controller of East Money Information, a financial data platform, Wanda Film said in a regulatory filing this week. The share sale appears to be a move to raise finance for Dalian Wanda and Wang Jianlin, the politically-connected former army officer who built one of China’s largest property empires and from 2012 mounted a seven-year campaign to own a large chunk of Hollywood.

That's right - the beloved brand has launched a range of delicious iced teas, available for purchase in Coles and Woolworths stores (as well as select cafes, restaurants, and convenience stores) in Australia. 

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Hulu is launching a new sub-brand focused on adult animation and anime called Animayhem, Variety has learned exclusively. The new hub is meant to capitalize on Hulu’s already popular lineup of adult animation and anime shows. Series like “American Dad,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Family Guy,” “Futurama” and “King of the Hill” consistently rank among the service’s top 10 shows based on hours streamed, per Hulu. So far this year, over one billion hours of adult animation content has been streamed on Hulu, along with over 288 million hours of anime content, the streamer claims. “When you have the number one offering in adult animation and anime of any major streaming service, creating this destination is obvious. We know exactly where we can meet these fans, because they’re already here,” said Barrie Gruner, Hulu’s executive vice president of marketing and publicity, in an interview with Variety.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Disney+ has set an Aug. 9 upload date for Korean series “Moving” from webtoon pioneer Kang Full. The previously announced title forms part of a 20-component slate of films and series from East Asia that will release on the Disney-backed streaming platform in the second half of 2023 and through 2024.Also from Korea is “The Worst of Evil,” a detective series in which a rural policemen is brought to the big city to bring down a DJ dealing in a potent new drug. It stars Ji Changwook, “Squid Game” actor Wi Hajun and Lim Semi. Highlights from Japan include “Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc,” the latest instalments of a popular anime franchise, and the previously announced “Dragons of Wonderhatch,” a hybrid story set in both the “real world” and an anime land where dragons and humans coexist. The multi-dimensional story stars Nakajima Sena, Okudaira Daiken and Mackenyu.

This week, Australia’s first crop of Happy Chop - Tearless Onions launches exclusively in Woolworths Supermarkets stores across NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Toho International, an offshoot of the storied Japanese film and TV giant Toho, is to launch twin e-commerce sites serving the growing legion of North American fans of Japanese pop culture. One platform is specific to the Godzilla brand. The other, iiZO, will cater to a wider range of anime fans who will be served with original Japanese merchandize. The moves are being headed by Kristin Parcell GM at Toho International, and her U.S.-based team who joined the firm from Crunchyroll at the end of last year. They foresee the twin initiatives as a business with $100 million of revenue within a few years. Their in-house operation comprises anime and “Godzilla” brand experts, and also includes specialist in merchandizing, buying and fashion. The sites go live at unspecified dates this summer.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced a renewal of their multi-year content and platform agreement in New Zealand, securing Sky as the continuing home of HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros. and Discovery. WBD says that the deal keeps open its options on how and when to launch the HBO Max streaming service in the country. The agreement includes a continuation of Warner Bros. Discovery’s eight channel portfolio (Discovery, Discovery Turbo, Living Channel, TLC, ID, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network and CNN International); current and future seasons of HBO series such as “House of The Dragon,” “The Last of Us” and The White Lotus; returning series “True Detective: Night Country,” “Euphoria” “Game of Thrones,” “Sex & The City,” “Chernobyl”; Max Original series including “Peacemaker” and “The Flight Attendant,” future Warner Bros. blockbuster movies and a library titles including the “Harry Potter,” “Lord of the Rings” and “DC Universe” movies.