Vesoul Festival Unveils Lineup of Asian Films – Global Bulletin

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Asian premiere of Soi Cheang’s “Mad Fate” is just one of three locally-produced movies that have been set as the opening and closing titles of the upcoming Hong Kong International Film Festival. “Mad Fate” is joined in the festival opening slot on March 30 by “Elegies,” Ann Hui’s documentary portrayal of the topography of contemporary local poetry, which will have its world premiere. The closing film, another world premiere, is “Vital Sign,” an affecting drama directed by Cheuk Wan-chi and starring Louis Koo, Yau Hawk-sau, and Angela Yuen, which will wrap up proceedings on 10 April. In total, the festival has programmed some 200 films from 64 countries and territories. These include nine world premieres, six international premieres, and 67 Asian premieres.

Naman Ramachandran Birmingham Rep will co-produce “Sinatra The Musical,” the first official musical based on the life and career of Frank Sinatra, with Michele Anthony, Bruce Resnikoff and Scott Landis for Universal Music Group Theatrical, and Tina Sinatra and Charles Pignone on behalf of Frank Sinatra Enterprises.  The team behind the musical includes two-time Tony-winning writer Joe DiPietro (“What’s New Pussycat?”) and Olivier-winning and three-time Tony-winning director and choreographer, Kathleen Marshall (“Anything Goes”). The musical begins on New Year’s Eve, 1942, where a skinny 27-year-old Italian American singer is about to step onto the stage of New York’s Paramount Theatre and give a performance that will change music history. As Frank Sinatra’s career suddenly skyrockets, he struggles with balancing the love of his wife, Nancy, against the demands and temptations of being the most popular singer in America. But when he begins an affair with movie goddess Ava Gardner, his records stop selling and the press turns against him, sending his career into a tailspin. Driven by his devotion to his family, Sinatra stages the greatest comeback in showbiz history.

K.J. Yossman The Edinburgh International Film Festival is returning for its 76th edition following financial difficulties.

Naman Ramachandran Janchivdorj Sengedorj’s “The Sales Girl” (Mongolia), Asif Rustamov’s “Cold As Marble” (Azerbaijan), Ken Kwek’s “#LookAtMe” (Singapore) and Nader Saeivar’s “No End” (Iran) were among the winners at the  Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema on Tuesday. “The Sales Girl,” which played at Busan and won awards at the New York and Osaka Asian film festivals, won the Golden Cyclo, the festival’s top honor awarded by the international jury. “Cold as Marble,” which has played at Talinn Black Nights and the Goa festivals, took home three awards, including the grand jury prize and the Marc Haaz and Netpac jury prizes.

The district attorney in the "Rust" case is fighting back against Alec Baldwin's request to disqualify the special prosecutor.  Baldwin is facing involuntary manslaughter charges following the death of Halyna Hutchins.The cinematographer died on Oct. 21, 2021 after a gun Baldwin was holding fired in a small church on Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico. Baldwin's legal team had asked to have Republican state Rep.

Naman Ramachandran “Fleabag” star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is launching a £100,000 ($120,000) Keep it Fringe fund, a new initiative to support artists at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Waller-Bridge serves as president of the Fringe Society. The fund, supported by the Fleabag for Charity campaign and funds donated to the Fringe Society, will distribute 50 bursaries of £2,000 to individual artists or companies bringing work to the Fringe in 2023. It seeks to protect artists’ prospects by removing some of the growing barriers to performing.  “Fleabag” launched as a play at the Fringe in 2023. Waller-Bridge said: “For a creative, the festival is one of the most unique places on the planet to launch work, meet other artists and be discovered by audiences, agents, producers and the media. For me, today’s announcement is incredibly personal. Edinburgh Fringe gave ‘Fleabag’ a game-changing platform for everyone involved and we are thrilled that the show can continue to pay it forward to the creatives of tomorrow and contribute to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to take their work to this amazing festival.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Santa Fe district attorney on Monday defended the appointment of a state lawmaker to prosecute Alec Baldwin in the “Rust” case, saying there is no reason she cannot fulfill both roles. Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed both face involuntary manslaughter charges in the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. They are scheduled for a virtual court appearance on Thursday. Baldwin’s lawyers are seeking to disqualify the special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, arguing that she cannot serve as both a prosecutor and a member of the state Legislature under the separation-of-powers provision of the state constitution.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in Japanese film and TV studio Toei Company, from 5% to 6.03%, according to a report by the Reuters financial news agency. The move comes shortly after Toei published a ten-year plan for international expansion. Toei includes film and TV production operations, the T-Joy cinema chain and Toei Animation. Last month, it said that it had beaten its film revenue record, thanks to the success of titles including “The First Slam Dunk,” “The Legend of Butterfly” and “One Piece Film Red.” The stake increase also follows PIF’s February announcement that it had increased its stake in Japanese games and console maker Nintendo to 8.26% and that (along with the Singapore state fund GIC) was a buyer of a $966 million bond issue from Korean entertainment-tech firm Kakao Corp.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Already the highest grossing local film in its home market, courtroom drama, “A Guilty Conscience” has broken into Hong Kong’s all-time top ten box office ranking with a cumulative of HK$107 million ($13.7 million). Data from Hong Kong Box Office Ltd. shows the film achieving the feat after just 41 days in cinemas and coming within HK$1 million ($150,000) of overtaking “Top Gun: Maverick.” The data firm noted that the last time a Hong Kong film got this far was with fantasy-action-comedy “Kung Fu Hustle” in 2004. Since then, it has been overtaken by a fleet of Hollywood titles. Hong Hong’s current top ten is headed by “Avengers: Endgame” and includes six Marvel movies, the two “Avatar” titles and “Titanic.”

Naman Ramachandran IMG will be the exclusive publishing agent for the hit mobile game franchise Angry Birds, expanding its existing global licensing representation agreement with the brand’s parent company Rovio Entertainment. This is the first time the Angry Birds brand’s consumer products and location-based entertainment licensing and publishing rights will be consolidated under one global agency. IMG will seek to expand the franchise’s current publishing program, which includes regional deals with Penguin Children’s Puffin and Nordic publishing house Storytel, with new global and regional deals for books, comic books, audiobooks and activity books featuring the brand’s characters.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Martial arts veteran Sammo Hung is to be presented with a lifetime achievement honor at the upcoming Asian Film Awards. The ceremony is back as an in-person event after a two-year absence and shifts back to Hong Kong after previously being held in Hong Kong, Macau and Busan. Hung is expected to accept the award on Sunday March 12 at the Hong Kong Palace Museum. “I’m so happy and surprised that I can still win awards these days, especially an award that affirms my entire performing career,” said Hung in a forwarded statement. He has a career as actor, action choreographer, director and producer that stretches some 60 years.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Maoyan, the Chinese film ticketing agency and film distribution company, has issued a warning that profits for 2022 are set to take a steep dive. Revenue for last year is expected to come in at RMB2.27 billion and RMB2.37 billion, representing a decrease of up to 31% compared with 2021. Profit attributable to the owners of the company will range between approximately RMB70 million and RMB120 million, representing a decrease of approximately 67% to 81% compared with attributable profit in 2021, which had been RMB369 million. The company’s fortunes are closely allied to the trend of the mainland Chinese box office. Nationwide theatrical grosses took a huge tumble in the second half of the year as the government stepped up its battle against the COVID outbreak, causing the full year box office to fall by 36%.

Once again, Alec Baldwin and Rust producers are being taken to court by crew members of the indie Western over the fatal 2021 on-set shooting of cinematographer Haylna Hutchins.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Three “Rust” crew members sued Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers on Monday, alleging they have suffered anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the shooting death of the film’s cinematographer. The three crew members were in the church building at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M., when Baldwin’s gun fired, striking cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, though prosecutors have charged him with involuntarily manslaughter for allegedly firing the weapon while it was pointed at Hutchins. The plaintiffs in the latest suit are Ross Addiego, the dolly operator, Doran Curtin, the set costumer, and Reese Price, the key grip. According to the suit, all three were in close proximity to Baldwin when the gun was fired, and suffered “blast injuries” from the deafening sound of the shot.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Multi-territory Asian streaming service Viu has publicly disclosed key performance metrics for the first time and said that it was cash flow positive on an annual basis in 2022. The company, which operates in 16 Asian and Middle East markets and is seen as a rare success story in regional streaming, counts Hong Kong conglomerate PCCW as its principal shareholder, which also unveiled its own profits and loss figures for the 2022 calendar year. Viu which operates both ad-supported and paying tiers, said that it had 66.4 monthly active users in 2022, an increase of 13% year-on-year. Paying subscribers increased by 45% to 12.2 million over the same period.

Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of Halyna Hutchins on Thursday. Hutchins died on Oct. 21, 2021, after a gun that Baldwin was holding fired on the set of "Rust." The actor also waived his first appearance, which legal experts explained is a "routine court proceeding." "By waiving his first appearance in court, he's sending a signal that this is a case that really ought not be taken seriously, even though it is obviously an extremely serious case.

Naman Ramachandran Berlin’s just concluded European Film Market (EFM), which had a physical edition this year after two online editions in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, has reported “record results” according to the organizers. There were 230 stands and 612 companies from 78 countries and more than 11,500 market participants from 132 countries. Some 773 films were shown in 1,533 screenings, including 647 online screenings and 599 market premieres. The total number of buyers also rose to 1,302. 629 film projects were presented on the new Producers & Project Pages. “After the past two irregular years, we’re pleased to return to the physical in full force, and with a vibrant, bustling and strong market. The exhibition areas at Gropius Bau and the Marriott Hotel were sold out, and the exhibitors reported strong sales and good business. The decision to group all the market happenings together with the Berlinale Series Market and the market screenings at Potsdamer Platz, and to provide the industry with an efficient infrastructure, was extremely well-received by our market participants,” said EFM director Dennis Ruh.

Naman Ramachandran The Backstreet Boys, who have a massive fan base in India, will be returning to the country after 13 years for two concerts. The band’s world tour began after the release of chart topping 2019 album “DNA,” featuring the hit “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” BookMyShow and Live Nation are bringing the tour to India. The band will play at Jio World Gardens, Mumbai on May 4 and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi on May 5. Prior to that the Backstreet Boys have performances lined up in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Hong Kong, Reykjavik and Cairo. After India, the tour carries on in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Jeddah, Tel Aviv, Cape Town and Pretoria.

Naman Ramachandran The BBC Studios Natural History Unit has commissioned three series for BBC One, BBC Two and iPlayer. “Mammals” (6 x 60’), coproduced by France Televisions, ZDF and BBC America, offers insights into the most widespread animal group in the world. “Big Little Journeys” (3 x 60’), coproduced by PBS, follows the real-life adventures of six tiny animals as they voyage into the unknown. “Wild Scandinavia” (3 x 60’), coproduced by PBS and Sveriges Television, and narrated by actor Rebecca Ferguson (“Dune”), celebrates the wildlife, landscapes and culture of the furthest northern reaches of Europe. BBC Studios is handling international distribution and will present the series to international customers at BBC Studios Showcase taking place on Feb. 27 and 28.

Alec Baldwin in connection to the accidental shooting of a Rust crew member have been downgraded.In October 2021, while filming the movie on location, Baldwin was holding a Colt .45-caliber pistol that fired a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.Baldwin and the movie’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were then both charged with involuntary manslaughter last month following the tragic incident.Per The Hollywood Reporter, the involuntary manslaughter charge remains against the pair, but The Santa Fe District Attorney has now removed a firearm enhancement from a second charge, meaning that a potential five-year prison sentence for Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed is now no longer possible.If found guilty of the involuntary manslaughter charge, the pair face a maximum of 18 months in prison.Discussing the reason for the change in charges, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney spokesperson Heather Brewer said (via THR): “In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set.“The prosecution’s priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys.”Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer Jason Bowles added that he “applaud[s] the decision by the District Attorney and it was the right call, ethically, and on the merits.”In November of 2022, Alec Baldwin filed a lawsuit for negligence and indemnification against a number of Rust crew members including Gutierrez-Reed, weapons and rounds supplier Seth Kenney, first assistant director David Halls and property master Sarah Zachry.