City Taipei Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Marta Balaga San Sebastian premiere ‘A Journey in Spring’ takes on the nature of life, say debuting Taiwanese directors Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang. “I have a very close relationship with my family. They ground me.

K-pop singer and former NU’EST member Baekho has dropped a sultry cover of Brown Eyed Girls’ ‘Abracadabra’.The singer has released a cover of the 2009 Brown Eyed Girls hit through his official YouTube channel. Baekho’s rendition of the song swaps its electronic sound for a guitar-led R&B instrumental, with the singer also slowing down parts of ‘Abracadabra’.“Bring, bring, I want to hold you in my arms / I will do anything and even more / Bling bling, you are my fantasy / I’ll put everything / In stake to have you,” he sings in the chorus.The new cover comes two weeks after the singer dropped his remake of singer Park Jin-young’s 1995 hit ‘Elevator’, for which he has also released a performance video.Prior to this, Baekho’s last music release was his debut mini-album ‘Absolute Zero’ in October 2022, which was led by the single ‘No Rules’.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji, the husband and wife, Japanese-Chinese directing duo behind “Stonewalling” and “Egg and Stone” have secured multi-national backing for their upcoming fourth film project “A Woman Builds.” The film will depict a Chinese woman forced to live apart from her Japanese husband and their daughter during the pandemic and learning to enjoy the newfound freedom of a pseudo single life. She finds a unique massage parlor to satisfy her sexual needs and decides to build a house back in her home village, despite her husband’s disapproval.

This year’s Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival will open with a double bill of Snow In Midsummer, directed by Malaysia’s Chong Keat-aun, and Be With Me, from Taiwanese filmmaker Hwarng Wern-ying.

Taiwan’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID) has announced the submission of Cheng Wei-hao’s Marry My Dead Body for the Best International Feature category of next year’s Oscars. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival has announced dual opening night titles, both inspired by faith and local memories, as well as its closing gala presentation. The festival will open with “Snow in Midsummer,” directed by Chong Keat-aun, a former winner of the Golden Horse Film Awards’ best new director prize with “The Story of Southern Islet,” and “Be With Me,” by Hwarng Wern-ying, who previously won Golden Horse prizes for art direction, costume and makeup. The festival, which runs Nov.

The 1975’s Matty Healy was spotted strolling around sunny Los Angeles for the first time since his on-stage antics sparked outrage in Malaysia.The British singer made headlines after kissing his bandmate on stage during a performance, causing a stir in the country over their LGBTQ+ laws. Dressed casually in a white vest and blue baggy shorts, the 34 year old was seen examining the wheels of his flashy BMW soft-top car while out in West Hollywood.The Sound singer hunkered down next to the pavement, getting up close and personal with the silver rims of his car as he chatted with a man who appeared to be a valet.

The 1975 have cancelled shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after being banned from Malaysia following a performance there on Friday.While headlining the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur, frontman Matty Healy criticised the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald. As a result, not only was the band’s set cut short but the Malaysian government also cancelled the remainder of the festival.The event’s promoters said in a statement on Saturday: “We deeply regret to announce that the remaining schedule of Good Vibes Festival 2023, planned for today and tomorrow, has been cancelled following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy from the band The 1975”.“This decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued at 1:20pm, 22 Jul 2023, by the Ministry Of Communications And Digital”, it went on.

The 1975 have cancelled two tour dates in Asia after a Malaysian music festival was axed over pro-LGBT+ comments made by the band’s frontman Matty Healy.

According to Malaysian law, same-sex activity is illegal and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment with whipping.Following the stunt, the frontman walked off the stage calling out, “alright, we gotta go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, I’ll see you later.”The Good Vibes Festival released a statement shortly after announcing that Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital had canceled the three-day event due to the “controversial conduct and remarks” made by Healy.“We sincerely apologize to all our ticket holders, vendors, sponsors, and partners,” they added.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The 80th Venice Film Festival has revealed its selection of projects for Venice Immersive, the XR-Extended Reality section of the festival, which runs Aug. 30 – Sept. 9. The program will include VR experience “Wallace & Gromit in the Grand Getaway” and a Fatboy Slim project. Venice Immersive is devoted to immersive media and includes all XR means of creative expression: 360° videos and XR works of any length, including installations and virtual worlds. The program, which will take place on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio, will present 44 projects from 25 countries, and 24 works in the Worlds Gallery section. It will comprise:

In partnership with GMATaiwanese musicians A-Lin and HUSH have taken home the top honours at the Golden Melody Awards 2023, which was held at the Taipei Arena on July 1.A-Lin took home the trophy for Best Female Singer (Mandarin) for her tenth studio album ‘LINK’. It is the singer’s first win in the category, after being nominated four times before, in 2015, 2012, 2011 and 2009.Meanwhile, HUSH won Best Male Singer (Mandarin) with his album ‘Pleasing Myself’, besting other nominees such as Zhao Lei, The Crane and Wu Qing-feng.

Taipei Film Festival is aiming to shine an international spotlight on Taiwanese actors through a new initiative, Top Talents, that will showcase nine actors including major stars Kai Ko and Chen Bolin. 

Aisling Bea inspired Kodaline’s Mark Prendergast to go solo in new solo outing, Man Alive.Prendergast has now shared the debut single of his new solo project, ‘Be Someone’ that you can listen to below.According to a statement, his friend, actor Aisling Bea, proved to be “a pivotal influence for him to take Man Alive to the wider world.”A statement revealed that “he played her an early version of ‘Be Someone’ when they were in Los Angeles in 2021, and her belief in the project really pushed him to make it happen.” It also noted that she encouraged him to change the first provisional name he had for his solo project, ‘Blood Type’, telling him it was “shit and doesn’t match your music.” Eventually, he went with Man Alive.Speaking about his new single, Prendergast said: “‘Be Someone’ is about a long-distance relationship falling apart, and how when you’re with somebody, they make you feel like a certain type of person, but then when you end the relationship and you’re by yourself, you always become a completely different person.”A statement added that the break-up, followed by lockdown, inspired Prendergast to write, record and produce a catalogue of songs from his home studio.You can listen to the song here:Earlier this year, Kodaline announced a tour of Asia this autumn, where they will travel to Singapore, Philippines, Taipei, Bangkok and more.They will kick off the tour September 5 in Singapore and then play shows in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Seoul.

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.

Netflix has a new Chief Action Officer. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken on the job in a promo featuring footage of the streaming network’s upcoming action series and films. See it above.

WayV, the Chinese sub-group of K-pop boyband NCT, have announced the European leg of their Fanmeeting Tour ‘Phantom’.WayV will head to two European cities as part of their wider 2023 Fanmeeting Tour ‘Phantom’. In less than a month, the boyband will perform at London’s Eventim Apollo on June 8, followed by the La Seine Musicale in Paris on June 11.According to WayV’s official Twitter account, only five of the group’s six members will be in attendance at the fanmeeting: namely Kun, Ten, Xiaojun, Hendery and YangYang.

Taipei-based Screenworks Asia is launching international sales on award-winning director Hsin-Ying Sung’s female-centric psychological thriller Lost In Perfection ahead of the Cannes market. 

Taipei-based sales agency Distribution Workshop has picked up international sales rights to $50M action adventure A Legend, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong. 

Super Junior, is set to go on tour this year.Super Junior D&E – comprising Donghae and Hunhyuk – announced their upcoming 2023 ‘DElight Party’ world tour today (May 15) through the duo’s newly opened social media accounts.The pair’s 2023 world tour will kick-off with a two-night concert in Seoul, South Korean on June 24 and 25. Following which, Super Junior D&E will head on the Asia leg of the tour over the next three months, including shows in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and more.In their official announcement, Super Junior D&E also said that more dates will be revealed in the future.

Ben Croll Paris’ NewImages Festival and parent organization Forum des Images have recently launched NewImages Hub, a support network offering XR professionals a set of complementary creative and mentoring programs throughout the year. Divided into three poles, the new lab will help immersive projects across development, production, and distribution, offering residencies and networking assistance at each phase. Administered by Forum des Images – a non-profit cultural organization subsidized by the City of Paris – and supported by France’s CNC, NewImages Hub will oversee international writing residencies both in Paris and abroad, while developing additional workshops with partners in Taiwan, Chile and South Africa. The new lab will also administer existing programs in Rome, Ecuador and Taipei, while making industry analysis available to all.

K-pop boyband TREASURE was recently caught in the middle of a stage equipment malfunction, leaving him with minor burns.Yesterday (April 2), the 10-member boyband performed at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand as part of the ongoing Asia leg of their ‘Hello’ tour.As seen in photos and videos taken by fans at the concert, member Yoon Jae-hyuk had been walking over stage equipment with a fire-emitting mechanism when it malfunctioned and unexpectedly released a burst of flames.The idol quickly moved away from the equipment and made sure that his clothes were not on fire, before heading backstage to receive medical attention.Is Jaehyuk ok? He step on fire OMG@treasuremembers pic.twitter.com/KXWbZnUhKm— bLub (@chubbyhubbybaby) April 2, 2023According to news outlets and fans at the show, Yoon returned onstage after a brief break with a bandage on his hand, where he sustained minor burns. After the concert, the singer held a livestream where he told fans not to “worry too much”.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Writer and director He Shuming has signed with Sugar23, the multimedia and management company founded by Oscar-winning producer, manager and entrepreneur Michael Sugar. The signing comes following He’s breakout debut feature “Ajoomma,” about a widow obsessed with Korean soap operas who travels abroad for the first time to Seoul, finding more than she had bargained for in the process. That movie collected several nominations and prizes on the film festival circuit. It premiered at the 2022 Busan International Film Festival in the New Currents section; was nominated at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Film; received four nominations at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, including Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Leading Actress and Best Supporting Actor; and won the Film AIUla Audience Award for Best Film at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

K-pop girl group IVE will be releasing a new single ‘Kitsch’, ahead of their first studio album.Today (March 21), the Starship Entertainment act unveiled a teaser clip announcing their upcoming pre-release single ‘Kitsch’. Due out on March 27 at 6pm KST, the song will be part of IVE’s first studio album ‘I’ve IVE’ arriving on April 10.Titled ‘It’s our time, Kitsch’, the teaser clip features individual close-up shots of IVE as a snippet of the energetic new track plays, with the members chanting “kitsch” over a thumping beat.In addition to ‘Kitsch’, IVE’s upcoming studio album will also include new tracks ‘Blue Blood’ and ‘Not Your Girl’, which the group previously performed at their first concert ‘The Prom Queens’ in Seoul last month.Following the release of ‘I’ve IVE’, the six-member group will be embarking on their first Asia tour ‘The Prom Queens’ in June.

Naman Ramachandran Taiwan-France film “Salli” marks the feature debut of Taipei-based filmmaker Lien Chien-Hung after several acclaimed shorts and a TV movie. “Salli,” which won the grand prize at the Chinese-language film project matching and co-production platform Golden Horse Film Project Promotion in 2019, is a work-in-progress selection at the Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF). The Mandarin-, Taiwanese-, English- and French-language film follows a lonely middle-aged chicken farmer Hui-Chun, who doesn’t speak English and develops a romantic relationship through an app with a French man who calls himself Martin. In the online world, Hui-Chun is Salli. Despite everyone calling it a romance scam, she wants to prove that love indeed exists.

Naman Ramachandran Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service has acquired Makbul Mubarak’s award-winning debut feature, “Autobiography,” for the Southeast Asian region. The film, which is being sold by Alpha Violet, follows young Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), whose father is in prison and whose brother works abroad. He works as the housekeeper in a mansion in a rural Indonesian town belonging to retired general Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara). Purna returns to the town to start his mayoral election campaign and Rakib, whose clan has worked for the general’s family for centuries, serves as his assistant. An act of vandalism during the campaign triggers an escalating chain of violence.

AURORA‌ performed her first concert in Taiwan on February 21, and was joined on stage by Mandopop artist Qing-Feng.Performing at Zepp New Taipei in Taiwan, AURORA took to the stage telling over 2,000 fans: “Taipei, I am finally here! I’m so happy to come because Qing-Feng is here!”For her encore, AURORA brought Qing-Feng to the stage to perform their duet ‘Storm’, which was released in 2022.Before they started the song, Qing-Feng explained to AURORA that the English lyric “come again” in the chorus sounds like “bucket of chicken”, to which she responded with an imitation of a chicken clucking.Watch the duet below.The two labelmates connected in 2021 and after a year of making music at a distance and collaborating online, the pair developed a strong friendship, eventually meeting up face-to-face in Norway to complete the song’s final recording.In January, AURORA teased upcoming new material in an Instagram Story, saying she was working on “so many babies” in the studio.In her Instagram Story posted on January 5, AURORA wrote, “I’m in the studio making so many babies. Delicious babies.” The enigmatic singer wished fans a happy new year, concluding, “Sending you all so much love, from behind the button on my belly to the corner of your eye.

Download Festival has added over 40 new names to its line-up today (February 16) and has announced its 2023 day splits.New names for the festival this year include the Halestorm, Alter Bridge, Neck Deep, Bob Vylan, Carcass, Five Finger Death Punch, Jinjer, Coheed and Cambria, Electric Callboy and Hot Milk and The Amity Affliction.Download had previously announced the 2023 event would be headlined by Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon and Metallica playing two completely different sets on two different nights. The likes of Ghost, Evanescence, The Distillers, Placebo and Architects were also confirmed to be appearing at Donington Park alongside 50 other acts.In celebration of the rock and metal festival’s 20th year, event organisers have extended it to four days (June 8-11) with four headline slots.You can buy tickets for the event here and see the full list of new artist announcements and day splits below.Newly announced for DownloadA.A.

Taipei-based international sales company Distribution Workshop will be selling Lunar New Year hit Hidden Blade, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Wong Ching-po’s highly-anticipated new film, The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon, at the upcoming European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin. 

Lou Yi-an’s Goddamned Asura begins with chilling smartphone footage of an expressionless young man opening fire on a busy night market. In a surprising move, it immediately rewinds to the events leading up to the shooting, introducing a core group of characters whose lives will be changed by it. Even more unexpected, though, is the film’s third act, which essentially posits a Sliding Doors-style “What if?” hypothesis.