Mongolia Showbiz Latest News and Updates

More than 1,400 of Freddie Mercury ‘s personal items, including his flamboyant stage costumes, handwritten drafts of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the baby grand piano he used to compose Queen’s greatest hits, are going on display in a free exhibition at Sotheby’s London ahead of their sale.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Busan film festival’s Asian Project Market is set to welcome several of the region’s top auteurs either as producers or prospective directors at its next edition in October. APM organizers Thursday unveiled 30 projects to be presented during a four-day round of one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions. India’s Rima Das (“Tora’s Husband”) will pitch “Malti My Love.” Japan’s Fukada Koji (“Love Life,” “Harmonium”) will pitch “Nagi Notes.” Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak (“Autobiography”) will pitch “Watch It Burn.” Among the successful producers adding their weight to APM contenders are: Patrick Mao Huang (“Moneyboys,” “Tiger Stripes”) selling Peter Ho’s project “Appetite for Desire”; Jeremy Chua (“Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” “Autobiography”), pitching Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana”; Ichiyama Shozo (“Ash Is Puirest White”) pitching Song Fang’s Japan-China collaboration “Full Moon”; Fran Borgia (“A Land Imagined,” “Tiger Stripes”) pitching Aakash Chhabra’s “I’ll Smile in September”; and Tan Chui Mui (“Barbarian Invasion”) pitching Jian Xiaoshuan’s “To Kill A Mongolian Horse.” The project market and the Asian Contents & Film Market are both scheduled to operate Oct.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief

British holidaymakers have been issued a warning by the Foreign Office if they are heading to any of the countries affected by updated guidance.

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.

Queen‘s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has revealed that the classic song originally had a different name and lyrics.According to one of 15 pages from early drafts for the rock opera, the famous 1975 hit penned by Freddie Mercury was shown to be titled ‘Mongolian Rhapsody’ which is crossed out on a piece of paper from the now-defunct airline, British Midland Airways.Mercury’s original drafts are currently on display in a new auction exhibition at Sotheby’s Auction House in London, Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, which shows some of his private collection and belongings.Did you know ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was originally titled ‘Mongolian Rhapsody’?Written entirely by Freddie Mercury, a never-before-seen early draft reveals untold insights into one of the greatest pop songs of the 20th century.Read more: https://t.co/m8t4hoE39s pic.twitter.com/hlSHvhxCOD— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 31, 2023Other edits were made to the song’s nearly six-minute-long famous second verse, which initially initially read, “Mama, there’s a war began, I’ve got to leave tonight.” The final version of the song’s lyrics read, “Mama, just killed a man.”According to the New York Post, the manuscript of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is estimated to be auctioned between $100,000 and $150,000,000. Some of the other items on display include the manuscripts for ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘We Are The Champions’ and ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ which are all autographed by Mercury.Roughly 1,500 items from his London home, which had gone untouched for 30 years, including a pair of his high-top Adidas sneakers, his aviator sunglasses, a personal leather jacket and other iconic Queen items are available to view.

Queen’s famous 1975 hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” was almost named “Mongolian Rhapsody” when frontman Freddie Mercury first wrote it.The inside intel comes from a new auction exhibition at Sotheby’s Auction House in London, “Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own,” which shows some of his private collection and belongings.Some of Mercury’s songwriting drafts will be on display, including a draft of “Bohemian Rhapsody” scribbled on a piece of stationery from the now-defunct airline, British Midland Airways.The draft spans 15 pages and appears that he crossed out the word “Mongolian” and replaced it with the lyrics “Bohemian Rhapsody,” written in black and blue ballpoint pen and pencil.On the pieces of paper, it also shows that he changed the lyrics of the nearly six-minute-long song’s famous second verse – initially reading, “Mama, there’s a war began, I’ve got to leave tonight.”The final version of the song’s lyrics read, “Mama, just killed a man.”The Post reached out to Sotheby’s for further comment.The manuscript of “Bohemian Rhapsody” is estimated to be auctioned between $100,000 and $150,000,000.Mercury was the lead singer in the popular band “Queen,” and was also their songwriter.He wrote and composed many hits, including “Love of My Life,” “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” and “Seaside Rendezvous.”The talented artist died on November 24, 1991, after a battle with AIDS – just one day after he announced his diagnosis publicly, according to the band’s website.The song “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a clear chart-topper, and has been sold or streamed more than 10 million times in the United States, according to People.During a rare 1982 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mercury spoke more about his musical process and artistic

Marta Balaga  Zoljargal Purevdash’s “If Only I Could Hibernate,” the first Mongolian film to be shown in Cannes’ official selection, marks another important step for the industry that’s ready to make some moves.  “Things are looking up,” observes the director, mentioning the newly established Mongolian National Film Council and Mongolian Film Fund. “Mongolia just introduced its new film law [which came into force in January 2022] so it’s really starting right now. I hope we will be able to make more films in the future.”  Her debut feature, presented at Un Certain Regard, was produced by Amygdala Films and France’s Urban Factory, with Urban Sales also on board. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Harvest Moon, the film that was last year selected as Mongolia’s Oscars contender, has secured distribution deals in Europe and Asia through sales agent Asian Shadows. Directed by Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam, as an adaptation of a novel by T. Bum-Erdene, the narrative tells of the encounter between a man, who unexpectedly returns from the big city to the countryside and then stays on to take up an agricultural role, and boy being brought up by his grandparents. Both are forced to re-evaluate what they had taken for granted. The film had its world premiere last year at the Vancouver festival, where it won the audience award and followed that with further audience award at FESCAAL Milan and two more prizes at the Miworld Young Film Festival Milan. Additionally, Tenuum-Erdene Garamkhand who played the role of the young boy collected the best actor award at the Fribourg IFF.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired the international rights of Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s debut feature “City of Wind.” The film is in post-production and will be ready for a world premiere in fall 2023. Purev-Ochir is known for several high-profile short films, including “Mountain Cat,” which was in Cannes Competition in 2020, and won best short in Busan in 2020, and “Snow in September,” which was awarded the Golden Lion for best short in Venice, and best short in Toronto last year. Ze is a timid 17-year-old shaman. He studies hard at school to succeed in the cold, callous society of modern Mongolia, while communing with his ancestral spirit to help those in his community. But when Ze encounters Maralaa, his senses are awakened and another reality seems possible.

Zoljargal Purevdash’s debut feature If Only I Could Hibernate tells the story of a teenager living in the yurt district of Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, who is determined to win a physics competition and earn a scholarship to a good school. 

Have you watched season two of Sweet Tooth yet on Netflix? If not, what are you waiting for?!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Malaysian social drama “Abang Adik” was named best film and winner of the Golden Mulberry prize on Sunday at the Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine. The film is a story of two undocumented and orphaned men, who may or may not be real brothers, but who lift each other up. The film’s director Jin Ong collected the White Mulberry prize for best debut feature and “Abang Adik” added a third prize decided by the festival’s season pass holders. Second place on the podium went to South Korea with Chang Hang-jun’s “Rebound,” while third place went to “Yudo,” by Japan’s Suzuki Masayuki. 

Fashion designer Dame Mary Quant, who was widely credited with popularising the mini skirt, has died at the age of 93, her family said, and tributes to the fashion icon have poured in.The British fashion designer died peacefully at her home in Surrey on Thursday morning, a statement from her family to the PA news agency said. "Dame Mary Quant died peacefully at home in Surrey, UK, this morning," the statement read.

EXCLUSIVE: Bear Grylls has unveiled an original content slate for Outdoors.com, the adventure site and streaming platform he recently acquired alongside Nashville-based digital investor Savage Ventures.

Marcus Lim Africa is turning out to be an unlikely market for Chinese television producers, according to one production executive. Hou Hong Liang, chairman of Chinese television production company Daylight Entertainment revealed his amazement at meeting African fans of Chinese television stars in a recent trip to the continent, even as he bemoaned the lower profitability of the region. “We had African fans coming to the airport to meet the cast for one of our recent productions. I was amazed to see we had fans in Africa. I thought they wouldn’t understand our culture, but they did. I don’t think Africa is a true market yet, our IP is not valued as much. We have to nurture the audience, so we sell our IP at a lower price to African broadcasters.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, is back in full force in 2023, celebrating its 25th anniversary edition from April 21–29. A key component of the celebrations will be a focus on the Asian films of the 1980s. “We have never programmed these films, nor put together this kind of program before,” says Thomas Bertacche, the FEFF’s co-head. “But these were the films and directors that inspired us to shape Udine into the festival that it is today.” Pitching the historical lineup as “hidden treasures,” the selection is expected to include early works by Japan’s Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Thailand’s Nonzee Nimibutr and South Korea’s Jan Sung-woo.

EXCLUSIVE: Raven Banner has picked up worldwide sales rights to Mongolian-language horror film Aberrance, which will receive its North American premiere at SXSW in the Midnighters section.

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.

Constance Wu is pregnant. The 40-year-old actress has confirmed via social media that she's expecting her second child with boyfriend Ryan Kattner. Alongside a photo of her growing baby bump, Constance - who already has a two-year-old daughter with Ryan - wrote on her Instagram Story: "Bun in the oven.

Constance Wu has some big news to share!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema has unveiled its 85-title lineup for the edition that starts later this month (February 28 to March 7, 2023). Elements include a 10-film competition section, a 10-film documentary film section, a tribute to the Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu; a thematic section “Asian Diaspora Cinema” offering a panorama of works by directors from Asian countries living in exile; and a Philippines cinema sidebar. Fiction films in competition include: Azerbaijan’s “Cold as Marble,” by Asif Rustamov; China’s “In Our Prime,” by Liu Yulin; Korea’s “A Letter from Kyoto,” by Kim Min-ju; India’s: “Behind Veils,” by Praveen Morshhale; Iran’s “No End,” by Nader Saievar; Mongolia’s “The Sales Girl,” by Sengedorj Janchivdorj; The Philippines’s “Feast,” by Brillante Mendoza; Singapore’s “#LookAtMe,” by Ken Kwek; and Vietnam’s “Memento Mori: Earth,” by Marcus Vu Manh Cuong. The president of the jury is Lee Yong-kwan, president of the Busan film festival.

Constance Wu is expecting her second child with boyfriend Ryan Kattner.

Constance Wu is expecting her second child. The ‘Fresh off the Boat’ actress, 40, who already has a two-year-old daughter with boyfriend Ryan Kattner, 42, has been photographed with her baby bump on show while walking through a park in Los Angeles. Page Six, which carried the images, which were taken earlier this week, in an article on Thursday (16.

That’s My Jam is coming to Germany and the leads of rock band Tokio Hotel are onboard to present.

EXCLUSIVE: Activist Artists Management has signed award-winning Mongolian filmmaker Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir. She’ll be represented at the full-service music and talent management firm by Bernie Cahill and Jon Kanak.

EXCLUSIVE: RRR and Thor star Ray Stevenson has been set to lead cast in historical drama 1242: Gateway to the West, which is now filming in Budapest, Hungary.

This Is Me…Now, is something of a follow-up to This Is Me…Then, which was released in 2002 during her initial relationship with now-husband Ben Affleck. Discussing this evolution requires thought, openness, and a look that pays homage to where Lopez has been and where she’s going. Along with a slicked pony and hoops, Lopez’s ultimate beauty punctuation came from her buttery manicure, heavily showcased as she gesticulated her way through . This content can also be viewed on the site it from.This content can also be viewed on the site it from.Rather than that J.Lo has been favoring as of late, nail artist painted the pop star’s elongated manicure in a light, almost cream-colored yellow, the buttery shade providing a chic levity to Jennifer Lopez’s look (the blue Mongolian fur collar helped, too).

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Saruul is studying to be an engineer when she agrees to take the last job her cosmopolitan but still relatively conservative Mongolian parents would ever imagine their daughter doing: selling intimacy aids (of the vibrating, silicone and inflatable variety) in a basement-level sex shop. Technically, Saruul’s just filling in for a shy friend at school who trusts her to be discreet, but this temporary gig has a subtle yet life-changing impact on the title character, who looks like she could be 14 years old at first, but blossoms into a more self-aware young woman over “The Sales Girl’s” slightly overlong running time. The top prize winner of the New York Asian Film Festival, veteran director Sengedorj Janchivdorj’s umpteenth feature takes a frank, sex-positive approach to the titillating world in which it’s set. But that doesn’t make this an erotic film. Instead, “The Sales Girl” focuses mostly on the unlikely friendship between Saruul (Bayartsetseg Bayangerel) and her Russian-speaking boss Katya (Enkhtuul Oidovjamts), a surly ex-dancer who takes a linking to her naive new employee. In a funny way, the film shares the slightly edgy but ultimately sentimental vibe of certain underground comics (“Ghost World” comes to mind) or the work of American indie director Sean Baker, whose last four features (dating back to “Starlet,” the film this most resembles) have had the honesty to acknowledge the role sexuality plays in modern life and commerce.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Munich-based Beta Film, one of Europe’s biggest truly independent TV-film groups, has licensed to PPCW Media for Hong Kong and Macau International Emmy winner “Atlantic Crossing,” starring Kyle MacLachan and Sofia Helin. PPC Media has also acquired Alejandro Amenábar’s Movistar Plus+ original “La Fortuna,” with Stanley Tucci and Clarke Peters, a tale of piracy, court room battles and historical justice set between the U.S. and Spain. Reaching more remote places, Beta has also closed Mongolia with Hulegu Media, on “Sisi” a mix of sex, politics and period glam from RTL, Beta and Story House, a modern mindset take on a film icon.