Shanghai on map of china

EXCLUSIVE: Disney ’s Carol Choi has seen it all in the East Asian entertainment business, working for the studio in various roles in China from 2006, then heading up The Walt Disney Company Korea, before being appointed Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Japan. She currently wears two hats, also serving as EVP Original Content Strategy, across the Asia Pacific region. Disney moved into Asian local-language content in a big way in 2021, unveiling a bumper slate of Korean, Japanese and Indonesian originals for its Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar streaming platforms, followed by another wave of content announcements late last year. Choi oversees the studio’s long-term collaborations and partnerships with content creators and artists across the region, including a deal struck last year with Korean entertainment giant HYBE , home of the world’s biggest boy band, BTS . Two shows under that deal are already streaming – concert film BTS: Permission To Dance On … [Read more...] about Disney’s Carol Choi Talks BTS And Super Junior K-Pop Docs, Korean Crime Drama And Passion Projects In Japan

The Berlinale ’s European Film Market was the last major physical market to take place in 2020 as the world began shutting down because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus would force the event online in 2021 and 2022. The EFM’s traditional home of the Gropius Bau looked strangely empty last February, playing host to an exhibition by South African artist Zanele Muholi, as the event unfolded online alongside a scaled-down physical festival. Its vast atrium and halls are set to be packed with hundreds of stands and thousands of professionals once again this year for EFM’s 2023 edition, running February 16-22. Both the Gropius Bau and the market’s other key exhibition space of the Marriott Hotel are already fully booked. “The good news for us is that we are completely at the same level in terms of accreditations as we were at this time of the year in 2020. This means that we are forecast to reach the same amount of market participants,” EFM director Dennis Ruh . As … [Read more...] about Berlin’s EFM Boss Reveals Size Of U.S. & Asia Contingents, Talks Growing Importance Of TV

Refresh for latest …: The global and international box office had a wild weekend this session amid the continued advancement of Avatar : The Way of Water and a mega-comeback for Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan, while China ’s Lunar New Year period concluded as the market’s second-best ever. Taking Avatar: The Way of Water first, it had already scaled up to become the No. 4 highest-grossing global release ever through Friday. Through Sunday, the James Cameron sci-fi adventure has reached an estimated $2.117B . It remains the fourth biggest movie on the worldwide chart, and should top Cameron’s own Titanic in the coming week or so to land at No. 3 (though there is an impending Valentine’s Day rerelease of Titanic afloat). The international box office through today on WoW is estimated at $1.496B after a $42.4M seventh frame in 52 material markets. That was a drop of just 28% from last session. It remains the No. 4 biggest offshore release ever … [Read more...] about ‘Avatar 2’ Tops $2.1B WW; ‘Pathaan’ Breaks Records For Bollywood; Chinese New Year Success Makes Hope Spring – International Box Office

Refresh for latest …: James Cameron’s Avatar : The Way of Water continues to outdo itself having crossed $1.8B globally and reaching nearly $1.9B at the worldwide box office through this weekend. The estimated global cume through Sunday is $1.894B . Avatar 2 still ranks as the No. 7 biggest movie of all time. Ahead of it at No. 6 is Spider-Man: No Way Home with $1.921B, so it should overtake that early this week. After strong mid-weeks, the 20th Century Studios/Disney sequel added $88.6M at the international box office this weekend (-36%), bringing its offshore total to $1.331B . It remains the No. 5 biggest overseas release ever, behind Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, Titanic and Avengers: Infinity War . It’s closing in on Infinity War ($1.37B) to jump up a notch on the international chart. It is already the top release internationally of the pandemic era. China is still the top market, passing $200M to land at $211.8M through Sunday. It is now the … [Read more...] about ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Nears $1.9B WW As It Closes In On ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ – International Box Office

Seven premiering productions will compete for the Berlinale Series Award next month, with one further world exclusive launch screening out of competition. The winner of the Berlinale Series Award , which was created in cooperation with Deadline, will be chosen on at a presentation ceremony taking place on Wednesday, February 22, by an international jury consisting of actor André Holland ( The Eddy ; Bones and All; Moonlight ); international exec Dana Stern, who founded Shtisel, and Your Honor firm Yes Studios; and screenwriter Mette Heeno, who created Splitting Up Together and Snow Angels . In its ninth edition, the Berlin Film Festival TV screenings will in total present eight world and international premieres, with projects from India, China, Italy and Romania included from the likes of Disney+ and HBO Max. Among those fronting these shows are Silver Bear winner Zhang Dalei, who returns to Berlin after winning for his short Day is Done in 2020, and … [Read more...] about Berlinale Series Unveils Eight World Premieres & TV Jury

2nd Update, 7:14 PM: “This is about changing people’s lives, this is about freedom,” said Jeffrey Tambor tonight backstage at the Golden Globes after accepting the the Best Actor in Television Series – Comedy or Musical award. “Jill (Soloway) transformed my life and changed my life. I was given this role called Maura Pfefferman and it’s been the most transformative role and the most challenging,” the actor remarked of his transgendered role on Transparent . “I’m 70 years old, this doesn’t happen every day. This was not for the reviews, the rewards, but to get it right.” Tonight’s GG win was the first for the 6-time Emmy nominated Tambor. The actor also held nothing back in his praise of Amazon Studios . “Amazon and Joe (Lewis) were behind me,” he said of the Jeff Bezos formed company, “they have guts and they have taste.” Tambor’s remarks on the studio and its support echo those of Soloway late last year . Today’s wins were the first major awards for Amazon with the series … [Read more...] about ‘Transparent’ Wins Two Golden Globes With Best TV Series & Best Actor – Comedy Or Musical

Walt Disney , Stanley Kubrick and Stan Lee are the 2019 inductees into the Visual Effects Society Hall of Fame for their towering contributions to screen spectacle and the pursuit of wondrous, effects-enhanced storytelling. The VES Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of “a select group of professionals and pioneers who have played a significant role in advancing the field of visual effects by invention, science, contribution or avocation of the art, science, technology and/or communications.” Few individuals qualify for induction as much as this year’s three inductees, who are led by Disney (1901-1966), the visionary entrepreneur and pioneering force in American entertainment and popular culture. The 26-time Oscar winner also gave the world Disneyland and launched one of television’s first great franchises, The Wonderful World of Disney , which aired weekly for more than four decades. Kubrick (1928-1999) remains a revered figure of fascination two … [Read more...] about VES Awards: Walt Disney, Stanley Kubrick & Stan Lee Tapped For Visual Effects Society Hall Of Fame

EXCLUSIVE: The new House Democratic leadership will appear this week at an event at the home of Byron Allen and Jennifer Lucas as the party sets its sights on the 2024 cycle. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries , Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar are scheduled for the Friday event, which is being billed as a “DCCC Political Update.” The event, organized by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , also will feature former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , who has been a powerhouse on the fundraising circuit. Also on the bill, according to an invite, is DCCC chairwoman Suzan DelBene, who represents a district in Washington. With Congress out of session this week, the event is part of a fund-raising tour by the Democratic leaders, per Punchbowl News. The 2024 cycle naturally will focus on the presidential contest, but Democrats will be just five seats shy of winning back the majority in the House, while they face a challenging map … [Read more...] about New House Democratic Leaders To Court Hollywood, L.A. Support At Event At Home Of Byron Allen

EXCLUSIVE: Cristo Fernández ( Ted Lasso , Spiderman: No Way Home ) has wrapped on the comedy Sisters , written by and starring Marta Cross ( Criminal Minds ), Valeria Maldonado ( Coco ), and Virginia Novello ( Gone ). Fernández executive produces and stars in the film via his Espectro MX Films banner. An exclusive trailer for Sisters can be viewed above. With their lives unraveling around them, three Mexican American sisters reunite, after years of estrangement, to complete their beloved grandmother’s pilgrimage through rural Mexico. With no hiking experience, little reception, and an old map, the sisters walk the sacred trail to Talpa de Allende and find help along the way from Kin (Fernández), a local with a dark past. They must work together through their differences in order to reach the end and find their miracle. Sisters also stars Adam Mayfield ( Ford vs Ferrari ), Maya Zapata ( Under the Same Moon ), Ignacio Riva Palacio ( Rosario … [Read more...] about ‘Ted Lasso’s’ Cristo Fernández Wraps Production On ‘Sisters’ Starring Marta Cross, Valeria Maldonado & Virginia Novello

Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen is on a roll – his English-language debut Drift is premiering at Sundance Film Festival , he has Chinese-language drama The Breaking Ice being readied for festival play later this year, and several other directing projects in different languages at various stages of development and pre-production. Drift , which stars Cynthia Erivo as a Liberian refugee scratching out an existence on a Greek island, is thematically not a million miles away from Chen’s previous two features – Ilo Ilo and Wet Season – in that they’re stories about outsiders or people struggling to find their place in the world and fit in. “I seem to gravitate to telling stories about outsiders and the bonds, or the human connections, that we make between strangers,” says Chen, who has some experience with feeling dislocated, as he grew up in Singapore but spent many years living in the UK. Chen shot the film, based on Alexander Maksik’s 2013 novel A Marker To … [Read more...] about Anthony Chen Talks Sundance Title ‘Drift’, Upcoming Projects And Plans To Shoot In Hong Kong