News

The 35th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) opened on the evening of 28 November, setting the stage for a vibrant celebration of Asian cinema. Held at the iconic Capitol Theatre, the evening saw the Southeast Asian premiere of Singaporean director Yeo Siew Hua‘s award-winning psychological thriller Stranger Eyes, marking the first of 105 films from over 48 countries — 80% of which are from Asia — to be showcased during the festival.

The evening’s red carpet was graced by Guest of Honour President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Distinguished Guest Minister Josephine Teo, as well as Stranger Eyes director Yeo Siew Hua and cast members Lee Kang-sheng, Wu Chien-ho, and Xenia Tan. Lee was also honoured with the festival’s Screen Icon Award, which pays homage to an actor’s exceptional contributions to bringing Asian stories to life on screen.

Other stars, including Sgiff’s inaugural festival ambassador Mediacorp Artiste Rebecca Lim, and the Small Hours of the Night team,...

The superhero movie “Venom: The Last Dance” remained the top film at China’s box office last weekend. For the second week in a row, it brought in 104 million yuan ($14.6 million). This keeps the film as one of the most successful international releases in China this year.

The sequel, called “Venom 3” overseas, has now earned over 70.8 million yuan (US$10.3 million) in China after 12 days in theaters. This puts it ahead of other recent major Hollywood films like “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which made 60.6 million yuan, and “Oppenheimer” with earnings of 63.3 million yuan. Box office analysts say these numbers show the film’s broad appeal, especially given recent challenges for Western films in China after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last Saturday, the movie took in 7 million yuan from over 100,000 screenings. This makes it the second highest for any comic book sequel’s second Saturday, only behind “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and its 8.9 million yuan earnings.

“Venom: The Last Dance” held top spot at the mainland China box office for the second consecutive weekend. It beat newly released Andy Lau-starring thriller “Cesium Fallout.”

“Venom: The Last Dance” earned RMB104 million ($14.6 million) over the weekend, according to data from consultancy service Artisan Gateway. That is more than 50% lower than its debut weekend, but still lifts the film to a $70.8 million cumulative after 12 days on release. That is a pace very similar to “Alien: Romulus” in China and could see “Venom” among the top three Hollywood films in China this year.

Opening in second place, “Cesium Fallout” earned $9.8 million in its opening weekend. Produced through Hong Kong’s Edko Films and starring Hong Kongers Andy Lau and Karen Mok, the film (previously titled “Burning City” and “Fallout”) is billed as China’s first nuclear radiation disaster film. It was directed by Anthony Pun, with Alibaba Pictures handling the China release.

Burmese filmmaker Midi Z caused a stir and gained good notices with his 2019 film Nina Wu, which dealt with the exploitation of women in entertainment, and was released in the midst of the global #MeToo movement, a long overdue public reckoning for powerful men who had committed acts of sexual violence and misconduct.

Selected for the main competition at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, Z’s new film, The Unseen Sister, outwardly at least, has similar themes to Nina Wu — that is, the habitual abuse of women in the entertainment industry as well as the trials of women at the margins of society.

Adapted from Zhang Yueran’s book Unseen Sister, the film tells the story of two sisters, one who is born officially as Qiao Yan and the other who takes on the name of Qiao Yan but lives in a twilight world of illegality, under the constant threat of being discovered.

Mainland Chinese film and TV studio Linmon Media says it is expanding its commitment to the costume drama series genre.

At this week’s Tiffcom film and TV rights market, which takes place alongside the Tokyo International Film Festival, gave updates on four costume drama series and other contemporary shows. These will release through 2025 and early 2026.

Executives were also in Tokyo for the international launch of “The Unseen Sister,” the company’s Midi Z-directed mystery drama film that played in the Tokyo International Film Festival’s main competition. The film had its commercial release in China on Saturday and has earned $15.7 million in its first seven days.

Previously announced, and the closest of its series to completion, is “Moonlit Reunion,” a romantic-fantasy drama, set in Chang An city during the Tang Dynasty period and starring Xu Kai and Tian Xiwei. Tencent Video has the title for China while Linmon...

Shanghai-based Linmon Pictures is hoping another ambitious slate of high-end period dramas will give a boost to its expanding international business.

On the second day of Tokyo’s Tiffcom entertainment market, which runs in parallel with the Tokyo International Film Festival, gave an update on its ongoing mission to diversify beyond the domestic China market. The company touted a slew of new period dramas it has planned for 2025 and 2026, as well as projects in other genres.

The company’s slate includes four costume dramas spanning various hybrid genres. Moonlit Reunion is a fantasy drama starring Xu Kai and Tian Xiwei, set “in an interwoven world of demons and Chang’an city, creating a distinctive supernatural atmosphere.” A Dream within a Dream will be a period romantic comedy featuring Yitong Li and Yuning Liu, “combining traditional Wei and Jin aesthetics with cyberpunk elements to fuse ancient culture with futuristic mechanical design.

The 37th Tokyo International Film Festival began its 10-day run on October 28 with a colorful Red Carpet event featuring Japanese and international cinema luminaries, ahead of the TIFF Opening Ceremony.

The Red Carpet festivities got underway with brief stage appearances by over 200 filmmakers, actors and luminaries from across sections of the festival, as well as the TIFF juries. They then moved along the 162-meter serpentine walk, stopping for multiple autographs and selfies with fans from far and wide before arriving at the elegant staircase leading into the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. The theater was built in the style of yesteryear’s grand movie houses, providing the perfect backdrop for TIFF’s Opening Ceremony.

Among the international luminaries making the stroll were Chinese actor Zhao Liying and director Midi Z (at TIFF with the film The Unseen Sister); Hong Kong actor Michael Hui (The Last Dance); Taiwanese director Huang Xi and Hong...

A brief moment that determined the vastly different destinies, fortunes and identities of two sisters from Yunnan on the China-Myanmar border is at the heart of “The Unseen Sister,” a mix of crime suspense and family drama that takes time to warm up before coming home strongly in the second half. Adapted from elements of Zhang Yueran’s 2017 novella, “Sister” is the most commercial film yet by leading Taiwanese filmmaker Midi Z. After opening with a bang domestically on Oct. 26, “Sister” launched internationally in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival.

As with much of Midi Z’s work, his latest film touches on aspects of his personal background. Of Chinese descent and born in Myanmar, Midi Z moved to Taiwan as a teenager and became a Taiwanese citizen. Interestingly, several of his credits on the end roll appear as “Midi Z,.” Though most of “Sister” takes place in Beijing, the...

The 35th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival has unveiled its full lineup, which features 105 films from 45 countries, with 80% of the selections hailing from Asia.

Held from 28 November to 8 December, the festival will hold special gala presentations for two films, The Fable and The Unseen Sister, with selected talents from each film in attendance.

International highlights this year include the horror-comedy Nightbitch featuring Amy Adams, The Shrouds by David Cronenberg, Grand Tour by Cannes-award winning director Miguel Gomes, and a newly restored version of Bong Joon-ho’s debut feature Barking Dogs Never Bite, which will have its international premiere at Sgiff.

The festival will also present the Screen Icon Award, which recognises exceptional Asian talents, to Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng.

For the first time, each festival section will have an opening film that embodies the spirit of its category, with all of them hail from the Asian region.

Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has unveiled the full programme for its 35th edition, which includes honorary awards for Taiwanese actors Lee Kang-sheng and Yang Kuei-mei, and the launch of a Sgiff Industry Days conference.

Set to run from November 28 - December 8, the festival will continue to champion local and regional voices, with Asian cinema representing 80% of the line-up. The full selection comprises 105 films from 45 countries and features recurring themes of migration and displacement as well as the influence of technology on the medium of film.

The Asian Feature Film Competition, the festival’s main competition section, showcases nine features by promising directors across Asia,...

Japan’s prime minster Shigeru Ishiba delivered a message of support to the local film industry during the opening of the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) on Monday (October 28).

Speaking via video message, Ishiba said work was underway to further develop Japan’s screen industries.

“The Japanese content industry has an export scale comparable to that of the steel and semiconductor industries,” said the prime minister. “The source of its competitiveness lies in the individual creators such as film directors and those on the production floor, along with their companies. The government is working to lay the groundwork to...

The Singapore International Film Festival is marking its 35th edition with 105 films from 45 countries, with Asian titles comprising 80% of the program.

Running Nov. 28-Dec. 8, the fest will host three world premieres of Singapore features, including Ong Keng-Sen’s “The House of Janus,” Wong Chen-Hsi’s “City of Small Blessings,” adapted from Simon Tay’s novel, and Jason Soo’s documentary “Al Awda.”

Among the international highlights are Amy Adams-starrer “Nightbitch,” David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” and a restored version of Bong Joon-ho’s feature debut “Barking Dogs Never Bite.”

Two special gala presentations are scheduled: Raam Reddy’s “The Fable,” starring Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee, and Myanmar-born Taiwanese filmmaker Midi Z’s “The Unseen Sister,” featuring Zhao Liying and Xin Zhilei.

The fest will present its Screen Icon Award to Taiwanese talents Yang Kuei-mei and Lee Kang-sheng. Yang, a four-time Sgiff performance award winner, recently appeared in “Yen and Ai-Lee,...

Worldwide box office October 18-20 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Venom: The Last Dance(Sony) $175m $175m $124m $124m 65 2. The Wild Robot(Universal) $24.1m $232.3m $17.6m $121m 80 3. Smile 2(Paramount) $22m $83.7m $12.6m $43m 68 4. The Unseen Sister(various) $9.7m $9.7m $9.7m $9.7m 1 5. L’Amour Ouf(Studiocanal) $7.1m $16.4m $7.1m $16.4m 1 6. Conclave(various) $6.5m $6.5m N/A N/A 1 7. Terrifier 3(various) $5.8m $53m $1.5m $9.9m 13 8. We Live In Time(various) $5m $12.4m $113,000 $658,000 6 9. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice(Warner Bros) $4.9m $441.8m $1.7m $153.1m 73 10. The Volunteers: To The War 2(various) $4.5m $163.2m $4.5m $163.2m 2

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.

“Venom: The Last Dance” delivered on its pre-release buzz in mainland China with an opening weekend that was the second biggest this year by a Hollywood movie.

The third film in the “Venom” trilogy earned RMB221 million ($31.1 million) in the conventional Friday-Sunday definition of the weekend in China, according to consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. But “Venom: The Last Dance” actually enjoyed an out of synch Wednesday opening and finished Sunday evening with a $45.9 million five-day cumulative.

Local data providers show that the film topped the box office charts on each of the five days it was on release, with Saturday by far the highest. On that day it played some 150,000 screening sessions and collected a fraction over $14 million.

Premium screen provider, Imax reported that the film earned $6 million, or roughly 14% of its China five-day total, on its screens.

The weekend opening is the second biggest this year by a Hollywood movie,...