Organised by the Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo International Film Festivals, and supported by Create HongKong and the Film Development Fund, the Asian Film Awards Academy (Academy or Afaa) has spearheaded efforts to promote Asian cinema around the world year-round. As part of the Asian Film Awards (Afa), its flagship event and the largest celebration of Asian cinema in the world, the Academy appoints an emerging Asian star every year as Youth Ambassador to act as the face of the awards and to take part in outreach activities. For the first time in its history, the Academy has appointed not one, but four celebrated Asian stars as the Youth Ambassadors of the 17th Afa: (in alphabetical order) Liu Kuan-Ting, Mario Maurer, Miyazawa Hio and Will Or.
Embodying numerous countries and cultures, Asia is a region that is rich in diversity, and that diversity has always been reflected in its films,...
Embodying numerous countries and cultures, Asia is a region that is rich in diversity, and that diversity has always been reflected in its films,...
- 12/28/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So, we’re going to do the hard work for you.
This week we’re featuring Taweewat Wantha’s Thai horror pic Tee Yod (aka Death Whisperer). A smash in its home market, it set an opening day record for the year in late October and has the distinction of being the first Thai film ever released in IMAX.
Name: Tee Yod (Death Whisperer)
Country: Thailand
Producers: Major Join Film, Bec World, M Studio
Distributor: M Pictures
For fans of: Shutter, Pee Mak, supernatural horror
Following quickly in the footsteps of another 2023 Thai horror hit,...
This week we’re featuring Taweewat Wantha’s Thai horror pic Tee Yod (aka Death Whisperer). A smash in its home market, it set an opening day record for the year in late October and has the distinction of being the first Thai film ever released in IMAX.
Name: Tee Yod (Death Whisperer)
Country: Thailand
Producers: Major Join Film, Bec World, M Studio
Distributor: M Pictures
For fans of: Shutter, Pee Mak, supernatural horror
Following quickly in the footsteps of another 2023 Thai horror hit,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Location, Location, Location
Entertainment, sports and brand licensing firms WildBrain Cplg and WildBrain Ltd. have brokered location-based entertainment (Lbe) deals on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide for “Peanuts,” “Teletubbies” and “In the Night Garden” with China’s Max-Matching Entertainments. These are expected to lead to the opening of family entertainment centers and IP-themed hotel rooms for each brand in Beijing, in Zhongshan City, Guangdong and a third city yet to be announced. These will roll out over the next five years.
The moves come at a time when WildBrain Cplg is expanding its Asia-focused teams. These include the Los Angeles-based veteran licensing executive, Kevin Suh who is former president of themed entertainment & consumer products at Paramount Pictures. Suh was also a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America and a lawyer in California. Shanghai-based Evi Sari joins as VP of Lbe in Apac and the Gcc. She was previously...
Entertainment, sports and brand licensing firms WildBrain Cplg and WildBrain Ltd. have brokered location-based entertainment (Lbe) deals on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide for “Peanuts,” “Teletubbies” and “In the Night Garden” with China’s Max-Matching Entertainments. These are expected to lead to the opening of family entertainment centers and IP-themed hotel rooms for each brand in Beijing, in Zhongshan City, Guangdong and a third city yet to be announced. These will roll out over the next five years.
The moves come at a time when WildBrain Cplg is expanding its Asia-focused teams. These include the Los Angeles-based veteran licensing executive, Kevin Suh who is former president of themed entertainment & consumer products at Paramount Pictures. Suh was also a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America and a lawyer in California. Shanghai-based Evi Sari joins as VP of Lbe in Apac and the Gcc. She was previously...
- 9/7/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Leading Thai production and sales company Gdh 559 is introducing comedy drama Not Friends and twin sister story You & Me & Me to buyers at Filmart, produced respectively by award-winning directors Baz Poonpiriya and Banjong Pisanthanakun.
The new films mark the first time both renowned filmmakers have acted as producer for other directors.
Baz is the director of Thai box office hit Bad Genius and Sundance award-winning One For The Road, while Banjong is the filmmaker behind acclaimed horror The Medium and Pee Mak, which became Thailand’s highest grossing-film of all time when it was released in 2013.
Not...
The new films mark the first time both renowned filmmakers have acted as producer for other directors.
Baz is the director of Thai box office hit Bad Genius and Sundance award-winning One For The Road, while Banjong is the filmmaker behind acclaimed horror The Medium and Pee Mak, which became Thailand’s highest grossing-film of all time when it was released in 2013.
Not...
- 3/13/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Mirror singer and actor Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming action thriller Chungking Mansions. Billed as Hong Kong’s biggest zombie film ever, the Phoenix Waters Productions pic, in co-production with Amm Global and Salon Films Japan, has also added Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korea’s Choi Si-Hun and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung.
They join previously announced cast members including Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singapore’s Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.
Chungking Mansions tells the story of a disparate group of people from across the globe who must climb the iconic Chungking Mansions building amidst a zombie outbreak in Hong Kong. Centered around an American seeking to rescue his pregnant wife, the action moves between people of all nationalities across the city who are undergoing their own journeys to survive.
Lo, who became the most Googled Hong Kong...
They join previously announced cast members including Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singapore’s Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.
Chungking Mansions tells the story of a disparate group of people from across the globe who must climb the iconic Chungking Mansions building amidst a zombie outbreak in Hong Kong. Centered around an American seeking to rescue his pregnant wife, the action moves between people of all nationalities across the city who are undergoing their own journeys to survive.
Lo, who became the most Googled Hong Kong...
- 3/14/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Upcoming action thriller to be sold at Filmart.
Hong Kong singer Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming zombie thriller Chungking Mansions, which is being discussed with buyers at Filmart Online this week.
Lo is a member of popular boyband Mirror and previously starred in hit Bl series Ossan’s Love.
Further additions to the cast include Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung. Davika Hoorne, known for Pee Mak, Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, also joins the cast, taking over a...
Hong Kong singer Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming zombie thriller Chungking Mansions, which is being discussed with buyers at Filmart Online this week.
Lo is a member of popular boyband Mirror and previously starred in hit Bl series Ossan’s Love.
Further additions to the cast include Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung. Davika Hoorne, known for Pee Mak, Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, also joins the cast, taking over a...
- 3/14/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Anson Lo, part of Hong Kong pop sensation Mirror, has joined the cast of “Chungking Mansions,” an ambitious zombie film that is currently in advanced preparation.
Alongside Lo, Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung join the previously announced Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singaporean actors Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.
Davika Hoorne, who previously starred in “Pee Mak,” Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, will also join. She takes over a role previously assigned to Angel Locsin as the assistant to the American protagonist’s pregnant wife.
Directed by banker turned producer and director Bizhan Tong (“The Escort”), the film tracks a diverse group of people who, following a zombie attack, try to break into Chungking Mansions. The labyrinthine building was made famous in Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” and is arguably the richest cultural...
Alongside Lo, Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung join the previously announced Japanese action star Rina Takeda and Singaporean actors Desmond Tan and Rebecca Lim.
Davika Hoorne, who previously starred in “Pee Mak,” Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, will also join. She takes over a role previously assigned to Angel Locsin as the assistant to the American protagonist’s pregnant wife.
Directed by banker turned producer and director Bizhan Tong (“The Escort”), the film tracks a diverse group of people who, following a zombie attack, try to break into Chungking Mansions. The labyrinthine building was made famous in Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” and is arguably the richest cultural...
- 3/14/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
In 2004, Banjong Pisanthanakun and then-collaborator Parkpoom Wongpoom kickstarted their directorial careers with “Shutter,” a supernatural thriller so effective it’s been remade (albeit to lesser effect) abroad three times to date. Less likely to translate that widely is Pisanthanakun’s latest solo effort, “The Medium.” Marking his return to straight horror after a couple romances and one more comedically slanted genre film (“Pee Mak”), this demonic possession saga is too thoroughly Thai in milieu and details to risk being just another derivative of “The Exorcist.”
Still, cultural specificity only brings so much freshness to an overlong tale that ultimately trades in too many familiar tropes, from the victim’s evil-grinning, black-gunk-spewing
hijinks to the deployment of a found-footage construct a la “Blair Witch.” There are perhaps too many ideas here, few of them novel, and none scary enough to keep these two-hours-plus taut. A watchable mixed bag that’s already been successful on home turf,...
Still, cultural specificity only brings so much freshness to an overlong tale that ultimately trades in too many familiar tropes, from the victim’s evil-grinning, black-gunk-spewing
hijinks to the deployment of a found-footage construct a la “Blair Witch.” There are perhaps too many ideas here, few of them novel, and none scary enough to keep these two-hours-plus taut. A watchable mixed bag that’s already been successful on home turf,...
- 10/14/2021
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Sales agency Finecut has secured a flurry of Asian and European deals for supernatural horror film “The Medium,” which is directed by Thailand’s Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Korea’s Na Hong-Jin.
From Europe, buyers include France’s The Jokers Films, and Koch Films for German-speaking Europe. Within Asia the film has been licensed to Edko Films for Hong Kong and Macau, to Encore Films for Indonesia and Malaysia, Synca Creations for Japan, Golden Village for Singapore, MovieCloud for Taiwan, M Pictures for Cambodia and Laos and Lumix Media for Vietnam.
Finecut executives report that they are now in advanced negotiations for a deal covering English-speaking territories.
The rural-set picture had its world premiere at the Bucheon international Fantastic Film Festival and there won the ‘Best of Bucheon’ award. It shifted into commercial release in Korea from Wednesday, and on opening day topped “Black Widow” with a $665,000 haul.
“After...
From Europe, buyers include France’s The Jokers Films, and Koch Films for German-speaking Europe. Within Asia the film has been licensed to Edko Films for Hong Kong and Macau, to Encore Films for Indonesia and Malaysia, Synca Creations for Japan, Golden Village for Singapore, MovieCloud for Taiwan, M Pictures for Cambodia and Laos and Lumix Media for Vietnam.
Finecut executives report that they are now in advanced negotiations for a deal covering English-speaking territories.
The rural-set picture had its world premiere at the Bucheon international Fantastic Film Festival and there won the ‘Best of Bucheon’ award. It shifted into commercial release in Korea from Wednesday, and on opening day topped “Black Widow” with a $665,000 haul.
“After...
- 7/16/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Buyers keen to get the next hit in the vein of The Chaser, The Yellow Sea and The Wailing.
South Korean sales company Finecut has done a raft of deals on Korea-Thailand shaman horror title The Medium, produced by Na Hong-jin and directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun.
The film made its world premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) where it won the top Best of Bucheon prize last night (July 15). It opened locally on July 14 and is sitting atop the box office chart so far with more than 253,000 admissions.
The Medium sold based on a promo reel to...
South Korean sales company Finecut has done a raft of deals on Korea-Thailand shaman horror title The Medium, produced by Na Hong-jin and directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun.
The film made its world premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) where it won the top Best of Bucheon prize last night (July 15). It opened locally on July 14 and is sitting atop the box office chart so far with more than 253,000 admissions.
The Medium sold based on a promo reel to...
- 7/16/2021
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
"A story about shamanism in Thailand..." An early promo trailer has debuted for a new supernatural horror film from Thailand titled The Medium, the latest from acclaimed Thai filmmaker Banjong Pisanthanakun. The film is being sold at the Cannes Market this year and is looking to get some extra buzz with this early trailer drop. The Medium is a rural horror thriller telling the story of a shaman's inheritance in the poor Isan region of Thailand. "The spirit that appears to be possessing a family member might not be the benevolent Goddess they believe it to be." Ohh that sounds very freaky. No cast is announced yet, but the film is being produced by fellow Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin. Horror fans definitely need to keep an eye out for this. It looks utterly terrifying. Here's the promo trailer (+ poster) for Banjong Pisanthanakun's The Medium, from YouTube ...
- 6/2/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The creepy fascination for shamanism that continues to exist in modern-day Thailand and Korea will be on full display this summer in “The Medium.” The film is now confirmed for a July commercial release and may be in line for a midnight screening berth in a major festival.
Korean distributor Showbox is gearing up for the film’s outing in cinemas with the release of a first trailer. July and August are prime months for horror in Korea where local audiences believe that on-screen chills provide relief from the oppressive summer heat outside.
The rural horror thriller (aka “Rang Zong”) is the story of a shaman’s inheritance in the poor Isan region of Thailand. And where the spirit that appears to be possessing a family member might not be the benevolent goddess they believe it to be.
“The Medium” is directed by Thailand’s Banjong Pisanthanakun who rejuvenated the...
Korean distributor Showbox is gearing up for the film’s outing in cinemas with the release of a first trailer. July and August are prime months for horror in Korea where local audiences believe that on-screen chills provide relief from the oppressive summer heat outside.
The rural horror thriller (aka “Rang Zong”) is the story of a shaman’s inheritance in the poor Isan region of Thailand. And where the spirit that appears to be possessing a family member might not be the benevolent goddess they believe it to be.
“The Medium” is directed by Thailand’s Banjong Pisanthanakun who rejuvenated the...
- 6/2/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
’The Medium’ is directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Na Hong-jin.
South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international sales rights to Thai horror film The Medium (previously known as Rang-Zong), directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Na Hong-jin.
It marks the first producing credit for the Korean director of The Chaser and The Wailing. Both of those thrillers played in Cannes official selection in 2008 and 2016 respectively, with Finecut representing them for international sales.
The Medium is in post-production and Finecut is launching sales at EFM. The film is backed and locally distributed by Showbox in South...
South Korean sales company Finecut has picked up international sales rights to Thai horror film The Medium (previously known as Rang-Zong), directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Na Hong-jin.
It marks the first producing credit for the Korean director of The Chaser and The Wailing. Both of those thrillers played in Cannes official selection in 2008 and 2016 respectively, with Finecut representing them for international sales.
The Medium is in post-production and Finecut is launching sales at EFM. The film is backed and locally distributed by Showbox in South...
- 2/25/2021
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Top Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun and Korean director-turned-producer Na Hong-jin (“The Chaser”) have teamed to create new Thai horror film “The Medium.”
Now in post-production, “The Medium” is a horrifying story of a shaman’s inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. But the goddess that appears to have taken possession of a family member turns out not be as benevolent as it first appears.
The film (aka “Rang-Zong”) was developed by Na with the backing of Korean studio Showbox. Local production is by Thailand’s Gdh 559. Co-production is by Na’s company Northern Cross, with the film marking Na’s debut as a producer.
International rights are being handled by independent sales firm Finecut, which will launch the film at Berlin’s European Film Market. Finecut previously handled two of Na’s earlier films “The Chaser” and “The Wailing,” both of which premiered in the Cannes festival’s official selection.
Now in post-production, “The Medium” is a horrifying story of a shaman’s inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. But the goddess that appears to have taken possession of a family member turns out not be as benevolent as it first appears.
The film (aka “Rang-Zong”) was developed by Na with the backing of Korean studio Showbox. Local production is by Thailand’s Gdh 559. Co-production is by Na’s company Northern Cross, with the film marking Na’s debut as a producer.
International rights are being handled by independent sales firm Finecut, which will launch the film at Berlin’s European Film Market. Finecut previously handled two of Na’s earlier films “The Chaser” and “The Wailing,” both of which premiered in the Cannes festival’s official selection.
- 2/25/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
France’s The Jokers Films has acquired French rights to the project, directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun.
The Wailing director Na Hong-jin is producing a Thai supernatural film, directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, whose 2013 Pee Mak is Thailand’s highest-grossing film of all time.
Major South Korean investor-distributor Showbox announced the project today (September 23) along with news that the film has been pre-sold to The Jokers Films for France.
The film, which deals with shamanism, has the Thai working title of Rang-Zong, meaning ‘medium’.
It will be Na’s first film since his bombshell Cannes horror title The Wailing in 2016. The Korean...
The Wailing director Na Hong-jin is producing a Thai supernatural film, directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, whose 2013 Pee Mak is Thailand’s highest-grossing film of all time.
Major South Korean investor-distributor Showbox announced the project today (September 23) along with news that the film has been pre-sold to The Jokers Films for France.
The film, which deals with shamanism, has the Thai working title of Rang-Zong, meaning ‘medium’.
It will be Na’s first film since his bombshell Cannes horror title The Wailing in 2016. The Korean...
- 9/23/2020
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Thai production house Gdh 559 is launching its inaugural slate with Banjong Pisanthanakun’s anticipated romance.
Banjong Pisanthanakun’s One Day is set to open on Sept 1 as the first title from the debut slate of new Thai production house Gdh 559, following the breakup of Gmm Tai Hub (Gth) last year.
The highly-anticipated romance film reunites Banjong with his leading man and co-screenwriter Chantavit “Ter” Dhanasevi (Hello Stranger).
The story follows Ter’s character who risks everything to be with his dream girl for just one day by pretending to be her boyfriend after she suffers temporary memory loss.
TV actress Nittha “Mew” Jirayungyurn makes her big screen debut in the film, which was mainly shot on location in Hokkaido, Japan.
Another upcoming Gdh title is New Year’s Gift, which is scheduled for release on Dec 1. The feel-good romantic drama is a three-part omnibus directed by Jira Maligool (The Tin Mine), Nithiwat Tharatorn (The Teacher’s Diary...
Banjong Pisanthanakun’s One Day is set to open on Sept 1 as the first title from the debut slate of new Thai production house Gdh 559, following the breakup of Gmm Tai Hub (Gth) last year.
The highly-anticipated romance film reunites Banjong with his leading man and co-screenwriter Chantavit “Ter” Dhanasevi (Hello Stranger).
The story follows Ter’s character who risks everything to be with his dream girl for just one day by pretending to be her boyfriend after she suffers temporary memory loss.
TV actress Nittha “Mew” Jirayungyurn makes her big screen debut in the film, which was mainly shot on location in Hokkaido, Japan.
Another upcoming Gdh title is New Year’s Gift, which is scheduled for release on Dec 1. The feel-good romantic drama is a three-part omnibus directed by Jira Maligool (The Tin Mine), Nithiwat Tharatorn (The Teacher’s Diary...
- 8/2/2016
- ScreenDaily
Thailand’s M Pictures has closed a string of sales on horror film Take Me Home, directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri, which it launched at Hong Kong’s Filmart earlier this month.
Following a pre-market sale to Cambodia’s Westec Media, the film has also gone to Suraya for Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Brunei; Inter Solusindo Film for Indonesia; and Dd Content Company for Vietnam and Myanmar.
Starring Thai superstar Mario Maurer (Pee Mak), the film follows a man who returns home after losing his memory and has a frightening encounter with his twin sister’s new family. Wannarot Sonthichai (Jan Dara) plays the sister, while the cast also includes Peter Noppachai (Headshot).
Kongkiat Khomsiri previously directed hit horrors Art Of The Devil 2, Art Of The Devil 3, Chaiya and Slice.
Take Me Home is scheduled to open in Thailand and Laos on April 13, while Cambodia’s Westec has pencilled in a July release.
Following a pre-market sale to Cambodia’s Westec Media, the film has also gone to Suraya for Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Brunei; Inter Solusindo Film for Indonesia; and Dd Content Company for Vietnam and Myanmar.
Starring Thai superstar Mario Maurer (Pee Mak), the film follows a man who returns home after losing his memory and has a frightening encounter with his twin sister’s new family. Wannarot Sonthichai (Jan Dara) plays the sister, while the cast also includes Peter Noppachai (Headshot).
Kongkiat Khomsiri previously directed hit horrors Art Of The Devil 2, Art Of The Devil 3, Chaiya and Slice.
Take Me Home is scheduled to open in Thailand and Laos on April 13, while Cambodia’s Westec has pencilled in a July release.
- 3/29/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
It's a very busy weekend for cinema lovers in Austin. First up, you've got the Austin Asian American Film Festival at the Marchesa. It's a welcome return for the festival, which was last held in 2009. The fest aims to turn the spotlight on films from Japan, South Korea, Myanmar Thailand, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and the United States. It kicked off last night and will run through Sunday. Tonight, you can catch a Taiwanese drama called Ice Poison and Pee Mak, a horror film that is the highest grossing film in the history of Thailand. Saturday's lineup includes a Vietnamese comedy called Funny Money and the festival's centerpiece, Andrew Lay and Andrew Loo's Revenge Of The Green Dragons, a film that features Martin Scorsese as an executive producer. Sunday will include the Indian documentary Tomorrow We Disappear and the Japanese comedy Cicada. The full lineup and ticket information...
- 11/14/2014
- by Matt Shiverdecker
- Slackerwood
The Luang Prabang Film Festival (Lpff) has announced its line-up for this year’s edition, including the world premiere of Lao omnibus Vientiane In Love, which opens the festival on December 6.
Produced by Lao New Wave Cinema, Vientiane In Love comprises five short films about love in the capital of Laos, directed by four up-and-coming filmmakers in Laos’ nascent film industry – Vannaphone Sitthirath, Anysay Keola, Xaisongkham Induangchanthy and Phanumad Disattha.
Lao New Wave previously produced thriller At The Horizon, which was one of the first commercial films to emerge from Laos in recent years. The festival will also screen the rest of Laos’ feature film output over the past year, including My Teacher, Really Love and Tuk Tuk.
The festival has also struck a partnership with Thai exhibitor Major Cineplex, which has opened theatres in Cambodia and is looking to expand into Laos. Major Cineplex execs will attend Lpff and select one of the festival’s films...
Produced by Lao New Wave Cinema, Vientiane In Love comprises five short films about love in the capital of Laos, directed by four up-and-coming filmmakers in Laos’ nascent film industry – Vannaphone Sitthirath, Anysay Keola, Xaisongkham Induangchanthy and Phanumad Disattha.
Lao New Wave previously produced thriller At The Horizon, which was one of the first commercial films to emerge from Laos in recent years. The festival will also screen the rest of Laos’ feature film output over the past year, including My Teacher, Really Love and Tuk Tuk.
The festival has also struck a partnership with Thai exhibitor Major Cineplex, which has opened theatres in Cambodia and is looking to expand into Laos. Major Cineplex execs will attend Lpff and select one of the festival’s films...
- 9/9/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Sixties doo-wop singer Frankie Valli has canceled a concert in Bangkok this week because of Thailand's political unrest, the event's promoter announced Monday. Promoter Bec-Tero Entertainment Pcl said Wednesday's performance was being scrapped "due to the current political situation and its associated difficulties, and for the safety and well-being of customers." Southeast Asia 2013 in Review: 'Pee Mak' Huge in Thailand, 'Iron Man 3' Lands in Myanmar The concert, billed as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, was to be held near one of several sites where protesters have been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister
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- 1/20/2014
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
From a breakaway box office hit in Bangkok to surprise wins at Cannes, to an Indonesian social movement inspired by a documentary about genocide, the fortunes of Southeast Asia's film industries were as wildly diverse as the region itself in 2013. Thai studio Gth smashed the country's box office record with ghost comedy Pee Mak. Iron Man 3's global domination stretched all the way to Myanmar, where the country's media and entertainment sectors continue to make gains after decades of military rule. Indonesia's monopolistic cinema sector prepared for a major shakeup, while Philippine cinema had a banner year, with more
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- 12/27/2013
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox has bagged six nominations at the 56th Asia-Pacific Film Festival including Best Film and Best Director.
Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have secured nominations in Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor categories respectively.
Rajeev Ravi has been nominated in Best Cinematography category for Monsoon Shootout.
The awards will be announced on December 15 in Macau. The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (Apff) is an annual event hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific (Fpa).
Best Picture:
“The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)
“Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)
“The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)
“Stray Dogs” (Taipei)
“Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)
“In Bloom” (Tbilisi)
Best Director:
Tsai Ming-liang, “Stray Dogs” (Taipei)
Bong Joon-ho, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)
Ritesh Batra, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)
Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi, “Closed Curtain” (Tehran)
Wong Kar-wai, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)
Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)
Best Actor:
Irrfan Khan, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)
Nick Cheung,...
Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have secured nominations in Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor categories respectively.
Rajeev Ravi has been nominated in Best Cinematography category for Monsoon Shootout.
The awards will be announced on December 15 in Macau. The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (Apff) is an annual event hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific (Fpa).
Best Picture:
“The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)
“Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)
“The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)
“Stray Dogs” (Taipei)
“Ilo Ilo” (Singapore)
“In Bloom” (Tbilisi)
Best Director:
Tsai Ming-liang, “Stray Dogs” (Taipei)
Bong Joon-ho, “Snowpiercer” (Seoul)
Ritesh Batra, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)
Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi, “Closed Curtain” (Tehran)
Wong Kar-wai, “The Grandmaster” (Hong Kong)
Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Like Father Like Son” (Tokyo)
Best Actor:
Irrfan Khan, “The Lunchbox” (Mumbai)
Nick Cheung,...
- 12/2/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Thai horror films have never quite found the same kind of international audience as their creepy cousins from Korean or Japan, in part due to the fact that the country’s genre outings tend to be more grounded in local beliefs and traditions. “Pee Mak” is a perfect case in point, a ghost comedy based around the ever-popular folk tale “Mae Nak Phra Khanong” and shot through with uniquely Thai humour and character. The film was directed by one of the country’s very top horror helmers in Bangjong Pisanthanakun, responsible for an impressive run of acclaimed spooky hits including “Shutter”, “Alone”, “4bia” and “Phobia 2”, and was a massive box office smash itself, emerging as the highest grossing domestic release of all time, as well as enjoying success in Hong Kong and Taiwan. As per the time-honoured story, the film is set during the war at the beginning of the Rattanakosin Dynasty,...
- 10/16/2013
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Re-inventing a classic Thai ghost story into a goofball comedy romance, seasoned director Banjong Pisanthanakun has scored a huge box office hit in his native Thailand. While unlikely to do the same kind of business outside South East Asia, Pee Mak Phrakanong is nevertheless an enjoyable and frequently laugh-out-loud crowd pleaser. Easily the most famous and successful horror filmmaker to emerge from Thailand in recent years, Banjong Pisanthanakun has scored a number of critical and commercial successes on the international stage with films such as Shutter and Alone. He recently directed a segment of Ant Timpson and Tim League's horror anthology The ABCs of Death (N is for Nuptials) and has now delivered the most successful Thai film of all time at the domestic box office. Pee Mak...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/2/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Horror comedies such as Pee Mak Phrakanong could be hot exports for Thailand's rapidly improving film industry
The flood of Chinese domestic blockbusters since the turn of the year is the strongest hint yet that the country is capable of being a Hollywood for Asia, and setting the cinema agenda for the region. But it's not the sole player around. At the end of March Thai audiences flocked to see horror comedy Pee Mak Phrakanong – based on the Mae Nak folktale about a man who returns from war and unwittingly settles back in with the ghost of his wife, who has died in childbirth. It had the second biggest opening (21.2m baht/£478,000) ever for a Thai film, and with over 300m baht to date, it is closing on the all-time box-office record (550m baht) held by 2001's war epic The Legend of Suriyothai.
Thai audiences seem to love their history:...
The flood of Chinese domestic blockbusters since the turn of the year is the strongest hint yet that the country is capable of being a Hollywood for Asia, and setting the cinema agenda for the region. But it's not the sole player around. At the end of March Thai audiences flocked to see horror comedy Pee Mak Phrakanong – based on the Mae Nak folktale about a man who returns from war and unwittingly settles back in with the ghost of his wife, who has died in childbirth. It had the second biggest opening (21.2m baht/£478,000) ever for a Thai film, and with over 300m baht to date, it is closing on the all-time box-office record (550m baht) held by 2001's war epic The Legend of Suriyothai.
Thai audiences seem to love their history:...
- 4/16/2013
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Banjong Pisanthanakun’s (who directed one of Thailand’s best ever and internationally successful horror films ‘Shutter’) latest foray in fright flicks aka Pee Mak Phrakanong has taken a different turn with very much a comedic theme, but that doesn’t seem to have put off local cinemas goers because its apparently just blown a big hole in Thai box office records. Seeing as it’s causing quite a stir, we thought we’d best take a look, and in our wanderings we’ve turned up the full trailer which some bright spark has very helpfully fan subbed. Pee Mak trailer...
- 4/11/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
Apparently the staff at Twitch aren't the only ones who have been awaiting Shutter and Alone co-director Banjong Pisanthanakun's horror comedy Pee Mak Phrakanong. Nope. Tucked away in a review at Wise Kwai is the note that Pee Mak has posted the second largest opening of a Thai film ever at the local box office, it's 21 million baht opening day take second only to the original Ong Bak, with the 100 million line crossed on the fourth day - meaning averages actually went up through the first week as word of mouth spread. So, yes, apparently the film is quite good though it sounds as though some of the comedy might be quite region-specific.Beyond the simple fact that we've been fans of Banjong here...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/5/2013
- Screen Anarchy
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