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Finally, they would have been 22. Thierry Frémaux reportedly received Bi Gan‘s third feature film at the last possible moment and the reason it wasn’t announced during the second wave is because the ever-unpredictable Chinese censors ensured an eleventh-hour type of inclusion. “Resurrection,” is part of 2025 Palme d’Or competition line-up – a first time for the Chinese filmmaker. Les Films du Losange (who repped other eleventh hour inclusions in Kristen Stewart’s The Chronology of Water and Nadav Lapid’s Yes) are the sales company backing this project.

Filmed in parts (beginning back in March of last year) the sci-fi detective tale starring Jackson Yee and Shu Qi (she was the muse of and had the honor of working on Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s very last feature The Assassin).…...

The Cannes Film Festival has added a final film to the competition, Bi Gan’s anticipated “Resurrection,” as well as Eugene Jarecki’s Julian Assange documentary “The Six Billion Dollar Man” in Special Screenings and Martin Bourboulon’s “13 Days, 13 Nights” out of competition.

The festival has also added Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s “Ma Frere” to Cannes Premiere.

“The Six Billion Dollar Man,” which follows Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, was pulled from Sundance earlier this year due to what Jareki described in a statement as “unexpected developments” in the story. The synopsis for “The Six Billion Dollar Man” reads: “Julian Assange faced a possible 175 years in prison for exposing U.S. war crimes until events took a turn in this landmark case.” Jareki previously won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize twice, in 2005 for “Why We Fight” and again in 2012 for “The House I Live In.”

“Resurrection” is...

Six years after the release of acclaimed Taiwanese series The World Between Us, a sequel titled The World Between Us: After the Flames will premiere on June 7 on Amazon Prime Video, as well as on streaming platform Catchplay+, Taiwan’s local broadcaster Pts and Iqiyi.

Building on the spirit of its predecessor, the second season features a new storyline and fresh cast.

The cast is headed by Vic Chou (Meteor Garden), Hsueh Shih-ling (Taiwan Crime Stories), Hsieh Hsin-ying (The Assassin), Yang Kuei-Mei (Yen and Ai-Lee) and Yu Tzu-Yu.

Lin Chun-yang, director of the first season, has returned to direct the sequel after also working on Gold Leaf and Netflix’s Wave Makers.

The series will co-premiere in Taiwan on Pts and Catchplay Movie Channel, as well as stream on Catchplay+, Pts+ and Iqiyi International. After the Flames will also stream on Catchplay+ in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as on...

Entries for the 2025 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 3, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 2.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is scheduled to...

En una remota isla griega, una asesina retirada y su hijo distante se reencuentran.

De acuerdo con Deadline, Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard) y Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor) encabezarán el reparto de The Assassin, una serie de suspense de Prime Video.

The Assassin se sitúa en una remota isla griega y sigue a la asesina retirada Julie (Hawes) que tiene un reencuentro con su hijo distanciado, Edward (Highmore), durante su visita desde Inglaterra. Armado con preguntas en torno a la nueva información sobre su paternidad, Edward lucha por encontrar el momento adecuado para hablar con su frustrantemente distante madre. Pero cuando por fin llega el momento, las cosas dan un giro mortal cuando el peligroso pasado de Julie la atrapa y se ven obligados a huir juntos de la isla. La búsqueda de la verdad de Edward choca con el secretismo de Julie mientras se ven obligados a trabajar juntos en una lucha por la supervivencia,...

“The Madison” found its second lead in Matthew Fox. The actor best known for his work in “Lost” will star alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in the upcoming Taylor Sheridan drama, which will serve as a spinoff to “Yellowstone.”

Fox will play Paul, who is described as “a self-reliant bachelor who loves the outdoors.” He will join a cast that includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Beau Garrett and Amiah Miller.

Fox became a household favorite for his role as Dr. Jack Shepard in J.J. Abrams’ massive hit, “Lost.” For that role, he won the 2005 SAG Ensemble Award and was nominated for the Golden Globe and Emmy for Outstanding Leading Man in a Drama Series. The actor has also starred in “Speed Racer,” “We Are Marshall” and “Emperor.” On the television side, Fox starred in and executive produced the limited series “Last Light” for Peacock and starred in the...

After concluding his acclaimed seven-season run as Dr. Shaun Murphy in ABCs medical drama, The Good Doctor, Freddie Highmore has found another compelling role to disappear into. He is set to star alongside Keeley Hawes, known for her roles in hit shows like Bodyguard and Orphan Black: Echoes, in a pulse-pounding international espionage thriller for Prime Video, titled The Assassin.

The Assassin follows the story of a former assassin named Julie, played by Hawes, who is living on a remote Greek island when she is visited by her estranged son, Edward, played by Highmore. Grappling with his identity, he is forced to team up with his mother when an assassin from Julies past reemerges and threatens to destroy their relationship altogether. The official plotline for the six-episode series reads:

Secluded on a remote Greek island, retired assassin Julie (Hawes) has a somewhat thorny reunion with her estranged son, Edward (Highmore), visiting from England.

The ABC series The Good Doctor, starring Freddie Highmore, ended in May of 2024, and had some fans wondering what was next for star Freddie Highmore, well, we now have our answer in the form of Amazon Prime series .

It promises to be a very different role from The Assassin type that we’re used to seeing him in, in this series he plays the estranged son of a retired assassin, Julie, who has a frustratingly distant relationship with her son. He has come to find out answers about his paternity and is having a hard time figuring out just when to bring up the question when Julie’s past comes back to haunt her and they have to end up fleeing the island together.

Highmore Returning To His Roots?

Before The Good Doctor, where he played an autistic physician, Highmore was in The Bates Motel, which was a prequel to...

Freddie Highmore is taking on a role in a new TV show!

After playing Dr. Shaun Murphy in The Good Doctor, the 32-year-old actor will star in The Assassin on Prime Video alongside Keeley Hawes, via TVLine.

The show is currently set to stream in United Kingdom and Ireland.

Keep reading to find out more…

The six-episode project centers around “Keeley as Julie, a retired assassin living a secluded life on a remote Greek island. Highmore plays Edward, Julie’s estranged son with “whom she has a somewhat thorny reunion,” according to the report.

Here’s a synposis: “Edward battles to find the right time to speak to his frustratingly distant mother” about new information on his paternity. “But when the moment finally presents itself, things take a deadly turn as Julie’s dangerous past catches up with her, and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run together.

A new thriller, The Assassin, is currently filming in Greece, starring Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore. This Australian co-production is created by Harry and Jack Williams, known for The Tourist and The Missing. The 6-part drama will air on Prime Video and Stan in Australia. The series centres on retired assassin Julie (Hawes), who finds […]

Filming Begins for Harry and Jack Williams Crime Thriller ‘The Assassin’, Starring Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore...

Freddie Highmore has set his first series since The Good Doctor ended on ABC. The actor will pivot back to the style of Bates Motel when starring opposite Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes in Prime Video‘s The Assassin, in which they’ll play an estranged mother-son duo. The Assassin is a thriller created by Fleabag executive producers Harry and Jack Williams. Hawes and Highmore will both executive produce the series, per Deadline, and the series will consist of six, 60-minute episodes. The Assassin is created by The Williams’ production studio, Two Brothers Pictures, along with Zdf and All3Media International and Stan in Australia. Hannah Blyth, Head of TV for Prime Video UK, said working with the Williams duo is a “true pleasure.” “From the moment Harry and Jack shared their vision for The Assassin, we knew that it would resonate perfectly with our audience,” Blyth said, adding, “The Assassin promises...

After a five season run of playing Norman Bates on the TV series Bates Motel, Freddie Highmore moved on to playing the character Shaun Murphy on seven seasons of The Good Doctor – and now that The Good Doctor has wrapped up, Highmore has signed on for his next TV series gig. Deadline reports that Highmore is set to star in the Prime Video series The Assassin alongside Keeley Hawes, whose credits include Orphan Black: Echoes and Line of Duty.

Coming from the minds of Harry and Jack Williams, the creators of The Missing and its spinoff Baptiste, The Assassin will tell the following story: Secluded on a remote Greek island, retired assassin Julie (Hawes) has a somewhat thorny reunion with her estranged son, Edward (Highmore), visiting from England. Armed with questions around new information on his paternity, Edward battles to find the right time to speak to his frustratingly distant mother.

Freddie Highmore has found his first post-Good Doctor role, and it’s a far cry from Dr. Shaun Murphy.

Highmore will star opposite Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, Orphan Black: Echoes) in the Prime Video thriller The Assassin, which the pair will also exec-produce. It’s currently set to stream in the United Kingdom and Ireland, at least initially.

More from TVLineMy Lady Jane Cancelled at Prime VideoMatthew Fox to Headline Victor the Assassin Adaptation in the Works at MaxRings of Power: Sauron and Galadriel Clash (Again) in New Season 2 Trailer - Watch

The six-episode project stars Hawes as Julie,...

Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore will lead a new Amazon Prime Video series entitled The Assassin.

Written by Harry and Jack Williams’, the six-episode series has commenced filming in Greece. It follows a retired assassin called Julie, played by Hawes (Bodyguard, Scoop) who, while living a secluded life on a remote Greek island, has a somewhat thorny reunion with Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel), portraying her estranged son Edward.

“Armed with questions around new information on his paternity, Edward battles to find the right time to speak to his frustratingly distant mother,” a plot synopsis reads. “But, when the moment finally presents itself, things take a deadly turn as Julie’s dangerous past catches up with her and they are forced to flee the island and go on the run together.”

The series is produced by award-winning production company Two Brothers Pictures (The Tourist, Boat Story, Fleabag) in association...

Harry and Jack Williams have penned a new thriller titled The Assassin for Amazon Prime and have signed Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard) and Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel) on as leads.

The Williams’ production outfit Two Brothers Pictures is producing the series in association with Zdf who is the German co-production partner, All3Media International, and Stan in Australia.

Hawes and Highmore will also serve as Exec Producers on the series, which will run 6×60 episodes. Also starring are Gina Gershon (Riverdale), Shalom Brune-Franklin (The Tourist), Jack Davenport (The Morning Show), Alan Dale (Dynasty) Gerald Kyd (The Swarm), Devon Terrell (Totally Completely Fine), Richard Dormer (Blue Lights) and David Dencik (The Ipcress File). Amazon said further cast will be announced at a later date.

The show’s synopsis reads: Secluded on a remote Greek island, retired assassin Julie (Hawes) has a somewhat thorny reunion with her estranged son, Edward (Highmore), visiting from England.

Many film historians speculate that cinema's first martial arts movie was Zhang Shichuan's The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple. Released in 16 parts between 1928 and 1931, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple ran 27 hours long. Unfortunately, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple is now a lost film, but there are plenty of incredible martial arts films that now exist to help fill the void.

It was not until the late 1960s that martial arts movies began to appeal to international audiences. Cheng Pei-pei and Jimmy Wang Yu were among the first internationally recognized martial arts movie stars thanks to their performances in films such as Come Drink with Me and The One-Armed Swordsman. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, martial arts movies produced by Shaw Brothers Studio and Golden Harvest turned actors such as Bruce Lee, Alexander Fu Sheng, Gordon Liu, Sammo Hung, and Jackie Chan into cinema's greatest action movie stars.

Source: Bit Production

‘Old Fox’

Entries for the 2025 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 3, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 2.

A shortlist...

Actor Matthew Fox, best known for his iconic role as Jack Shepherd on the ABC hit Lost, has been cast as the lead in the Max drama series The Assassin. As per a report by Deadline, the series is based on the book series by British novelist Tom Wood, and is being developed by John Glenn, who has served as the showrunner on the popular series' Seal Team and Allegiance. Wood's book series, known as the Victor the Assassin series, began in 2011 with The Killer, and currently totals 11 novels, with a 12th due in November.

The books tell the story of a world-class assassin known only as Victor (to be played by Fox in the series), who goes on the run when he is betrayed by an anonymous client. Not only is he being hunted by his enemies, the CIA and a contract killer are after him as well.

Matthew Fox will star as Victor in Max's The Assassin series, playing a ruthless assassin fighting for survival. Fans of Lost will remember Fox as Jack Shephard, transitioning to a new role full of action and suspense in The Assassin. Stay tuned for more updates on Fox's latest project.

Lost star Matthew Fox has joined the cast of the upcoming Max series The Assassin. Fox previously played the leading role of Oceanic Flight 815 survivor, doctor, and leader Jack Shephard during Lost's six seasons.

According to Deadline, Fox will play the leading role of Victor in Max's The Assassin. Victor is a ruthless assassin who must fight to survive after being betrayed by a client and hunted by numerous enemies across the globe.

More to come...

Source: Deadline...

Lost alum Matthew Fox has put pen to paper on his next project, marking his return to TV following last year's C*A*U*G*H*T, which was reserved for Australian audiences. The new drama series titled The Assassin is based on the popular book series, Victor the Assassin Series by acclaimed British novelist Tom Wood. According to Deadline, the project is currently in production at Max with Fox also serving as an executive producer.

After outsmarting a smoke monster, tolerating Sawyer’s shenanigans, and appearing in a handful of films and TV series since Lost left the air, Matthew Fox will return to screens for The Assassin, a drama series from writer-producer John Glenn (Seal Team). The project, in development at Max, finds Fox leading the charge.

John Glenn wrote The Assassin script based on the book series by British novelist Tom Wood. The Assassin focuses on a cunning assassin known only as Victor (Fox), who, after being betrayed by an anonymous client, finds himself relentlessly hunted by CIA operatives and a contract killer who’s as good at making people disappear as he is. Victor must look inside himself to find his humanity in an impossible situation. Only then can he hope to identify his pursuer and confront the dangers ahead.

Victor appears in eleven novels and two short stories written by Wood.

Matthew Fox is taking on a new role!

The 58-year-old Lost star will appear in the drama series The Assassin that is currently in the works at Max, according to TheWrap.

He will also executive produce alongside writer John Glenn and original book series author Tom Wood.

Keep reading to find out more…

Here’s a description of the series, via HBO: “When a merciless assassin known only as Victor is betrayed by an anonymous client, he finds himself hunted across the globe by multiple enemies that include relentless CIA operatives and a contract killer equally as deadly. To stay alive, Victor must uncover the identity of his betrayer while grappling with a buried spark of humanity that begins to resurface within him and might just be the greatest threat to his survival.”

Find out which shows Max has renewed and cancelled so far in 2024.

Lost alum Matthew Fox has found his next gig. (I’m 99.44% certain I’ve used that intro before with Lost actors, but man, it really works.)

With Lost‘s 20-year (!) anniversary fast approaching, Fox — who two summers ago starred in Peacock’s Last Light — is set to headline The Assassin, a series now in development at Max.

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Matthew Fox has been tapped to star in drama series “The Assassin” that is currently in the works at Max, TheWrap has learned.

The “Lost” actor will also executive produce alongside writer John Glenn and original book series author, British novelist Tom Wood.

Here’s the official description of the series, per HBO: “When a merciless assassin known only as Victor is betrayed by an anonymous client, he finds himself hunted across the globe by multiple enemies that include relentless CIA operatives and a contract killer equally as deadly. To stay alive, Victor must uncover the identity of his betrayer while grappling with a buried spark of humanity that begins to resurface within him and might just be the greatest threat to his survival.”

Fox is best known for playing Dr. Jack Shephard in J.J. Abrams’ hit series “Lost,” for which he took home a Screen Actors Guild Award...

All the novellas in The Assassin's Blade add context to Celaena Sardothien's story, but some of them prove better than others. Novellas like The Assassin and the Pirate Lord and The Assassin and the Healer set up connections between Aelin and other characters in Throne of Glass. The Assassin and the Desert expands Sarah J. Maas' world in the most interesting way, while The Assassin and the Empire packs the biggest emotional punch.

The Throne of Glass novellas add context to Celaena Sardothien's story, and they're all compiled in The Assassin's Blade but some of these additions to Sarah J. Maas' fantasy series are stronger than others. Although the stories in The Assassin's Blade are set before the events of Throne of Glass, they pack just as much of a punch after readers have finished the series. These novellas shed light on Celaena's life before being locked up in Endovier,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

Every summer, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invites a deluge of new members to join its ranks. Since #OscarsSoWhite back in 2015, the Academy has moved away from its elitist tendencies and toward embracing younger and more diverse artists and executives from all over the world. This year’s invited class is no exception.

If the invitees all accept Academy membership, the total members will number 10,910 and voting members 9,934. And with the addition of the 2024 members, 35 percent of Academy members identify as women, 20 percent of Academy members are from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities, and 20 percent of Academy members are from countries or territories outside the U.S.

As usual, a slew of Oscar nominees and winners are gaining admittance to the club (71 Oscar nominees and 19 winners), including actors Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Sandra Hüller, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), costume designer Holly Waddington...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday that it is extending invitations to 487 to join the membership ranks of the Oscar organizer. If all accept, it will bring the Academy’s total membership to 10,910, of which 9,934 would be voting members.

This year’s list across 19 branches include 2024 Oscar winners Da’Vine Joy Randolph from The Holdovers; Poor Things costume designer Holly Waddington and production design team James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek; 20 Days in Mariupol director Mstyslav Chernov, War Is Over! producer Brad Booker; The Zone of Interest sound duo Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn; the Godzilla Minus One VFX team Tatsuji Nojima, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Takashi Yamazaki; American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson; and Anatomy of a Fall writing duo Justine Triet and Arthur Harari.

Jefferson and Triet are among eight names on the list who were invited to more than one branch (noted...

“Golden Horse Goes to Cannes” is looking to make a splash on the Croisette, marking a collaboration with the festival’s Marché du Film that aims to showcase the “diversity, vigor and bold competence of Taiwan cinema, ranging from epic, romance, comedy, fantasy and gender awareness.”

The reality of that promise, for those on the ground in France, will be the presentation on May 16 of five projects featuring the leading lights of contemporary Taiwanese cinema. They’ve been selected by the Golden Horse organization, the people behind Taiwan’s famed annual festival and awards night, to showcase the strength in depth boasted by a market that has always punched above its weight in terms of talent.

New works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko, and John Hsu will be on show, and they feature some of the island’s biggest stars, among them Sylvia Chang, who...

Magnify, the International sales arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired global and U.S. sales rights to Taiwanese thriller “Pierce” from first-time feature filmmaker Nelicia Low. An official teaser has now been released for the title ahead of its sales launch at the upcoming Marche du Film in Cannes.

“Pierce” follows Jie, a young fencer reconnecting with his estranged older brother Han, who mysteriously returns after seven years in juvenile prison for killing an opponent during a fencing competition. Jie believes Han’s insistence that he is innocent and decides to help him, defying his mother’s efforts to erase Han from their lives. Han grows close to Jie in training him for the national championships, but his hostile past is triggered after an argument, leaving Jie to begin to question whether his beloved brother might be a violent sociopath after all.

The film stars Ding Ning (who won a...

It’s possible to divide American history into two eras: before the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and after. Before John Wilkes Booth fatally shot Lincoln at a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater on April 15, 1865, assassination simply wasn’t a part of the national conscience. For all the political disputes of America’s 18th and early 19th centuries, straight up killing the other guy wasn’t seen as a possibility, let alone an option. Lincoln’s murder marked the transition to an America where, mathematically speaking, 9% of all sitting Presidents have been assassinated. And they say logging is a dangerous job.

The TV show “Manhunt” on Apple TV+, premiering March 15, tells the story of how Booth evaded capture for twelve days after killing Lincoln, but it’s also a dramatization of the first few weeks of the post-assassination era of American history — the era in which we live today.

China-based sales agent Rediance has added Huang Xi’s upcoming film Daughter’s Daughter, executive produced by Cannes award-winner Hou Hsiao-Hsien, to its EFM slate.

The feature wrapped shooting last month and stars Sylvia Chang, who won best actress at the Golden Horse Awards in 2022 for Hong Kong drama A Light Never Goes Out. A first look at Chang in the film can be seen above.

It reunites Hou, Chang and Huang after their collaboration on HBO series Twisted Strings in 2022.

In Daughter’s Daughter, Chang plays a widow in her 60s who travels to New York following the death...

Taiwan International Co-Funding Program (Ticp) from Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) continues to make an impact at the 74th Berlinale. Black Tea and Shambhala enter the main competition, while Sleep With Your Eyes Open competes at Encounters. Festival veteran Tsai Ming-Liang scored two official selections with his latest documentary Abiding Nowhere in Berlinale Special and The Wayward Cloud at Berlinale Classics Special.

Black Tea is Abderrahmane Sissako's follow up feature after Timbuktu with Taiwan as a key location and two Taiwanese actors Chang Han from A Brighter Summer Day and Wu Ke-Xi of Nina Wu playing alongside Nina Mélo in this cross-cultural romance. The film also received investment from Kaohsiung Film Fund.

Also in the main competition is Shambhala, the second feature from Nepal's Min Bahadur Bham, which sees a woman journey across the Himalayas to prove her innocence. Liao Ching-Sung and Roger Huang are two executive producers from...

The acclaimed director will no longer make ‘On The Shulan River’.

Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien has retired and stopped work on planned feature On The Shulan River, according to a statement from his family.

The 76-year-old director had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease prior to work beginning on what was to be his next film but his condition worsened after contracting Covid-19, said the statement.

Hou is known as a pioneer of the Taiwanese New Wave in the early 1980s and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1989 with A City Of Sadness. His last...

It’s official: Hou Hsiao-hsien has retired from filmmaking. Deadline reports that the Taiwanese filmmaker’s family released a statement earlier this week that confirms he’s retiring after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. That means “On The Sulan River,” the movie Hou Hsiao-hsien has been worked on since 2015’s “The Assassin,” will not longer continue production.

Read More: ‘Millenium Mambo’ Restoration Trailer: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Ethereal 2001 Masterpiece Comes Back To The Screen

While Hou was beloved in Taiwain since his 1980 feature debut “Cute Girl,” he didn’t become a regular at international film festivals until 1985’s “A Time To Live, A Time To Die.” A global breakthrough happened in 1989 when he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for “A City Of Sadness.” His follow-up, 1993’s “The Puppetmaster,” wont the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Continue reading Taiwanese Director Hou Hsiao-hsien Retires From Filmmaking...

Following recent speculation regarding Taiwanese director/writer/producer Hou Hsiao-hsien, his family has released a statement confirming that he has retired from filmmaking after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Most recently, the 76-year-old had been working on feature On the Shulan River, but is now unable to continue.

A festival regular and leading figure in Taiwan’s new wave cinema movement of the 1980s, Hou won the Golden Lion in Venice for 1989’s A City of Sadness, and the Best Director prize in Cannes for 2015’s The Assassin. His other credits include 1993’s The Puppetmaster which won the Jury Prize in Cannes, 1998’s Flowers of Shanghai, 2001’s Millennium Mambo and 2007’s Flight of the Red Balloon.

According to local media (and via translation), his family’s statement said, ”Before the diagnosis, he often told us that he found that his love for movies became more and more pure… He...

The immediate family of leading Taiwanese film director Hou Hsiao-hsien said on Wednesday that he had retired from filmmaking due to illness and is now living peacefully in retirement. They said that their family-run company remains active and in business.

The statement (see below) was issued in response to news articles earlier this week that followed an introductory speech given in London by critic and curator Tony Rayns before a screening of 1985 title “A Time to Live and a Time to Die,” one of Hou’s best-known features.

Rayns was reported to have said that Hou has dementia, will not direct again and that members of Hou’s company had lost their jobs.

The family statement – signed by Cao Baofeng, Hou’s wife, son Isaac Hou and daughter Bess Hou – explained that Hou had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease before the Covid pandemic and that Covid had, to their surprise,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSSubscribe to Notebook magazine before November 1 to receive Issue 4, which explores cinematic soundscapes in their diverse sonic forms and includes contributions from filmmakers like Pedro Costa, Garrett Bradley, and Dominga Sotomayor, pop musician Julia Holter, plus a wide range of artists, writers, and scholars. Subscribers will also receive with this issue a very special gift, a seven-inch record featuring a song by filmmaker Gus Van Sant and a field recording by sound designer Leslie Shatz.This week brought the sad, shocking news that the legendary Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien has retired from filmmaking due to illness. Hou's family confirmed in a statement that he is battling Alzheimer's, and the effects of long Covid have forced him to stop making films; they requested privacy during this time, adding that he is healthy overall, in the presence of family.

Update: “Hou Hsiao-hsien’s family released a statement today confirming that Hou has Alzheimer’s. Initially, it didn’t affect his filmmaking work, but long Covid has forced him to stop. His company continues to operate, but he will no longer work,” reports Kevin Ma, from a translated report by Now News. “Hou’s family also adds that Hou is healthy and that his illness has also helped his family forge a tighter bond because he is spending so much time at home. They also ask for privacy and peace.”

Long-rumored, still unconfirmed, but seeming ever closer to terrible reality is Hou Hsiao-hsien’s retirement amidst struggles with dementia. It was alarming to read (via Twitter user @mattmccrac) that legendary Asian cinema scholar Tony Rayns claimed “Hou’s health is failing him and he likely won’t make another film.” A bit of dialogue with a colleague alleged this further...

He may be the world’s greatest living filmmaker, and now we know we’ve seen his last film.

Hou Hsiao-hsien, director of timeless masterpieces such as “A City of Sadness,” “The Puppetmaster,” “Flowers of Shanghai,” and “Millennium Mambo” is battling dementia and is now retired from filmmaking. The 76-year-old Taiwanese auteur had been hoping to make his long-in-development film “Shulan River” up until the past couple years, and location scouting had begun. Now, 2015’s “The Assassin” will stand as his final film.

The news broke that Hou is now retired via film scholar Tony Rayns’ introduction to a screening of his 1985 film “A Time to Live and a Time to Die” at the Garden Cinema in London on October 23. IndieWire has since confirmed the news with a source close to Hou as well as with the film curator of the Garden Cinema, George Crosthwait, who said that the director “will certainly not work again.

The latest film from the director of ‘Farewell My Concubine’ will be released in China in late September.

Fortissimo Films has secured international rights to Chinese war epic The Volunteers: To The War by Chen Kaige, the acclaimed director of Farewell My Concubine and The Battle At Lake Changjin.

The Amsterdam and Beijing-based sales company will launch sales on the feature at the Asian Contents and Film Market in Busan next month, following its release in China on September 28. The international sales agreement excludes North America, Australia and New Zealand.

The film, previously known as The Great War, is the...

Shin-Hyun Joon stars as Inan, in the South Korean action film Night Of The Assassin. Courtesy of WellGoUSA

South Korea has been exporting a lot of high-octane action flicks in the past several years. They tend to emphasize hard-hitting stunts and gritty, dynamic fight choreography, largely eschewing the enhancements (or detriments) of CGI and fanciful wire work. That’s been consistently true for both period pieces and contemporary crime fare. This title, Nightof The Assassin, led me to expect another dose of slam-bang action. The reality turned out to be more contemplative for much of its running time, before wowing viewers with the inevitable climactic battles in grand style.

In this pre-gun era costume drama, Shin-Hyun Joon stars as Inan who is a rural region’s top assassin – all business, efficient, no ideology or emotions. The film opens with his collapsing after another swift success, and learning that he has...

The main jury for the upcoming Venice Film Festival has added a number of prestigious filmmakers, with Jane Campion, Martin McDonagh, Laura Poitras and Mia Hansen-Løve joining jury president Damien Chazelle for the festival.

Other jurors on the panel include Saleh Bakri (“Wajib”), Gabriele Mainetti (“They Call Me Jeeg”), Santiago Mitre and Shu Qi (“The Assassin”).

The jury is responsible for awarding the following prizes during the festival: Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay and “Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.

The festival also unveiled the juries for the other sections on Thursday, with the Orizzonti section jury set to include Jonas Carpignano, Kaouther Ben Hania, Kahlil Joseph, Jean-Paul Salomé and Tricia Tuttle.

The “Luigi De Laurentis” award for a debut film,...

Among those selected, Laura Poitras won the Golden Lion at the festival last year.

Jane Campion, Mia Hansen-Løve, Laura Poitras and Martin McDonagh have joined the main Competition jury of the 80th Venice Film Festival (August 30-September 9).

The filmmakers will be joined by Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (Wajib); Italian director Gabriele Mainetti, who was in Competition at the festival in 2021 with Freaks Out; Argentinian writer/director Santiago Mitre, whose Argentina, 1985 premiered in Competition at Venice last year; and Chinese actress Shu Qi, known for her performances in Hou Hsiao-Hsien films Millennium Mambo, Three Times and The Assassin.

US director Poitras...

Jane Campion, Laura Poitras, Martin McDonagh and Mia Hansen-Løve have joined the main jury of the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

The prominent directors, most of whom are Venice regulars – Poitras last year scored the Golden Lion with documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” – will be joined by fellow jury members including Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (“Wajib”); Chinese star Shu Qi (“The Assassin”); Italian director Gabriele Mainetti, who was at Venice last year with “Freaks Out”; and Argentinian auteur Santiago Mitre, whose “Argentina, 1985” also launched from the Lido last year.

They will join Damien Chazelle who, as previously announced, will serve as president of the Venice competition jury.

Venice revealed its jury just hours after talks broke down without a deal between actors union SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance for Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). A strike is expected to be called on Thursday morning, Pacific time, which could have...

The Boruto manga made a valiant attempt to emphasize the series' first major death by dedicating two pages to the poor shinobi Mugino getting stabbed in the gut. Though Mugino's death is an important moment in the manga, it pales in comparison to the anime, which included the character in numerous missions and dedicated a whole episode to him before his death.

Mugino doesn't get much page time until the mission that leads to his demise in the original manga by creator and supervisor Masashi Kishimoto, artist Mikio Ikemoto, and scriptwriter Ukyo Kodachi. His first big moment happens in chapter #16 when he takes part in a mission with Konohamaru to investigate a fallen vessel belonging to Kara. Unfortunately, Ao, a shinobi who was connected to Hinata's clan, ambushes them and kills Mugino. Although Boruto's chapters are longer than that of most weekly Shonen Jump series, the majority of each...

Arrow’s recent box sets Shawscope Volume One and Volume Two highlighted the golden age of Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers studio, spanning roughly from the mid-1970s to their pivot toward TV in 1986. Now, Shout! Factory’s Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 1 focuses on the studio’s rapid commercial ascendency at the end of the ’60s with their then-new, harder-edged take on martial arts cinema.

The earliest film in the set is, fittingly, Chang Cheh’s The Assassin, from 1967. Made hot on the heels of Chang’s (and the studio’s) breakout feature The One-Armed Swordsman from the same year, The Assassin furthers the filmmaker’s interest in moving the martial arts film away from its erstwhile emphasis on female heroes who are prone to musical outbursts and flowery romances as they are violence and toward the sort of male-centric revenge narratives that dominate the titles collected here.

One-Armed Swordsman...

Production wrapped recently in Canada.

Elliot Page and Hillary Baack have been unveiled as the stars of Close To You from Bafta-winning writer and director Dominic Savage.

Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee developed the project under their Me + You Productions label in the UK and produce alongside Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada, and Savage and Page, who conceived and co-wrote the story.

Kindred Spirit is co-financing the feature and Anita Gou and Sam Intili (I Saw The TV Glow) serve as executive producers alongside Rolling Dice’s Nia Vazirani (The Trial Of The Chicago 7...

Academy Award nominee Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy) is set to star opposite Hillary Baack (Sound of Metal) in Close to You, a new film from BAFTA-winning writer-director Dominic Savage (I Am…), which has wrapped production in Canada.

Pic follows Sam (Page), who has a chance encounter with an old friend (Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.

Producers include Krishnendu Majumdar and Richard Yee, who developed the project under their UK banner, Me + You Productions; Daniel Bekerman and Chris Yurkovich of Good Question Media in Canada; and Savage and Page, who together conceived and co-authored the story. Kindred Spirit is co-financing with Anita Gou and Sam Intili (I Saw the TV Glow) exec producing alongside Rolling Dices Nia Vazirani (The Trial of Chicago 7), as well as Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions.