‘Blossoms Shanghai’ by Wong Kar-wai among the nominees for Busan Streaming

STREAMING SENSATIONS

The Busan International Film Festival‘s sixth volume Asia Content Awards And Global OTT Awards has announced its nominees in 11 competitive categories.

PTS Taiwan’s ‘Imperfect Us’ leads with five nominations, followed by Indonesian Netflix series ‘Cigarette Girl’ with four. Wong Karwai‘Blossoms Shanghai’ (Tencent Video) and Korea’s ‘A Killer Paradox’ (Netflix) each have three nods. Other multiple nominees include Korea’s “Daily Dose of Sunshine” (Netflix) and “Lovely Runner” (CJ ENM Studios/Bon Factory) and Thailand’s Prime Video series “Enigma” (GMMTV).

In the category of best leading actor (male) are Hu Ge (“Blossoms Shanghai”), Yim Si-wan (“Boyhood”), Choi Woo-shik (“A Killer Paradox”), Wu Kang Ren (“Living”), Cho Jin-woong (“No way Out: The Roulette”) and Sakai Masato (“Vivant”) compete for the prize.

Nominees for best leading actor (female) include Dian Sastrowardoyo (“Cigarette Girl”), Park Bo-young (“Daily Dose Of Sunshine”), Nikaido Fumi (“Eye Love You”), Ariel Lin (“Imperfect Us”) , Zhou Xun (“Imperfect Victim”) and Kim Hyeyoon (“Lovely Runner”).

In the best director category are Alisher Utev (“1286”), Kamila Andini and Ifa Ifansyah (“Cigarette Girl”), Patha Thongpan (“Enigma”), Lim Daehyung and Jeon Gowoon (“LTNS”) and Park Hoonjung ( “The Tyrant ”).

A new Best Original Songs category includes entries from ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’, ‘Imperfect Us’, ‘Lovely Runner’ and ‘Only Friends’.

The jury includes actors Nishijima Hidetoshi and Alice Ko, writer Baek Mi-kyoung, CEO of Pollux Studio An Eunmi, executive producer of TV Man Union Matsuba Naohiko, Max Michael and Asian Contents and Film Market director Ellen YD Kim of United Talent Agency .

The ceremony will take place on October 6.

GOMES GALAS

Meanwhile, Busan also presents a program focused on the Portuguese author Miguel Gomes. The programme, entitled ‘Miguel Gomes, a Filmmaker of Joyful Melancholy’, will feature eight of Gomes’ works, from his 2004 debut ‘The Face You Deserve’ to his latest ‘Grand Tour’, which won Best Film at Cannes 2024. director won. Films also showing include “Our Beloved Month of August” (2008), “Tabu” (2012), the “Arabian Nights” trilogy (2015) and “The Tsugua Diaries” (2021), co-directed by Maureen Fazendeiro. . “Grand Tour” will be part of the festival’s gala presentations.

A masterclass with the director is also planned. Gomes, known for his mix of reality and fantasy in his films, was regularly present at major international festivals. His work often explores themes of Portuguese identity and incorporates elements of both fiction and documentary.

The Busan International Film Festival takes place from October 2 to 11. The Asian content and film market will take place simultaneously from October 5 to 8.

ANIME AVALANCHE

The BBC has acquired the UK rights to more than 1,000 episodes of the English-language version “One piece” anime series. Based on Eiichiro Oda‘s best-selling manga, the show follows Monkey D. Luffy and his team’s search for the titular treasure.

BBC iPlayer, in partnership with BBC Three, will release all 10 sagas between September and December, starting with “East Blue”, “Alabasta” and “Skypiea” on September 1. All 1085 episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer of the year by the end. This marks the first UK availability of dubbed versions.

COLLABORATION OF CHAIN ​​SWAMERS

EDM duo The chain smokers have released a new version of their hit “Addicted” featuring Indian artists Guru Randhawa And Jonita Gandhi. The remix, which also features Brazilian DJ Zerb and German producer Ink, adds Punjabi verses to the dance track.

The collaboration was orchestrated by The Hello Group and TH3RD BRAIN, with additional production by K-pop veterans Alawn and Taylor Jones. The original “Addicted” has some 140 million collective streams and topped the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.

AI ARTISTRY

Rochak Kohli and rapper Panther have released the single ‘Meeh Baras’, with what is billed as India’s first AI-generated music video. The song, distributed by Virginal music Group India under the R Music label combines electronic sounds with traditional melodies and pop beats.

The video, produced by Studio Blo, uses AI to create diverse landscapes and recreate images of the artists within a structured narrative. More than 7,000 images were generated for the project, marking Studio Blo’s entry into music video production. The lyrics are by Gurpreet Saini and Gautam G. Sharma.