South Asia
Liz Shackleton
Africa
'Variations On A Theme', 'Master' Win Top Awards At Rotterdam
Variations On A Theme, from South African filmmakers Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, won the Tiger Award at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Master, from Bangladesh’s Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, took the top award in the Big Screen Competition. Set in South Africa’s Kamiesberge mountain range,
Europe
Martika Ramirez Escobar, Mamadou Dia, Coco Chen Among IFFR Pro Winners
IFFR Pro, the industry platform of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), held its awards ceremony for this year’s expanded edition on February 4, with prizes going to projects from the Philippines’ Martika Ramirez Escobar, Senegal’s Mamadou Dia and Taiwanese digital artist Coco Chen. Daughters Of The Sea, Escobar’
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Asia 2025 Box Office: Animation, Patriotism & Polarisation
Southeast Asia
Streamlined Guides: Updates To Vietnam Market
Streamlined Guides launched its first edition in May 2024 with the two-part 'Streamlined Guide to Vietnam', as we recognised that this is one of the most dynamic markets in Southeast Asia, if not the world. This edition provides updates on the 2024 guide based on research conducted over
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Hong Kong Box Office Down 15% in 2025; ‘Back To The Past’ Brings Late Year Boost
Hong Kong and Macau’s box office continued their downwards slide in 2025, with ticket sales coming in at a combined $155m (HK$1.21bn), a decrease of 15% compared to the previous year, according to figures from Hong Kong Box Office. In 2024, Hong Kong’s total box office
Chinese-Speaking Markets
China's 2025 Box Office Up 22% To $7.4bn Driven By Animation
China’s box office increased by 22% to reach $7.4bn (RMB51.83bn) in 2025, compared to $5.8bn the previous year, according to figures from China Film Administration. Two animated titles topped the year-end top ten, raking in $2.8bn between them – Lunar New Year hit Ne Zha 2,
Streamlined Guides
Streamlined Guides: Streaming Levies & Investment Obligations Part Two
Part Two of this guide looks at how six international territories are regulating streamers: UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa & Brazil.
Festivals
‘I’m Perfect’, ‘Call Me Mother’ Take Acting Awards At Metro Manila Film Festival
Sigrid Bernardo’s I’m Perfect and Jun Robles Lana’s Call Me Mother were among the major winners at this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (December 25-January 7) in the Philippines. In a heartening win for representation, Krystel Go, an actress with Down’s Syndrome, was awarded Best
Middle East
Red Sea Fest & Souk Wrap; Saudi Film Funders; MENA Box Office
Africa
CJ ‘Fiery’ Obasi, Akuna & Durban FilmMart Execs On How African Cinema Is Evolving
Industry execs and filmmakers, including Nigerian director-producer CJ ‘Fiery’ Obasi, discussed how African cinema is evolving through collaboration, as well as some of the challenges it faces, on a Souk Talks panel at Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF). Also speaking on the panel were Durban FilmMart (DFM) director Magdalene
Africa
‘Barni’ Director Mohammed Sheikh On Inspiring A New Generation Of Somali Filmmakers
Minnesota-based Somali filmmaker Mohammed Sheikh has just held the world premiere for his debut feature, Barni, which he filmed in Djibouti, at Red Sea International Film Festival. Born in the Kebribeyah refugee camp in Ethiopia – where his parents fled during the Somali Civil War – Sheikh moved to the US with