Chinese-Speaking Markets
Hong Kong Box Office Down 6% in 2024; Local Films Overtake Imports
Local films grossed 5.5% more than US studio titles, headed by Emperor Motion Pictures’ The Last Dance.
Liz Shackleton
Streamlined Guides
Streamlined Guides: Indonesia – Distributors, Exhibitors, Festivals & Streamers
Indonesia’s box office may not have yet returned to pre-pandemic levels of admissions, but it’s a market that is growing, thanks to cautious cinema construction and a boom in the popularity of local films, and has plenty of room for further expansion. Admissions for 2024 are expected
Streamlined Insights
China & Indonesia 2024 Year-End Box Office
For the last free Streamlined of the year, we’re looking at the 2024 box office of Asia’s biggest theatrical market, mainland China, and a market where local films just broke the all-time admissions record, Indonesia. In addition, the links round-up below includes all the international sales
News
‘The Silent Village’, ‘Pangku’ Take Top Awards At JAFF Market
Bali bombings documentary Sampai Mati, directed by Australia’s Ben Golotta, also picked up a BSM Award.
Streamlined Guides
Streamlined Guides: Indonesia – Government, Locations & VFX
Part Two of the Streamlined Guide to Indonesia offers a deep dive into government support for the local creative industries, production services for inbound features and high-end series and the local post-production and VFX sector. As Indonesia had an election this February, and the new president was only
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Lou Ye’s ‘An Unfinished Film’ Wins Best Feature, Director At Golden Horse Awards
Taiwanese horror comedy 'Dead Talents Society' took five prizes in the technical categories.
Streamlined Insights
Tokyo, TCCF & QCinema: A Tale Of Three Cities Going Global
In November, I inadvertently worked my way down the Pacific Rim, covering film festivals and markets in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. Three very different industries, with very different issues and market conditions on the ground, but all communicating the same message – that they’re open to international collaboration and
Festivals
‘Teki Cometh’ Takes Trio Of Awards At Tokyo Film Festival
Daihachi Yoshida’s black-and-white drama won the Tokyo Grand Prix, best director and best actor for Kyozo Nagatsuka’s performance.
Streamlined Guides
Streamlined Guides: Indonesia - Overview, Studios & Producers
Indonesian films have already broken the all-time annual admissions record at the local box office this year, within just nine months, with horror comedy Agak Laen topping the box office and other local titles taking the next five places in the top ten. Meanwhile, Indonesian arthouse films continue to
Festivals
‘Rhythm Of A Flower’ Wins Golden Gateway Award In Mumbai
Amit Dutta's hand drawn animation took the top award in Mumbai's South Asia Competition.
Festivals
‘MA - Cry Of Silence’, ‘The Land Of Morning Calm’ Win Busan New Currents Awards
Kim Jiseok Awards went to Indian filmmaker Rima Das’ Village Rockstars 2 and Taiwanese director Tom Lin Shu Yu’s Yen And Ai Lee.
Streamlined Insights
BUSAN 2024: Should Asia’s Content Biz Consider Policy To Respond To Inflation, Monopoly & AI?
The outdoor billboards towering over the streets of Centum City during this year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) said it all. One was for the second season of Netflix’s Hellbound and the other for Disney’s Gangnam B-Side, both of which were premiering in BIFF’s On
Africa
OSCARS 2025: Best International Feature Submissions
Rolling list of submissions for the Best International Feature category of the Oscars from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Pingyao Gives Top Awards To ‘Karst’, ‘The Sparrow In The Chimney’
Yang Suiyi’s Karst about a woman reconnecting with her childhood in Guizhou Province, won best film in the Fei Mu Awards for up-and-coming Chinese filmmakers at this year’s Pingyao International Film Festival (September 24-30). Swiss director Ramon Zurcher’s The Sparrow In The Chimney won
Streamlined Guides
Streamlined Guides: Indian Web Series Writers & Showrunners
A vast amount of investment has flowed into Indian streaming content with more than 1,500 original titles released across various platforms between 2016 and 2023, according to local analysts Ormax Media. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have both prioritised India in their local-language content drives, while several other
Streamlined Insights
What Venice & Toronto Revealed About The Current State Of World Cinema
After a relatively buoyant if not exemplary Cannes, this year’s autumn festival season is expected to be a bellwether of the current health of the global film industry. Do we still have an independent sales business? Do we have many strong awards contenders, despite Hollywood strikes and other disruptions?
Africa
AUTUMN FESTIVALS 2024: Titles Selected From Asia, Africa & Midde East
UPDATED AUGUST 26: A list of films selected for Locarno, San Sebastian, Venice & Toronto from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Streamlined Insights
How Korean Films Are Performing In Global Markets Since The Pandemic
This week, I’m sharing an article I wrote for KoBiz about how Korean films are being received internationally since the pandemic. Since I wrote this, a few mid-budget Korean films have been performing relatively well at the local box office, including Pilot, Handsome Guys and Escape, which is