Korea & Japan
Netflix Reshuffles Asia Team; Srishti Behl Arya Quits India Team
Minyoung Kim is overseeing the region, excluding India, while Srishti Behl Arya has stepped down from the India team.
News
India’s Voot Launches Original Drama 'Khwabon Ke Parindey'
Sponsored by CoinDCX Go and Airtel, the six-part series is set in Australia and stars Asha Negi, Mrinal Dutt, Manasi Moghe and Tushar Sharma.
Korea & Japan
CJ ENM Unveils Four Chinese Series Co-Produced With Singapore & Taiwan
Three of the series are co-produced with Singapore production houses, including Eric Khoo's Zhao Wei Films.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
HBO Asia To Produce Chinese-Language Dramas 'Legacy' & 'Trinity Of Shadows'
Legacy involves several talents from popular Chinese drama, Story Of Yanxi Palace, while Trinity Of Shadows is a co-production with Taiwan's Catchplay and Hong Kong’s ViuTV.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Rakuten Viki Launches TVOD Service For Asian Films
The service is launching with the US debut of two Korean films: Josée, on an exclusive basis, and New Year Blues.
Festivals
'Ito' Wins Grand Prix At Osaka Asian Film Festival
Japanese comedy drama Ito, directed by Satoko Yokohama, won the Grand Prix best picture award at this year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival (March 5-14).
Europe
Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy' Wins Silver Bear In Berlin
Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy was awarded the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, which was held online.
Korea & Japan
Apple TV+ Orders Korean Series 'Dr Brain' From Kim Jee-woon
Kim will write and direct sci-fi thriller Dr. Brain, adapted from a popular webtoon and starring Lee Sun-Kyun.
Korea & Japan
Netflix Announces Plans To Invest $500m In Korean Content In 2021
New original films include BDSM romance Moral Sense, directed by Park Hyun-jin, and action film Carter, directed by Jung Byung-gil (The Villainess).
Korea & Japan
Starzplay Pacts With TV Tokyo For Anime Content
Strategic partnership brings more than a thousand hours of anime, including the iconic Naruto franchise, to viewers in the Middle East.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Tamil Drama 'Pebbles' Wins Tiger Award At Rotterdam Film Festival
Tamil-language drama Pebbles, directed by Vinothraj P.S. and produced by Rowdy Pictures, won the Tiger Award at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Festivals
India’s 'Writing With Fire' Wins Sundance Film Festival Audience Award
Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing With Fire won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Korea & Japan
Korean Portal Naver To Acquire Wattpad In $600m Deal
Wattpad will be aligned with Naver’s digitial comics platform, Webtoon, which claims 72 million monthly active users.
News
Amazon Hindi Series 'Tandav' Agrees To Make Changes Following Outcry
Political drama directed by Ali Abbas Zafar is testing issues of OTT regulation and freedom of speech in India.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Beginner's Guide: Chinese Web Series [Part One]
Suspense thrillers, social issue dramas and a real-time mystery set in the Tang Dynasty: Streamlined explores the disruptors in Chinese-language TV.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Kuek Yu-Chuang On iQiyi’s International Expansion Plans
Based in Singapore, iQiyi's international chief is expanding the streamer's slate of Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian dramas.
Korea & Japan
Sony Acquires Crunchyroll From AT&T For $1.2bn
Anime-focused streamer was part of AT&T's WarnerMedia and will now be combined with Sony's rival streaming service Funimation.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
iQiyi International Sets 'My Roommate Is A Gumiho' As First Korean Original
Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri star in romantic horror based on popular Korean webtoon Living Together and co-produced with Studio Dragon and JTBC Studio.