Southeast Asia
Philippines’ Cinemalaya Survives Storms; SWANA Festival Circuit Holds Steady
The Philippines' Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival wrapped its 10-day run last week with top honours going to The Mothering & Silkscreen.
Korea & Japan
Downside Of AI Overviews; Is Korea Recovering?; Indonesia 2026 H1 Box Office
In the week that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is tearing up the box office in multiple international territories, Streamlined is taking a look at whether the Korean market is recovering and what’s going on in Indonesia, where Spider-Man is already the highest-grossing film of the year.
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Why China’s AI Strategy Has The US Spooked; India 2026 H1 Box Office
We’re having another summer in which AI, war and wildfires are dominating the news cycle, while in India, students have been attacked with batons and tear gas as they protest for education reform. In the film and streaming industries, we’re being served up another dose of mega-mergers
Korea & Japan
Korea’s New Co-Production Fund; China 2026 H1 Box Office; Nansun Shi Legacy
Southeast Asia
Microdrama: Industry Saviour Or The End Of Content As We Know It?
Last week, Streamlined attended the APOS conference in Bali, Indonesia, for the first time since 2023. Back then, the streaming wars were still in full swing; the global and regional streamers were announcing huge slates of local-language productions; competition seemed healthy, and subscription numbers and ad revenue were both
Europe
Cannes Recap Part Three: North American Acquisitions & Other Marché Business
This third part of Streamlined’s Cannes recap is looking at the buying and selling activity at the Marché du Film, with a round-up of North American acquisitions announced during and after the market, and a few lines on the Asian sellers, particularly those from Korea and Japan, who
Africa
Cannes Recap Part Two: Japan Shines, Saudi Resets & Africa Gets Financed
This second part of Streamlined’s Cannes recap looks at Japan and Korea’s high-profile presence at the festival and market; debunks some of the rumours swirling around Saudi pulling back from building out its nascent film biz; and provides some long overdue updates on developments in the African
Europe
Cannes Recap Part One: Palme d’Ors & Oscars; France’s Bolloré Drama
Quite a few people commented to me that this was a strange year in Cannes. The market was dead for the first few days; kicked into high-gear frenetic meeting activity towards the weekend, then fell silent again in the second week – during which the spotlight belonged to the tech
Streamlined Insights
How China May Be Poised To Win The AI Video Generation Race
My recent trip to Beijing made me realise that the six years I spent during and after the pandemic living in a small village in Hong Kong, while comfortable, was the lifestyle equivalent of living under a rock. This past week of meeting tech companies in Beijing was the equivalent
Middle East & North Africa
Eid 2026 Box Office: Lebaran In Indonesia; 'Dhurandhar 2' & War Impact In Gulf
The Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim world’s Ramadan month of fasting, is a peak box office season in many territories around the world. This year, the holiday is coinciding with the US-Iran conflict, an issue for the Gulf territories which have been
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Filmart 2026: China, Hong Kong & The Future Of Content
This edition of Streamlined is coming to you from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in Southwest China, the latest stop on my digital nomad tour – more on both China and my nomad life later. Everyone I’ve met so far in Chengdu has been very friendly, but I do
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Berlin Controversy; Lunar New Year Box Office In China, Korea & Vietnam
Before digging into the Lunar New Year box office, a few words on the political controversy at this year’s Berlinale. Much has already been written on this subject by just about every trade, national paper and social media account – so I’m just referring to an edition of Streamlined