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Bae Doona – model, actress, and one of a select Academy members from South Korea to date – is a trans-Pacific legend. Since her debut in “The Ring Virus” (1999), her stern, but honest demeanor has made her a beloved household name. She has since been worked with major directors that we now equate with independent Asian cinema, including collaborations with Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, and Hirokazu Koreeda. Her more contemporary appearances have broadcast her name overseas, such as her recent collaborations with July Jung‘s Cannes-premiering feature, “A Girl At My Door” (2014), “Matrix”-directing Wachowski sisters’ (“Cloud Atlas” (2012) and “Sense8” (2015-2018)) and more recently, Netflix’s wildly popular zombie period drama, “Kingdom” (2019). Bae Doona has since made the rounds in the West, cementing her fame well beyond the Korean stage.

Now entering her third decade of her film career, Bae Doona is committed to the act of reprisal. In 2022, we saw two...

The Japanese family drama is inextricably connected to the name Hirokazu Koreeda due to features such as “Shoplifters” or “Monster”. While the majority of viewers will most likely come up with titles like the ones mentioned, the director has more than once explored other narratives and characters, while staying true to his core themes of what makes us human and connect to one another. His fans quite often make a case of works such as “The Third Murder” or “After Life” not being of the same quality as the more known family drama, but this is an unfair and wrong claim, as Koreeda has more than once dealt with ideas that have proven to be much more lasting and relevant in the long run. One of these examples is “Air Doll”, which ranks on place 13 of Amp’s list of the works of the director and is possibly one of...

Japanese master filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu is set to receive the Career Achievement Award at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival, it was announced today. Featuring a retrospective program of six selected films, the acclaimed writer-director will receive the award on Friday, October 18, at a tribute screening of Nobody Knows, presented in 35mm, and participate in a conversation exploring his storied career. The 60th Chicago International Film Festival runs October 16 – 27, 2024 at venues across the city. The Kore-eda Hirokazu Tribute and Retrospective is co-presented in partnership with the Japan Foundation New York. Additional support is provided by Ana.

In addition to Nobody Knows, which screened at the 2004 Festival, the 60th Chicago International Film Festival retrospective program features films that were showcased in past editions, including 2013’s Like Father, Like Son; the 2016 film After The Storm; 2018’s Shoplifters; and Broker in 2022. 1998’s After Life marks that title’s Chicago International Film Festival debut.

The Japanese family drama is inextricably connected to the name Hirokazu Koreeda due to features such as “Shoplifters” or “Monster”. While the majority of viewers will most likely come up with titles like the ones mentioned, the director has more than once explored other narratives and characters, while staying true to his core themes of what makes us human and connect to one another. His fans quite often make a case of works such as “The Third Murder” or “After Life” not being of the same quality as the more known family drama, but this is an unfair and wrong claim, as Koreeda has more than once dealt with ideas that have proven to be much more lasting and relevant in the long run. One of these examples is “Air Doll”, which ranks on place 13 of Amp’s list of the works of the director and is possibly one of...

Quick Links Bae Doona's Performance Is Paramount to Air Doll's Success Oppressive Gender Roles Offer Women Lonely Lives Objectification, Death, and a Meaningless Existence Add to Humanity's Loneliness

Hirokazu Kore-eda's Air Doll is an underrated gem of contemporary Japanese cinema that offers a painfully honest depiction of loneliness in the modern age. Ever since Kore-eda began directing feature films in 1995, his work has accumulated near-universal acclaim, both in Japan and internationally. Air Doll is one of the very few Kore-eda films to receive a more divisive reception. Some critics argued Air Doll ran too long, with its loose narrative structure hindering the film from achieving the same level of profound thematic exploration as Kore-eda's best movies. However, diminishing Air Doll's narrative structure takes away from the film's effectiveness in portraying the beats of everyday life rather than the contrived nature of a three-act formula. By more...

A chameleon on screen and a fashion icon off, Doona Bae has steadily stacked her repertoire over the years, starting with her breakout role in the 2000 comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite, from Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho. Since then, Bae has starred in South Korean box office hits like Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Host, The Kingdom, and she has worked across the globe, earning critical acclaim in projects like the Japanese offbeat romance Air Doll. She made her Hollywood debut in the big-budget 2012 sci-fi film Cloud Atlas. Her most recent venture, The Silent Sea, is about a crew of researchers who embark on a mission to the moonand co-stars Gong Yoo and Lee Joon.

Bae’s roles thus far have ranged from an inflatable doll who comes to life to an archer to a bounty hunter. She’s survived a monster terrorizing Seoul, traversed across time and space, and even...

The Cannes Film Festival has named the eight members of its main Competition jury who will join previously announced president Greta Gerwig in deciding the Palme d’Or and other key prizes at 77th edition running from May 14 to 25.

They are Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, U.S. actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, Spanish director and screenwriter J.A. Bayona, Italian actor Pierfrancisco Favino, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and French actor and producer Omar Sy.

The wife and long-time collaborator of Nuri Bilge Ceylan, screenwriter and photographer Ceylan co-wrote 2014 Palme d’Or winner Winter Sleep and also took co-writing credits on Cannes selected films Three Monkeys (Best Director Prize 2008), Once upon a time in Anatolia (Grand Prix 2011), The Wild Pear Tree (2018) and About Dry Grasses (2023).

Ceylan also appeared as an actress and took art director credits on her husband’s early films...

The inaugural Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (Hiff) in Vietnam has unveiled its line-up of about 100 films, including 12 each for the Southeast Asia competition and for the first or second film competition, with directors Anne Fontaine and Hirokazu Kore-eda among its guests.

Scroll down for line-up

The Asian premiere of French biopic Bolero will open the festival on April 6. Director Fontaine and leading actor Raphaël Personnaz will be present for the film’s Asian premiere, which will take place at the city’s historic Opera House.

Further notable festival guests include acclaimed Japanese director Kore-eda who will receive...

Considering the ignorant comments we read throughout the web (to say the least) after the release of “Monster”, we decided to take a vote regarding the ranking of the movies of the Japanese, in order to come up with an informed ‘top 16'. The only condition was for the people who vote to have watched at least 10 films by the director, which resulted in the following Amp members voting: Panos Kotzathanasis, Rouven Linnarz, Andrew Thayne, Tobiasz Dunin, Sean Barry, Adriana Rosati and Lukasz Mankowski. The result, which includes his 16 fiction features but not his documentaries, is as follows.

16. Distance (2001)

Koreeda directs a film filled with subtle melancholy, as he tries to present the reasons people join cults and commit horrendous attacks. Through flashbacks and dialogue, he depicts the alienation and emotional isolation the perpetrators had from their families as they succumbed to the cult's dogma. However, his efforts do not prove very fruitful,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)

One of last year’s most resonant films, Aftersun looks at the scratchy dynamics between a father and daughter while on vacation. It’s about memory, the finite nature of the relationships in our lives, and the difficulties of a parent’s diminishing mental health. Charlotte Wells knows where to put the camera in her debut—undeterred from taking risks, from placing her characters outside of the frame, from looking at shadows instead of the people themselves. Aftersun is a rare, tremendous first film, full of heart and focused melancholy; it breaks you down and fills you up simultaneously. The consistent inclusion of camcorder footage, and the fact that it enhances the story rather than becoming a distraction, further...

The lineup for the 76th installment of the Cannes Film Festival has finally been announced. Nineteen films will be competing to take home the prestigious Palme d’Or, including a record six films helmed by women. The festival will be taking place in the French Riviera from May 16 to May 27. This year’s jury will be headed by Ruben Östlund, who won his second Palme d’Or last year for “Triangle of Sadness.”

Knowing a filmmaker’s previous track record at Cannes can sometimes help give an idea as to who might be in the best position to claim the Palme. For instance, five of this year’s entries come from directors who have previously won the Palme. Another five are from auteurs who have had previous films win a prize in the main competition other than the Palme. Another five are from directors having their first film screen in the main competition.

A previous Palme d’Or winner (Shoplifters), Broker becomes Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s eighth trip to Cannes – this follows Distance (2001), Nobody Knows (2004), Air Doll (2009), Like Father, Like Son (2013), Our Little Sister (2015), After the Storm (2016). It stars Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona, Gang Dong-won, and Lee Ji-eun.

Another tale about family – this latest (first Korean language film for the filmmaker) once again reconfigures the essence of what family represents.

Another film just underneath the 3 point average, with nineteen of our jurors voting – we got an average of 2.9.

Click on the grid below for a larger version and latest updates!…...

After offering up a reduced, slightly belated 2021 edition, the Cannes Film Festival is back in its usual plum May spot, and with an enviable lineup to match. This year’s festival includes new films from some of cinema’s biggest names, including David Cronenberg, Kelly Reichardt, Claire Denis, Arnaud Desplechin, the Dardenne brothers, James Gray, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ruben Ostlund, Park Chan-wook, and more.

There are big studio efforts on offer, along with singular indies from a range of rising stars and new features from some of our favorite auteurs.

Digging through the Cannes lineup is always a treat, but this year’s selection feels particularly rich and rewarding. You can’t go wrong with this one, but that didn’t stop us from trawling this year’s picks to unearth the 18 titles we’re most excited about seeing, the creme de la creme of a festival that strives to only program the best.

Over the last several years, major Japanese studios have started to follow the tactics of their Hollywood equivalents by finally adapting their own comics, called manga, in the way they deserve.

This tendency is not exactly new, since films based on manga/anime have been shot since the 70s. However, it is the first time that so many expensive and subsequently elaborate productions are being made. This is chiefly attributed to two factors:

1.The people behind those films finally realized that they could not squeeze eight or more hours of anime in a single film, and thus decided to present the movie in two or three parts, retaining much of the original’s story and themes.

2.They also realized since most of the titles are sci-fi themed, much of the budget should be allocated towards the special effects, in order for the adaptation to capture the images of the original.

Hirokazu Kore-Eda has been a prolific movie director active for over 30 years. The release of Air Doll in 2022 to western audiences has garnered attention for him in recent times, even though the movie was actually made back in 2009.

Related: Every Paul Thomas Anderson Movie, Ranked By IMDb

Fans have taken to searching other movies by the director as a result of Air Doll’s notoriety and they will be pleased to know that Kore-Eda has a large filmography with very well-received credits. Movie rankings with fans reflect the positive reception toward the director’s efforts and the films he’s made are stories worth following, ranging from topics of family values, emotional dramas, and tragedies.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Air Doll (Hirokazu Kore-eda)

Despite coming from one of international cinema’s foremost working filmmakers, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2009 film Air Doll had never seen a release in the U.S. Adapted by Kore-eda from Yoshiie Gōda’s manga series Kuuki Ningyo, it’s a modern retelling of the Galatea myth—in which the king Pygmalion fell in love with his ivory statue and the goddess Aphrodite brought the statue to life. For a 21st-century spin on the tale, Kore-eda naturally updated the statue to a blow-up sex doll, played by Bae Doona. – Mitchell B. (full review)

Where to Stream: VOD

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (Junta Yamaguchi)

The logistics behind Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes are mind-boggling to fathom; time-travel stories are...

There is No Substitute: Kore-eda Digs into Our Rubber Soul with Fantasy Flick

Reinterpreting the notion of what it is to truly be living and…breathing, Hirokazu Kore-eda takes on the less colorful, shallow, exploitative aspects in humanity and combines it with the innocence and warmth derived from authentic human interaction. Working from an absurd premise, the Japanese filmmaker might not be able to substantially add more to the narrative core, but Air Doll never wanes away from the central themes of isolation and alienation, something in which the filmmaker has obsessively visited in his previous films. This seventh fiction feature is a pleasant oddity, crisply photographed and expertly perfumed by lead actress Doona, who is spot on with her physicality and demeanor.…...

Middle-aged service worker Hideo (Itsuji Itao) shares his tiny apartment with an inflatable sex doll in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Air Doll,” a contemplative, melancholy — if minor — study of loneliness. (This 2009 film from the director who would go on to make “Shoplifters” and “The Truth” is getting its first U.S. release.)

And though the label on the box reads “Lovely Girl Candy,” and Hideo finds real human interaction “annoying,” he gives the doll the name “Nozomi,” after a former girlfriend. She’s as close to being real as he wants, and she silently absorbs his minor monologues and grievances about his work day before he has sex with her.

There are other inanimate, less functional dolls in Hideo’s home: small figures on shelves, a bedside “Paddington”-style teddy bear, and linens decorated with nesting dolls. But it’s Nozomi who, one day while Hideo is at work, gains consciousness and living,...

Despite coming from one of international cinema’s foremost working filmmakers, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2009 film Air Doll had never seen a release in the U.S. Adapted by Kore-eda from Yoshiie Gōda’s manga series Kuuki Ningyo, it’s a modern retelling of the Galatea myth—in which the king Pygmalion fell in love with his ivory statue and the goddess Aphrodite brought the statue to life. For a 21st-century spin on the tale, Kore-eda naturally updated the statue to a blow-up sex doll, played by Bae Doona.

We begin with Nozomi (Doona) as the property of lonely middle-aged man Hideo (Itsuji Itao), who treats her as if she were a real human being—mostly. He takes her on walks in a wheelchair, sits with her at the park, and eats dinner with her, having lively conversation as though talking to someone who could speak back. Of course that humanity...

With Sundance now wrapped up, this month we turn our sights on Berlinale and a number of notable releases arriving both theatrically and digitally. From international Oscar contenders to long-delayed releases to musician-focused docs to our favorite group of jackasses, it’s an eclectic month. See our picks below.

15. The Sky Is Everywhere (Josephine Decker; Feb. 11 in theaters and Apple TV+)

Curiously absent from Sundance and Berlinale is the latest by an alum of both, Josephine Decker. Following Madeline’s Madeline and Shirley, the director is back with The Sky Is Everywhere, which was adapted by Jandy Nelson, based on her novel. Produced by A24 and Apple, it follows a high-schooler who loses her older sister and attempts to regain her footing in life. With the YA material, it looks like Decker is carving a new path; we’re curious to see the results.

14. Taste (Lê Bảo; Feb. 16 on Mubi...

Yeung will continue to grow We Pictures’ slate, while broadening its business in the areas of content creation, IP development and distribution.

Former Edko Films executive Esther Yeung has been appointed chief operating officer of Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-sun Chan’s We Pictures.

In her new role, she will continue to grow We Pictures’ slate, while broadening its business in the areas of content creation, IP development and distribution. She will report directly to Chan.

Yeung most recently served as general manager, head of sales and distribution, at Bill Kong’s Hong Kong-based producer-distributor Edko Films. During her tenure,...

While U.S. distribution has been improved in the last few years when it comes to the vast, rich offerings of Japanese cinema, there are still many gems that go virtually unseen here. Thankfully, a new series by Japan Society and Agency for Cultural Affairs titled 21st Century Japan: Films from 2001-2020 will make a wealth of these titles available for viewing stateside.

Featuring Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Air Doll, the U.S. premieres of Sion Sono’s Red Post on Escher Street and Yukiko Mishima’s Shape of Red, Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water, Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War, a spotlight on and conversation with Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and much more, we’re pleased to present the exclusive trailer for the series, which takes place on February 5-25. While there’s much to discover, I’d also highly recommend Tetsuya Nakashima’s Confessions and Yui Kiyohara’s Our House,...

New York, NY –Japan Society and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan (Aca), in collaboration with the Visual Industry Promotion Organization (Vipo), announce the inaugural Aca Cinema Project online film series 21st Century Japan: Films from 2001-2020, streaming nationwide on Japan Society’s Virtual Cinema from February 5-25, 2021.

As Japan’s film industry enters its third decade in the new millennium, this 30-film online series takes a look back at the last 20 years of Japanese cinema to celebrate some of the most remarkable narrative fiction films and filmmakers that define the era. Covering a wide range of production styles and genres—from small budget independent debuts to festival favorites and award-winning major studio releases—this diverse slate of feature and short films offers a guided tour of modern Japanese cinema, including special spotlights dedicated to the work of Kiyoshi Kurosawa and a selection of breakout films by up-and-coming filmmakers.

Song Kang-ho is going from one Palme d’Or winner to the next by following his acclaimed role in Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” with a lead role in the upcoming drama film from “Shoplifters” director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Song has been cast opposite “Cloud Atlas” actress Bae Doona and “Peninsula” star Kang Dong-won in Kore-eda’s “Baby, Box, Broker,” which will mark the Japanese director’s first movie made in Korea and shot in the Korean language. Kore-eda’s previous effort, the Ethan Hawke and Juliette Binoche-starring “The Truth,” was his first film shot outside of Japan.

Producer Eugene Lee said in a statement to Variety that “Baby, Box, Broker” is “a Korean movie with Korean actors, Korean staff, being shot in the Korean language. It will shoot in Korea also.” “Parasite” production company Cj Entertainment is investing in the project and will distribute the movie in South Korea.

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSWith the eyebrow-raising working title of Soggy Bottom, Paul Thomas Anderson's new 70s-set project has quietly begun shooting in Los Angeles with Bradley Cooper, and possibly Alana Haim of the band Haim. Speaking of new projects, the next feature by Hirokazu Kore-eda will be a Korean production starring Bae Doona (who previously starred in his film Air Doll) and Song Kang-ho. Entitled Broker, the film is about characters linked by a "baby box," a place where parents may anonymously drop off babies they are unable to raise. Berlinale has announced plans for its 2021 edition, which will be a physical festival. For the first time, performance awards will be gender neutral, replacing the awards for the Best Actor and the Best Actress with a Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance and a Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance.

Song Kang-ho, star of Oscar-winner “Parasite,” will head the cast of “Baby, Box, Broker,” the Korean-language debut of “Shoplifters” director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Rounding out a stellar acting lineup are Bae Doona and Gang Dong-won.

The film takes as its starting point boxes that are left out for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies. That makes “Broker” thematically linked to Kore-eda’s previous films, including Cannes competition title “Nobody Knows” and Cannes jury prize-winner “Like Father, Like Son.”

Production is through Zip Cinema, with Cj Entertainment investing, handling local distribution and international sales. Kore-eda is currently completing the screenplay and is heading for a 2021 production start.

“It’s Korean movie with Korean actors, Korean staff, being shot in the Korean language,” producer Eugene Lee told Variety. “It will shoot in Korea also.”

“ ‘Broker’ is a story about baby boxes. Right now, working on the script that will move these three great actors,...

It was today confirmed that South Korean superstars Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona and Kang Dong-won have been cast in leading roles in Japanese master Hirokazu Koreeda’s new film titled “Broker”. The story is said to revolve around baby boxes, which are set up for people who are no longer able to provide for their babies to anonymously give them up.

Director Koreeda Hirokazu himself explained how the film came to light, and his statement reads as follows:

“Plans for “Broker” began about five years ago.

As always, it all began with the actors. I first met Song Kang-ho at the Busan International Film Festival and Kang Dong-won when he was in Tokyo for work. I have continued to stay in contact with the two actors in Tokyo, Seoul, Busan, and Cannes. At first, we simply exchanged greetings but as we continued to share conversations, it naturally led to us...

Imagine a Japanese version of “Pygmalion” in which the sculptor continues to caress slabs of marble even after Galatea has come to life. That is the unusual premise of “Romance Doll,” a marital drama in which a sex doll maker’s rapt obssession with his new prototype, leads to rejection of his human muse. Directed by Yuki Tanada, from her own 2009 novel of the same title, the film initially holds promise to become a liberating erotic art film against the objectification of the female body. However,

Although it’s underlying attitudes about female sexuality might be problematic for female and feminist viewers, its suggestive subject matter (handled without offensive kinkiness) will set many an imaginative mind sprinting. “Romance Doll” was snapped up for theatrical release by several Asian territories. Following a premiere at Udine Far East Film Festival, it starts streaming on Netflix on July 24.

Films that make sex dolls their subject,...

What is love? If you cannot find the answer in these 40 Asian movies, handpicked by the Amp group one by one, then there is definitely something wrong with you. Without further ado, here are 40 great Asian romantic films, released from 2000 onward, with a focus on diversity on country of origin, director, and style, in alphabetical order.

1. 2046

“2046” loses the simplicity and the chasteness of “In the Mood for Love” for a more chaotic and a bit lustful endeavor with greater ambition. This is a film that affects each person differently, what one takes away from this film will depends on themselves. (Jithin Mohan)

2. 3-Iron

Kim Ki-duk’s direction and the editing are magnificent, as he accomplishes very much with all of his choices. Even when the main characters never say a word to each other, the story catches us by concrete scenes flowing clearly. The calm but...

Despite now being typecast as a director of family dramas, Hirokazu Koreeda isn’t a director afraid to step out of his comfort zone, experimenting with fantasy (“Air Doll”) and courtroom drama (“The Third Murder”). It’s no surprise then that his sole jidaigeki (period drama) to date, 2006’s “Hana”, tells the story of a samurai well out of his comfort zone in his role. The English language release came with the tagline “The tale of a reluctant samurai”, but the hero, Soza (Junichi Okada) is more than just reluctant and is actively running away from the role typically associated with such honourable duties.

In 18th century Japan, Soza hides out in a small community on the outskirts of Edo to seek out the murderer of his father, head of his clan, killed over a petty squabble. His duty is to get revenge. But despite the constant...

Korean actress Bae Doona on Saturday received the Etoile du Cinema award. The prize was created last year by the French Embassy in order to acknowledge those Korean film talents who have helped South Korea-French collaboration in cinema.

French Ambassador to South Korea, Philippe Lefort handed the trophy to the 39-year-old actress ahead of the world premiere screening of “#iamhere” at the Busan International Film Festival.

“#iamhere” is the biggest ever film co-produced by Korea and France. Directed by French filmmaker Eric Lartigau (“La Famille Belier”) and starring Chabat and Bae, the film revolves around a French man who travels to Korea to meet a Korean woman on social network service. France’s Gaumont is handling the film’s international sales and Next Entertainment World is distributing the film in Korea.

“It was a sweet memory to act alongside such an amazing actor as Alain Chabat. I am glad I...

Although its characters get drunk all the time, “And Your Bird Can Sing” is as sober as it gets. Captured in the triviality of everyday life in northern Japan, Sho Miyake presents a lackluster love drama based on a novel by Yasushi Sato.

“And Your Birds Can Sing” is screening at Berlin Film Festival

A nameless book dealer played by Tasuku Emoto (“Air Doll” 2009) falls in love with his coworker, Sachiko. His roommate, Shizuo, also has interest in her. Normally, a perfect base for conflict. But somehow Miyake misses to build up the tension. I don’t blame the actors. Shota Sometani (“Parasyte” 2014) as Shizuo and Shizuka Ishibashi (“Nights Tightrope” 2016) as Sachiko are doing their best. Natural acting, becoming one with the camera and creating harmony on screen. Unfortunately, this does not help the pace of the film, who fails to arouse the interest of the viewer.

“And Your Bird Can Sing” is too long.

The greatest of Japanese filmmakers have a chameleonic quality. Although these directors—Akira Kurosawa, for example—build their reputation around one genre, they export their thematic preoccupations to projects that couldn’t be more disparate in terms of subject matter. Hirokazu Kore-eda is one such modern master, whose soft-spoken family dramas are broken up by more unorthodox projects, like magical-realist efforts “After Life” and “Air Doll,” or “Hana,” a jidai-geki in the tradition of Kurosawa, albeit with an identifiable Kore-eda touch.

Continue reading ‘The Third Murder’ Isn’t Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Finest Work But Is A Damn Good Thriller Nonetheless [Review] at The Playlist.

Cannes Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda will make his first film outside of Japan later this year with starry drama La Vérité (The Truth).

Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Catherine Deneuve and Ludivine Sagnier are due to star in the largely French-language pic, the film’s producer has confirmed to Deadline.

Binoche and Hawke will co-star as a married couple who return to France from the U.S. as the wife’s mother (Deneuve), a well-known actress, publishes her controversial autobiography. During their reunion, various truths come to light. The script is based on an un-produced stage play from Kore-eda. Shoot is due to take place in October and November in France.

Producers are French firm 3B Productions and co-producers are Kore-eda’s Bunbuku and M.i Movies. Paris-based Wild Bunch is on board for most international sales. Gaga will handle sales in all Asian markets apart from China which...

Fresh from his Palme d’Or triumph in Cannes, the Japanese director of “Shoplifters,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, confirmed that his next film will feature two of France’s biggest stars Juliette Binoche and Catherine Deneuve. They are to be joined by Ethan Hawke and Ludivine Sagnier (“8 Women”).

“La Verite” (which translates as ‘The Truth’ in English) will shoot entirely in France in October and November this year. The film is being jointly produced by French firm 3B Productions and Kore-eda’s Bunbuku. Paris-based Wild Bunch is set as the international sales agent. A release in 2019 is penciled in, but a Japanese distributor has not yet been set.

Binoche and Hawke co-star as a married couple who return to France from the United States when the wife’s mother (Deneuve), a well-known actress, publishes her autobiography. During their reunion, various truths are revealed. The script is based on a stage play...

With the final wave of programming, the 2018 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup of over 125 features and 220 shorts, featuring the premieres of more than 100 cutting-edge visions from across the world. Fantasia’s brand new website, which has just gone online, details all films and events at this year’s festival.

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 12 – August 2 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.

Many juicy Asian titles (including several Premieres) can be found within the rich programme of this Canadian Festival. Let’s have a look at them:

Donnie Yen will School you in “Big Brother” (World Premiere)

Mixed martial arts meet high-school intrigue, with Hong Kong superhero Donnie Yen at the blackboard! The closing night festivities of Fantasia 2018 will begin...

Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s sixth trip to Cannes comes after Our Little Sister in 2015, and the one before that was Like Father, Like Son (which took home the Jury Prize in 2013). The Japanese filmmaker as seen previous entries Distance (2001) and Nobody Knows (2004) shore up in the comp, while his sex doll romance Air Doll was selected for the Un Certain Regard in 2009. Shoplifters which is primarily centered around Osamu and his son who come across a little girl in the freezing cold. This comes after The Third Murder (premiered at Venice/Tiff).

Week #2 begins strong as the…...

Toronto -- The Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled a slew of premieres, mostly out of Cannes and Berlin, including the latest films from veterans Manoel de Oliveira, Alain Resnais and Hirokazu Kore-eda.

De Oliveira's "Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl" will unspool as part of the Masters sidebar, as will Resnais' "Les Herbes Folles" and "Air Doll," Japanese director Kore-eda's drama about a blow-up doll that becomes a real person that stars Korean actress Bae Doo-na.

And the high-profile Contemporary World Cinema program booked Israeli director Haim Tabakman's "Eyes Wide Open," a gay love story set in a religious Jewish community, "Huacho," from Chilean director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras, Korea's "Like You Know It All," by Hong Sang-soo, and Jessica Hausner's "Lourdes."

Other Cwc titles include Asli Ozge's "Men on the Bridge," set in Istanbul, Australian director Sarah Watt's "My Year Without Sex" and from Romania "Police, Adjective," by Corneliu Porumboiu.

Toronto each year unveils titles chosen from earlier international film festivals before it rolls out its own world premieres.

Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s latest feature Kûki ningyô (Air Doll, 2009)—based on a manga by Yoshiie Gōda about a life-size blow-up doll who develops a soul and falls in love with a video store clerk—has been selected for screening in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. In San Francisco to promote the appearance of Still Walking in SFIFF52’s World Cinema sidebar—in tandem with the film’s upcoming theatrical release—I took a moment during our conversation to enquire after his latest.

* * * Michael Guillén: Congratulations on being selected for this year’s Un Certain Regard with your new film Air Doll. I’m interested in what you were seeking to explore thematically in your latest film?

Hirokazu Kore-eda: The doll is inflated with air, so it’s basically empty or blank inside. She is living in Tokyo and around her are us urbanites who are also empty. We have nothing...