Wong Kar-wai’s ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ and Netflix’s ‘Cigarette Girl’ Nominated

STREAMING SENSATIONS

The Busan International Film Festival’s sixth annual Asia Contents Awards and Global OTT Awards have disclosed their nominees across 11 competitive categories.

PTS Taiwan’s “Imperfect Us” leads the nominations with five, followed by Indonesian Netflix series “Cigarette Girl” with four. Wong Kar-wai’s series debut “Blossoms Shanghai” (Tencent Video) and Korea’s “A Killer Paradox” (Netflix) each have three nods. Additional multiple nominees include Korea’s “Daily Dose of Sunshine” (Netflix), “Lovely Runner” (CJ ENM Studios/Bon Factory), and Thai Prime Video series “Enigma” (GMMTV).

The best lead actor (male) category features nominees Hu Ge (“Blossoms Shanghai”), Yim Si-wan (“Boyhood”), Choi Woo-shik (“A Killer Paradox”), Wu Kang Ren (“Living”), Cho Jin-woong (“No way Out: The Roulette”), and Sakai Masato (“Vivant”).

Best lead actor (female) nominees include Dian Sastrowardoyo (“Cigarette Girl”), Park Bo-young (“Daily Dose Of Sunshine”), Nikaido Fumi (“Eye Love You”), Ariel Lin (“Imperfect Us”), Zhou Xun (“Imperfect Victim”), and Kim Hyeyoon (“Lovely Runner”).

Nominees for the best director category include Alisher Utev (“1286”), Kamila Andini and Ifa Ifansyah (“Cigarette Girl”), Patha Thongpan (“Enigma”), Lim Daehyung and Jeon Gowoon (“LTNS”), and Park Hoonjung (“The Tyrant”).

The newly introduced category for best original song features entries from “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,” “Imperfect Us,” “Lovely Runner,” and “Only Friends.”

The jury includes actors Nishijima Hidetoshi and Alice Ko, writer Baek Mi-kyoung, Pollux Studio CEO An Eunmi, TV Man Union executive producer Matsuba Naohiko, United Talent Agency’s Max Michael, and Asian Contents and Film Market director Ellen Y.D. Kim.

The awards will take place on Oct. 6.

GOMES GALAS

Meanwhile, Busan will also present a program centered around Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes. Titled “Miguel Gomes, a Filmmaker of Joyful Melancholy,” the program will include eight of Gomes’ works, from his 2004 debut “The Face You Deserve” to his latest, “Grand Tour,” which secured the best director award at Cannes 2024. The selection of films will also include “Our Beloved Month of August” (2008), “Tabu” (2012), the “Arabian Nights” trilogy (2015), and “The Tsugua Diaries” (2021), co-directed with Maureen Fazendeiro. “Grand Tour” will be part of the festival’s gala presentations.

A masterclass with Gomes is also planned. Known for blending reality and fantasy, Gomes has been a regular presence at major international festivals. His work often delves into themes of Portuguese identity and combines elements of both fiction and documentary.

The Busan International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Oct. 2-11. The Asian Contents and Film Market will occur concurrently from Oct. 5-8.

ANIME AVALANCHE

The BBC has acquired UK rights to over 1,000 episodes of the English-dubbed “One Piece” anime series. Based on Eiichiro Oda’s bestselling manga, the show follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew’s quest for the titular treasure.

BBC iPlayer, in partnership with BBC Three, will release all 10 sagas between September and December, starting with “East Blue,” “Alabasta,” and “Skypiea” on Sept. 1. All 1085 episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer by the end of the year, marking the first UK availability of dubbed versions.

CHAINSMOKERS’ COLLABORATION

EDM duo The Chainsmokers have released a revised version of their hit “Addicted,” featuring Indian artists Guru Randhawa and Jonita Gandhi. The remix, also including Brazilian DJ Zerb and German producer Ink, adds Punjabi verses to the dance track.

Orchestrated by The Hello Group and TH3RD BRAIN, the collaboration also received additional production by K-pop veterans Alawn and Taylor Jones. The original “Addicted” has amassed approximately 140 million collective streams and topped Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.

AI ARTISTRY

Rochak Kohli and rapper Panther have released the single “Meeh Baras,” featuring what is billed as India’s first AI-generated music video. The track, distributed by Virgin Music Group India under the R Music label, blends electronic sounds with traditional melodies and pop beats.

Produced by Studio Blo, the video utilizes AI to create diverse landscapes and recreate images of the artists within a structured narrative. Over 7,000 images were generated for the project, marking Studio Blo’s foray into music video production. Lyrics are by Gurpreet Saini and Gautam G. Sharma.

Source: Particle News, BBC, Virgin Music Group India