Ang Lee to Receive Praemium Imperiale

GRAND PRAEMIUM

Taiwan-born film director Ang Lee (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Life of Pi,” “Brokeback Mountain”) has been named as one of the five recipients of the Praemium Imperiale award of the Japan Art Association. The awards ceremony will take place in Tokyo on Nov. 19.  

Each recipient will receive JPY15 million ($104,000) alongside a testimonial letter and a medal. This year’s other recipients are: Sophie Calle (painting, France); Doris Salcedo (sculpture, Colombia); Shigeru Ban (architecture, Japan); and Maria João Pires (music, Portugal/Switzerland).

The Praemium Imperiale is the world’s largest and most prestigious art award in the five disciplines of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theatre/film. Now in its 35th year, it gives international recognition to the arts, much as the Nobel Prizes do to the sciences.

Previous film sector winners include Ingmar Berman, Jean-Luc Godard and Kurosawa Akira.

KIWI FIGURES

The 2024 New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has completed its marathon tour around the country. Its selection of 83 feature films and 17 shorts were attended by more than 90,000 spectators, organizers said. Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s feature debut and festival opener, “We Were Dangerous” topped the box office.

Among the festival highlights was a 30th anniversary screening of Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures” – a 4K restoration of his 1994 classic, presented in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The screenings in Wellington and Auckland were attended by Jackson, co-writer Fran Walsh and production designer Grant Major, respectively.

GREAT MIND

Thai star Sapol Assawamunkong (aka ‘The Great’) has joined the cast of Season 2 of YTV’s hit Japanese series “Octo-Mind Investigator Akari Shinno,” as one of the key characters, Krit Wongratch. Represented by GMMTV, Assawamunkong has credits including “Room Alone 2” in 2015, 2019 film “Inhuman Kiss” and GMM series “Beauty Newbie.”

“Octo-Mind Investigator,” an original mystery drama series features a detective who has the extraordinary ability to see people’s emotions as colours. Season1 aired in the summer of 2022 and was a hit on linear TV and the free catch-up service, TVer.

FASHION FOR ANIME

DJ, composer and actor Steve Aoki returned to New York Fashion Week this season with DIM MAK x ONE PIECE in partnership with Toei Animation to present an immersive runway experience on Sept. 9th, at Artechhouse. The Spring/Summer 2025 collection was unveiled as part of Toei Animation’s year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the iconic anime series. The cartoon house called Aoki’s participation “a transformative moment for anime in the fashion world, where the bold and adventurous spirit of ‘One Piece‘ meets the cutting-edge designs of Dim Mak.”

VIETNAM MUSIC

Sony Music Entertainment Vietnam has sealed a strategic partnership with Great Entertainment, one of Vietnam’s leading music labels. As part of the agreement, Sony Music will acquire rights to distribute and market both the catalogue and frontline releases of Great Entertainment’s roster of artists. The company’s roster includes top-charting Vietnamese artists, including B Ray, Quân A.P, Masew, Khanh ICM, and Khoi Vu.

FAST FEAST

Pluto TV is launching several free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) news channels across international markets in October. New offerings include CBC News/Radio-Canada channels in Canada, CNN International and CNN Fast in various European countries, and Reuters in select regions.

CNN International will offer news and lifestyle programming in the U.K., Germany, Switzerland and Austria, including coverage of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. CNN Fast, a short-form video channel, will be available in additional European countries and Canada.

Reuters joins the lineup in the U.K., Nordics and Canada, delivering global news coverage.

In Canada, Pluto TV is adding four CBC/Radio-Canada channels: CBC News Explore, CBC News British Columbia, CBC News Toronto, and Radio-Canada Info. These will provide national and local coverage, including French-language content.

TAXING SEQUEL

Bollywood star Ajay Devgn is returning as Indian Revenue Service officer Amay Patnaik in “Raid 2,” slated for a Feb. 21, 2025 theatrical release. The sequel to the 2018 hit “Raid” also stars Vaani Kapoor, with Ritesh Deshmukh as the antagonist and Rajat Kapoor in a key role. Rajkumar Gupta directs the film, which was shot in Delhi and Lucknow. T-Series and Panorama Studios are producing, with Bhushan Kumar, Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak and Krishan Kumar as producers.

‘PAKEEZAH’ PAIR

Saregama India Ltd and LionHeart Cinema are teaming up for “Kamal Aur Meena,” a Bollywood biopic chronicling the relationship between director Kamal Amrohi and actress Meena Kumari. The film, helmed by Siddharth P. Malhotra, will focus on their 20-year romance and the making of all-time Indian classic “Pakeezah” (1972).

Producers include Bilal Amrohi, Saregama and Rohandeep Singh. Production is slated for 2025, with a 2026 release target. Casting is ongoing. The project draws from over 500 handwritten letters between Amrohi and Kumari, as well as personal journals. A.R. Rahman will score the film.

Bilal Amrohi said: “It is our great honor to bring to the screen the untold love story and the immense struggle behind making of the film, ‘Pakeezah’ of my grand parents.”

Malhotra added: “Their relationship was one of deep love and artistic collaboration, spanning over 20 years.”

Siddharth Anand Kumar, senior VP, films and events at Saregama, said: “This is a love saga unlike any other, filled with passion, drama, and profound emotion and music.”