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Brut Post TikTok Subscriber Milestone

France’s young adult-focused, online news-skewed platform Brut is sounding its own bell after hitting 10 million subscribers on TikTok, making it the top French publisher on the Chinese-owned platform. The subscriber gains also make the platform the second most followed European news publisher on TikTok after the Daily Mail. “Making news on TikTok was a challenge. A successful bet with 10 million subscribers, which makes us the leading news media in France on a platform historically focused on entertainment,” said TikTok Editor in Chief Laurent Lucas in a release. “This symbolic milestone reflects the success of an editorial policy developed especially for new uses of information consumption in France and around the world.” Launched by Guillaume Lacroix and Renaud le Van Kim in 2016, the Paris-based platform employs some 250 people. It has had its financial ups and down over its existence but reported last year that it...

A year ago, the legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama passed away, leaving a huge void in the manga industry. The Dragon Ball creator has touched lives through his story and has revolutionized the shonen genre. But he is rather discreet about his personal life, especially his family.

Goku in a still from the anime | Credit: Toei Animation

And why should he not? Considering the public eye and media, the secrecy makes sense. However, it only means that the personal realm is rather less explored. And while that is the case, there are interesting stories behind it as well that tie up to his $27 billion franchise.

Akira Toriyama’s discreet family life

It is widely known that public appearances as well as interviews aren’t Akira Toriyama’s best suit. To come across an interview or an interaction itself is a rarity. However, with what we know, he has opened up about...

Exclusive: Michel Gondry’s latest film Maya, Give Me A Title, is set to have its North American premiere at the upcoming New York International Children’s Film Festival (Feb 28 – March 16).

The French-language film will have its international premiere at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival. Indie Sales is selling. Gondry’s regular producer Georges Bermann of Partizan Films is producing. A U.S. buyer has yet to be set but The Jokers released in France.

The Lumiere-nominated film is a stop-motion animation charting the long-distance relationship between Gondry and his daughter Maya. The two live in different countries, and on each of their nightly calls Gondry asks his daughter “Maya, give me a title.” Whatever her answer is, he creates a short animated story in which Maya is always the hero. The trailer is below.

Venues for the film will include Dctv’s Firehouse, Sva, Scandinavia House, and IFC Center.

Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window , an anime feature film based on an autobiographical novel by acclaimed Japanese actor and media personality Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, won the Paul Grimault Award in the feature category of the 48th Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France on June 15. The Paul Grimault Award is the third award in the category, after the Crystal Award, the top prize, and the Jury's Award. The is the second consecutive year that a Japanese film has won the award, following last year's The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes directed by Tomohisa Taguchi. The festival's official website describes Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window : "At little Totto-Chan’s Tomoe School during the Second World War, she learns what racism and intolerance are, and discovers the grim reality of war." As reported , four Japanese films were included in this year's official selection of feature films...

Adam Elliot’s oddball Aussie feature Memoir of a Snail has won the Cristal award for best feature film at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival, the world’s leading international animation fest.

The dark dramedy, about a lonely, snail-obsessed hoarder — voiced by Succession star Sarah Snook — recounting her life story to one of her beloved gastropods, is Elliot’s first feature since 2009’s Mary and Max, which also won the top honor at Annecy. An impressive group of Australian A-listers, including Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver, Eric Bana and Nick Cave provide supporting voice work. IFC Films picked up North American rights to Memoir of a Snail ahead of the festival.

Flow, a drama from Latvian animator Gints Zilbalodis (Away), which follows a cat that survives a world-destroying deluge on a boat with a collection of other animals, won this year’s jury award and audience prize, voted on by Annecy attendees.

Note: I’ll be updating this page as Criterion makes the release dates and final art available. – Ryan 4/15/2011

Well here we are, another mid-month Criterion new release announcement. This time last year, we were treated to the incredible one-two punch announcement of Black Narcissus and the Red Shoes as upgraded DVD/Blu-ray editions. This time around we have even more to be excited about.

First up, a couple of films that we’ve actually already covered on the podcast will finally be getting Blu-ray upgrades. One of our very first episodes was on Mike Leigh’s Naked (a film that I wasn’t too hot on, but I loved Leigh’s Topsy Turvy). Now you’ll finally be able to see this incredibly daring and raw look at England in the early 90s, with David Thewlis as the immortal Johnny. I found the dialogue to be a little too rapid and not very naturalistic,...