News

Exclusive: Japanese production and sales company Rights Cube Japan is teaming with Canada’s Federgreen Entertainment and Sine Media Inc on a horror action slate written and directed by rising cult filmmaker Kenichi Ugana.

Ugana’s latest film, The Gesuidouz, screened at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and Sitges Film Festival in Spain. The film, about a horror-themed punk rock band that moves to the Japanese countryside to the write the ultimate hit, won best feature at London International Fantastic Film Festival, as well as the Audience Award at the Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema.

The three partners for Ugana’s new slate all have backgrounds in high-concept genre filmmaking. Rights Cube’s previous work includes action comedies Baby Assassins and Baby Assassins 2, about two teenage female contract killers, and Kensuke Sonomura’s Ghostkiller.

Canadian producer Avi Federgreen’s credits include cult hits such as Deathstalker, For...

The new Filipino-produced action thriller “Topakk” aka “Triggered”, directed by Richard Somes, stars Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, Sid Lucero and Kokoy De Santos, available May 13, 2025 on digital platforms and DVD:

“…’Miguel’ is an ex-special forces operative suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“In his bid for redemption as a security guard, he attempts to save the life of a woman who is being hunted by a corrupt police death squad working for a drug cartel…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Hong Kong International Film Festival Society’s (Hkiff)’s Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) has announced a slate of 15 work-in-progress features, showcasing a mix of established auteurs and emerging talent from across Asia.

The projects will be presented at the expanded Hkiff Industry Project Market, running March 17-19 alongside Hong Kong’s FilMart. They join a slate of previously announced 25 in-development projects.

Leading the pack are new works from acclaimed filmmakers, including Golden Horse winner Huang Ji’s “A Woman Builds,” co-directed with Otsuka Ryuji, which explores a Chinese woman’s quest to build a house while separated from her Japanese family during Covid-19. Qiu Jiongjiong, whose “A New Old Play” nabbed Locarno’s Special Jury Prize, returns with “Fuxi: Joy in Four Chapters,” a dark comedy about Sichuan cuisine featuring “Stranger Eyes” star Lee Kang-sheng.

Other notable projects include Chong Keat Aun’s “Mother Bhumi,” headlined by Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing,...

New projects from Golden Horse Award winner Huang Ji, Indonesian actor-turned-director Reza Rahadian and US-Philippines actor and director Isabel Sandoval are among the 15 Works-in-Progress selected for this year’s Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf).

A Woman Builds is the latest feature from Huang Ji and her regular collaborator, Otsuka Ryuji, after winning best film at the Golden Horse Awards for Stonewalling. The new film follows a Chinese woman who builds a house in her hometown while living a pseudo-single life during the pandemic.

Rahadian’s directorial debut Pangku, starring Christine Hakim, explores a tradition in a rural part of Indonesia in which coffee shops provide women to sit in men’s laps whilst drinking their coffee.

Sandoval both stars in and directs Moonglow, a neo-noir about an ex-cop assigned with her ex-lover to investigate a break-in at the mansion of a corrupt police chief. Arjo Atayde also stars.

It may not seem like the most obvious choice for a Christmas movie – a brutal action film with a protagonist traumatized by a failed mission in the jungle – but Triggered (Topakk) is one of the ten films selected for this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (Mmff) and is opening across the Philippines on December 25.

Starring Arjo Atayde and Julia Montes, the Tagalog-language film had its world premiere at Locarno film festival in 2023 and has been touring other festivals over the past year. Atayde plays a former special forces operative, now working as a security guard and struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (Ptsd), who tries to save a woman being pursued by corrupt police and a vicious drugs cartel.

“Filipino families tend to go out together over the holidays, but I guess this is one for the dads and their sons, while the mums and daughters go to watch a romcom,...

Exclusive: Following its work on premium series The Bagman, Philippines production outfit Rein Entertainment is launching a slate of films and series here at Busan’s Asian Contents and Film Market (Acfm) headed by crime drama series Drug War: A Conspiracy Of Silence and Lino Cayetano’s ‘Neo-Western’ movie Salvageland.

Drug War: A Conspiracy Of Silence, directed by Shugo Praico, follows a sharp-minded priest from a privileged background who works with a conscience-stricken policewoman to uncover the circumstances behind the death of his missing protégé.

Currently in production, the 6 x 60-minute series stars Ian Veneracion, who won best actor at the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival for Rein Entertainment’s A Silent Night (Nanahimik Ang Gabi), also directed by Praico.

Salvageland stars Richard Gomez and Elijah Canlas in the story of an idealistic police officer and his father, a cynical veteran of the force. Father and son are forced to confront...

Experience

A “Friends”-themed exhibition and experience is setting up home permanently in London. Inspired by the iconic sitcom, The Friends Experience is set to open in a purpose-built location at London’s ExCel center this summer ahead of the show’s 30th anniversary this year.

The experience features full-scale recreations of the show’s sets, from Monica and Rachel’s apartment to the infamous “Pivot!” scene complete with couch, as well as costumes, backdrops, props and memorabilia. Guests can recreate some of their favorite on-screen moments and enjoy themed food and drinks as well as exclusive merch.

It has been created by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment, Original X Productions and Warner Bros. Television Group and is operated by U.K.-based The Luna Entertainment Group. Tickets can be purchased at www.FriendsTheExperience.com/London.

Homecoming

Philippines-born filmmaker Isabel Sandoval (Venice title “Lingua Franca”) has wrapped principal photography on her new film “Moonglow.

In the five years since her breakout Lingua Franca, Isabel Sandoval has jumped into shorts and TV directing, but now she’s finally set her feature follow-up. Kicking off production next month in the Philippines, her fourth feature is the romantic noir Moonglow, which the director describes as “in the vein of In a Lonely Place and Casablanca” and combines “the gritty world of Philippine crime and politics” with “lush romanticism”.

Starring Arjo Atayde, the 1960s-set film takes place in Manila and follows “a jaded female police detective, who unbeknownst to her colleagues is the mastermind behind a successful heist, but who is paired up with an obsessively truth-seeking detective partner to crack the very crime that she orchestrated,” Deadline reports.

“In the midst of my involvement in various U.S. projects, my storytelling always finds its way back to the heart of my homeland,” said Sandoval. “The film is...

Exclusive: US-based Filipino filmmaker Isabel Sandoval is returning to the Philippines to shoot her fourth feature, Moonglow, starring Arjo Atayde.

Sandoval, who is known for her award-winning 2019 feature Lingua Franca and directing series in the U.S., is scheduled to start shooting the noir crime thriller on April 9.

Set in 1970s Manila, the film follows a jaded female police detective, who unbeknownst to her colleagues is the mastermind behind a successful heist, but who is paired up with an obsessively truth-seeking detective partner to crack the very crime that she orchestrated.

The film is produced by Alemberg Ang of the Philippines’ Daluyong Studios, with Tan Si En of Singapore’s Momo Film Co, Takahiro Yamashita of Japan’s Yaman Films and Ria Atayde of the Philippines’ Nathan Studios.

Arjo Atayde also stars in upcoming Abs-cbn crime series The Bagman and has recent credits including psychological series Cattleya Killer...

One year after unveiling the ambitious project at Hong Kong’s Filmart project market, Philippine broadcaster-turned-content-producer Abs-cbn has started production on the crime thriller series The Bagman. The show began shooting in Manila on Feb. 25, according to the producers, and the project will be shopped to regional buyers at this year’s Filmart, which begins Monday.

The Bagman is a high-end TV spinoff of Abs-cbn’s popular streaming series Bagman, which ran for two seasons beginning in 2019 and was picked up by Netflix. Filipino actor Arjo Atayde (The General’s Daughter) is reprising his lead role as Benjo Malaya from the original show. John Arcilla (On the Job 2: The Missing 8, The Bourne Legacy) and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo (Mindanao) also star.

The spinoff is said to have a significantly bigger budget, with ambitions to reach an audience beyond the Philippines. Abs-cbn’s producing partners on the title include Dreamscape Entertainment, Nathan Studios and Rein Entertainment.

A year after announcing the ambitious project, The Philippines Abs-cbn is now in production on new series “The Bagman.” Filming began in Manila on Feb. 25.

“The Bagman” is a spin-off from the original, locally-produced digital series “Bagman” that was aimed at the Filipino audience. The new series is intended as an international co-production. The Philippines companies already on board include Abs-cbn International Productions, Nathan Studios, Rein Entertainment and Dreamscape Entertainment.

The announcement was made by Ruel S. Bayani, head of Abs-cbn’s international productions division, and who will be attending FilMart, long with Tanya Bautista, creative producer of the show and Lea Dizon, Abs-cbn’s Los Angeles-based development executive.

“Abs-cbn’s track record as a storyteller and content creator is one of our key assets that makes us a solid partner in international co-productions, as seen in our growing slate of global titles. As a pioneer and leader in globalizing...

The Philippines’ Abs-cbn is to launch its new series “The Bagman” at next month’s Atf market in Singapore. Series star Arjo Atayde will attend as part of the promotional team.

“The Bagman” is a spin-off from the original, locally-produced digital series “Bagman” that was aimed at the Filipino audience. The new series is intended as an international co-production. The Philippines companies already on board include Abs-cbn International Productions, Nathan Studios, Rein Entertainment and Dreamscape Entertainment.

The original digital series, “Bagman 1 and 2,” which sold to Netflix Philippines, follows the story of Benjo Malaya, a neighborhood barber who landed a job as the governor’s henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption, and political turmoil.

In the new “The Bagman” series Malaya, now a convicted prisoner and former governor, learns tragic news about his missing family. He is left with no choice but to return to...

Disney’s Korean superhero thriller Moving heads the nominations for this year’s Asia Content Awards at Busan International Film Festival with nods in six categories, followed by Tencent Video’s The Long Season with five nods.

Moving picked up nominations for best creative, best writer (Kang Full), three acting categories and best visual effects. Crime thriller The Long Season was also nominated for best creative, along with best director (Xin Shuang), two acting categories and best visual effects.

Netflix’s The Glory and Delete, from Thailand’s Gdh 559 Company, also scored highly, racking up four nominations apiece (see full list below).

Busan’s awards to recognise streaming and TV content, now known as the Asia Content Awards and Global Ott Awards, recently joined forces with the International Ott Festival, hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Science and Ict and Busan Metropolitan City, to open up its nominations to global content.

Stars: Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, Sid Lucero, Kokoy De Santos, Vin Abrenica, Gerard Acao, Rosh Barman, Kayley Carrigan, Enchong Dee | Written by Jim Flores, Will Fredo, Richard Somes | Directed by Richard Somes

A Special Forces operative suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is discharged from the army due to his extreme medical condition. Finding employment as a security guard, his world is turned upside down when he finds himself embroiled in a different kind of urban war after a young woman seeks protection from a corrupt police death squad working for one of the most brutal drug cartels. As the pair continues to fight for their lives, the man must confront his inner demons and earn the redemption he desperately craves…

Set in the Philippines and opening with the kind of jungle-based action not scene since the 80s heyday of filmmakers like Teddy Page and Cirio H. Santiago – filmmakers who capitalised...

"War isn't the world's fault. War is man's making." Raven Banner has revealed an official US trailer for an indie action film titled Triggered in English, from Filipino filmmaker Richard Somes. This trailer doesn't hold back! It's insanely gory and brutally violent. The film is premiering at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival underway now in Switzerland, with an expected release later this year in the US. Here's the festival's intro: Discharged from the army due to post-traumatic stress disorder, Miguel gets embroiled in a different kind of war when a drug peddler seeks his protection against a vigilante death squad. All the while he must confront his own demons in order to earn his redemption. Arjo Atayde stars as an Ex-Special Forces security guard who attempts to save the life of a woman who is being hunted by a corrupt police death squad working for a drug cartel. The Filipino action...

Raven Banner Entertainment continues to rack up sales for Richard V. Somes’ action spectacle “Topakk.”

“Topakk”(“Trigger”) has been sold to Aud (South Korea), Superfine Films (India), Kinologistika (Cis and the Baltics) and Lighthouse (German-speaking Europe).

It’s not the end of good news, as the film – debuting its trailer and produced by Fusee, with Strawdogs Studio Production and Nathan Studios co-producing – is also set to bow at Locarno next week.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I have never imagined it,” admits the director.

In “Topakk,” which he co-wrote with Jim Flores and Will Fredo, Somes shows a man struggling with Ptsd. Discharged from the army, he finds himself in the middle of a different kind of conflict when a drug peddler seeks his protection against a vigilante death squad.

“I am really inspired by the 1980s action films. It all started with ‘First Blood’ or even [Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer] ‘Commando.

Deals closed for the US, Asia and Europe.

Canadian genre specialist Raven Banner Entertainment has closed deals on Filipino action thriller Trigger, Mongolian horror Aberrance and Filipino zombie feature Day Zero.

Trigger, directed by Richard Somes (We Will Not Die Tonight) and starring Arjo Atayde, has pre-sold to Lighthouse for German-speaking territories and is tipped for notable festivals later this year. The film stars Atayde as a discharged veteran with Ptsd who becomes embroiled in a different kind of war when a drug peddler seeks his protection from a vigilante death squad.

Mongolian horror Aberrance is Baatar Batsukh’s feature...

Box Office

Gross box office in the European Union (EU) and the U.K. grew by 70% in 2022 compared with 2021 – from €3 billion ($3.27 billion) to €5.1 billion ($5.57 billion), down by 28% on pre-pandemic levels. The numbers were revealed in the 2023 edition of Focus – World Film Market Trends, a report which is prepared each year for the Cannes film market.

Three U.S. films, “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru” topped the European charts in 2022, selling 34.4 million, 30.6 and 30.2 million tickets throughout the calendar year respectively. Cinema attendance in the EU and the U.K. increased by 63% from 403 million tickets sold in 2021 to an estimated 657 million in 2022, representing 67% of the average pre-pandemic admission level registered between 2017 and 2019.

European films also performed well and market share for European films increased year-on-year from 26.8% to 28.4% in 2022, the report recorded. It also notes that film production in the EU and the U.

The Philippines’ former broadcasting heavyweight turned content producer Abs-cbn has set up a high-end TV spinoff of its popular digital series Bagman. Filipino actor Arjo Atayde will reprise his lead role from the original Bagman show, which ran two seasons beginning in 2019 and was picked up by Netflix.

The new series, titled The Bagman and running eight hourlong episodes, will be co-produced by Abs-cbn and other leading Filipino studios, including Dreamscape Entertainment, Rein Entertainment and Nathan Studios Inc. The show will be Abs-cbn’s tentpole offering to international buyers at the Filmart content market in Hong Kong, which kicks off Monday (March 13).

The original Bagman told the story of Benjo Malaya, a neighborhood barber who lands a job as the governor’s henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption and political turmoil. The new series returns to Malaya, now a former governor convicted of past...

Philippines media powerhouse Abs-cbn is launching “The Bagman” action drama series as a remake of its own “Bagman” digital production and will launch it at Hong Kong’s FilMart next week.

The original “Bagman,” which ran to two seasons and sold to Netflix in The Philippines, follows a neighborhood barber who lands a job as the governor’s henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption, and political turmoil.

That is a familiar story for Abs-cbn itself. The company was until 2020 The Philippines leading broadcaster. But it dared to criticize the policies of then president Rodrigo Duterte and found its TV licenses were not renewed. Since the loss of its TV broadcast operations, Abs-cbn has repositioned itself as a mass content company working as a producer with other producers and broadcasters and outputting news to its website, streaming service iWantTFC and YouTube channels. It also operates...

Action thriller, “Trigger” from writer-director Richard Somes has wrapped production and is beginning sales at the European Film Market.

“Trigger” (aka “Tokakk”) tells the story of a lonely security guard (portrayed by Arjo Atayde) previously discharged from the military due to his post-traumatic stress disorder. He finds himself embroiled in a different kind of war when a young woman (Julia Montes) seeks his protection against a corrupt police death squad. While the pair fight for their lives, the man must confront his inner demons to earn his redemption.

The film also stars Arjo Atayde (“Cattleya Killer”), Julia Montes (“Brothers”), Sid Lucero (“The End of History”) and Kokoy De Santos (“Game Boy”) and is produced by Wilfredo C. Manalang of Fusee (the company that co-produced Cannes Camera d’Or prize-winner “Plan 75”), Somes of Strawdog Studio Production, Ria Atayde and Sylvia Sanchez from Nathan Studios and Michaelangelo Masangkay, co-owner of Toronto-based...

Exclusive: Raven Banner Entertainment has boarded action thriller Trigger (Topakk), directed by the Philippines’ Richard Somes, to executive produce and handle international sales.

Currently in production, the film stars Arjo Atayde (Cattleya Killer), Julia Montes (Brothers), Sid Lucero (The End Of History) and Kokoy De Santos (Game Boy).

Wilfredo C. Manalang of Philippines production house Fusee is producing the film with Somes’ Strawdogs Studio Production, Ria Atayde and Sylvia Sanchez for Nathan Studios and Michaelangelo Masangkay and Fernando Henna for Toronto-based post sound house, Theo & Atlas Productions Inc.

Atayde plays a security guard previously discharged from the military due to post-traumatic stress disorder. He finds himself embroiled in a different kind of war when a young woman (Montes) seeks his protection against a corrupt police death squad.

Fusee previously co-produced Japanese drama Plan 75, which is Japan’s submission to the best international feature category of the Oscars. The company also...

In the tenth episode of Amp Talks, Panos Kotzathanasis, Adriana Rosati and Rouven Linnarz discuss BuyBust

1. The surge of action films with women protagonists from Asean countries (on Netlifx)

2. Duterte’s War on Drugs and the way it is implemented in the film

3. The labyrinth slums the film takes place in and the cinematography of the film

4. Making social comments in action movie

5. The action scenes and the choreography

6. Anna Curtis, Brandon Vera, Arjo Atayde...

Netflix Korean-language “Crash Landing on You” was named as the best drama series at the third running of the Asian Academy Creative Awards. Malaysia-Singapore co-production “The Garden of Evening Mists” was named as the best feature film.

Singapore actors features prominently among the performance winners. Yeo Yann Yann was named best lead actress for her role in HBO’s “Invisible Stories,” while Lina Ng was named best supporting actress for “Last Madame.”

The awards ceremony was staged over two nights within a high-tech 3D virtual environment. That made it one of the most ambitious prize shows of this coronavirus-hit year. Aaca’s red carpet merged 6 remote studios and a multitude of feeds to allow celebrities from all over the region to strut their stuff as if for real.

The event is a part of the Singapore Media Festival, which also includes the Singapore Film Festival and the Asian Media Forum.

Filipino director Erik Matti’s latest high octane action movie “BuyBust” will be released in Us cinemas on the 10th of August, courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment. Expect an exhilarating mashup of “The Raid”, “Escape from New York”, “Mad Max” and “The Villainess”. Introducing a spectacular new kick-ass super-lady! You can read our review here.

“One of the best action films of the year and a must-see for all fans of the genre”

Panos Kotzathanasis

Synopsis: After surviving the slaughter of her entire squad in a drug raid compromised by dirty cops, anti-narcotics special operative Nina Manigan (Anne Curtis), is eager to go head-to-head with the drug cartels that hold a bloody grip on Manila. But when her new mission in the city’s most dangerous slum goes south, the angry civilians turn on her squad. Trapped between a brutal drug gang and hordes of bloodthirsty citizens, their only...

Police director Alvarez (Nonie Buencamino) and his prized team leader Dela Cruz (Lao Rodriguez) are finally making headway with their war on drugs throughout the slums of Filipino capital Manila. They’ve already cleaned sections long-thought lost to crime and currently have one of kingpin Biggie Chen’s (Arjo Atayde) mid-level operatives (Alex Calleja’s Toban) in custody. A little “good cop/bad cop” sets the stage for how far law enforcement will go to earn their collar as well as how loyal Chen’s foot soldiers might prove. If they can cajole Toban into wearing a wire while helping them smoke out his extremely elusive boss, Alvarez’s mission would move even closer to completion. Compile the right support team to surround them on this sting operation and victory appears within their grasp.

Let’s just say writer/director Erik Matti isn’t interested in tactics or covert precision...

“BuyBust” is a superbly executed action film about drug squad members fighting for their lives in a maze-like Manila slum that resembles nothing less than hell on earth. Director and co-writer Erik Matti has delivered an explosive exercise in kinetic cinema that also offers potent commentary on the devastating social consequences of the Philippine government’s war on drugs. Following its world premiere at New York Asian Film Festival, “BuyBust” will become a must-see item for genre fans. It looks certain to spark controversy and attract large audiences when it releases locally Aug. 1, and should enjoy a successful run in selected North American cities from Aug. 10. Worldwide Netflix rollout is set for Nov. 1.

“BuyBust” barely digs into the background of any characters and doesn’t need to. All we need to know is that Drug Enforcement Agency recruit Nina Manigan (Anne Curtis) is the sole survivor of a team that...

Erik Matti is one of the most recognizable and most crucial figures of the Filipino film industry, with films like “On the Job”, “Honor Thy Father” and “The Aswang Chronicles” among others, along with his work on production. “BuyBust” is a film that comes to establish his prowess on creating genre films through a humongous production that included 309 stuntmen and 1,278 extras, and relentless action.

“BuyBust” screened at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival

Nina Manigan is the new recruit of an elite anti-narcotic squad. However, she is definitely not a rookie, since a few months back, she was a member of another team which was completely eradicated after their leader gave them the wrong orders. This time, Nina and a group of the best men and women of the squad have to accomplish a buybust, with the help of a captured “asset”, Teban, who used to be a member...