Hong Sangsoo's ‘What Does That Nature Say to You' Lands Distribution Deals Across Multiple Territories
Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo's latest Berlinale competition entry 'What Does That Nature Say to You' has secured distribution deals across multiple territories, Seoul-based sales agent Finecut has revealed. The film has been picked up by Arizona Films (France), Ama Films (Greece & Cyprus), Minerva Pictures (Italy), L'atalante Cinema (Spain), Cola Films (Taiwan) and The Cinema Guild (U.S.).
Hong's minimalist drama, which follows a young poet who spends a day with his girlfriend's family, marks the director's 12th film to screen at the Berlinale. The pic stars Ha Seongguk ('A Traveler's Needs,' 'Mimang') and Kwon Haehyo ('A Traveler's Needs,' 'By the Stream').
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According to Finecut, the film's world premiere in Berlin was met with laughter and enthusiasm, with Hong's signature subtle humor resonating strongly with audiences and international buyers alike.
The prolific filmmaker has become a Berlinale darling in recent years, collecting an array of Silver Bear awards. Hong won the Silver Bear grand jury prize for 'A Traveler's Needs' in 2024 and 'The Novelist's Film' in 2022, the Silver Bear for best screenplay for 'Introduction' in 2021, and the Silver Bear for best director for 'The Woman Who Ran' in 2020.
United Media and Met Film are developing 'Queen Panther,' a documentary series chronicling the extraordinary life of Olivera Ćirković, the former leader of the infamous Pink Panther criminal organization. The series will explore Ćirković's remarkable journey from celebrated Yugoslav national basketball star to criminal mastermind who became Interpol's most wanted fugitive, and her eventual path to redemption.
Ćirković was once a national sports hero in both Greece and former Yugoslavia, playing professionally for Greek club Pangrati and helping them reach champion level. Her life took a dramatic turn after falling in love with a criminal who introduced her to the Pink Panthers network. She quickly ascended the ranks, becoming a key figure known for her skills as a thief and leadership abilities.
After a heist went wrong, Ćirković was sentenced to eight years in a high-security prison. During her second incarceration, she executed a daring escape from Athens' notorious Korydallos prison, becoming the only inmate ever to successfully break out of the facility.
The series will be filmed across Serbia, Greece, and other international locations. Executive producers include Al Morrow, Stewart le Maréchal, Rebecca Banovic, and Jerry Rothwell, with Met Film Sales handling worldwide distribution.
United Media is also developing a scripted series based on Ćirković's autobiographical book 'Me, The Pink Panther.'
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
National Arts Centre Orchestra's tour to Korea and Japan serves up Beethoven, Oscar Peterson, and some cultural diplomacy
TOKYO - The daily operation of an orchestra typically runs like clockwork — every minute is meticulously scheduled, rehearsals are tightly run, and the search for precision is constant. What better way to test the strength of this refined apparatus than to take it out on the road, and bring it to an audience that may be very familiar with the music, but not with the musicians? The National Arts Centre Orchestra is at the tail end of an 11-day tour to South Korea and Japan that included stops in Busan, Gumi, Seoul, Tokyo, and Tsu, wrapping up with a performance in Osaka on Saturday. Some 2,500 patrons showed up to their performance at the Seoul Arts Center. Approximately 60 world-class musicians are on this trip, and at the centre of this musical gyre is conductor Alexander Shelley. Squeezing in time in-between rehearsals to meet in the lobby of a Tokyo hotel, Shelley laughed when asked if he had time to explore the city. Shelley described the trip as a mission of cultural diplomacy as much as one that brings the orchestra to new audiences. ' The most exciting part of it for me is not demonstrating how special — even when it's true — the country of origin is that we are representing, but in fact how much the things that we're all looking to experience and articulate are shared,' he said. This was the orchestra's first appearance in Seoul, and its first time back in Japan in 40 years. An international orchestra tour is a mighty expensive endeavour. The tour came with a budget of approximately $2 million, funded in part by philanthropic donations, said Annabelle Cloutier, strategy, governance and public affairs executive at the National Arts Centre. It mobilized more than 110 artists and musicians, and engaged over 16 regional partners across 47 unique community events. It took three years to meticulously plan for this titanic trip field, accounting for the more than 50,000 cubic metres of cargo that made the trip over. These metrics might seem like a high price tag even for the long string of concerts presented. But this tour also coincided with a few diplomatic projects. The concert in Seoul, for example, closed out the Korea-Canada Year of Cultural Exchanges ─ a joint effort to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations. Likewise, the Japan leg of the tour featured quite a few engagements with the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, wherein the embassy's Oscar Peterson Theatre serves as the venue for the ongoing centennial celebration of the legendary Canadian jazz pianist. Shelley said tours like these help to establish cultural common ground. ' I don't think I could do my job unless I believed at the most profound level that the human experience is constant across time and across culture. A Korean woman born 300 years ago would've had a very different experience of life to me growing up in London in the ''80s. But I think that the underlying motivations and experiences would've been identical: hope and fear, ambition and love, loss and melancholy.' The contrast between hope and fear is one that Shelley particularly savours in Beethoven's Fifth symphony, which made several appearances in programs along this tour. As he notes regularly, it is the first symphony that starts in a dark minor key and ends in a more hopeful major. Shelley makes the case that Canada's national orchestra performing the German composer's work to Korean and Japanese audiences does more to strengthen the ties that bind than emphasize the differences that divide. 'If we do it right, this man who lived in Germany a long time ago, whose life is completely different from ours, tapped into something that we can all recognize. When we connect with each other properly, we recognize this deep current that courses through human history. And that for me is what real cultural diplomacy is about.' The tour included compositions by Canadians including Kelly-Marie Murphy, Keiko Devaux, and Oscar Peterson, while among the standout homegrown performers are the emerging British Columbia pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko and established violinist Adrian Anantawan from Ontario. Shelley will leave his role as music director with NACO at the end of the 2025/26 season. After more than 10 years on the podium, he will become Music and Artistic Director of Pacific Symphony in California. Shelley's words of advice for his eventual successor are to urge them to contemplate the question: 'Why an orchestra? What role does it serve?' Michael Zarathus-Cook is a Toronto-based freelance writer, the chief editor of 'Cannopy Magazine,' and a medical student at the University of Toronto. The National Arts Centre sponsored his trip to South Korea and Japan. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Darren Aronofsky Produces Award-Winning Hamas Documentary ‘Holding Liat' — Watch Sneak Peek
Darren Aronofsky is supporting the documentation of the Israel-Palestine conflict: The auteur produces award-winning feature 'Holding Liat,' directed by Brandon Kramer. 'Holding Liat' tells the story of Liat Beinin-Atzili, an Israeli-American woman who was taken hostage by Hamas alongside her husband Aviv on October 7, 2023. Liat and Aviv have been held captive in Gaza with 250 other people, 12 of whom, like Liat, are American citizens. The film details how Liat's parents, sister, and children had to navigate the American political landscape to try to get her released. The official synopsis reads: 'Caught between international diplomacy and a rapidly escalating war, their family must face their own uncertainty and conflicting perspectives in the pursuit of Liat and Aviv's release. This agonizing process, and the ultimate fate of their loved ones, challenges how the members of the family understand themselves and their place in the the intimate lens of a family's experience, 'Holding Liat' poses complex questions of identity across generations, as the family is thrust into the epicenter of a global conflict rapidly unfolding in real-time.' More from IndieWire 'The Life of Chuck' Review: Mike Flanagan Lifts Audiences Up (for Once!) in Sentimental Drama Comedian Isabel Hagen Revisits Her Roots Playing the Viola in 'On a String' First Look 'Holding Liat' is an independent production of Aronofsky's Protozoa and Meridian Hill Pictures. The film was a Berlinale documentary award winner and will make its North American premiere at Tribeca 2025. Liat and her family will attend Tribeca screenings and answer audiences questions during the festival. Director Kramer is actually related to Liat, and knew he had to tell her story onscreen. 'This film represents the greatest challenge of my career: it's a deeply personal chronicle of my extended family's intimate experiences, set against the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to impact so many people's lives,' Kramer told IndieWire. 'Our team carefully considered the film's rollout, which kicked off with sold-out screenings at the Berlinale – where it was recognized with the Documentary Film Award – and subsequent international premieres in Hong Kong, Brazil, Croatia, Poland, and Israel.' Kramer continued, 'As American filmmakers, with a film largely shot in the U.S., the North American premiere is a significant opportunity to reach audiences who are yearning for humane and nuanced storytelling, especially around the complex issues explored in the film. After premiering our last film 'The First Step' at Tribeca in 2021, it's an honor to return this year with 'Holding Liat.' We are deeply grateful to Tribeca and our subsequent hometown premiere at DC/DOX for bringing this story to American audiences in a moment that feels more urgent than ever.' In a director's statement, Kramer cited how the international conflict is still sadly enduring. 'More than a year after October 7, lives are still imperiled: with hostages still held, tens of thousands of Palestinians killed, and people across the region suffering,' he said. 'Our conversations about all these issues have only become more polarized, even within communities and families. By telling an intimate story of one directly impacted family, and the way they navigated differences amongst each other, we hope to open up new possibilities for understanding this conflict, and contribute to an end to the unrelenting violence in the region. We are keenly aware that this film is just one family's story out of countless others, and that many important stories may tragically never be told. We hope through the family's resilience and openness, alongside other Israeli and Palestinian films that seek to broaden understanding, audiences will find room to ask deeper questions that help mark a path toward healing and reconciliation.' 'Holding Liat' is produced by Aronofsky, Justin A. Gonçalves, Lance Kramer, Ari Handel, and Yoni Brook. Aronofsky also has his 'Underland' nature documentary, directed by Robert Petit, at Tribeca. 'Holding Liat' will have its North American premiere at Tribeca 2025 as a sales title. Check out a sneak peek below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
MOCA gala honors Frank Gehry, others, raises $3.1 million: L.A. arts and culture this weekend
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles threw a glitzy bash at the institution's Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo Saturday, raising $3.1 million and honoring architect Frank Gehry, artist Theaster Gates and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi — a surprise guest — showed up to pay tribute to Gehry, while Ava DuVernay celebrated Gates and Jane Fonda honored Schmidt. The special program honoring 'visionaries' who helped shaped the museum's trajectory is part of a new gala tradition called MOCA Legends, which will continue with new honorees next year. The night began with cocktails in the plaza and private access to the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, 'OPEN.' The Japanese American drumming group TAIKOPROJECT played while guests found their seats for dinner. MOCA director Johanna Burton welcomed attendees with a speech about the power of art and its ability to bring communities together. 'As we celebrate our annual gala, we are not just honoring individual achievements, but reaffirming our collective belief in the power of art to connect and challenge; uplift and endure,' Burton said, according to a news release about the event. After Pelosi's introduction of Gehry, which included mention of his 1983 renovation of the Geffen Contemporary, the 96-year-old legend noted how much the museum has meant to him over the years. 'Artists brought me into their club — it's where I wanted to be, and they opened my eyes to another world,' Gehry said. I'm arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, and I'm here for all the celebrations of art and artists — the more the better. Here's your weekend rundown of arts news. Noah DavisA collection of more than 50 figurative paintings made by the late Los Angeles artist, who died at 32 in 2015, just as Davis' career was beginning to attract wide attention, arrives after stops in Potsdam, Germany, and London. Davis' paintings, often built around found photographs, regularly balance on a knife-edge between daily life and dream. The exhibition represents the first institutional survey of Davis' 31. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Seoul FestivalThe L.A. Phil turns to the South Korean capital this week for a follow-up to its revelatory Reykjavik and Mexico City festivals. Unsuk Chin, today's best-known Korean composer, is the curator. Despite a seeming wealth of renowned performers, Korea remains a musically mysterious land. The mostly youngish composers and performers in the first festival event, an exceptional concert of new music on Tuesday night, were all discoveries. The festival continues with weekend orchestra concerts featuring different mixes of four more new Korean scores commissioned by the L.A. Phil, Chin's 2014 Clarinet Concerto and a pair of Brahms concertos. A chamber music concert with works by Schumann and Brahms played by Korean musicians is the closing event Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 'Lear Redux'While Center Theatre Group reworks Shakepeare's 'Hamlet' at the Mark Taper Forum (see item below), across town, Odyssey Theatre renews its collaboration with theater artist John Farmanesh-Bocca for a madcap adaptation of the Bard's 'King Lear,' another entry in the director-playwright's Redux series. Veteran stage actor Jack Stehlin stars as the titular monarch in the production, which Stage Raw's Deborah Klugman described as 'wildly idiosyncratic.' In 2016, Times' contributor Philip Brandes made Farmanesh-Bocca's 'Tempest Redux' at the Odyssey (also starring Stehlin) a Critic's Choice, writing that the work 'boldly transposes Shakespeare's play to a darker, more unsettling key, but the inventive staging and solid command of source text make for a memorable re-imagining.'Wednesday-Sunday, through July 13. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. When CNN broadcasts a live performance of 'Good Night, and Good Luck' from the Winter Garden in New York City on Saturday (4 p.m. PDT), it's apparently the first time a Broadway play will be shown live on television, and the timing could not be better. An adaptation of George Clooney and Grant Heslov's 2005 film, which chronicled CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow's heroic crusade against Sen. Joseph McCarthy's communist witch hunts, the broodingly elegant production, sharply directed by David Cromer and starring a quietly committed Clooney in the role of Murrow (played in the film by David Strathairn), was not only one of the most stirring offerings of the Broadway season but also one of the most necessary. As media companies face a campaign of intimidation from the Trump administration, the figure of Murrow, standing tall in the face of demagogic adversity, is the courageous example we need right now. I don't know how different the experience will be watching at home, but 'Good Night, and Good Luck' made me reflect on what theatergoing might have been like in ancient Greece. Athenian citizens would gather at an open-air theater as a democratic privilege and responsibility. Playwrights addressed the polis not by dramatizing current events but by recasting tales from the mythological and historic past to sharpen critical thinking on contemporary concerns. Clooney and Heslov aren't writing dramatic poetry. Their more straightforward approach is closer to documentary drama, but the effect is not so disparate. We are affirmed in the knowledge that we are the body politic. — Charles McNulty Director and playwright Robert O'Hara's world premiere adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' opened Wednesday at the Mark Taper Forum starring Patrick Ball from 'The Pitt' and Gina Torres from 'Suits.' The Times sat down with the trio of creatives for an interview about how the show came together — as well as the many novel ways it diverges from the traditional script. O'Hara presents a modern-day vision that questions whether Hamlet is a tragic hero or a murderous psychopath. The mystery is solved 'CSI'-style and the tone is very L.A. noir. For his part, Ball can't believe any of this is really happening, having been a relative unknown before 'The Pitt' premiered in January. L.A. Opera announced Domingo Hindoyan as its new music director. Hindoyan — chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic — will replace outgoing music director James Conlon when he steps down at the end of the 2026 season. When Hindoyan, a native of Venezuela, made his L.A. Opera debut last November with 'Roméo et Juliette,' Times classical music critic Mark Swed speculated he might be in the running for the coveted position. Turns out he was right. Times contributor Nick Owchar talks with architectural historian Nathan Marsak about the Angel City Press reissue of photographer Arnold Hylen's book of mid-20th century photos, 'Los Angeles Before the Freeways: Images of an Era 1850-1950.' Marsak curated and expanded the new edition, which details a fascinating world of lost streets, civic buildings, shops and restaurants. Orange County Museum of Art executive director Heidi Zuckerman — who announced she will step down in December — has launched a new online platform called 'About Art.' It's home to her 'Why Art Matters' newsletter and 'About Art' podcast, as well as a number of lifestyle offerings including an entry on Zuckerman's love of matcha and how to prepare the perfect cup. In a news release about the venture, Zuckerman notes that her work has gathered a community of 40,000 art enthusiasts. The summer Hollywood Bowl season is upon us, and with it comes the complimentary Market Tasting Series with wine picks by chef Caroline Styne. The fun begins with the Roots Picnic this Sunday in the Plaza Marketplace near the box office. Tastings start an hour before doors open, and you can meet with vintners and reps from Habit Wines, Skurnik Wines, Grapevine Wine Company, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Elevage Wines and more. The final tasting will take place before the John Legend concert on Sunday, Sept. 28. Speaking of wine, Barnsdall Art Park Foundation is back — beginning tonight at 5:30 p.m. — with its 16th annual Barnsdall Fridays wine tasting fundraiser (the first two Fridays are already sold out). Proceeds from the events, scheduled to run through Sept. 26, support cultural programming at the park. The popular summer series comes as proposed city budget cuts imperil the park's finances. Guests are invited to relax on Olive Hill, as well as the west lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House — the only existing UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of Los Angeles. Wines come courtesy of Silverlake Wine, and there are always a variety of local food trucks onsite, as well as a DJ. While there, visitors can check out exhibitions and artist-led presentations at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and Barnsdall Junior Arts Center Gallery. — Jessica Gelt I'm happy to report that I've been to 14 of the 17 eateries on The Times Food section's list of L.A.'s oldest restaurants. Some, like Musso & Frank Grill, I've ambled into many times (that martini!), and others, like Mijares Mexican Restaurant, I've stumbled upon while walking around town. I'll spend this weekend visiting the remaining three.
