Latest news with #VietThanhNguyen
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Korean Director Park Chan-wook Expelled from WGA Over Script Work on 'The Sympathizer' Amid Writers Strike
, the visionary behind gripping films like 'Oldboy' and 'The Handmaiden', recently found himself in hot water with the Writers Guild of America (WGA). According to Chosun Ilbo reports, he and Canadian collaborator were expelled for continuing script work on the HBO series 'The Sympathizer' right in the thick of the 2023 writers' strike. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This isn't a minor hiccup - the WGA is a major player with roughly 10,000 members, and being ousted means no access to guild-sanctioned projects. For someone like Park, who's dipped toes into international waters, this could cramp future Hollywood gigs where unions call the shots. It underscores how even acclaimed global talents must navigate strict labor rules when crossing into the US scene, adding a layer of real-world tension to the creative process. Reports from Variety confirm that seven people in total faced such disciplinary actions during that period, highlighting the guild's firm stance on solidarity. Breaking Down the Massive 2023 WGA Strike To understand the full picture, let's rewind to the 2023 WGA strike , which kicked off in May and dragged on until September. Writers were pushing back against low pay, unfair residuals from booming streaming platforms, and the looming threat of AI replacing human creativity in scriptwriting. This wasn't just a few picket lines; it paralysed several TV and film productions across the US, leaving sets empty and release dates in limbo. Industry estimates from Variety put the economic damage at over $3 billion - that's a staggering 25,000 crore INR, enough to fund multiple high-budget films or series that blend intense drama with cultural twists, much like the crossover stories we see gaining traction globally. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The strike's demands resonated with creative workers worldwide, emphasizing fair compensation in an era where digital content rules. It set important precedents for how unions enforce rules during disputes, ensuring that everyone from big-name directors to behind-the-scenes scribes plays by the book. Per industry experts at Variety, the fallout included delayed premieres and billions in lost wages, serving as a wake-up call for better protections against tech disruptions in storytelling. In the end, the resolution brought some wins for writers, but cases like Park's show how violations can lead to lasting consequences. Inside 'The Sympathizer' - The Controversial Series Park is Currently Producing At the core of this mess is 'The Sympathizer', an HBO miniseries adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The story follows a North Vietnamese spy who relocates to the US after the Vietnam War, juggling espionage, identity conflicts, and dark humor in a tale of duality and migration. Park Chan-wook didn't just direct the first three episodes; he's also co-creator, co-showrunner, and producer alongside Don McKellar, making this a key project he's currently involved in producing. The star-studded cast includes Hoa Xuande as the lead, pulling off multiple roles with his signature flair, and adding depth to the ensemble. Premiering in 2024 to positive reviews, the series tackles heavy themes like war's aftermath and cultural clashes with a black comedy edge, earning praise for its fresh perspective on historical events. Critics noted its 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, highlighting Park's knack for blending thriller elements with emotional layers. However, the writing done during the strike sparked the expulsion, turning what was a celebrated production into a rule-breaking scandal. According to HBO details, the seven-episode run was produced by A24 and Rhombus Media, with Park's involvement extending to overseeing scripts and production processes. This irony - a spy story about hidden loyalties leading to real-life fallout - adds a meta twist that's almost too perfect, showing how art can collide with industry realities. Park Chan-wook's Upcoming Thriller and Career Momentum Not one to stay down, Park is already gearing up for his next big release, 'No Other Choice', a dark thriller marking his return after a three-year break since 'Decision to Leave' in 2022, which snagged him the Best Director award at Cannes. Based on Donald E. Westlake's novel 'The Ax', it follows a laid-off middle-aged man desperately hunting for a job, starring Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin in lead roles, with a supporting cast including and Cha Seung-won. The film wrapped principal photography recently and is set to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in competition, followed by opening the Busan International Film Festival in September 2025. The Hollywood Reporter suggests high anticipation for Park's signature style of psychological depth and visual mastery. This expulsion might tweak his Hollywood path, but it hasn't dimmed his global appeal - his films often cross cultural boundaries, inspiring remakes and fan bases everywhere. As per Box Office Mojo trends, Park's past works like 'The Handmaiden' have shown strong international performance, and this new project could follow suit, proving that creative hurdles often fuel even better storytelling.
Al Arabiya
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Pulitzer-winning novel 'James' is up for another major honor
Percival Everett's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel James is up for another literary honor. Everett's dramatic retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a fiction nominee for the 20th annual Dayton Literary Peace Prize, which comes with a $10,000 cash award. Besides the Pulitzer, James has also won the National Book Award and Kirkus Prize. David Greenberg's John Lewis, a biography of the late civil rights activist and congressman, is a nonfiction finalist, the Dayton prize foundation announced Thursday. Winners in both categories will be announced in September. The other fiction contenders are Priscilla Morris' Black Butterflies, Alejandro Puyana's Freedom Is a Feast, Kristin Hannah's The Women, Helen Benedict's The Good Deed, and Kaveh Akbar's Martyr! Besides John Lewis, the nonfiction nominees are Sunil Amrith's The Burning Earth, Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor's Solidarity, Annie Jacobsen's Nuclear War, Lauren Markham's A Map of Future Ruins, and Wendy Pearlman's The Home I Worked to Make. Established in 1995 and named for the historic agreements that ended the war in Bosnia, the Dayton prizes are given to authors whose work demonstrates the power of the written word to foster peace. Previous winners include Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer, Edwidge Danticat's Brother, I'm Dying, and Ta-Nehisi Coates' We Were Eight Years in Power.
Al Jazeera
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
How ICE raids echo US wars abroad, with Viet Thanh Nguyen
What does it mean to be the 'other'? Viet Thanh Nguyen, a South Vietnamese-born American writer links his personal story to US actions abroad and at home, discussing ICE raids, protests, and the war on Gaza, showing how these issues are deeply connected.
Al Jazeera
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
The Take: How ICE raids echo US wars abroad, with Viet Thanh Nguyen
What does it mean to be the 'other'? Viet Thanh Nguyen, a South Vietnamese-born American writer links his personal story to US actions abroad and at home, discussing ICE raids, protests, and the war on Gaza, showing how these issues are deeply connected. In this episode: Episode credits: This episode was produced by Chloe K Li, Sonia Bhagat, and Haleema Shah with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Mariana Navarrete, Sari el-Khalili, Kisaa Zehra, Remas Alhawari, Marcos Bartolome, and guest host Natasha Del Toro. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. The Take production team is Marcos Bartolome, Sonia Bhagat, Sari el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K Li, Ashish Malhotra, Haleema Shah, Khaled Soltan, Amy Walters, and Noor Wazwaz. Our editorial interns are Remas Alhawari, Kingwell Ma, Mariana Navarrete, and Kisaa Zehra. Our guest host is Kevin Hirten. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Tatler Asia
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
Pride Month reads: 9 LGBTQ-themed books by Asian authors to add to your reading list
2. 'The Sympathiser' by Viet Thanh Nguyen Above 'The Sympathiser' by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Corsair) In this Pulitzer-winning work of literary fiction, Viet Thanh Nguyen crafts a Vietnamese narrator who is a conflicted double agent and also bisexual—a fact integrated into a wider meditation on duality, secrecy and betrayal. The queerness is not central, but it emerges as part of the novel's broader refusal to conform to ideological or emotional binaries. 3. 'Shoko's Smile' by Choi Eunyoung Above 'Shoko's Smile' by Choi Eunyoung (John Murray Publishers Ltd) This collection of short stories from South Korea includes understated explorations of queer friendship, lost love and unspoken grief. Choi's strength lies in her emotional precision. In particular, the story 'Xin Chào, Shoko' traces the intimacy between two women across national and linguistic boundaries without relying on dramatic declarations. 4. 'Notes of a Crocodile' by Qiu Miaojie Above 'Notes of a Crocodile' by Qiu Miaojie (NYRB) A landmark in queer Asian fiction, this cult classic by Qiu Miaojin is structured as the diary of Lazi, a university student navigating lesbian desire and social alienation in 1990s Taipei. Fragmented, raw and intensely personal, the novel captures the emotional volatility of youth while offering a politically charged portrait of queer life under pressure. 5. 'The Wandering' by Intan Paramaditha Above 'The Wandering' by Intan Paramaditha (Vintage Digital) This speculative novel by Indonesian author Intan Paramaditha uses a choose-your-own-adventure structure to follow a woman who trades her soul for the freedom to travel. Queer themes arise organically throughout the narrative, which questions agency, sexuality and power without offering tidy resolutions. The form is experimental but the questions are deeply human. 6. 'She of the Mountains' by Vivek Shraya Above 'She of the Mountains' by Vivek Shraya (Arsenal Pulp Press) In this myth-meets-modern novel, South Asian Canadian artist Vivek Shraya weaves together the story of a bisexual boy growing up in Canada with a retelling of the Parvati and Shiva myth. The structure is lyrical and nonlinear, blending divine and human love to challenge binaries of gender and belief. It's a hybrid work that defies genre without losing narrative clarity. 7. 'Small Beauty' by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang Above 'Small Beauty' by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang (Metonymy Press) Set in small-town Canada, this introspective novel follows Mei, a mixed-race trans woman returning to her cousin's home after his death. Quiet and meditative, the story offers a nuanced portrayal of trans identity within the Chinese Canadian community. There's no dramatic arc, just a sustained attention to memory, grief and the complexity of belonging. 8. 'Patron Saints of Nothing' by Randy Ribay Above 'Patron Saints of Nothing' by Randy Ribay (Stripes Publishing) This young-adult novel follows a Filipino American teenager who travels to Manila after the death of his cousin during Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war. While the protagonist is straight, one of the key characters is gay, and his sexuality is handled with restraint and care. It's a nuanced portrayal of queerness within a broader examination of justice and diaspora. 9. 'The Henna Wars' by Adiba Jaigirdar Above 'The Henna Wars' by Adiba Jaigirdar (Hodder Children's Books) Set in contemporary Ireland, this YA romance centres on a Bangladeshi Irish teenager navigating her first crush—who also happens to be her business rival. Like many LGBTQ books that blend cultural specificity with teen drama, Adiba Jaigirdar's debut doesn't dwell on trauma. It offers instead a grounded, charming take on queer love in a conservative family setting. Each of these books offers something more than simple visibility. They frame queerness through distinctly Asian lenses, challenging the idea that queer identity is monolithic or Western by default. As more LGBTQ books emerge from across Asia and its diaspora, readers are offered a richer, more complicated portrait of queer life—one shaped by language, geography and generational change. NOW READ Pride on screen: 5 memorable LGBTQIA+ characters in Philippine cinema Reading list for bibliophiles: 10 page-turning books about books 6 books about menopause that tell it like it is
