Isabelle Huppert to Head Tokyo International Film Festival Competition Jury – Global Bulletin
FESTIVAL
Isabelle Huppert (“The Lacemaker,” “The Piano Teacher”) has been appointed as the president of the jury that will decide the competition winners at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct. 30-Nov. 8, 2021). “Ms. Huppert is not only a great French actress with intelligence and insight, but also a world-renowned filmmaker with a successful and extensive international career. Moreover, she is also a big fan of Japan. It’s wonderful that Ms. Huppert will join us at TIFF as the jury president, and will help our festival bloom despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” said festival chairman Ando Hiroyasu.
“It is a great honor to be chosen to preside over the International Competition Jury of the 34th TIFF, one of the most important Festivals in the world I have always considered with great respect. And what a joy to be welcomed again in Japan, a country with such a fascinating culture and an impressive film history,” said Huppert.
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“I have had the pleasure of presiding on Festival juries throughout the world, and each time it is an inspiring experience to share my perspective with fellow talents from different backgrounds, united by a common love for cinema. I wish this edition of the festival a great success and I look forward to discovering the films selected this year together with the jurors, in a theater. How lucky we are!”
STREAMING
ShortsTV, the international short film network, and Amazon are partnering to launch ShortsTV on Amazon Prime Video Channels in India, significantly increasing the network’s reach in the country. ShortsTV is already available in India on Tata Sky, Airtel TV, Dish TV and d2h, as well as OTT platform Airtel Xstream. The channel brings more than 4,000 short films to its subscribers, including Oscar, Bafta and major festival winners as well as independent and experimental works. Content will be made available in several languages, including many local Indian dialects.
AWARDS
The 2022 Brit Awards with Mastercard will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 8, broadcast exclusively on ITV from London’s famous O2 Arena. The Brits have also unveiled that Polydor co-president Tom March will take over as chair of the Brit Committee for 2022. This year’s 2021 edition, organized for the third year with Universal Music U.K., was billed as a celebration of the return to live music after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and featured performances by Taylor Swift, Elton John, The Weeknd, Coldplay and Dua Lipa.
PROGRAMMING
Channel 5 in the U.K. will launch an extended, nightly news bulletin program this fall in its 5 p.m. slot. The new, 2-hour program will replace the network’s two existing 30-minute broadcasts at 5.pm and 6:30 p.m. respectively. The added hour of coverage and uninterrupted format will allow the program to examine subjects in greater detail and create space for more investigative, regional and social affairs reporting, according to the network. Channel 5 recently had a request to revise its license conditions relating to new productions approved by Ofcom, which makes the programming change possible. Under the new terms, Channel 5 will continue to deliver a minimum of 280 hours of news each year. The change to the license conditions reflects the popularity of the network’s early-evening news programming among women, younger audiences and viewers from a range of socio-economic backgrounds.
RELEASE DATE
Louis Koo-starring Hong Kong action film “G Storm” has set a Dec. 31 New Year’s Eve release date in China. It is the sequel to 2019’s “P Storm,” and part of a loosely connected series of films that also includes 2014’s “Z Storm,” 2016’s “S Storm,” and 2018’s “L Storm,” all directed by Hong Kong’s David Lam. Appearing alongside Koo will be Julian Cheung, Kevin Cheng, Jessica Hester Hsuan, Bosco Wong, Louis Cheung and others. The film tells the story of two investigators who discover a major case of corruption and human trafficking that implicates several high-level customs officials. “P Storm” grossed $115 million in China and $2.25 million in Hong Kong.
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