Global Flicks: Director Seemab Gul opens up about her Toronto Feature, Kabir Bedi set to star in ‘USA V Raj’
Moses Babatope
Africa: Nile Entertainment, the Nigerian distribution company created by film executive Moses Babatope, has signed a first-look deal with Action Extreme. The partnership looks to bring fresh new African stories to the world stage. The first release stemming from this deal is the Lagos-set action film Son of the Soil, directed by Chee Keong Cheung.
Asia: The new film Dear Stranger has been acquired for global sale rights by EST N8. The suspense drama stars Nishijima Hideotoshi, best known for her recent role in the film Drive My Car, alongside her; Gwei Lun-Mei also stars in the film. Directed by Mariko Tetsuya, the film will hold its international premiere at the Busan International Film Festival.
Director Woon Ming Jin’s latest film, The Fox King, has released its first official clips ahead of the film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. The film stars Dian Sastrowardoyo alongside Idan Aedan and Hadi Putra. The film has yet to announce an official release date.
After two cancelled films last year. Director Seemab Gul didn’t give up; the director did the unthinkable and wrote and produced her own project, the film Ghost School, which is her feature debut film and just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. In her latest interview, Seemab discusses how her canceled films brought her to creating Ghost School in just a few months without any outside financing.
Bollywood is currently in recovery, and the Indian entertainment industry is seeing a surge in theatrical business, while streaming platforms are facing an unprecedented subscription decline. Shaliesh Kapoor, founder and CEO of audience research firm Ormax Media, notes that new and interesting films are the force behind bringing audiences back into theaters. With recent data, Ormax noticed audiences go back into the theater not because of the trailer or cast, but rather at the low ticket prices, allowing more audiences to enjoy the theater.
Kabir Bedi is set to star in a new film titled USA vs Raj. The film, which is being shot and directed by Ravi K. Chandran, is currently aiming for a 2026 summer release. Alongside the cast is Emily Shah. The film is being adapted from the book "USA vs Raj,” written by Dr. Bothra.
Essential Film Group has acquired the sales rights to the new action thriller film Unarmed, starring Nicholas Chimera, Tzi Ma, Kirk Acevedo, and Martin Kove. Filming has officially wrapped. The film is directed by Carmelo Chimera and written by Nicholas Chimera. The film has yet to announce an official release date.
Latin America: Expocine, the largest and most important business gathering of the Latin American motion picture industry, will take place in São Paulo from September 30 to October 3, 2025. The 12th edition of the expo will have high moods as the country of Brazil is fresh off its International Oscar win with Director Walter Salles’ political drama I’m Still Here. According to the National Cinema Agency (Ancine), Brazilian films scored a 10.1% market share of the country’s total 125.4 million ticket sales, a rise of 3% more since 2023. The focus of this year’s expo will be to see how Brazilian productions can increase with the attention they have right now. Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent is the next film the country has its eyes out for. Fresh off its win for Best Actor at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for Wagner Moura, the film will also tour at other film festivals before being officially released by Neon on December 5, 2025.
Brazilian films in the past years have had trouble finding theatrical distribution in other Latin American countries, but thanks to the big success of I’m Still Here and the forthcoming release of The Secret Agent, getting released in other Latin American countries creates a heartbeat that they need. Production companies such as O2 Play, a well-known distributor in Brazil, opened its offices in Mexico in 2019 and in Argentina in 2023. The purpose of its openings is to improve the distribution of the U.S and European films for which they have rights in Latin America. However, O2 Play has yet to distribute a Brazilian film in Spanish-speaking countries as they have yet to film a film fit for it. However, with recent films making big hits in other countries, the doors for this film are opening up.
Filming has officially begun in Colombia for the new political thriller film White, starring Virant Masesey, Darío Yazabek Bernal, and Jaime Newball. Written and directed by Montoo Bassi, the film aims for a 2026 festival run, accompanied by an awards run.
The new trailer for Dolores has officially been released. The trailer doesn’t show much except for three different characters ranging from young to old. With lighting heavily inspired by recent crime films, the trailer lets the viewers know that they’re in for a soul-crashing, intense film.
