Global Flicks: ‘The World Of Love’ Secures Distribution, John Kim Joins K-Pop thriller ‘Perfect Girl’
Africa: Africa Week UK, an event established to highlight the amazing work of African artists, hosted its inaugural event from October 2 to 4 in Woolwich Works in London. The event’s date coincided with the start of UK Black History Month. A few of the highlighted speakers were. H.E. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Dr. Adesegun Adeosun Jnr. The festival hopes to make this event annual to highlight the amazing work done by African artists.
Ghana’s Black Star International Film Festival has partnered with Majestic Cinemas for a distribution deal. The deal will aid the distribution of English-language-speaking African films in Francophone territories while also introducing French-language African films. This project hopes to expand and open Ghana’s films to other regions.
Yoon Ga-eun - Darren Eagles / Stringer
Asia: The World of Love has secured distribution after its win at the Pingyao International Film Festival. The film has been picked up by Japanese distributor Bitters End for Japan, while Hong Kong’s Edko Films and Taiwan’s Andrew’s Films have also acquired distribution in their countries. The film is directed by Yoon Ga-eun and will continue to have premieres at various other festivals, including the Warsaw Film Festival, as well as the BFI London Film Festival.
Yao Chen returns to the Pingyao International Film Festival, except this time as a juror under the Roberto Rossellini Awards competition for international films. Yao discusses how being a juror has opened her eyes more towards international film, and watching new filmmakers from around the world has offered her a glimpse into the wider state of cinema.
Japan’s Oscar entry Kokuho has announced a release date in U.S. theaters, beginning on Friday, November 14, 2025. Gkids unveiled the news as well as the film’s poster. The film is eyeing an awards season run with its release in the fall.
Singapore's All That Matters conference, where senior executives from Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Amazon Music, Netflix, and Gold House discussed Asia’s impact on global content, with anime, K-pop, and AI being the driving forces in the industry. Many executives pointed to the success of the film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, as the film grossed more than $600 million worldwide. This is just the beginning as more executives see a brighter future up ahead.
Singaporean filmmaker Tan Siyou's debut feature, Amoeba, has kept the director away from home. After premiering in the Discovery section at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film has kept the director booked and busy. Tan discusses how the film has been received by audiences as well as the love the film has received. Currently, the film is expected to be shown at other festivals such as AFI Fest, Hamburg, Bangkok, and Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Festival.
John Kim has joined the K-pop thriller Perfect Girl alongside Arden Cho, Jeon Somi, and Adeline Rudolph. The thriller, being described as Scream meets Black Swan, is currently in pre-production in Thailand. Written by Lynn Q. Yu and directed by Hong Won-Ki, the film has yet to announce an official release date.
Jason Hiro Kim has unveiled his latest project. A new indie production company eyeing stories across Japan, Korea for the U.S. markets. The new company comes after Jason announced his departure from Good Karma, another production company. He will still keep tabs on the company; however, his focus has shifted towards his new company.
The documentary The Dating Game, directed by Violet Du Feng and produced by Joanna Natasegaram, had been bought in seven different international territories following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The Dating Game is expected to open Friday, September 19, 2025, in the U.K., followed by an expansion across the country, Tuesday, September 30th, 2035.
Ahmed Hafez
Middle East: Adler & Associates Entertainment has acquired the rights to Aneek Chaudhuri’s newest documentary, The Place Once Known as Earth and We, Homo Sapiens. The documentary looks at how rituals, customs shape our everyday life. The film has yet to announce a release date.
Egyptian film editor Ahmed Hafez has launched his post-production company, Story Studio, in Cairo. The company is very much underway, as they are up and running color grading projects such as Hepta2, The Last Debate, and the sequel to the film Hepta: The Last Lecture. The new company looks to cover high-end production services such as 4K editing, HDR color grading, theatrical sound mixing using Dolby Atmos, and visual effects. The company's core mission is to become a collaborative hub for up-and-coming talents, a place where emerging editors, colorists, and sound designers can work together to create an amazing story.
Ricardo Cortes - Paramount pictures
Latin America: Telemundo Studios and Cinepolis have joined forces to co-produce Atrapelo Quien Pueda, a romantic comedy that has just started filming. The film will star Jaime Camil, alongside Natalia Téllez, Isabella Arroyo, Ricardo Polanco, and Verónica Langer. Directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, Cinepolis will handle the theatrical release in Latin America, and Telemundo will handle the release in the U.S. and Canada. The film is eyeing a release in the second quarter of 2026.
Chile’s Juntos Films has created a partnership with Bandada, a newly formed label from Fabula exec Daniel Castell. The partnership aims to hype up their scripted content slated for Spanish-speaking streaming markets while at the same time creating exclusivity for them. The partnership includes a first-look deal for scripted and unscripted feature films as well as non-fiction series. The partnership is attending the Madrid workshop with their latest series, Culpables Inocentes. They hope to bring great new stories to Spanish-speaking countries in the near future; as of now, more projects have yet to be announced.
Paramount Pictures Ricardo Cortes has been promoted to EVP of international theatrical distribution and Head of Latin America for the studio. In the new role, Cortes will oversee Paramount’s theatrical distribution across offshore markets while also leading the studio throughout Latin America. Cortes is an eighteen-year veteran with the studio. Paramount hopes its hard work can bring new light to Paramount films in Latin America.
Argentina’s Twins Latin Films has boarded Director Natalia Smirnoff’s new feature, Roger on the Loose. The film is aiming to be filmed next year in the forests of Córdoba, Argentina. Produced by Lorena Quevedo and Pablo Di Patrizio, the production hopes to begin pre-production soon.
The Mediapro Studio has set up offices in Bogotá, Colombia, with a plan to expand further in Latin America. The move looks to capitalize on other Latin American countries where Mediapro has yet to expand. The arrival of the company comes with a new project, the romcom Atrápelo Quien Pueda, which translates to Catch Him If You Can. The company hopes to bring more Latin-based films deeper into Latin American countries.
