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At the age of 5, Tan Chui Mui made a small wooden stool. At 8, she drove a pick up truck onto a column. At 9, she printed a children's magazine. At 12, she finished reading an Encyclopedia. At 17, she had a column in a student weekly paper. At 21, she received a computer animation degree. At 27, she made her first film Love Conquers All. At 38, she gave birth to a child. At 41, she decided to learn martial arts.

Tan Chui Mui was born in Kuantan, Malaysia in 1978. Her film Love Conquers All (2006) won the New Currents Awards and Fipresci International Critics' Award at the Busan International Film Festival and won Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. Also, her film Everyday Everyday (2009) won the top prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. She was invited to the Cannes Cinefondation Residency, and she was a mentor for many filmmaking workshops. In 2015, she initiated Next New Wave,...

AMC Networks revealed the monster-sized return of AMC’s “FearFest,” its long-running horror and genre programming event, with over 700 hours of films, series and specials to be curated by Shudder, AMC Networks’ streamer for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, for the very first time. “FearFest, Shocked by Shudder” will expand into September and across AMC Networks’ entire portfolio of networks and streamers over the two-month event.

“Countdown to Fearfest” began on, September 1 with Shudder’s 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time every Friday at 11:00 p.m., leading into a primetime takeover the last week of September featuring iconic horror movies every night of the week including the Scream and Halloween franchises as well as Stephen King classics like The Shining and Firestarter.

October will then kick off wall-to-wall coverage, including a mix of fan-favorite horror films as well as new programming from Shudder. AMC will continue to host...

On the heels of numerous highly-received titles in recent years, the international horror scene has rightfully turned to Asian cinema with the likes of Japanese, Korean, and even Indonesian titles achieving acclaim and accolades across the globe. This has led to other countries following suit as Thailand has produced a slew of noteworthy efforts recently and other places like Cambodia, Mongolia, and especially Malaysia offering their choices for international recognition. Now, after the success of his earlier film “Dukun,” Malaysian director Dain Said returns to the forefront with this gruesome new supernatural chiller “Blood Flower” now available to stream on the Shudder service.

Check also this interview Interview with Dain Said: I believe in the magic of cinema

AIqbal (Idan Aedan), an apprentice faith healer and exorcist with a sixth sense, is tormented by visions of the dead and spirits from other dimensions after years of suppressing these abilities so...

Spooky Season is now well underway, and that means a deluge of new horror movies for the next two months straight. Today alone, Eight new horror movies have just been unleashed.

Here’s all the new horror that released for September 8, 2023.

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

First up, the darkest – and most financially successful – chapter in The Conjuring Universe continues in The Nun II, which is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Valak returns in The Nun II from director Michael Chaves (Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It), and you can read Meagan’s review right here.

Taissa Farmiga will be back as Sister Irene, with Bonnie Aarons again playing the demonic nun known as Valak. Storm Reid (“Euphoria”) will also star in the film.

Here’s the first The Nun II plot synopsis: “1956 – France. A priest is murdered.

AMC Networks has announced a monster-sized return of AMC’s “FearFest,” its long-running horror and genre programming event, with over 700 hours of films, series and specials to be curated by Shudder, AMC Networks’ streamer for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, for the very first time. “FearFest, Shocked by Shudder” will expand into September and across AMC Networks’ entire portfolio of networks and streamers over the two-month event!

Here’s everything you need to know….

“Countdown to Fearfest” is already underway with Shudder’s 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time every Friday in September, leading into a primetime takeover the last week of September featuring iconic horror movies every night of the week including the Scream and Halloween franchises as well as Stephen King classics like The Shining and Firestarter.

October will then kick off wall-to-wall coverage, including a mix of fan-favorite horror films as well as new programming from Shudder.

Iqbal is torn between his supernatural powers and the desire to be a normal teenager in Dain Said’s lacklustre horror

Littered with monstrous apparitions and gruesome deaths, this latest horror film from seasoned Malaysian filmmaker Dain Said is also haunted by growing pains. Blessed – and cursed – with the same supernatural abilities possessed by his mother, young Iqbal (Idan Aedan) is torn between his power of exorcism and his desire to lead a normal teenage existence. Roaming the damp corridors of his dilapidated apartment complex where the creaky lift never works, Iqbal encounters terrors at every turn: horrifying undead souls with rotten teeth and bloodshot eyes.

In dramatising Iqbal’s constant state of unease, Blood Flower resorts to the unsophisticated medium of jump scares. For much of the film, Iqbal is too busy running away from a neverending succession of frightening premonitions and slithering ghosts that it’s difficult to gauge his inner emotions,...

AMC’s 2023 “Fearfest” lineup includes classic horror film franchises Scream and Halloween, the original The Shining and Firestarter, and four Joe Bob Briggs specials. New genre films and season four of Creepshow also join the lineup to deliver chills and thrills.

This year’s horror-centric programming spreads across all of AMC Networks’ properties and kicked off on September 1st with the return of Shudder’s 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time. New episodes will air on Fridays at 11pm Et/Pt.

Overall, Fearfest 2023 will include 700+ hours of programming.

Fearfest Highlights

Perpetrator (Shudder Original Film)

Premieres Friday, September 1 on Shudder and AMC+

Jonny Baptiste is a reckless teen sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie. On the event of her 18th birthday, she experiences a radical metamorphosis: a family spell that redefines her called Forevering. When several teen girls go missing at her new school, a mythically feral Jonny goes after the Perpetrator.

On the JoBlo Movies YouTube channel, we will be posting one full movie every day of the week, giving viewers the chance to watch them entirely free of charge. The Free Movie of the Day we have to share with you today is the 2016 Malaysian production Interchange, directed by Dain Said. You can watch this fantasy thriller over on the YouTube channel linked above, or you can just watch it in the embed at the top of this article.

Scripted by Dain Said, Redza Minhat, Nandita Solomon, and June Tan, Interchange has the following synopsis: Haunted by somber visions, forensics photographer Adam retreats from the world, staying home and taking photos of his neighbors until he is dragged into another investigation by his best friend, the detective Man, who asks his help to solve a series of macabre ritual murders. At the same time, Adam’s seemingly innocuous pastime soon...

Spooky Punk Rock Music Video Director Rae Mystic Collaborates With Band Half Past Two On Fantastical ‘Magic Dance’ Music Video: "Rae Mystic is a renowned queer photographer whose work has been featured in Fangoria, Spin Magazine, & Alternative Press, among other noteworthy publications. After finding success as the photographer for multiple alt rock artists, including The Suicide Machines, We Are The Union, Eve 6, and Skatune Network, Rae went on to release their first physical photo collection, a magazine called “31 Days.” After selling out of the entire printing in a few short weeks, Rae quickly began looking forward to new projects. This search led them to a brand new music video collaboration with Half Past Two.

Half Past Two is a band from Orange County, California. Their decade-and-a-half long career spans numerous releases, including several music videos with Rae Mystic behind the camera. Their collaborations aim to bring together Rae’s colorbomb-esque...

Malaysian filmmaker Dain Said’s horror film Blood Flower (Harum Malam) premiered at Fantastic Fest this year, and Deadline reports that Shudder has now acquired the movie.

According to the site, Shudder will premiere Blood Flower sometime in 2023.

“The film tells the story of a 16-year-old apprentice faith healer and exorcist, who is tormented by visions of the dead and spirits from other dimensions. When a malicious spirit begins to wreak havoc around him, the teenaged exorcist is forced to harness his supernatural gifts to save his family and friends.”

Idan Aedan, Bront Palarae and Remy Ishak star in Blood Flower. The film is produced by Malaysia’s Apparat in collaboration with Skop Productions and D’Ayu Pictures.

Dain Said, Nandita Solomon and Ben Omar wrote the script.

“One of next year’s most frightening films, Blood Flower is a special kind of haunter. We’re thrilled to bring the bold...

Exclusive: AMC Networks’ streaming service Shudder has acquired rights for the U.S., Canada and other English-language territories on Malaysian filmmaker Dain Said’s horror film Blood Flower (Harum Malam), which premiered at this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.

The film, which also played in official section at Sitges Film Festival, is produced by Malaysia’s Apparat in collaboration with Skop Productions and D’Ayu Pictures. Idan Aedan, Bront Palarae and Remy Ishak head the cast.

Shudder also acquired rights for the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand through a deal with XYZ Films and plans to stream the film on an exclusive basis in 2023. Paris-based Reel Suspects is handling rights for the rest of the world.

Written by Said, Nandita Solomon and Ben Omar, the film tells the story of a 16-year-old apprentice faith healer and exorcist, who is tormented by visions of the dead and spirits from other dimensions.

Dain Said’s horror will make its world premiere at the Fantastic Fest in Austin.

Paris-based Reel Suspects has acquired European and East Asian rights to Malaysian director Dain Said’s latest film Blood Flower, with North American rights repped by LA-based XYZ Films.

The horror will make its world premiere at the Fantastic Fest in Austin on September 23 before moving to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in October.

Reel Suspects has previously represented, also along with XYZ Films, Said’s supernatural noir thriller Interchange, which premiered in Locarno and Toronto.

“Dain’s fourth film is filled with traditional horror elements.

Fantastic Fest will be making its long-awaited return to in-person festival events in Austin this September, and per usual, the lineup is heavy on delightfully bizarre horror films from around the world.

In addition to the impeccable selection of genre fare the festival has come to be known for, the lineup also features several Cannes favorites that are sure to be players throughout the fall festival season. Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winning “Triangle of Sadness” will make its U.S. premiere, closing out the festival. The U.S. premiere of Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave” is also headed to Fantastic Fest, and the director will be in attendance to accept a lifetime achievement award for his mind-bending body of work, which includes films like “Oldboy” and “The Handmaiden.”

Elsewhere at the festival, the U.S. premieres of Mark Mylod’s culinary satire “The Menu” and Martin McDonagh...

For years, Fantastic Fest, the annual genre film festival in Austin, Texas, has been one of the best kept secrets on the festival circuit. Taking place at one theater (the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar), it’s an endlessly delightful cornucopia of exploding heads, talking animals and deviant sex (sometimes all in the same movie). This year’s festival features 21 world premieres, 14 North American premieres and 21 U.S. premieres, with a mixture of mainstream fare (Paramount’s new horror movie “Smile” will have its premiere at the festival) and the endearingly esoteric.

The festival will once again take over the Alamo Drafthouse from Sept. 22-29 and on the web via a virtual Ff@Home experience from Sept. 29-Oct. 4.

Among the many delights of this year’s festival include the opening night premiere of “Smile,” the U.S. premiere of Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave,” with the closing night film being “Triangle of Sadness,...

As we have seen many times in Malaysian cinema, the shamanism and the supernatural in general are intensely intermingled with everyday life, with Dain Said’s films, for example, highlighting the fact in the most eloquent manner. Chong Keat Aun directs a movie based on incidents from his personal life, taking an approach that moves towards the fantastical after a fashion. The movie earned him the Best New Director at the Golden Horse Awards, but soon afterwards, it was censored for its screening at the 4th Malaysian International Film Festival, for references to traditional folklore which were contrary to Islamic teachings.

“The Story of Southern Islet” is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival

The story revolves around a rural family of four that is built in antithesis. Western-educated Yan is a rationalist, while her husband, locally educated Chang, believes intently in the supernatural and the folklore in general. When...

As we have seen many times in Malaysian cinema, the shamanism and the supernatural in general are intensely intermingled with everyday life, with Dain Said’s films, for example, highlighting the fact in the most eloquent manner. Chong Keat Aun directs a movie based on incidents from his personal life, taking an approach that moves towards the fantastical after a fashion. The movie earned him the Best New Director at the Golden Horse Awards, but soon afterwards, it was censored for its screening at the 4th Malaysian International Film Festival, for references to traditional folklore which were contrary to Islamic teachings.

“The Story of Southern Islet” is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam

The story revolves around a rural family of four that is built in antithesis. Western-educated Yan is a rationalist, while her husband, locally educated Chang, believes intently in the supernatural and the folklore in general. When Cheong...

Malaysian politics and particularly the corruption surrounding them was not exactly a topic that could be touched upon the previous years, when censorship was quite intense (Dain Said’s “Dukun” was one of the most prominent “victims”). Since 2018 however and “Crossroads: One Two Jagga”, the possibility of taking a look at the issues of corruption in the country through cinema has become a reality, and “Daulat” definitely takes advantage of that, as the intro so eloquently “denies”.

“Daulat” is streaming on Mubi Malaysia

The labyrinthal story of Imran Sheik penned, is as follows. After losing the general election from Wawasan and its president, Dato Sri, the president of Muna, Hasan, who is under investigation for corruption, employs Suri, a ruthless politician known as one willing to do anything to achieve her goals, in order to win the next elections. Despite the initial objections of both Hasan and the rest of the board members,...

Over the last decade, Asian horror cinema has become a major cultural export that has breached the international markets, as more exposure than ever before has shown off the immense talent making genre films over the years. Getting a chance to see the work of many different individuals in this part of the world has highlighted the work of Yeon Sang-ho, Joko Anwar, Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto and Yoshihiro Nishimura, to name just a few, from out of the shadows of their home countries to the world at large.

Several trends emerged throughout the decade as time rolled on. The first is the South Korean onslaught of talent that emerged where the country ascended to the top of the genre market, and international acclaim and awards followed. They proved time and again that they were developing a core of talented and creative technicians that churned out some of the most...

“Dukun”, the directorial debut of Dain Said, finally reached mass audience after an online leak in 2018. Responding to the release, Dain Said took a subtle but witty approach by saying the film was like an ex-girlfriend he already moved on. After all, no one knows why Astro Shaw (the production company) shelved it for 12 years.

“Dukun” is streaming on Mubi Malaysia

Initially written in English by Huzir Sulaiman, it became the screenplay we know today with help from Dain Said and Fariza Azlina Isahak. The writing credits are rounded-up by Al Jafree Md Yusof who translated it into Malay. “Dukun” won four awards out of eleven nominations in the 30th Malaysian Film Festival in 2019.

This particular review will employ a literary theory introduced by Roland Barthes in “S/Z”. It is a network of codes that Barthes developed as a method of reading Honoré de Balzac’s “Sarrasine”. There are...

It seems like the new center of martial arts movies has shifted a bit towards the West, and currently resides in the Asean countries, as films like “The Raid” (Indonesia), “Jailbreak” (Cambodia), “Buybust” (Philippines) etc. prove. This time, it was Malaysia’s turn to produce an entry in the category, with the creators of “Wira” approaching their project in the nominal way, giving the martial arts direction to Yayan Ruhian, who, after his success in “The Raid” has moved to Hollywood, being part of productions like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “John Wick 3”. Furthermore, casting Dain Said in the role of the main villain was definitely a good decision, with the veteran director inducing the film with a sense that could be easily perceived as cult.

Hassan, who abandoned his family to join the army when he was young, returns to his hometown, only to find everything in shambles.

HBO Asia’s “Folklore” is a six-episode, hour-long series that takes place across six Asian countries – Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Each episode is based on a country’s deeply-rooted myths and folklore, featuring supernatural beings and occult beliefs. The respective episodes are helmed by a director from that country and filmed locally in the country’s primary language. In the particular segment, Ho Yuhang deals with the myth of the Toyol, a spirit in Javanese mythology of South-East Asia.

Folklore is available to Us subscribers on HBO Now®, HBO Go®, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms

A Member of Parliament faces a dire situation in his constituency, a fishing town, when all the fish turn up dead. Also having to struggle with the errors of his father, who had the same position before him, eventually succumbs to his advisors, who suggest to him to hire a shaman secretly,...

Nam Ron (alias of Shahili Bin Abdan) was born in 1969 in Kangar, Malaysia. He graduated from the Department of Theatre in the National Arts Academy in 1994, and has since worked in theatre, television and film as a director, writer and actor. His reputation was launched by the play Misi (co-written with Faisal Tehrani), followed by many successful stage performances. He has worked with most reknowned Malaysian filmmakers such as Dain Said, Yasmin Ahmad, James Lee, Tan Chui Mui, acting in main, supporting roles not mentioning many cameo appearances. His directorial debut, “Gedebe” was a loose adaptation of “Julius Caesar” set in the underground Malaysian music scene. In his film works Nam Ron skillfully combines genres cinema with sharp social commentary.

Though he made his acting debut on television in 2000, Bront Palarae, who is a Malaysian of Pakistani-Malay-Thai descent, first gained fame by portraying two characters in Cinta Tsunami, a television series in 2005. Since then,...

This year no cash prize was given to the winning films.

Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Die Tomorrow won the grand prix at the 12th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival in Poland, with Yang Mingming’s Girls Always Happy receiving a special mention.

The two films were among 11 Asian titles in competition at the eight-day festival held in Warsaw. Wednesday night’s closing ceremony took place at Kino Muranow, one of the oldest and now the last arthouse cinema in the capital of Poland.

The award winners were selected by a People’s Jury made up of 11 non-professional film lovers aged 18-...

Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Die Tomorrow won the grand prix at the 12th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival in Poland, with Yang Mingming’s Girls Always Happy receiving a special mention.

Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s Die Tomorrow won the grand prix at the 12th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival in Poland, with Yang Mingming’s Girls Always Happy receiving a special mention.

The two films were among 11 Asian titles in competition at the eight-day festival held in Warsaw. Wednesday night’s closing ceremony took place at Kino Muranow, one of the oldest and now the last arthouse cinema in the capital of Poland.

Dain Iskandar Said’s second feature was his most successful, premiering at Toronto in 2011, winning the Netpac award from the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, becoming only the second film in the history of Malay cinema to be submitted to the Academy and winning eight awards. Let us see what it is all about though.

The film primarily takes place in the rural Malaysian town of Bunohan, which is located close to the Thai border. Adil is a young kick-boxer who has fallen deeply into debt, with little hope of paying his creditors honestly. In desperation, Adil agrees to an illegal high-stakes death match at a boxing club on the other side of the border, but in the midst of the fight, with Adil losing badly, his best friend Muski bursts into the ring and breaks up the match, dragging Adil away. This upsets the promoters of the fight,...

Five Flavours Asian Film Festival is a yearly review of the cinema of East, Southeast, and South Asia. For the 12th time, the Festival presents a meticulous selection of films from the region – auteur projects, avant-garde animations, classics from the film archives, local blockbusters, and Asian Film Awards-winning genre cinema.

The majority of the films will be screened in Poland for the first time. For five of them, the festival screening will be their European premiere. Asian filmmakers will visit the festival and join us for Q&A sessions, providing the titles presented with additional context.

In Asian cinemas, the year 2018 is marked by a variety of auteur projects by renown directors, classic genre cinema, and blockbusters gaining momentum in world-wide box offices. At the same time, a new generation of filmmakers is on the rise – their films already gain visibility and receive awards at international festivals.

The program of...

Hong Kong actress Kara Wai Ying-hung and director Ho Yuhang reunite for the second time in this Malaysian-Hong Kong co-production crime action thriller. The film was nominated for Best Action Choreography in the 53rd Golden Horse Film Awards, Taipei in 2016.

In the opening scene of the movie, three elderly men were brutally killed, but in separate incidents. After that, we see Mrs. K, baking away in her posh, beautiful suburban home, while two young robbers pretending to be couriers enter her home and demand money, and accordingly she beats them up with her quick thinking and fancy moves. So, this normal, elderly housewife is not what she seems after all. Soon enough, bad events start to happen to her family. Strangers appear at her home demanding money, leading to the kidnapping of her teenage daughter and her doctor husband hospitalized while fighting off the attackers.

Apparently, many years ago in Macau,...

They will team with Andolfi Productions and Angka Fortuna Sinema.

Malaysia’s Astro Shaw is teaming with French production company Andolfi Productions and Indonesia’s Angka Fortuna Sinema to co-produce Indonesian filmmaker Yosep Anggi Noen’s Science Of Fictions.

Set in the 1960s, the project tells the story of a mute man who witnesses a fake moon landing, then tries to convince people in his village what he has seen by dancing and wearing space outfits. However, all the villagers think he is insane.

The film arm of pay-tv giant Astro Malaysia Holdings, Astro Shaw has started investing in a...

The film is the debut feature of Zahir Omar.

Hong Kong-based sales agent Good Move Media has picked up international rights to Malaysian heist drama Fly By Night (working title), starring Sunny Pang, Jack Tan and Fabian Loo.

The debut feature of Zahir Omar, who previously directed two short films that screened at Rotterdam, the film brings together several talents from Malaysia’s rising independent film scene.

Produced by Perin Petrus and Leonard Tee, a long-time collaborator of Tsai Ming Liang, it was co-scripted by Dain Said (Interchange), Ivan Yeo and Frederick Bailey.

Low Keong, who regularly worked with the late Yasmin Ahmad, is also on board as cinematographer. Among the cast, Sunny Pang is known for his role in the Mo Brothers’ action thriller Headshot, while Jack Tan recently starred in award-winning arthouse drama Shuttle Life.

Currently in post-production, the film follows a group of taxi drivers and small-time extortionists, who are forced...

The film is the debut feature of Zahir Omar.

Hong Kong-based sales agent Good Move Media has picked up international rights to Malaysian heist drama Fly By Night (working title), starring Sunny Pang, Jack Tan and Fabian Loo.

The debut feature of Zahir Omar, who previously directed two short films that screened at Rotterdam, the film brings together several talents from Malaysia’s rising independent film scene.

Produced by Perin Petrus and Leonard Tee, a long-time collaborator of Tsai Ming Liang, it was co-scripted by Dain Said (Interchange), Ivan Yeo and Frederick Bailey.

Low Keong, who regularly worked with the late Yasmin Ahmad, is also on board as cinematographer. Among the cast, Sunny Pang is known for his role in the Mo Brothers’ action thriller Headshot, while Jack Tan recently starred in award-winning arthouse drama Shuttle Life.

Currently in post-production, the film follows a group of taxi drivers and small-time extortionists, who are forced...

Tagline: "Where Reality and Folklore Intersect." Interchange is a supernatural film from Malaysia. Part crime thriller and part dark fantasy, Interchange is set to release through Digital platforms this February. In the film, Adam (Iedil Putra) experiences strange hallucinations, after witnessing a murder. With help from a detective, Adam discovers a dark underworld, in an ancient city. Interchange also stars: Shaheizy Sam (8 Jam), Nicholas Saputra and Prisia Nasution. The film was directed by Dain Said, from a script by Redza Minhat. The release details for Interchange are hosted here. The trailer shows some of the film's more mystical elements. One character turns into a strange bird. Meanwhile, the clip shows some of the film's more exotic settings and action elements. The trailer, for Interchange, is a compelling one. Global Digital Releasing will handle the film's upcoming release. On February 20th, Interchange will show on Digital platforms such as: Amazon Instant,...

Yuhang Ho was trained as an engineer but went into film-making due to his love for vintage films. He began his career by shooting commercials in the mid 1990’s. In 2000, he co-directed a Malaysian documentary “Semangat Insan: Masters of Tradition” highlighting the need to preserve Malaysia’s traditional art forms. He then made his feature film directorial debut in the 2003 film “Min”.He went to receive international recognition for his film “Rain Dogs”, won the New Talent Award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2006 and also named best director at the Festival of the Three Continents in 2006.

His 2009 revenge drama “At The End of Daybreak” revived the career of the veteran actress Kara Hui, who was an action star of the Shaw Brothers era. “Daybreak” earned her seven best actress awards. She has since gone on to star in “Wu Xia,” “Rigor Mortis,” and “The Midnight After.”

On the...

Adam is an ex-police photographer who experienced a nervous breakdown and quit the force. Currently he suffers from hallucinations and spends his time in his apartment, secretly watching his neighbors with his camera, and particularly a woman, Iva. Eventually, detective Man, an ex co-worker asks Adam to help him in an investigation regarding a number of brutal murders. As they discover some photographic negatives made of glass, their research leads them into the world of antique shops and the supernatural. Iva, a deformed man named Belian, and an antique owner named Sani seem to be involved in the mystery. Everything seems to revolve around a true incident that took place a century ago, when Norwegian explorer Carl Lumholtz traveled through central Borneo between 1913 and 1917 and photographed some tribal women.

A delicate balance

Dain Said directs and pens (along June Tan, Nandita Solomon and Redza Minhat) a film that keeps a delicate balance among thriller,...

Australia’s premier genre festival – Monster Fest – has unveiled its final wave of films for the 2016 festival, which is set to take place November 24-27 at the Lido Cinemas in Melbourne.

The team of features programmers – which includes festival director Kier-La Janisse, Monster Pictures co-founder Neil Foley, Boston Underground Film Festival Director of Programming Nicole McControversy and writer/programmer/punk legend Chris D. – vetted over 600 features in selecting the 2016 Monster Fest lineup, which includes new crime films Dog Eat Dog and The Hollow Point from Paul Schrader and Gonzalo López-Gallego respectively, gory slasher throwback The Windmill Massacre (reviewed here), the hometown premiere of epic period western The Legend of Ben Hall with cast in person and acclaimed Tiff selections Prevenge and Interchange alongside Fantastic Fest faves such as the Aussie-made yuletide thriller Safe Neighbourhood and the devastating – and polarizing – Playground.

From the press release:

Select panels for the Swinburne University...

Edited by Hans-Åke Lilja, Shining in the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library is exclusive to Cemetery Dance Publications and will feature a Stephen King story that hasn't been released since 1981. We also have updated release details for The Similars, the final wave of films announced at Monster Fest 2016, six photos / details for The Orphanage video game, and a new trailer for Gremlin.

Cemetery Dance Publications' Shining in the Dark Anthology: From Cemetery Dance: "Shining In the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library edited by Hans-Åke Lilja.

About the Book:

Hans-Ake Lilja, the founder of Lilja's Library, has compiled a brand new anthology of horror stories to help celebrate twenty years of running the #1 Stephen King news website on the web!

This anthology includes both original stories like the brand new novella by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In) very rare reprints like "The Blue Air...

For 10 years, Five Flavours Film Festival has been presenting the best cinema from Asia, its meanings and contexts. Initially, the Festival focused solely on Vietnamese films, but it evolved to become a yearly review of the cinema of East and Southeast Asia, the only such event in the country.

The 10th edition is held in Warsaw, on November 16-23 (Muranów and Kinoteka cinemas), and in Wrocław on November 18-24 (New Horizons Cinema).

This year’s edition of Five Flavours is the biggest in history – it presents over 40 productions. The program combines artistic and commercial cinema, allowing the audience to experience the best Asian films have to offer. On the one hand, there are the intimate stories with a social angle, on the other – fresh, innovative blockbusters, filled with the sheer joy of cinematic creation, attracting millions of viewers in their homelands.

Three

This diversity is already visible in the choice...

The first full trailer for Dain Said's Interchange gave me shivers, even though it's quite warm where I live. The supernatural noir is entirely unsettling, at least according to the imagery, sounds, and general atmosphe of the trailer. The film will be making its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Vanguard Section. Synopsis: The supernatural thriller follows a forensics photographer and a hardnosed cop as they confront their darkest selves while investigating a macabre murder. Their investigation leads them to the realm of superstitions, shamans and the paranormal. The film masterfully combines elements of the real world with the supernatural. This will mark Said's return to Tiff, after success at the festival in 2011 with his action drama Bunohan: Return...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

We've been keeping an eye on Malaysian director Dain Said's upcoming supernatural noir Interchange for quite some time here and with word coming that the film will have its world premiere at Locarno's Piazza Grande - one of the world's largest open air cinema venues, seating more than 8000 - on August 5th, we've got a first look at the film's official international poster art. Forensics photographer Adam is weary of his daily routine of viewing mutilated bodies through his camera. Fearing that he may be a hazard to others due to a recent hallucinatory condition, Adam locks himself in his apartment, finding solace in photographing his neighbours. A series of macabre ritual murders occur in the city and Adam is dragged into just one...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The genre event will host a five-strong line-up of Malaysian projects; Ivanhoe, Huayi, Blumhouse, Cj among Bifan attendees.

Asia’s largest genre film fest, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan) has announced a five-title line-up for a Project Spotlight on Malaysia in this year’s Network of Asian Fantastic Film (Naff).

Celebrating its 20th edition, Bifan last month in Cannes launched the Bifan Industry Gathering (Big), a newly expanded industry programme which takes Naff under its umbrella.

Bifan will run July 21-31 with Big taking place between July 22-28 and NAFFrunning July 25-28.

Companies set to attend this year include Ivanhoe Pictures,...

It was only the beginning of the month that we shared some stills from Dain Said's upcoming supernatural noir Interchange. Lo and behold the film is at the market in Cannes and we have a teaser trailer to share with you. Forensics photographer Adam is weary of his daily routine of viewing mutilated bodies through his camera. Fearing that he may be a hazard to others due to a recent hallucinatory condition, Adam locks himself in his apartment, finding solace in photographing his neighbours.   A series of macabre ritual murders occur in the city and Adam is dragged into just one more investigation by his best friend and hard-nosed cop, Detective Man.   Away from the grisly murder trail at work, Adam befriends a...

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Malaysian genre auteur Dain Said (Bunohan) returns with his latest effort - the supernaturally tinged crime noir Interchange - and with Cannes just around the corner we've got the first stills from the film to share. And these are some seriously compelling images. We last wrote about the film back in March and here's the synopsis we were provided with then: Forensics photographer Adam is weary of his daily routine of viewing mutilated bodies through his camera. Fearing that he may be a hazard to others due to a recent hallucinatory condition, Adam locks himself in his apartment, finding solace in photographing his neighbours. A series of macabre ritual murders occur in the city and Adam is dragged into just one more investigation by his...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Malaysia’s Sonneratia Capital and Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures are financing Ho Yuhang’s action film Mrs K, which has recently started production.

Produced by Lina Tan of Red Films and Lorna Tee of Paperheart, the film stars Kara Wai Ying Hung, Simon Yam, Taiwanese rock star Wu Bai and Malaysian award-winning actor Faizal Hussein.

The story follows a woman who gives everything she has to protect her husband and daughter when she is hunted by enemies who reappear from her past.

The cast also features newcomer Siow Li Xuan and supporting roles from veteran action actor Lau Wing, Malaysian director Dain Said and Hong Kong filmmakers Fruit Chan and Kirk Wong Chi Keung.

Ho developed the film after working with Kara Wai in his award-winning drama At The End Of Daybreak, for which she won seven best actress awards. Emp is handling international sales on the film, which is scheduled...

Malaysia's Dain Said won much love in these parts with his action-drama Bunohan, a compelling fusion of arthouse craft with pulpy crime elements that ultimately took Said and his creation to top level festivals around the globe and marking him as a director to watch. Well, start watching. Said is now in production on his follow up project, a supernaturally charged crime noir titled Interchange.Forensics photographer Adam is weary of his daily routine of viewing mutilated bodies through his camera. Fearing that he may be a hazard to others due to a recent hallucinatory condition, Adam locks himself in his apartment, finding solace in photographing his neighbours. A series of macabre ritual murders occur in the city and Adam is dragged into just one more...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (Fpp) has unveiled this year’s selection of 25 films chosen from a record 117 submissions.

The organization stated “these projects reflect the active and engaged state of Chinese-language film industry in all corners of the world, including: Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, UK, France, Us, Australia, and New Zealand.”

Nine sponsoring companies offer post-production service awards and this year, a number of them will be increasing their awards to equal the symbolic amount of Nt$500,000 (Us$16,900) to celebrate the Golden Horse Film Festival’s 50th anniversary.

The Fpp’s Grand Prize is a cash award of Nt$1m (Us$33,800). France’s Centre National du Cinéma (Cnc) also offers the €10,000 Cnc Award to support projects with high potential for international co-production.

The 2013 Golden Horse Fpp runs Nov 19-21 with meetings and workshops. They will announce the winners of the various prizes on the last day’s closing ceremony...

The Puchon International Film Festival (PiFan)’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (Naff) has announced this year’s It Project line-up of 21 selections from 13 countries.

These include Greek filmmaker Costas Zapas’ Frankenstein: A Death Odyssey and Kei Ishikawa’s comic fantasy Baby, a Japan-Poland co-production.

Scroll down for full list

“Making the selection was a challenge this year with 141 project submissions - more than a 60% increase on last year,” says Naff managing director Thomas Nam.

Korean projects include Two Weddings And A Funeral director Kim Jho Gwang-soo’s period piece Secret Detective & Vampire; 2011 PiFan Audience Award winner Ji Ha Jean’s Re: Make; and Teenage Hooker Became Killing Machine director Nam Ki-woong’s Capsule.

Director Dain Said is teaming with producer Nandita Solomon again on Malaysian mystery Interchange. Their previous film, Bunohan, sold to Universal Pictures for several territories including UK, France, and Australia before premiering at Toronto.

Other Asian projects include Paul Spurrier’s Thai...

Oscilliscope Laboratories brings Dain Said's acclaimed arthouse action film Bunohan: Return To Murder to VOD and digital platforms today and after tracking the film's development and Asian releases over the past while we're proud to present the film's Us poster and first Us teaser.Set in a border town in northeastern Malaysia of the same name, Bunohan tells the powerful story of three estranged brothers - Adil, Bakar and Ilham - and their ailing father, whose fates become tragically intertwined in a web of deceit and corruption. After fleeing a deathmatch in Thailand, Adil the kickboxer is on the run from Ilham the hitman. The chase brings them to Bunohan, where they crash into the shady schemes of the ambitious businessman, Bakar. The trio's unlikely homecoming...

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Two is the magic number for "Bunohan" director Dain Said. His second feature is the second film from Malaysia ever to be submitted for Oscar consideration. Said's, pictured left, debut effort was blocked by the country's censors. "This one was blessed and got through the censors," producer Tim Kwok told the audience after TheWrap's screening of "Bunohan" at the Landmark Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday night. Also read: Record 71 Countries Submit Films for Foreign-Language Oscars Kwok, the head of La-based Convergence Entertainment who hails from Malaysia as well, explained that the government regularly bans films...

The fifth edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival will hold retrospectives of Girish Kasaravalli and Jahnu Barua among others. Five of Kasaravalli’s films: Tabarana Kathe (1986), Kraurya (1996), Thaayi Saheba (1997), Dweepa (2003) and Hasina (2004)will be screened. While Barua’s Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (1987), Banani (1990), Firingoti (1992) and Hkhagoroloi Bohu Door(1995) will be screened.

Besides, three other sections are dedicated to Indian cinema. Chitrabharathi – Indian Cinema Competition, Kannada Cinema (competition and screening of films in other dialects in Karnataka) and 100 years of Indian Cinema (screening of 14 films).

Complete line up:

Retrospective

Chan-Wook Park (South Korea)

1. J.S.A.: Joint Security Area (Chan-Wook Park/110/2000/South Korea)

2. Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park/129/2002/South Korea)

3. Old boy (Chan-Wook Park/120/2003/South Korea)

4. Lady Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park/112/2005/South Korea)

5. Thirst (Chan-Wook Park/133/2009/South Korea)

Fatih Akin (Germany)

1. Short Sharp Shock (Fatih Akin/100/1998/Germany)

2. In July (Fatih Akin/99/2000/Germany)

3. Solino (Fatih Akin/124/2002/Germany)

4. Head On (Fatih Akin/121/2004/Germany/Turkey...

HollywoodNews.com: Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. Live, announced the Closing Night film and official Us and international selections for the 2012 Festival. Guest Director, Artists in Residence and Conversations with special guests will be announced later this month. The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen a diverse slate of nearly 200 feature films, short films, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries, along with signature programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Poolside Chats, Coffee Talks, music events and more. As previously announced, Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love will be Opening Night, sponsored by Virgin America, and Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild were selected for the Galas section.

Returning to downtown Los Angeles and headquartered at L.

I can't remember a time I went to the Seattle International Film Festival (Siff) press launch and looked over the list of films and saw so many I was interested in seeing. The claim to fame for over the years is to call it the largest and most-highly attended festival in the United States. This is a fact I've often taken issue with as I don't equate quantity with quality. Granted, there has been a large number of quality features to play the fest over the years, including Golden Space Needle (Best Film) winners such as Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), My Life as a Dog (1987), Trainspotting (1996), Run Lola Run (1999), Whale Rider (2003) and even recent Best Director winner, Michel Hazanavicius's Oss 117: Nest of Spies in 2006. That said, looking over this year's crop of films I see a lot of films I will be doing my absolute best to see.