The 8-episode season kicks off with double back-to-back episodes on Sunday, October 6 at 8pm on HBO, with new episodes screening on subsequent Sundays at the same time.

Kuo reprises her role as Xiao Zhen, a teenage psychic who is juggling the pressures of teenage life – first love, academic success and peer pressure – with the demands of the spirit world. Fan joins this season as new student Zhang Yuxuan, who is tired of the parental restrictions placed on him on account of his poor health.

Speaking at the media event in KL, Kuo said, “I am very thankful for the chance to reprise my role in this HBO Asia production. This season has allowed me to explore the different facets of my character, especially with the change in dynamics from the introduction of new characters, including Xiao Zhen’s mother and new friends from her school. Fans can look forward to more exciting adventures and heart-warming stories this season.”

Fan was delighted to be in Malaysia. “It’s a privilege for me to visit Malaysia and to experience the enthusiasm of Malaysian fans. I am very grateful to HBO Asia for giving me the opportunity to participate in an international production. I’ve learned so much from my outstanding fellow actors, and gained a lot of valuable experience. I hope you’ll all enjoy watching the second season as much as I enjoyed filming it!”

Season two sees Xiao Zhen trying to pick up the pieces in the new school year following the tragedy she faced last year. As the new president of the drama club, Xiao Zhen focuses on recruiting new members, however there is more to the two new members than meets the eye – cute newbie Zhang Yuxuan (played by Fandy Fan) and soft-spoken Zhan Xiao Tong (played by Wen Chen-Ling). At the temple, things get complicated when Teacher Kim’s (played by Chen Mu-Yi) family secret comes back to haunt him.

Season two cast also include Wen Chen-Ling, Chen Mu-Y, Li Ying-Hong and Wu Hong-Xiu.

In response to the popularity of this series, HBO Asia has created a set of 15 “The Teenage Psychic Gifs which are now available on Facebook and Instagram for fans to use on their social platforms. The Gifs can be found in the Gif search engine, under Instagram stories, Instagram direct message, Facebook comments section and within Facebook messenger.

The first season of “The Teenage Psychic” won the Best Mini-Series (TV Movie) award and Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-Series (TV Movie) award at Taiwan’s 52ndAnnual Golden Bell Awards 2017. The series also inspired the HBO Asia Original documentary, “The World Behind the Teenage Psychic”, which explores how the distinct blend of Taoist, Buddhist, Chinese folklore and indigenous belief systems continue to flourish in modern Taiwan.

Stars Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger will return, along with Robert Glenister, Natasha O’Keeffe and Kerr Logan for the fourth story based on JK Rowling’s best-selling “Cormoran Strike” crime novels, written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

In the grips of psychosis, a young man named Billy Knight (Joseph Quinn) arrives in private detective Cormoran Strike’s (Burke) office telling the story of a child he saw strangled many years ago. Strike is simultaneously hired by government minister Jasper Chiswell (Glenister) to investigate Billy’s brother, Jimmy Knight (Nick Blood), who is blackmailing him. As Strike and his partner Robin (Grainger) work to determine how the cases might be connected, Robin goes undercover in the House of Commons.

However, Robin’s private life is unravelling as her relationship with Matthew Logan) feels the full strain of her commitment to Strike and her work. At the same time, Strike has his own issues, a girlfriend who confesses she loves him and his complicated ex Charlotte (Natasha O’Keeffe) who is pregnant and back in the frame.

For those wanting to play catch up, the first season’s episodes “The Cuckoo’s Calling” and “The Silkworm and Career of Evil” can be streamed on on HBO GO via AIS PLAY and AIS PLAYBOX.

Sue Tully will direct all four episodes of“Lethal White”, produced in association with BBC One. J K Rowling executive produces through her Bronte Film & TV production company; Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC also executive produce. The series is based on a script by Tom Edge.

 Known as an event that tests the waters for the Oscars, the Toronto International Film Festival not only screens potential American prize winners but has long served as an important platform for international cinema. The festival, which this year ran from September 5 to 15 and, as ever, attracted more film fans than any other comparable event,

presented hundreds of films from around the world in various categories and for the first time since the Platform competition introduced the North American public to a Singaporean film.

“Wet Season” is the second feature film by Anthony Chen, whose 2013 work ‘Ilo Ilo’ was the first Singaporean film ever to win a prize at Cannes Film Festival. It scored another first later that year by picking up Best Film at the Golden Horse Awards and made Anthony Chen one of the most interesting new-generation filmmakers in Asia.

Like “Ilo Ilo”, which explores the relationship between a young boy and the Filipino domestic helper employed by his parents, ‘Wet Season’ stars Yeo Yann Yann as Ling a Chinese language teacher who is facing problems in her marriage after trying hard to have a baby. An unexpected twist comes when Ling starts giving a special tutorial class that brings her close to Weilun (Koh Jia Ler), a student who has a crush on her.

“It comes from my fascination with this woman,” Chen tells The Nation in Toronto. “I wanted to write a story about a 40-something woman who is in crisis. She is struggling with her marriage, family and work. The film is a portrait of a woman who is redefining herself and restarting her life. I wanted her to be a teacher and a woman who tries very hard to have a child. That’s the reason why the marriage is suffering. And there’s this student who comes into her life.”

Ling is still trying to get pregnant but is increasingly ignored by her husband when student Weilun comes into her life. “For a woman, when you reach a certain age, because of your maternal instinct, you may want to be a mother. I don’t think all women are like that, but I

remember my wife and I wanted to have a child, but we couldn’t. My wife is a modern woman, but she told me if she couldn’t have a kid, she didn’t feel like a woman. At some stage of your life, you will want to be a mother. You want to care for someone. So the main

character’s relationship with the boy is interesting. For her, he is like the son that she didn’t have.”

When Weilun starts private tutorials with Ling, he totally focused on his wushu training. As the relationship progresses, that obsession turns to his teacher. “It also comes from being lonely. His parents are doing business. The teacher cares for him, and gives him what he

doesn’t have. In the same way, for the teacher, her husband is never around and she has to take care of her father-in-law. She is lonely and not loved. Suddenly, there’s someone there who cares for her. That’s what I feel is so complex, interesting and fascinating about

this human relationship.”

The film uses symbols in telling the story like durian, which is used to represent the forbidden relationship. “Durian is something so Southeast Asian. We know the fruit so well that it is part of our culture. Durian is also what connects Singapore and Malaysia. Singaporeans don’t eat Thai durian. They only eat Malaysian durian. Durian also has a strong smell that I wish I could capture on screen. I used durian in a visual way as a forbidden fruit.”

“Wet Season” is the second time Chen has worked with Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann and actor Koh Jia Ler, who played mother and son in “Ilo Ilo”. “We tried to cast someone else for the role, and it didn’t work. For me it is important to cast the right person. I called several actresses from both Singapore and Malaysia to try out for the character of Ling, but none of them fit for the role.

 “When I knew for sure that I was going to work with Koh Jia Ler, who played the boy in ‘Ilo Ilo’, I didn’t want to use Yeo Yann Yann because she had played his mother in the film. But we couldn’t find the right person, so we asked her if she wanted to try. We worked very hard to transform her and make her different from ‘Ilo Ilo’ in terms of her appearance and how she moves,” says Chen.

“I didn’t want to use Jia Ler either. I want to use someone raw, like when we discovered Jia Ler for ‘Ilo Ilo’. But again, I couldn’t find the right person.”

As some parts of the film deal with matters that are sensitive to Asian audiences, it is hard to predict the feedback of the audience, especially in the film’s home country. “My financiers in Singapore said that this film is going to shock the audience there. Singapore is quite a conservative society, even more conservative than Thailand, so I have no idea what the feedback in Singapore will be.”

“We watched the film for the first time in DCP at the premiere of the film here. It was a very nice screening and people can really feel the emotion in the film. The film is very different from ‘Ilo Ilo’. When I shot ‘Ilo Ilo’, I was 28. Now I am 35. I’ve grown up as a filmmaker,

and this film represents my growing up. I don’t want people to expect this film to be like ‘Ilo Ilo’. That film was shot completely on a hand-held camera but ‘Wet Season’ is much more precise, each shot has a purpose. We put a lot of thought into how we would do it in terms of colours and everything.”

“Wet Season” is now set to travel to the Vancouver International Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. In October, the film will have its Asian premiere in competition at Pingyao International Film Festival in China, before opening in Singapore on November 28.

The trailer features Hailee Steinfeld’s newly released single, “Afterlife”, which is now available to stream and download on Apple Music.

“Dickinson” is a coming-of-age story told through the lens of Emily Dickinson that finds her to be an unexpected hero for our millennial era. Set in the 19th century, the series explores the constraints of society, gender and family from the perspective of a rebellious young poet who was ahead of her time.

Created, written and executive produced by Alena Smith aw well as executive produced by Hailee Steinfeld, “Dickinson” stars Hailee Steinfeld, Jane Krakowski, Toby Huss, Anna Baryshnikov, Ella Hunt and Adrian Blake Enscoe. Wiz Khalifa guest stars.

One title warranting a special mention is 2003’s “Fan Chan” (“My Girl”) (2003), which many film fans consider as a defining point in contemporary Thai cinema. A co-production between Tai Entertainment, Hub Ho Hin and Grammy Entertainment (later GMM Grammy), the overwhelming success of the film later led to the birth of the new company GTH. GTH was the most successful film company before closing as the partners went their own way. Most of the team later moved to work in the new company GDH 599 which was founded by GTH’s co-founders.

“My Girl” takes audiences of every generation to rekindle their childhood love through the eyes of Jeab and Noina – childhood friends who grew up together. “My Girl” became an instant hit and was the highest grossing film of 2003 with a box office take of Bt137 million.

“I believe the moment someone is attracted to the opposite sex for the very first time, he or she is faced with a mental conundrum between friendship and love. This is how the film reaches out to touch everyone’s hearts – no matter if they have experienced the old songs or classic soap operas in it. Aside from bringing happiness and joy to the audience, any viewer can see him/herself through the eyes of Jeab or Noina. Whether you’re a child, a teenager or an adult, love is something you always have in your heart,” said Komkrit Triwimon, one of the six co-directors of “My Girl”.

“My Girl” portrays the relationship between two young protagonists in a delightful and charming way through the lenses of children growing up in the 80s.

“For the younger generation who have never watched My Girl, this would probably be an eye-opening experience. For example, witnessing children back in those days playing portable computer games with just a single button – it’s almost as if they are watching a historical documentary”, Komkrit says.

Also screening is “Pheuan Sanit” (“Dear Dakanda”), Komkrit’s solo directorial debut. The film opens with Moo aka Khai Yoi, going on a journey to explore his inner self. The story of Moo alternates between his new life on Pha-Ngan island in the south and the one which he left behind in Chiang Mai, as a shy art student who inadvertently fell in love with his close friend Dakanda. Even though it has been 15 years since the film’s debut, its themes and moods continue to resonate in Thailand’s social fabric today, with many online forum posters still expressing views about the relationship between Moo and Dakanda as a reflection of their own lives.

It stars Sunny Suwanmethanont as Khai Yoi, Siraphan Wattanachinda as Dakanda , Maneerat Khamuan as Nui and Opal Panisara Aryasakul as Tan).

Other classics from the GTH era are “Guan Muen Ho” (“Hello Stranger”) from 2010, the solo directorial debut of the aptitude Banjong Pisanthanakun, who made his name co-directing with Parkpoom Wongpoom the spine-tingling horror movie ‘Shutter’. “Hello Stranger” was shot almost a decade ago during a time when the Korean pop culture was on the ascendancy in the kingdom – just as Thai K-drama fans were making their way to Seoul in droves to see the sights from their favorite shows.

This movie depicts how two strangers – both heart-broken from their previous relationships – enter a version of the idealistic romantic relationship often depicted in Korean TV shows. Starting off as accidental ‘trip buddies’, the two decided to break free from all of their previous life commitments to have the best time of their lives together – from putting their fortunes to the test in a casino to renting out a Porsche for an exhilarating ride. “Hello Stranger” also went on to become a blockbuster hit, raking in Bt125 million along the way and taking the annual top spot in the Thai box office. Most importantly, it popularised the term “Glad to not know you” among Thai youth culture.

“It’s been thrilling to see the audience embrace the characters that Robin, Ashley, Gabrielle and Quinta have brought to life,” said Gravitt. “We had a blast making this groundbreaking sketch show with Robin, Dime and all of the writers and producers, and I can’t wait to see what next season holds.”

“A Black Lady Sketch Show”, which debuted same time as the US on August 3, is a narrative series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters and celebrity guests. The show presents sketches performed by a core cast of black women, including creator Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis and Quinta Brunson. Thede executive produces, writes and stars and Issa Rae (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for HBO’s “Insecure”) executive produces.

Laugh-out-loud funny and not afraid to be controversial, “A Black Lady Sketch Show” touches on such culturally relevant themes as social norms, anxiety, religion, sex, dating and relationships. Each episode consists of five to six sketches, showcasing the comedic talents of Robin, Quinta, Ashley and Gabrielle portraying an array of dynamic and varied characters, as well as hyper versions of themselves in interstitials featuring four friends stuck in a house during an end-of-the-world event. Unprecedented in sketch comedy TV history, the show is created by, written by, directed by and starring an array of black women.

Catch up on all past episodes from Season 1 exclusively on HBO GO via AIS PLAY and AIS PLAYBOX.

The movie, which is presented by Astro Shaw and HBO Asia with support from the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) in association with CJ Entertainment, has also been selected to close out the 56th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in November. 2019. “The Garden of Evening Mists” is an adaption of the novel which was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize, and also won the 2013 Man Asian Literary Prize and the 2013 Walter Scott Prize and is produced by an international team from Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Australia and the UK.

This global production is helmed by award-winning Taiwanese director Tom Shu-Yu Lin and adapted by Scottish BAFTA-winning screenwriter Richard Smith. It boasts a star-studded international cast including Sinje Lee (“The Eye”), Hiroshi Abe (“After the Storm”), Sylvia Chang (“Love Education”), David Oakes (“Cold Skin”), Julian Sands (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) and John Hannah (“The Mummy”).

The film tells the story of Teoh Yun Ling (Lee) who, embittered from atrocities of World War II in Malaya, seeks solace in the rolling hills of Cameron Highlands. There, in her quest to build a garden in homage to her late sister, she embarks on a forbidden love affair with the mysterious gardener, Nakamura Aritomo (Abe).

“Our belief in Malaysian storytelling led us to initiate the production of this film adapted from Penang-born author Tan Twan Eng’s wonderful book. We feel validated and so proud to be recognised by our peers with the film’s global premiere at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival and to close for the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival,” said Astro’s Agnes Rozario.

Jonathan Spink, chief executive of HBO Asia agreed, saying: “HBO Asia is thrilled that the feature film we partnered with Astro Shaw on, “The Garden of Evening Mists”, will screen at both the Busan International Film Festival and the Golden Horse Film Festival. HBO Asia is not only committed to bringing quality and award-winning Asian Original series but feature films to our audiences across 23 territories in Asia and beyond.”

“We are immensely delighted that The Garden of Evening Mists will be screened during the Busan International Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Over two thirds of the cast and crew are Malaysian. This signifies our potentials and capabilities in producing an International Film and we pride Astro Shaw for its commitment to nurture local talents for international exposure. Thus, we are excited to have a film which FINAS has supported to be showcased to the world,” added Hans Isaac, chairman of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia.

“The Garden of Evening Mists” will go on general release in Malaysia in January.

Princess Iron Fan, which highlighted the Chinese style of animation, laid the foundation for China’s animation industry.

The pursuit of Chinese style of animation led to the creation of The Monkey King in 1964, a classic animation film well known both at home and abroad. The broad reach and mass appeal of Chinese animations can be gauged from the fact that even Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of manga (the Japanese term for impromptu pictures), was inspired by the works of the Wan Brothers such as Princess Iron Fan and The Monkey King. In fact, during reconstruction of postwar Japan, China’s animation style offered a cultural reference to Japanese artists.

The biggest achievement of the generation represented by the Wan Brothers, Te Wei and Ma Kexuan, in the mid-20th century was the successful adoption of the basic Western rule of picture composition and using it to create Chinese-style animations. Especially, ink-wash animations such as Where is Mama (1960), The Cowboy’s Flute (1963) and Feeling from Mountain and Water (1988) gave shape to the Chinese style of animation.

In other words, after decades of exploration, Chinese painting found motion on screen. Yet since Lotus Lantern reached the peak of Chinese animation style in 1999, Chinese animation films have rarely created waves at the international level.

Compared with the pioneers who successfully integrated traditional images with cinematic techniques, the later generation of Chinese animators simply applied new techniques to create animations without taking into consideration the contents. For example, since 3D graphic designs are not only about putting on layers of pictures using advanced technology, Chinese animators have to apply Chinese aesthetics and different modern techniques to create animations.

That’s why the adaptation of classics using 3D techniques such as The Monkey King and The Magic Brush in recent years has met with some success but never achieved the past glory.

Since 2016, the Chinese government has taken measures to boost the country’s animation industry which has seen a rapid increase in productions and consumer demand.

The introduction of the development plan for China’s animation industry in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) lifted the industry to the central strategic level from 2012. It has since seen about 30 percent annual growth and is worth 100 billion yuan ($14.05 billion) today. A series of animations have been created during this period with some excellent examples being the Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, Boonie Bears, Kuiba and The Legend of Qin.

However, the application of Hollywood and Japanese techniques and values to Chinese animation features has not only failed to increase box office returns but also compromised the Chinese characteristics.

Luckily, China’s animation industry has learned a lesson from its failures and is trying to change its approach. Ne Zha, for example, has become the top-grossing film next only to Wolf Warrior 2.

The reason why Ne Zha has been welcomed by Chinese audiences is that it has applied a range of traditional aesthetic elements, from Taoist, Peking Opera and Lunar New Year paintings to Chinese animation techniques. Actually, China’s animation movies are finding the right rhythm, achieving box office returns of about 60 billion yuan in the country.

But despite Ne Zha breaking several box office records, China’s animation industry still faces many challenges. Ne Zha achieved almost unprecedented success because of the cooperation of more than 70 enterprises, indicating how decentralized China’s animation industry is. It also shows why the producers of The Monkey King: A Hero’s Return and Big Fish& Begonia have not been able to make sequels or new animation films despite the relatively easy access to capital, and have sought foreign enterprises’ help to make new animation movies.

There is still room for the Chinese animation industry to improve its filmmaking techniques and boost the country’s cultural industry including the animation industry and bring them to international level.

The author is a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts. The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Streaming giant Netflix has come under criticism for ‘defaming Hindus’ in India.

Ramesh Solanki, member of the Shiv Sena’s IT cell has filed a police complaint at Mumbai’s LT Marg police station against the OTT giant.

Solanki shared a copy of the letter on his official Twitter handle calling for a ban on the popular content platform.

His complaint alleged that shows like “Sacred Games”, “Leila”, “Ghoul” and the comedy talk show “Patriot Act” hosted by Hasan Minhaj “attempt to paint Hindus and India in bad light.”

Further stating that “almost, every series on Netflix India is with the intention to defame the country on a global level. It is with deep-rooted Hinduphobia that the platform is portraying the nation in a bad light.”

Solanki even cited reasons for making such claims. Drawing on Anurag Kashyap’s directorial “Sacred Games Season 2”, he said that it shows Hindus responsible for all crimes happening in the world, including US killings.”

The letter accused the Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi starrer to have demeaned the “Guru-Shishya parampara with overtly sexual gestures.”

Giving examples from “Leila”, “Ghoul” and “Patriot Act”, Ramesh asked that the licenses of teams’ responsible for such content be cancelled.

He signed off by stating, “One cannot allow an incorrect generalisation based on bogus rhetorics trying to defame a religious minority i.e. Hindu in countries other than India. (sic)”

Solanki sent a copy of the complaint to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mumbai’s police commissioner.

Following the controversy, #BanNetflixInIndia became a Twitter trend with many netizens supporting claims made by Solanki, while others challenging his stance.

Earlier, Delhi spokesperson for the BJP, Tajinder Singh Bagga, had files a police complaint against filmmaker Anurag Kashyap for “intentionally hurting Sikh sentiments by adding a scene which disrespects Sikh religious symbol Kada” in “Sacred Games Season 2”.

A first trailer has just been released for “The Cave”, which is titled “Nang Non” in Thai.

The movie coming to cinemas in November recounts the story of the 12 boys and their team’s assistant coach who got trapped by rising floodwaters while exploring Tham Luang Cave on June 23, 2018. 

But the focus quickly zeroes in on the rescuers who battled doubts, uncertainty and daunting physical obstacles to find and then extract the whole “Wild Boars” team safely after more than a fortnight while the world followed the mission on television and online.

Waller seized on the perspective of foreign rescuers like Jim Warny, an expert cave diver who assisted with the mission and understood both the Thai context and the international attention riveted on Chiang Rai.

“This is most certainly the biggest film I have directed,” Waller told an interviewer at this spring’s Cannes Film Festival, where a trailer was screened.

“But, having provided production support for Hollywood films, I knew it was quite possible for Thai crews to create that sense of scale. We had hundreds of extras and an extensive art department, and I think we were able to give an accurate impression of what it was actually like to be at that cave at that time.

“But of course, this was also a very personal and very human story of the heroes who risked their lives, not even knowing for a long time whether the kids were still alive. And, while the story ended happily, it was not without tragedy. The former Thai Navy Seal, Saman Kunan, made the ultimate sacrifice, losing his life while engaged in the rescue.”

Asked if he felt great pressure in tackling such an emotionally charged story, Waller acknowledged there was “a lot of interest from Hollywood”.

“Hollywood does what it does very well, but I was worried that, if it was left entirely to Hollywood to tell the story, it would probably be dramatized in a way that might not be entirely authentic to the real events. I really wanted to be able to keep the authenticity and reality.

“The true story was so emotive, so exciting and so dramatic that it didn’t need the addition of Hollywood stars and effects. For this reason, we used some of the original divers in the film. We stuck very closely to the truth. If you really want to see the real story, our version certainly delivers this.”

Related news:

Thailand cave rescue to be turned into Hollywood movie

First Thai cave rescue film due out on mission anniversary