Asia's Biggest Film Festival Back in Top Form in 2022

Movie stars, directors and fans descended on South Korea's port town of Busan Wednesday as Asia's largest film festival returned at full power post-pandemic Jung Yeon-je AFP

Asharq Al Awsat

10:07-6 October 2022 AD ـ 11 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1444 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

10:07-6 October 2022 AD ـ 11 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1444 AH

Asia's Biggest Film Festival Back in Top Form in 2022

Movie stars, directors and fans descended on South Korea's port town of Busan Wednesday as Asia's largest film festival returned at full power post-pandemic Jung Yeon-je AFP

Movie stars, directors and fans descended on South Korea's port town of Busan Wednesday as Asia's largest film festival returned at full power post-pandemic, with an Iranian film opening the event.

Top Korean actors and Asian stars including Hong Kong's legendary Tony Leung are set to attend the Busan International Film Festival, which opened with a red carpet event and will run until October 14, AFP said.

South Korea has cemented its status as a global cultural powerhouse in recent years, thanks in part to the explosive success of the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" and the Netflix series "Squid Game".

But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Busan festival was reduced to a fraction of its usual scale in 2020, while last year's edition took place with a number of social distancing measures.

But the festival is back with no restrictions for 2022, with high-profile guests such as Japan's famed filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda flying in to discuss their latest projects.

"We feel fortunate to be able to play the role of Asia's best film festival again," festival director Huh Moon-young told reporters last month.

The festival will feature 243 movies from 71 countries, including 89 that will have their world premiere.

Hosts South Korea are well-represented, with K-pop megastar and actress IU joining Kore-eda to discuss their film "Broker" -- which was featured at the Cannes film festival earlier this year.

The festival opened with Iranian filmmaker Hadi Mohaghegh's "Scent of Wind", which tells the story of a father and a son -- both of whom have disabilities -- living in a remote village.

Celebrating Tony Leung
Hong Kong's acclaimed actor Tony Leung has been selected as the recipient of Busan's "Asian Cineaste of the Year" prize.

The festival will screen six films featuring Leung, who will be in Busan to receive the award and meet with festival goers.

Leung, 60, is best known for his collaborations with famed director Wong Kar-wai, and picked the six films himself -- which include Wong's "In the Mood for Love" (2000) and "Happy Together" (1997).

Other anticipated screenings include Korean-Canadian director Anthony Shim's "Riceboy Sleeps," which tells the story of a Korean immigrant single mother, said the festival's programmer Nam Dong-chul.

"The movie is expected to become the next 'Minari'," Nam said, referring to a 2020 drama about South Korean immigrants in the United States, which received rave reviews and a slew of awards, including the best supporting actress Oscar.

Four South Korean top stars -- Kang Dong-won, Han Ji-min, Lee Young-ae and Ha Jung-woo -- will meet with fans in Busan to talk about their life and work.

Japanese director Kei Ishikawa's drama "A Man" -- about a widow who discovers unexpected truths about her late husband -- will close the edition.

Bollywood Actor Imran Khan Asked to Leave India after Participating in Protest

12 October 2026, India, New Delhi: Protestors confront the police during a demonstration by members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the All India Students' Federation (AISF) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. Photo: Yousuf Sarfaraz/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Asharq Al Awsat

09:15-15 October 2026 AD ـ 04 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

09:15-15 October 2026 AD ـ 04 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Bollywood Actor Imran Khan Asked to Leave India after Participating in Protest

Indian authorities ‌have asked Bollywood actor Imran Khan to leave the country by the end of the month, saying he breached immigration laws after joining a protest against the election commission chief, local media reported on Thursday.

-Khan, 43, is a US citizen, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Under Indian law, foreigners' participation in political protests may be treated as a violation ‌of immigration and ‌visa rules.

- Khan was given ‌until ⁠October 28 to ⁠leave the country, the Times of India newspaper said

- The actor participated in a rally in Mumbai on October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over voter list revisions that critics and opposition parties ⁠say favor Prime Minister Narendra ‌Modi's party

- "Apparently I’m ‌going for a drive," the actor wrote on ‌his Instagram on the same day, with ‌a picture of him posing with a victory sign in the back of what looked like a police van

- A complaint was filed against ‌him at a police station in Mumbai, saying Khan had breached the ⁠law, ⁠and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, a federal government agency responsible for tracking and monitoring foreign nationals in India, sent him a notice to leave based on the complaint, the Indian Express said

- Khan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters

- A nephew of actor Aamir Khan, and hailing from an illustrious film family, Imran acted in several hit Bollywood films from 2008 to 2015, before suddenly retiring.

Entertainment

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Gets 40 Years to Life in Prison for Orchestrating the Murder of Tupac Shakur

Duane Davis is escorted by police from a sentencing hearing after his murder conviction in the death of rapper Tupac Shakur on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. (John Locher/Pool via Reuters)

22:41-13 October 2026 AD ـ 02 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Gets 40 Years to Life in Prison for Orchestrating the Murder of Tupac Shakur

An aging ex-gang leader was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting of rap icon Tupac Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip.

The killing, rooted in a long-running gang feud, had gone unsolved for decades — captivating the public and tormenting Shakur’s loved ones — until Duane “Keffe D” Davis started bragging about it in interviews and a memoir.

Davis, 63, was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. A former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, Davis stared blankly at Judge Carli Kierny as she imposed a penalty that, even with credit for time served, won’t see him eligible for parole until he’s at least 100.

“You don’t get to take a man from his family, you don’t get to take his very life, his whole future from him and just walk away from it, especially when that man is Tupac Shakur,” Kierny said. “The world never forgot about him and his death and neither did Las Vegas.”

Davis, whose lawyer said he will appeal his conviction, is the only person ever charged in Shakur’s death. The late rapper’s legend has only grown in the years since, and his songs continue to resonate with themes of hardship, love and Black struggles.

Tupac's family describes their loss

Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, said it was hard listening over and over again to Davis describe how he hunted and killed her brother, cutting him down at age 25, just as his popularity as a musician and actor was peaking.

Gentle and kind, Shakur was his family’s protector, she said. Had he survived injuries that included the loss of a lung, he would have left rapping behind and delved into activism, treading the path of luminaries like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and perhaps even politics, she said.

“This man’s life mattered,” Sekyiwa Shakur said as family members cried in the audience.

Shakur’s brother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, said the killing has been “devastating, heartbreaking and sad” for him, his family and Shakur’s fans.

An unsolved mystery for more than two decades

Davis spoke briefly in court, telling the judge he wanted pictures and other items that police took from his house. Asked if there was anything else he wanted to say, Davis said: “No I’m good.”

Davis was charged after giving interviews and publishing a tell-all memoir in 2019 detailing what he said was his role in the infamous shooting.

On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up at a red light. Shots erupted. Shakur was hit multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.

In his memoir, Davis explained he was seeking retaliation for Shakur and his entourage beating up Davis’ nephew hours before the shooting. He said he was in the passenger seat of the Cadillac and passed the gun to the backseat, where shots were fired.

Davis spoke to detectives years before but avoided prosecution because of an agreement he made with law enforcement.

During the weekslong trial, prosecutors relied on Davis’ own statements to law enforcement and documentarians. They argued Davis orchestrated the shooting and provided the gun used in Shakur’s death, which was the result of a rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru.

Davis’ defense attorney pointed to a lack of physical evidence that connected his client to the 30-year-old crime, and he portrayed Davis as a liar who was trying to make money.

After nine days of hearing testimony in August, the jury deliberated for three hours before turning over the guilty verdict.

Insufficient evidence to charge anyone else

One Shakur fan, rapper Din “Lil Therapy” Malone, said justice is “halfway done” and wants to see other people charged.

“I’ve been grieving for 30 years plus,” he said at the courthouse Tuesday. “I still got a frog in my throat from crying.”

The three other people allegedly in the Cadillac with Davis have died. They included Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, whom Davis said was the one who pulled the trigger.

Another name that has come up: Sean “Diddy” Combs. Witnesses testified at Davis’ trial that the imprisoned music mogul used members of the South Side Compton Crips for security for his label, Bad Boy Records.

Davis alleged in his book and public statements that Combs offered him money to kill Shakur and Knight. Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of prostitution-related offenses, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the death of Shakur.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said his office doesn’t have enough evidence to charge anyone else. If more information comes to light, he said, prosecutors can always consider filing additional charges.

“While no amount of time in prison can bring Tupac back, we hope this sentencing brings some measure of closure and peace to his family after nearly 30 years,” Wolfson said in a statement. The case, he said, “is a reminder that no matter how much time passes, our commitment to seeking justice never wavers.”

Entertainment

Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Tanks, Leaving Studio with $250 Mn Hole

Cast member Tom Cruise attends the “Digger” world premiere in London, Britain, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)

00:10-13 October 2026 AD ـ 02 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Tanks, Leaving Studio with $250 Mn Hole

Cast member Tom Cruise attends the “Digger” world premiere in London, Britain, September 22, 2026. (Reuters)

The Tom Cruise eco-satire "Digger," a movie that was supposed to herald the action hero's return to serious acting, has bombed at the box office, with industry insiders predicting it could lose a quarter of a billion dollars.

The Alejandro Inarritu comedy, featuring Cruise as an eccentric oil baron who must fix the problem he has helped create, was panned by critics and has left audiences cold, leaving studio Warner Bros. with a big balance sheet hole just as a merger with Paramount Skydance closes.

After two weeks in theaters, the film has grossed just $14.4 million in North America and $35.3 million globally -- tiny numbers for a big-budget movie that points to cumulative losses in the region of $245 million.

"Financially it has to be considered a disaster," Christopher Rosen of Hollywood trade publication The Ankler told AFP.

"It cost anywhere from $160 million to $180 million -- that's even before marketing -- and it's made relatively nothing at the box office."

Marketing for a movie like "Digger" can cost up to $100 million.

Daniel Loria of Boxoffice Pro noted that the film was greenlit under the tenure of outgoing Warner Bros. executives Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca, who made a name for themselves by giving filmmakers the resources and studio budgets to create original, innovative movies.

"Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't," he said.

As an art-house film that satirizes American culture through the lens of a non-American like Inarritu, "Digger" was perhaps destined to be a heavy lift.

"This movie was never going to get a general audience to get behind it, right? I don't think it was ever designed like that," said Loria.

"The film takes every opportunity to push the audience in uncomfortable directions.

"American audiences don't have the easiest time accepting films that criticize American culture, especially when they're made by foreigners."

- A potential mismatch -

The presence of Cruise -- a man sometimes credited with rescuing the box office after its pandemic slump with "Top Gun: Maverick" -- was always going to make the film stand out.

"You've got arguably the biggest movie star in the world (who) was literally everywhere for this movie," said Paul Dergarabedian, a market analyst at Rentrak.

"He was so excited about this movie and working with Alejandro Inarritu.

"By virtue of Tom Cruise's star power, there was a spotlight on this movie. Anything he does is going to be under a microscope."

The size of Cruise's star in the movie firmament makes the comparison even less flattering: "Digger" was never going to be in the same ballpark as the multi-billion dollar "Mission: Impossible" franchise.

But the film's box office does align with the kind of film that Inarritu makes, said Loria.

His movies "aren't really too worried about their box office total; they're worried about having an artistic endeavor behind" them.

That makes "Digger" something of a mismatch, said Loria.

"Unfortunately, I think this was marketed as a general audience movie, when at heart, this is an art-house film."

Asia's Biggest Film Festival Back in Top Form in 2022

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Bollywood Actor Imran Khan Asked to Leave India after Participating in Protest

Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Gets 40 Years to Life in Prison for Orchestrating the Murder of Tupac Shakur

Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Tanks, Leaving Studio with $250 Mn Hole

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