Latest news with #TheElixir
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix Showcases Deep Asian Movie Lineup in Tokyo
After a raft of project announcements earlier this year, Netflix has offered a closer look at its 2025 film lineup from the Asia Pacific region at a special content showcase in Tokyo. Netflix's recent big-budget Hollywood film output has had its detractors, but the streamer's Asian film production has been on something of a critical and cultural hot streak in the last few years, with the likes of Unlocked (Korea), The Call (Korea), Kill Boksoon (Korea), The Shadow Strays (Indonesia), Hunger (Thailand) and the just released Bullet Train Explosion (Japan) all breaking out of their home markets and finding a global audience, with one or two even topping the streamer's worldwide charts. More from The Hollywood Reporter Jackie Chan to Receive Locarno Film Festival Lifetime Honor Mamoru Hosoda's Anime Princess Film 'Scarlet' Lands December 2025 Release Emmys: Netflix's 'The Perfect Couple' Will Compete in Drama Categories, Not Limited/Anthology (Exclusive) Presented by Netflix's top APAC executives from Japan, India, South Korea and Southeast Asia, the showcase proved to be an opportunity for the streamer to flex its regional muscle and show off a diverse slate of genre movies, comedies, anime and drama features. The event was kicked off by Minyoung Kim, Netflix's vice president, content Asia (ex-India), who revealed in her opening remarks that 'the average Netflix member watches seven movies every month' on the platform, and that this fact was a key driver behind the company's commitment to original feature production. Kim added that in 2024, APAC films appeared in Netflix's non-English film weekly Top 10 'more than films from any other region' and that APAC subscribers' film viewing grew by nearly 20 percent last year. The first of the regional slate deep dives was provided by Malobika Banerji, Netflix's senior director of content for Southeast Asia. Banerji talked up the success of The Shadow Strays and Hunger, the latter of which hit No. 1 worldwide, but also was keen to stress the company's firsts for the region, notably producing Outside, the first Filipino zombie movie that was released in 2024. And it's more zombies from SEA in 2025 for Netflix, as Banerji as gave glimpses of the streamer's big bets for 2025 — the Indonesian zombie drama The Elixir and Ziam from Thailand. Directed by Kimo Stamboel — one half of The Mo Brothers collective, with the other being The Shadow Strays filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto — The Elixir is both Indonesia's first zombie movie and also one of the country's largest film productions ever. Netflix showed off the first trailer of the film, which centers on an industrialist who makes herbal elixirs and how he and his dysfunctional family come under attack from the undead. Netflix also showed off a short teaser of Kulp 'Tent' Kaljareuk's Ziam, which appeared to be a more conventional zombie action movie, featuring a Muay Thai fighter as the central protagonist. Then followed the slate presentation by Netflix Japan's director of live action content Shinichi Takahashi. Much of the Japanese portion, understandably, was dominated by Shinji Higuchi's Bullet Train Explosion, which was set for release just days after the showcase. Takahashi was at pains to stress that the film, a sequel to the 1975 disaster classic The Bullet Train, was made in cooperation with the East Japan Railway Company, heightening the verisimilitude of the film with real Shinkansen trains, stations and uniforms. The filmmakers and VFX artists behind Bullet Train Explosion were also on hand to explain how they created some of the thrilling action setpieces. Outside of Bullet Train Explosion, Takahashi also discussed the recent success of Japanese original feature Demon City (released in February), which he said had ranked in Netflix's global top 10 for four weeks in a row. And he revealed a trailer for the ballroom dance drama 10Dance. Based on Satoh Inoue's popular manga series, the film features two competitive male dancers (played by Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida) who work together to win a competition, but begin to have feelings for each other. After Japan, Korea followed, with Netflix's Korea director of content Vincent Taewon Kim presenting the most diverse slate of films of all the APAC regions. Kim said the streamer would release seven original Korean films in 2025, including features from Yeon Sang-ho (Hellbound and Parasyte: The Grey) and Byun Sung-hyun (Kill Boksoon) as well as films from Netflix newcomers Han Ji-won and Namkoong Sun. Kim opened the showcase talking up Yeon's Revelations, a film he said topped 'the Netflix top 10 non-English film chart for two weeks and was also among the top 10 titles in 65 countries.' He then introduced Netflix Korea's first animated feature project, Han Ji-won's Lost in Starlight, a coming-of-age love story that has echoes of Makoto Shinkai's Your Name and Suzume. Lost in Starlight tells the story of an astronaut named Nan-young and a musician named Jay, who embark on the longest-ever long-distance relationship. Then followed a trailer for an intriguing psychological drama Wall to Wall, director Kim Tae-joon follow up to his debut feature Unlocked. The film tells the story of a man living in an apartment who is driven mad by mysterious noises from neighboring floors. There was also a first look at Love Untangled, Namkoong Sun's period high school-set romcom about a girl with frizzy hair who is trying to attract the attention of her crush, and Lee Tae-sung's Mantis, the action spinoff of assassin movie hit Kill Boksoon. The Korea slate was wrapped up with trailers for Byun Sung-hyun's period plane hijack drama Good News and a clip of Kim Byung-woo's disaster movie The Great Flood; both movies debut at the end of the year. The APAC film showcase ended with India. Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Netflix's director of original films for India, introduced the streamer's slate for the country and stressed the importance of movies for the company in India. Sheikh revealed that for Netflix In India, 'nearly half of the viewing is from film, which is one of the highest globally.' Sheikh added that, 'in the past year alone, an Indian film was featured in Netflix's Global Top 10 (Non-English) list every single week.' Sheikh said 2025 would see Netflix's most diverse slate of Indian films, with original features coming in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. A first look trailer for Vivek Soni's romcom Aap Jaisa Koi (loosely translated as Someone Like You) was shown, which tells the story of a 40-something everyman who's had no luck with women his whole life, who becomes discombobulated when he meets a beautiful woman during a speed dating event who is actually interested in him. Netflix India also showed off a teaser of Chinmay Mandleka's Inspector Zende, a 1980s-set drama about the police manhunt for the notorious international criminal Carl Bhojraj, also known as the 'Snake.' The film appeared to have echoes to the Charles Sobhraj case, even down to the nickname of the antagonist. Finally, Sheikh showed off a trailer for Vivek Daschaudharys' Toaster, the black comedy starring Rajkummar Rao, in what will be his fifth project with the streamer. The actor, who was introduced as the 'Rajkummar of Netflix' by Sheikh, was present at the showcase to discuss more about the film and also revealed that the feature was the first project from Kampa Films, the production banner he launched with his actor-producer wife Patralekha. Best of The Hollywood Reporter "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zombie Horror Unleashed: Netflix Southeast Asia Unveils ‘The Elixir' and ‘Ziam'
Netflix is doubling down on Southeast Asian genre content with two zombie horror films that promise to reinvent the subgenre with distinctive local flavors, the company revealed during the ongoing APAC film showcase in Tokyo. Malobika Banerji, senior director of content for Southeast Asia at Netflix, unveiled first looks at 'The Elixir' from Indonesia and 'Ziam' from Thailand, both slated for 2025 releases. More from Variety Netflix's Asia Pacific Film Slate Drives 20% Viewership Surge in Booming Market WWE Gives First-Ever Look Into Writers' Room and 'Calculated' Process in Netflix Doc: 'We're Gonna Lift the Curtain' (EXCLUSIVE) 'Squid Game' Success Stems From Netflix's Local-First Strategy, Says Asia Content VP Minyoung Kim: 'We Always Aspire to Make Big, Bold Swings' 'The Elixir,' directed by acclaimed Indonesian horror auteur Kimo Stamboel, centers on a fractured family fighting to escape a zombie outbreak triggered by a traditional Javanese herbal elixir. The film stars Mikha Tambayong, Eva Celia, and Donny Damara, with Stamboel bringing his signature immaculate visual style and penchant for gore to the project. Stamboel comes with horror credentials, including his work as part of The Mo Brothers directing duo and his recent box office success 'Dancing Village: The Curse Begins,' which attracted over four million theatrical viewers. For 'Ziam,' Netflix has partnered with Thai director Kulp 'Tent' Kaljareuk, whose series 'Master of the House' recently became the first Thai series to hit #1 on Netflix's Global Top 10 TV Non-English list. 'Ziam' is set in a near-future Thailand ravaged by environmental collapse and features a former Muay Thai fighter battling zombies to save his girlfriend. The production marks Netflix's first use of 3D In-Camera VFX technology for Southeast Asian content, allowing cast and crew to interact with the post-apocalyptic world in real-time rather than against green screens. 'Horror is a proven audience favourite in Thailand and Indonesia. But when it comes to zombie horror, demand has been met by Korean, English, and foreign-language titles,' Banerji noted during the presentation. 'With these two films, we wanted to take the thrill of zombies and fuse it with local storytelling, culture, and authenticity.' These zombie projects follow Netflix's recent Southeast Asian successes, including Indonesia's female-led action film 'The Shadow Strays,' Thailand's 'Hunger' which topped global charts, and the Philippines' post-apocalyptic drama 'Outside.' 'Our local zombie stories feel authentic, immersive, and uniquely ours,' Banerji said. 'And we can't wait for audiences to experience them.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix Unveils Indonesian Originals Including Ernest Prakasa's ‘The Actor' & Zombie Film ‘The Elixir'
Continuing its run of slate launches globally, Netflix unveiled new Indonesian originals premiering on its platform this year. The streamer is working on its first collaboration with director and comedian Ernest Prakasa, titled The Actor (Lupa Daratan). The comedy-drama film is about an egocentric actor who is on the cusp of landing the lead role in a prestige biopic, but suddenly finds himself stripped of his acting abilities. The film stars Vino G. Bastian, Agus Kuncoro and Dea Panendra. More from Deadline Why Is Netflix Staying Silent On Karla Sofía Gascón? Karla Sofía Gascón Skipping Critics Choice, PGAs & Other L.A. Awards Events Amid Controversy; Appearance At Spain's Goya Awards In Play Man Convicted Of Murder And Rape In L.A. Deaths Of Model And Her Friend In 2021; Mistrial In Co-Defendant's Case - Update Netflix will also launch its first zombie film from Indonesia, The Elixir, from accomplished horror director Kimo Stamboel. Previously announced with the working title of Abadi Nan Jaya, the film tells the story of a potion that ends up triggering a zombie outbreak due to the ambition of a herbal medicine company's owner. The Elixir stars Donny Damara, Mikha Tambayong, Eva Celia, Dimas Anggara, Kiki Narendra and Marthino Lio. The Elixir joins Netflix's line-up of zombie-related works in Asia, including popular titles from South Korea like All of Us Are Dead, #Alive and Kingdom, as well as Japanese series Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. Indonesia is a top-priority market for Netflix in the Southeast Asian region, although the domestic content head role is still vacant after veteran Rusli Eddy stepped down in October last year. Malobika Banerji, Netflix's Southeast Asian content head, is taking on his duties temporarily. Banerji also recently took on the portfolio of Thailand ex-content head Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, after Thongkongtoon stepped down from his role this week for personal reasons. Losmen Bu Broto: The Series, adapted from the 2021 film of the same name, tells the story of the Broto family who manages an inn in Yogyakarta. Feeling underappreciated, the youngest child faces a challenge as he tries to prove himself, only to fall for an older, married guest. The series stars Mathias Muchus, Maudy Koesnaedi, Baskara Mahendra and Wulan Guritno. Other titles from Netflix's Indonesia slate which have already been announced include rom-com The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (starring Reza Rahadian and Sheila Dara Aisha), Promised Hearts (Setetes Embun Cinta Niyala) and director Lucky Kuswandi's psychological drama film A Normal Woman. Ratu-Ratu Queens, a follow up to 2021 film Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens, will tell the story of four Indonesian immigrant women, each trying to build a new home in Queens, New York. The series stars Nirina Zubir, Asri Welas, Happy Salma and Tika Panggabean. Best of Deadline The 2025 Oscars: Everything We Know So Far About The Nominations, Ceremony, Date & Host 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 3: Everything We Know So Far 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
