CHANGING TRACKS
YG Entertainment, the firm behind K-pop sensation Blackpink, has appointed Yang Min-seok as its new, sole CEO. The younger brother of company founder Yang Hyun-sun, he was previously joint CEO with Hwang Bo-kyun.
The announcement was made shortly after YG’s annual shareholder meeting that closed the books on a year in which revenues climbed 65% to $430 million.
The firm, which recently denied that it had paid $30 million to retain its position with Blackpink (but saw the girl group’s individual members sign personal representation contracts with other agencies) is busily launching BabyMonster, another all-female act that is seen in some circles as a successor to Blackpink.
BabyMonster, which was formed late last year through reality TV show “Last Evaluation 2023,” is a seven part group with members from Korea, Thailand and Japan. The group launched singles last year and in February. But YG is now describing mini-album and new single “Sheesh,” released on April 1, as the group’s official debut.
Watch trailer for “Sheesh” here:
With a strong reception to the new tracks, BabyMonster is already booked for a five-territory fan meeting tour to Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia.
CRUZ CONTROL ENDING
Tirso S. Cruz III, the former leading actor who was appointed as chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines in July 2022, has resigned. In a statement posted to the FDCP website Cruz said: “This is not the end. I may no longer be the chairperson, but I will always be a part of the FDCP. I will continue to support the Philippine Film Industry as an actor and as a private citizen.” He gave no explanation for his exit after only 19 months, but thanked the country’s President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., for entrusting him.
DOCUMENTARY GRANTS
Bitchitra Collective: Indian Women in Documentary, a network of Indian and diasporic women and non-binary filmmakers, have unveiled their 2024 grants, where each filmmaker is paired with a mentor, receiving support for a year. The $4,000 inaugural Sriyanka Ray Grant in partnership with Brown Girls Doc Mafia, in memory of the late community-based artist, goes to Moupia Mukherjee for “Murshida.”
Under the collective’s documentary film and media fellowship, six Indian heritage filmmakers based in India and U.S. will receive a grant of $2000 each, funded by Color Congress, to progress their ongoing short or long form documentary projects. They are: Rajani Mani for “Before the Feast,” mentored by Farida Pacha; Nazia Khan for “Oh Believers,” mentored by Miriam Chandy Menacherry; Trisha Bhattacharya for “Along the Rain Trees,” mentored by Sinali Gulati; Zainab Sultan for “Stand Up for Madinah,” mentored by Chithra Jayaram; Poorva Bhat for “What’s the Film About,” mentored by Shuchi Talati; and Geetanjali Gurlhosur for “Where Do We Go From Here?,” mentored by Mamta Trivedi.
SOUTH ASIAN SUCCESS
The second edition of South Asian House at SXSW attracted the highest number of South Asian talent and crowds in the festival’s 38-year history, the organizers said. The event also saw the announcement of the Tasveer Film Market to be held from Oct. 8-13 in Seattle as part of the only South Asian Oscar-qualifying festival – 19th Tasveer Film Festival. The U.S.-based RASA Film Group film collective, which was launched at Sundance, exploring projects featuring strong female protagonists, narratives centered around social justice and stories that portray Muslim characters in positive and empowering roles, has received its first investment and will participate at the Tasveer market, it was revealed at the event.
SHORT ACQUISITION
France’s Canal+ has acquired Rahul Roye‘s Hindi-language short “A Lullaby for Yellow Roses,” which has participated in the Brussels Short Film Festival, the Oscar-qualifying Flickerfest International Short Film Festival and Kaohsiung Film Festival among others. The India, Kuwait, Pakistan, Italy co-production is produced by Abdullah Al Kandari, Tushar Tyagi and Abid Aziz Merchant, with Sayonara Films handling sales and distribution.
SONG AND DANCE
Bhansali Music has released another track from the label’s maiden album “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,” Indian auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s magnum opus Netflix series, directed and composed by him. The “Tilasmi Bahein” number is sung by Sharmistha Chatterjee, from lyrics by A.M. Turaz. It features Sonakshi Sinha and is and choreographed by Kruti Mahesh.
