Philippines: Last News

Marta Balaga Lav Diaz is “concerned” about the situation in his native Philippines. But it doesn’t mean he will stop making films. “If you do any kind of cultural work, you can be branded as a ‘communist’ and it’s a reason for them to kill you,” he says.  “There aren’t many venues to show my films, so we basically give them away for free. Listen, I am aware of the danger. But you have to accept the reality, confront these issues and continue to make things. And be careful, because we know what happened to Salman Rushdie.”

obsessively video chatting with one another 24 hours a day. In this exclusive clip from Monday's, Brandan arrives in the Philippines from Oregon and has an emotional meeting with Mary at the airport.Brandan and Mary are completely obsessed with one another, to the point where their extreme jealousy over one another has brought about concerning consequences like her dropping out of college and him losing jobs.

took to social media slamming the unwelcome duo, declaring that attitudes of “entitlement” get “a F–K THAT S–T from me.”In a now-viral video posted on Twitter, the legendary “Miss Saigon” actress is seen taking pictures with a pair of authorized visitors when a of Filipino fans — one male and one female — attempted to request their own photos. “Who are you? I’m so sorry I don’t know who you are,” Salonga said to the duo. The male, who was later identified as Cristopher Retokelly Carpila by Playbill, stated that he and his companion were “just fans.”“Unless you’re on the guest list, we cannot have you back here,” explained the increasingly agitated Salonga.

It’s been 10 years since will.i.am and Britney Spears released “Scream & Shout”, and they’re now teaming up again for a brand new track.

volatile relationship is becoming more and more concerning. On Monday's episode of, Brandan finally traveled to the Philippines to be with Mary after the two had been video chatting with one another almost 24 hours a day, but they got into a huge fight before he even arrived due to Mary's intense jealousy.Mary and Brandan, both 23, have caused a lot of stir among viewers due to their obsessive relationship.

This Morning viewers claim to have spotted the show's new 'permanent hosts' ahead of the show being cancelled. The ITV daytime programme returned to screens on Monday (July 17) with Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary at the helm.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Specialty distributor, Trinity CineAsia is releasing China’s summer blockbuster “Lost in the Stars” in the U.K and Ireland on some 30 screens from Friday. “I was fortunate to watch the film when it opened in China and once I saw it I just knew we had to have it,” said Cedric Behrel “‘Lost In The Stars’ is a very clever, uncanny thrill of a ride that harks back to classic Hitchcock and any noteworthy thriller since – the master himself had in fact once optioned the rights to the same story. We organized the fastest turnaround premiere known to man and we’ve been delighted by the reactions to the early previews. It epitomizes the best of what new Chinese cinema can bring to audiences.”

Barbie film to be shown in the country’s cinemas, but have asked Hollywood distributors to blur the lines on a child-like drawing of a world map, which allegedly shows China’s disputed maritime claims.The film about the Mattel doll – directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling – is set to open in the south-east Asian nation on July 19.The censors began examining Barbie last week after Vietnam reportedly banned the film over scenes featuring a map showing the so-called nine-dash line, which China uses to justify its claim to the South China Sea.Beijing claims territorial ownership over almost the entire South China Sea, despite rival claims from other south-east Asian countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam.However, after “meticulous” scrutiny of the film, Philippine censors were satisfied that the “cartoonish map” did not depict the nine-dash line.“Instead, the map portrayed the route of the make-believe journey of Barbie from Barbie Land to the ’real world’, as an integral part of the story,” the censorship board said (via The Guardian).“Rest assured that the board has exhausted all possible resources in arriving at this decision as we have not hesitated in the past to sanction filmmakers/ producers/distributors for exhibiting the fictitious ’nine-dash line’ in their materials.”Despite being satisfied, the censors have still asked Hollywood studio Warner Bros. to “blur” the controversial lines on the map.

Barbie won’t be banned in the Philippines after all, following a week-long review by local censors and government officials, although a scene with a controversial map of the South China Sea might be blurred for release.

The upcoming “Barbie” movie has been approved a commercial release in the Philippines after the country conducted “two review sessions and consultations with relevant government agencies,” as per a statement from the country’s Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) via Variety. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” has been allowed a commercial release in the Philippines, following a review by the country’s film censors. However, the scene that shows a controversial map may have to be blurred. The film was last week banned in Vietnam over its inclusion of a scene with a map alleged to show the ‘nine dash line’ by which China lays claim to nearly all of the South China Sea as its own territory. Vietnam says that China’s claims violate its sovereignty and that films and TV shows must not show the illegal map. On Monday, Vietnam banned Chinese series “Flight to You” for showing the map in multiple episodes.

BamBam, also a member of boyband GOT7, has announced the first wave of dates for his upcoming solo world tour ‘Area 52’.Today (July 12), BamBam shared that he would soon be holding his first-ever world tour, revealing its first few stops. the singer’s upcoming ‘Area 52’ world tour is set to kick off in Seoul this September, before heading to Manila, Macau, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok over the next two months.According to the accompanying tour poster, more dates in other regions will be added to the ‘Area 52’ tour, which is set to continue into 2024. More details, such as ticket availability and prices, have yet to be announced.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Global streaming platform Netflix has removed the Chinese-produced drama series “Flight to You” from its service in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government banned the series on similar grounds to its objection to the upcoming Warner Bros. film “Barbie.” “As a result of the Vietnamese regulator banning elements of the series, we have removed ‘Flight to You’ from Netflix in Vietnam. It remains available on our service in other markets,” a Netflix spokesperson told Variety in an emailed statement. Both “Barbie” and “Flight to You” are understood to have included scenes that show a map of the South China Sea that depicts the “nine dash line” that represents China’s territorial claim to almost all of the area. Vietnam says that use of the map violates its sovereignty and that it will not tolerate the “nine dash line” in film and TV.

Refresh for latest…: Busy weekend at the international box office with a strong scary new entry, some unexpected spark in holds and a milestone for a long-running franchise.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is barely winning an unexpectedly close race with “Insidious: The Red Door” on international box office charts, with each film collecting roughly $31 million over the weekend. Based on Sunday’s estimates, “Indiana Jones 5” is ever-so-slightly ahead of “Insidious 5” with $31.8 million for Harrison Ford’s swashbuckling adventure and $31.4 million for Sony’s paranormal horror story. “The Red Door” easily took town “Dial of Destiny” at the domestic box office, with the former earning $32.6 million in its debut. It marked the second-best opening weekend of the franchise behind 2013’s “Insidious: Chapter 2” ($40 million).

Vietnam’s decision to ban the movie has been making headlinesNow Warner Bros. is attempting to clarify its intention.The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, was set to hit theaters in the country on July 21, aligning with its big-screen release in most countries around the world.However, Vietnam announced the movie will not be released due to a scene that includes a map using the “nine-dash line” — a set of line segments that represents China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea — which Vietnam claims violates its sovereignty.But the studio rejects the need for controversy.“The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for the Warner Bros.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent For his third edition at the helm, Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has assembled a wide spectrum of films that “do not resemble each other in terms of tone or form” while reflecting “the world in all its expressions and manifestations,” he tells Variety. This boundless range is best exemplified by the fact that starkly surrealist Filipino arthouse star Lav Díaz’s latest work, “Essential Truths of the Lake,” will be vying for the fest’s Golden Leopard alongside fare that, at least on paper, appears much lighter. This includes U.S. director Bob Byington’s indie comedy “Lousy Carter” and Estonian helmer Rainer Sarnet’s “The Invisible Flight,” which Nazzaro says  “mixes Kung Fu, hard rock and the Orthodox Church.”

banned in Vietnam for apparently featuring a map showing China’s claims to the South China Sea that many say includes the territory of other nations.When asked about the controversy during a press conference on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was dismissive of Hanoi’s outrage.“China’s position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent,” the official said, adding that Vietnam “should not link the South China Sea issue with normal cultural exchange.”The nine-dash line shown on the map represents China’s claim to a vast section of the disputed waters, which are also being fought over by Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan.An international tribunal at The Hague found the Chinese Communist Party’s map illegal. Beijing dismissed the ruling at the time.The map’s inclusion in “Barbie” underscores the growing controversy over Hollywood’s reliance on China, which has rivaled the US for its biggest market in recent years.

Days after Vietnam banned Warner Bros’ upcoming Barbie due to a scene depicting a map of the South China Sea with the “nine-dash line” that is contested by its government, the Philippines is now weighing whether it will follow suit.

UK star Riz Ahmed will be feted with a career achievement award at the upcoming 76th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, running August 2 and 12.