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Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who is serving as president of Busan International Film Festival’s competition jury, offered some details of his upcoming adaptation of sci-fi epic The Three-Body Problem at the festival’s opening ceremony on Tuesday night.

First announced at Shanghai film festival in 2024, there hasn’t been much news about the project recently, but Zhang explained that it’s moving steadily ahead: “The Three-Body Problem is a great work of science fiction, but it’s hard to photograph, so we spent several years polishing the script,” he said on stage at Busan Cinema Center.

He added that his team has collected around 400,000 online comments from fans of the novel about their hopes for the film: “In this era of AI, with its democratization of images, audience expectation is extremely high so we hope to live up their expectations and make a good movie.”

One of China’s most acclaimed works of science fiction, Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem is the first book in a trilogy that begins with a scientist who discovers that an alien civilization is planning to take over Earth as their own planet is too unstable.

It has already been adapted by Netflix as an English-language series and has had two Chinese-language adaptations – a live-action series produced by Tencent and an animated series from Bilibili. The property has had a colourful history with one Chinese-language feature adaptation left unfinished and an executive involved in handling the rights murdered by a colleague in 2020.

Zhang’s version is being produced by Beijing Enlight Media, the studio behind blockbuster animation Nezha 2, and is understood to involve a significant AI component. One of China’s most acclaimed directors, with a career stretching back to the Fifth Generation, Zhang continues to make hit films in China today, most recently with spy thriller Scare Out over Lunar New Year.

The following day, Zhang gave a typically diplomatic answer at the jury press conference when asked about the controversy that has erupted in Korea over Hur Jin-ho’s political thriller The Assassin(s).

The film, which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, revolves around the attempted assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee in 1974, which resulted in the death of the First Lady. Right-wing groups have attacked the film for lack of historical accuracy, with the issue even being debated in Korea’s National Assembly, forcing the film to cancel its planned promotional activities at BIFF due to security risks.

When asked about the relationship between historical accuracy and freedom of speech, Zhang replied: “Creation is creation and sometimes what we create is not historical fact. We may ask ourselves, should this be based on our lives? But often we need to go beyond our lives to make a good film.”

He continued: “I haven’t seen the film in question, but we have to respect the creators – history is distant from us, but we can use it to tell stories to audiences living in current times, so in some ways it’s a form of art. What the audience feels or thinks after watching the film is up to them – everyone has different opinions – and this is the charm or beauty of the film.”

Korean filmmaker and jury member July Jung (Dora) added: “I feel discouraged by this situation as a filmmaker. Due to the way this film depicts certain people, it means that some people could be damaged or hurt by his film. On the other hand, as filmmakers we need to accept that some people will criticize our work and take full responsibility for the worlds we create.”

The BIFF jury also debated the impact of the festival’s competition section, now in its second year, which this year has a selection of 13 films, with the jury handing out six prizes. Under new Academy rules, the winner of the festival’s Best Film Award will automatically qualify for submission to the Best International Feature category of the Oscars.

Chinese director Bi Gan (Resurrection) said: “Busan was already a strong festival without the competition, but it’s now a core component of the festival for filmmakers in China, Japan and Korea because it creates a new trend. It’s not just about selecting prize winners, but it gives people more reason to discuss the selected films. It’s a good way to open the discourse between people.”

Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (Skin Of Youth) said: “Busan has always been a crucial place to discover new talent and New Currents [previously the main competition section at BIFF] did a great job in recognizing emerging directors who needed a platform for us to discover their voices. But Asian cinema is growing fast in terms of quality and the number of great films coming from the region. So the festival’s new competition section matches that growth and demand.”

BIFF’s seven-person jury also includes Korean actress Moon Choi, who produced and acted in Bedford Park, which is screening at the festival this year; Japanese director Kei Ishikawa (A Pale View Of Hills); and Kazakh actress Samal Yeslyamova (Ayka). The jury will be handing out their awards at the closing ceremony on October 15.

SPOILER ALERT: This post spoils the Season 4 finale of Ted Lasso, titled “Being Alive.”

Another finale episode of Ted Lasso has hit the net, bringing its fourth season, which branched out into the women’s team storyline, to a close.

The episode kicks off with a funeral reception for AFC Richmond’s own Mae Green (Annette Badland), owner of the Crown & Anchor pub, at the very pub she helmed for years. The trio of lads who have been around since Season 1 of the soccer comedy, as well as the new trivia opponents who briefly provoked the Lady Greyhounds enough to get them landed in jail, are all at the pub, which is closed for a private event, to mourn Mae.

Ted (Jason Sudeikis), Michelle (Andrea Anders), Henry (Grant Feely) and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) are in attendance as well. Michelle questions Beard about his physical transformation, which has become noticeable throughout the season, from his husky-like blue eye contacts to his tan and gray hair, which brings up Mae’s favorite sheep, Doug, who had an ear tag like Beard’s dangly earrings.

The Lady Greyhounds are there as well, and Niamh Harrigan (Aisling Sharkey) challenges her teammates to split the G, which an older gentleman points out is a tradition that actually started in Britain, not Ireland. He then proceeds to chug just the right amount of Guinness to achieve the feat with the specific beer.

Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) toast to Mae before Higgins gets a call from HR. Keeley (Juno Temple), who we found out was pregnant in Episode 9, runs to her bathroom in a black dress to presumably hurl. Roy looks after her in his all-black suit. He, too, gets a call, but he declines to answer. It’s his ‘Prick Agent’ Patrick calling, which could mean something about his contract at Richmond ending or continuing.

Roy voices his concern that, because Keeley is pregnant and they are bringing new life into the world, Mae’s soul had to leave it. This tradition of sharing uncomfortable truths at a funeral stems from Season 2, in which Rebecca’s father died. Weirdness struck at that funeral as well. Keeley points out that things keep changing, like her body, and more.

Patrick, Roy’s agent, calls once more, and Roy finally picks up to learn that he’s been offered the head coaching job at Chelsea. He then takes his turn running to the bathroom to puke in the toilet.

Ted and Michelle check on Henry, who had grown close to Mae this season, and he wonders what will happen to the pub. As is the theme of the episode, Ted reaffirms that “big changes happen in bunches.” Henry then goes to play darts after sarcastically answering, “I know, I live in London now.”

Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds) framed the team selfie with Mae on the bus. Beard’s ex Jane (Phoebe Walsh) shows up to the private event that has closed the Crown & Anchor in a red dress and hat, calling Mae Meg. One of her rings gets caught on Beard’s earring, and she rips it out of his ear.

The Harrigan twins serenade the late Mae with “The Parting Glass,” even though Mae was not Irish. Higgins had something to tell Rebecca before that duet.

Henry leaves the pub, and Ted goes to check on him. “I just wish that she could help me with my homework again,” Henry says through tears. Henry then asks Ted how his dad died. Nana (Becky Ann Baker) told Henry that his grandfather fell and hit his head on some stairs, which Ted says is true.

Longtime viewers of the show know that that’s not what happened — Ted’s dad committed suicide. He and Beard unpack this later at the office. Here it might be noteworthy to mention that a new voice sang the show’s title theme for the season finale, written by Tom Howe and Mumford & Sons. Could the below be related?