On 21 March, new Japanese satellite channel BS Yoshimoto starts broadcasting across Japan, kicking off what channel operator Yoshimoto Kogyo hopes will herald an era of accelerated collaborative content development that will reach further and wider than its traditional business.

The initiative will be top of mind for Yoshimoto Kogyo heading into this year’s FILMART Online, organised by the Hong Kong Development Council (HKTDC), from 14-17 March. 

“We believe in the idea of collaboration,” Yoshimoto Kogyo international business development team’s Sakura Wang says in the run-up to the annual Hong Kong event. 

This is the second time the company, which celebrates its 110th anniversary this year – is participating in the event.  

“We specifically are interested in projects that we can develop together as we believe this kind of collaborative effort helps foster true art,” she adds. 

With more than 5,000 new titles a year, Yoshimoto Kogyo’s FILMART 2022 slate includes a mix of classics – such as Hitoshi Matsumoto’s "You Laugh You Lose", which has been going since 1989, and family challenge "Who is the Real Celebrity" – and new productions, topped by "Dragon Chef", which was developed during the pandemic.

Wang says the restaurant industry was devastated during the pandemic, “destroying dreams all across Japan and the world... these chefs worked their entire lives to get to where they are today. We want to tell the stories of 16 chefs and give them a chance to win ¥10,000,000/US$87,000 to make their dreams a reality”.  

Created by "Iron Chef’s" Keiichi Tanak, "Dragon Chef" swings to the opposite end of "Iron Chef’s" lavish, larger-than-life dishes. 

Wang calls the new format a “post-2020 culinary contest” that “shows both the beauty of the technique and the ingredients themselves”. 

The aim, she adds, is to “capture both a global audience and, at the same time, impress true gourmets”. 

Another new direction from Japanese participants at this year’s FILMART is WOWOW INC’s experimental foray into short-form drama and the expansion of its traditional mature target audiences into younger segments. 

A long-time participant in the market, Wowow has added a series of 22 eight-minute episodes to its sales slate this year, says Hideki Furutani, WOWOW’s international sales manager. 

The show, "Young People These Days", stars Takashi Sorimachi and Haruka Fukuhara in a comedy about the relationship between a young female office worker and her grumpy-looking but thoughtful boss. 

"Young People These Days" is part of a slate of about 10-15 TV series that WOWOW will present at FILMART. Up to seven of its titles at FILMART will be new releases for international buyers. 

In addition to its trademark cinematic thrillers and mysteries, such as "Trust" and "Hiru"/"Leech", WOWOW is bringing its newer forays into romantic comedy, including anime series, "I Want to Hold Aono-Kun So Badly I Could Die", to Filmart 2022.

Furutani says the goal this year is to continue to expand already-solid relationships with Asian buyers to acquisition teams from other parts of the world.   

It’s a desire fuelled by last year’s sale of premium courtroom drama "Behind the Door", about two mothers in very difference circumstances, to European broadcaster, Arte. 

“Our hope is to meet more buyers from the Americas and Europe,” he says. 

WOWOW and Yoshimoto Kogyo, plus other major Asian sales companies, will also be bringing their latest films to Hong Kong’s FILMART (14-17 March 2022).

Last year, FILMART Online welcomed 8,000 participants from 81 countries and regions along with 677 exhibitors from 46 countries/regions. It provided a platform for 2,600 business matching meetings for the promotion of over 2,100 film and television productions.

Sponsored content. Published in ContentAsia 21 February 2022 eNewsletter