TIOT is a rising force that made its official debut in April 2024.
TIOT (티아이오티)is a quintet group under Redstart ENM agency. The band consists of Kim Min Seong, Kum Jun Hyeon, Hong Keon Hee, Choi Wii Jin, and Shin Ye Chan. TIOT stands for ‘Time Is Our Time’.
Before making the April 2024 official debut, the group had made a pre-debut as a 4-member band with the ‘Frame the Blueprint: Prelude to Possibilities’ EP on August 2023.
After the pre-debut, TIOT held the ‘Blueprint: TIOT’ tour in Japan in October 2023 and released the “Find the Way” single, and held the ‘2023 TIOT Fancon: Find the Way’ concert in December 2023.
Members Min Seong, Kim Jun Hyeon, Hong Keon Hee, and Choi Wii Jin participated in 2023 Boys Planet program before debuting Redstart ENM. The 4 performers joined forces as Redstart Boys and held fan meetings and concerts before the August 2023 pre-debut as TIOT. Shin Ye Chan joined the group during their official debut in April 2024.
—-Karen Mwenda
#TIOT #WhoIsTIOT #kcrush #MinSeong #KimJunHyeon #HongKeonHee #ChoiWiiin #ShinYeChan #RedstartENM #koreankpop #kpop #pop #koreanboygroup #kcrushmagazine #kcrushamerica #kcrusharticle #hallyuboygroup #kidol #kcelebrity #BoysPlanet #FindTheWay #TimeIsOurTime
BABYMONSTER will be having their 1st ever world tour taking off in January 2025.
BABYMONSTER is gearing up for its first tour, scheduled for January of next year. Titled ‘HELLO MONSTERS’, the tour is set to start in South Korea before heading to the US.
‘HELLO MONSTERS’ tour will kick off in Seoul and then head to several U.S cities including New Jersey and Los Angeles. After starting in January, the tour will hit Los Angeles stages in March 2025. Additional cities and respective dates will be communicated in time.
—-Karen Mwenda
#BABYMONSTERTour #HelloMonstersTour #BABYMONSTERUS #kcrush #kpop #koreankpop #koreancelebrity #kidol #koreangirlgroup #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine #kcrushfilminterview #interview #USTour #firstworldtourannounced
“Luck is what you make of it” is a saying that has been around for generations to describe the work people have to put into to turn situations in their favor, and perfectly encapsulates the dilemma father and reformed poker player Lucky (Terry Chen, The Spiderwick Chronicles) finds himself facing in writer, director, and producer Gillian McKercher’s drama Lucky Star, which screened at the 2024 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
Already struggling financially with a tech repair company that isn’t pulling in as much business as needed, Lucky, desperate to resolve at least one potential issue, falls victim to a phone phishing tax-fraud scam, costing him thousands of dollars his family can’t afford to lose. With his daughter Grace (Connie Miu, The Boys) stressing over her final college exams, and his wife Noel (Olivia Cheng, Warrior) doubting his truthfulness with her, Lucky keeps the truth of just how dire their financial situation has become from his family and ends up making a decision that could cost him everything. In their youth, Lucky was a successful gambler whose luck at the poker table provided some measure of financial stability, but as is the case with habitual gambling, his obsession with proving his skill at playing games put his relationship with Noel in jeopardy, and he made a vow to never play again. A vow he was able to keep…until the new troubles in their life, and he turns to poker games where the stakes are high in more than one way, as a solution.
Knowing that Lucky is in serious trouble, his best friend and accountant Darren, played by Andrew Phung (Run the Burbs), does his best to persuade Lucky to follow his advice to create a solid and manageable financial plan. Darren, knowing what’s at stake for Lucky, does his best but he can only do as much as Lucky allows him to do. And similarly to Darren, Grace tries her best to help her father, but their relationship becomes strained as the line of responsibility between parent and child is blurred with Lucky depending on her for help and asking Grace to keep his secrets of just how bad things have gotten from her mother.
Gillian does a great job of showing how finances can make and break a family as shame and guilt weighs heavily on them. While Noel does love Lucky, she doesn’t fully trust him to be honest with her when it comes to money. This doubt that she doesn’t like feeling for her husband causes Noel to place herself in a precarious situation where she has to consider having her own financial backup plan that may itself jeopardise the stability of her children’s life.
Set in Calgary, Alberta, Lucky Star is a very realistic portrayal of how people can feel unlucky in their lives despite appearing to have everything a person could want in life. Gillian’s direction and the performances of the cast are what makes this story work technically, and emotionally because these characters are people, we either have in our own families, or relatable and familiar to our own experiences. For who hasn’t worried about how to win against our inner demons and vices, been tempted to make a choice we know is morally wrong but could potentially change our lives for the better, or worried about owing money to the government when tax season comes around.
Happy and stable families must be cultivated, nourished, and cherished, and that takes time, effort, and above all, honesty and trust to achieve, not luck, which Lucky learns by coming to the realisation he can’t rely on his skills as a poker player to win at being a husband and father.
In my interview with Gillian and Andrew for the film’s premiere at Reel Asian, we had a great conversation about how people like Lucky could be dealt the best cards in life and still mess up, why and how guilt and shame change the way we see ourselves and loved ones, and what makes luck, luck.
Lucky Star had its world premiere in Gillian’s hometown at the 2024 Calgary International Film Festival.
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Film Critic, Journalist, Podcaster & YouTuber
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Host & Producer Carolyn Talks…, and So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
#KCrush #KCrushAmericaMagazine #ReelAsian #TerryChen #OliviaCheng #AndrewPhung #AsianCinema #CanadianFilm #FilmFestival #Toronto #TorontoReelAsianInternationalFilmFestival #ChineseCanadian #kcrushmagazine #kcrushfilminterview #FemaleFilmmaker
The legendary Suzy Bae has joined Celine luxury brand ambassadorship crew
On November 15, Celine brand announced they were pleased to have Suzy join their family. The French fashion house is known for its luxurious high-end designer pieces since 1945.
Celine announced the ambassadorship news with Suzy Bae’s first campaign image. The legendary South Korean artist showcased a bold and elegant look in a black leather coat. The coat is part of Celine brand’s 2024 Winter Collection.
—-Karen Mwenda
#SuzyBae #MissA #JYP #SuzyBaeBrandAmbassadorforCeline #CelineLuxuryBrand #kpop #koreanActress #singer #kcrush #kcrushmagazine #knews #congratulationstoSuzyBae #whatisSuzyBaedoing #2024WinterCollection #kidol #koreancelebrity #SuzyBaeshowcasedwithCelineLuxuyBrand #kcrusharticle #CelineFrenchFashionHouse
JYP Entertainment’s rookie group NEXZ has released the “NALLINA” MV as they prepare for their November comeback.
NEXZ boy band has released the “NALLINA” music video teaser. The track is a part of their upcoming November comeback album. NEXZ will be releasing the ‘NALLINA’ mini album on November 18.
NEXZ debuted in May 2024 with the ‘Ride the Vibe’ single album. The group later made a Japanese debut with the ‘Ride Your Vibe (Japanese Ver.) / Keep on Moving’ EP in August 2024.
—-Karen Mwenda
#NEXZ #JYPEntertainment #RideYourVibe #NALLINA #newmusic #newalbum #novembercomeback #kcrush #kpop #koreanidol #koreancelebrity #kfashion #kcrushmagazine #kcrushtopentertainmentmagazine #KeeponMovingEP #NEXZcomebackinNovember #NEXZteaser #koreanboyband #boygroup #Japanesedebut #hallyuboygroup
SHINEee’s Taein is this year’s Korea Grand Music Awards legend after taking home 3 awards from the event.
Taemin, who recently released his 5th mini album, ‘ETERNAL’, took the Korea Grand Music Awards by storm after bagging 3 awards. The artist took home the Best Artist, Best Solo Artist, and Best Popularity Artist awards.
Taemin is also on the ‘Ephemeral Gaze’ tour, his first one that kicked off in August and runs through March 2025. Taemin’s wins confirmed his influence not only on a domestic scale bit on a global level.
—-Karen Mwenda
#Taemin #SHINeeTaemin #GrandMusicAwardsWinner #Taeminwins3awards #kcrush #Taeminawarded3awards #kpop #kidol #koreancelebrity #kpopsinger #TaeminsEphemeralGazeTour #TaeminBestArtist #BestSoloArtist #estPopularityArtist #Taeminthreeawards #kcrushmagazine #kcrushamerica #kfashion #knews #hallyunews
Talented Ahn Ye-eun is making a comeback with her 4th EP after almost a 2-year break.
Ahn Ye-eun is set to make a comeback on November 21 with the ‘Story Bag’ EP. This is Ye Eun’s 4th extended play since her debut under DSP Media in 2016.
The “Changgui” hitmaker also released a trailer teaser of the “잉어왕 (KINGCARP)” track which will be part of the upcoming ‘Story Bag’ album.
Ye Eun’s last release was the ‘Easy Written Story’ full-length album in February 2023. She is known for her musical storytelling and several dramas and webtoon OST performances, including “The Man Who Became King”.
—-Karen Mwenda
#AhnYeEun #Novembercomeback #SingersongwriterAhnYeEun #EasyWrittenStory #kdramaOST #kpop #kidol #kcrush #TheManWhoBecameKingOST #Changgui #KINGCARPtrack #StoryBagAlbum #DSPMedia #EP #extendedplay #newalbumAhnYeEun #kcrushmagazine #kcrushamerica #koreansinger #hallyu #kfashion
Here are the latest music videos in the K-pop industry.
1. VIVIZ
VIVIZ released the “Shhh!” MV which is the title track for their 5th mini-album, ‘VOYAGE’.
2. ILLIT
ILLIT is making fans’ hearts go wild with the “Tick-Tack” music video. The track is part of the group’s 2nd mini album, ‘I’LL LIKE YOU’.
3. BIBI
BIBI is dropping hit after hit creating a wave of excitement in the entertainment industry. BIBI dropped the “Derre” MV which is part of her double single comeback set.
4. Yves
Yves is also ending the year in style. The artist released the “Viola” music video which is part of her latest 2nd album titled ‘I Did’.
5. MAMAMOO’s Hwa Sa
MAMAMOO’s Hwa Sa has yet again dropped an enchanting single for her 8th digital single. The track, “Star”, was produced by LOGOS.
6. YOUNHA
YOUHNA released the “Point Nemo” music single for her 7th repackaged album, ‘Growth Theory: Final Edition’. The album commemorates YOUHNA’s 20th anniversary in the entertainment industry.
7. Taeyeon
Taeyeon is gearing up for her November 18 comeback with her 6th mini album, ‘Letter to Myself’ album. In preparation, the artist released the “Letter to Myself” MV which is the title track for the upcoming album.
8. HEYOON
HEYOON teamed up with American rapper Armani White for the “Pivot” single. “Pivot’ is one of HEYOON’s solo debut releases after moving from Now United global pop group and joining Universal Music Group.
—-Karen Mwenda
#8LatestMVReleases #kcrush #musicvideoreleasesinnovember #HEYOON #Pivot #ArmaniWhite #rapper #Taeyeon #LetterToMyself #YOUHNA #PointNemo #20thanniversary #HWASA #MAMAMOOHWASA #Star #LOGOs #YVES #IDID #Viola #BIBIDerre #Derre #BIBI #ILLIT #TickTack #IllLikeYouMiniAlbum #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine #kpop #koreanpop #kfashion #koreansinger #newmusic #VIVIZ #Shhh #VOYAGEVIVIZ #hallyumusic #kpopidol
Here are some K-dramas to binge on this November 2024.
1. Marry You
“Marry You” is a romantic comedy about an island bachelor, Bong Cheol Hui (Lee Yi Kyung), who has failed to be ineligible for marriage. To ensure the bachelor upgrades to marriage life, a “Marriage Encouragement” team is formed and a civil servant is dispatched to oversee the team. The dispatchee is Jung Ha Na (Jo Soo Min) who on the other hand doesn’t believe in marriage and is in it for the money.
2. Gangnam B-Side
“Gangnam B-Side” is a crime drama involving solving mysteries amidst life-threatening encounters. Jae Hee (Bibi) is a bartender in Gangnam who goes missing because of uncovering a secret involving a series of disappearances. A demoted detective Kang Dong Woo (Jo Woo Jin) crawls his way back into the investigation business to unravel the Gangnam disappearances linked to Jae Hee. and Prosecutor Min Seo Jin (Ha Yoon Kyung) and Yoon Gil Ho (Ji Chang Wook), a famous Gangnam outlaw, also force their way into the investigations all for personal gain.
3. Brewing Love
Just like its title, “Brewing Love” K-drama is about a love that brews in a liquor brewing setting. Chae Yong Joo (Kim Se Jeong) is a former Special Forces who rises to become a liquor company’s sales queen. To save her store from closing down, Young Joon must ensure the new liquor sells. Yoon Min Ju (Lee Jong Won), is a skilled brewmaster and the CEO of the liquor company that owns Chae Yong Joo’s branch store. Chae Yong Joo strives to show Yoon Min Ju her store’s worth amidst stiff competition from Bang A Reum (Shin Do Hyun), the company’s planning team manager.
4. Love Your Enemy
“Love Your Enemy’ tells the story of a reunion between young lovers turned rivals. Seok Ji Won (Ju Ji Hoon) and Yoon Ji Won (Jung Yu Mi) were born on the same day and given the same name, “Ji Won”. Despite the existing generational rivalry between the two families, Seok and Yoon fought for their love throughout high school which later ended in chaos. Life goes on but fate brings the two “Ji Won”s together as workers in their former high school.
5. The Trunk
“The Trunk” is a melodrama that highlights deep marriage controversies. Jung Won (Gong Yoo) is a music producer who ends up seeking a contract marriage to heal the loneliness of missing his ex-wife. In Ji (Seo Hyun Jin) is a wife-on-contract at NM company which provides clients with a spouse on a 1-year marriage contract. Jung Won chooses a contractual spouse at NM company where his ex-wife works. As Jung Won and his second wife, In Jin, get to know each other, a trunk washes up on shore putting their new relationship in jeopardy while revealing a string of ordeals connected to NM company.
—-Karen Mwenda
#5KDramasToWatchThisNovember2024 #TheTrunk #GongYoo #SeoHyunJin #kcrush #LoveYourEnemy #kdrama #JuJiHoon #JungYuMi #BrewingLove #GangnamBSide #MarryYou #koreankdrama #kcrushamerica #hallyudrama #kcrushmagazine #LeeYiKyung #JoSooMin #ShinDoHyun
K-drama actor Song Jae Rim has passed away.
Known for his performances in “We Got Married” and “Queen Woo,” Song Jae Rim has passed away, leaving the Korean entertainment industry in shock. According to reports, he was found deceased in his Seoul house. Reports also highlight that a two-page note was found at the scene.
Song Jae Rim’s family is held a service at Seoul Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital funeral hall before escorting Jae Rim to his resting place at Seoul City Crematorium on November 14. Song Jae Rim, an actor and model, debuted in the acting industry in 2009 and appeared in several notable dramas including “We Got Married” and “My Military Valentine”. Tributes by fellow starts have been pouring in on several platforms.
We wish Song Jae Rim’s family peace and strength during these trying times.
—-Karen Mwenda
#SongJaeRim #JaeRimpassesaway #kcrush #kdramaactor #koreanactor #WeGotMarried #MyMlitaryValentine #condolences #QueenWoo #passedaway #koreandrama #koreankdrama #restinpeace #youwillbemissed #kcrushInRemembrance #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine
Toronto Reel Asian 2024 KCrush Interview With ‘Exclusion: Beyond The Silence’ Filmmaker Keira Loughran
On July 1st, 1923, the Mackenzie King, the current Prime Minister of Canada signed into law the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, otherwise known as the Chinese Exclusion Act for the way the law separated Canadian born Chinese citizens from the rest of the predominately white population of the time. In her debut feature film and documentary Exclusion: Breaking the Silence, director and film subject Keira Loughran with no artifice, looks at this dark and not at all too distant part of Canadian history to reveal the traumatic and long-lasting impact of this exclusionary at on Chinese Canadians, their families back in China, and Canada’s present.
Seclusion: Breaking the Silence, premiered at the 2024 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, in the Features program. Keira who is an award winning actress, playwright, dramaturge, and stage director and producer, through wanting to know more about the history of her grandmother Jean Lumb, a celebrated Toronto activist and advocate for the rights of Chinese Canadian citizens and Immigrants and the first Chinese Canadian to be awarded the prestigious Order of Canada, had to delve into the history of the Chinese diaspora in Canada to their arrivals in 1788 to the country’s shores on the Pacific North-Western territories of the First Nations peoples.
As Canada began to rapidly develop in the late 1700, the need for manpower grew exponentially and as a result immigrants from across China were welcomed. Physically fit men and women from the rural areas of far-reaching towns such as Guangdong where Jean’s husband was from. Chinese men and women flocked to the country in the thousands to seek better opportunities for themselves, their children, and families they sent money back home to support and hopefully send for. But almost overnight after the famed Canadian Transnational Railway that these men who broke their bodies – and even lost their lives in many cases – building was completed, they became the target of a concerted effort to strip away their rights as citizens and human beings. Created out of the racist “White Canada forever” movement (sounds familiar?), the Chinese Immigration Act was born. It became the first and to date, only Canadian legislation that targeted a specific racial group to deprive them of their rights of citizenship, and relegate them to the status of immigrants, considered to be a lower social and legal status, then and unfortunately even now.
Under this act inspired by the one signed into United States federal law in in 1882 and ended in 1943, Chinese Canadians both naturalized citizens and immigrants, of all ages were legally required to provide documentation with photo ID to present upon request wherever they went. Husbands were unable to send for the wives and children waiting back in China, separating many for 20 years or more, and even for the remainder of their lives. Women born in Canada lost their citizenship because the law said the immigrant status of their husbands took precedence. This is exactly what happened to Jean. The Act not only created these unfair situations for those already in Canada, for 24 years, it completely barred any Chinese person from entering the country.
As Keira dug into the past of her own family and community, she began to see yuánfèn, ‘The Red Thread of Fate’ begin to emerge. In Chinese mythology, The Red Thread of Fate is considered to be an invisible thread that binds the fate and destiny of people together throughout time. While many may not believe in it, the revelations of Keira’s connections to the life of Foon Hay Lum and that of her granddaughter Helen Lee, would be enough to convince many to consider it.
On April 24, 2020, at 111 years-old and the old living Canadian, Foon Hay Lum died from medical complications caused by the COVID-19 virus. For much of her life, Foon hay worked as an activist to educate people about the ‘Chinese Head Tax’ that had been levied against Chinese male immigrating to Canada until the repeal of the Exclusion Act in 1947. This tax which increased from a few dollars to $500 – an exorbitant amount of money at that time – was demanded for entry. Because of this, most of those allowed into the country were teenagers and young men traveling alone, leading to the creating of an overwhelmingly large population of single men who were forced to live decades without direct familial relations. It is disturbingly ironic that Foon Hay spent her life speaking up for the rights of Chinese Canadians and whose activism directly lead to the repeal of the Act, was ultimately killed by a virus whom many white people in Canada (and in America) blamed on China and Chinese people.
Just as the white population and white led government turned against Chinese Canadians and Immigrants once they believed them to no longer be of use, so too did the descendants of those bigots in 2020.
In researching Foon Hay’s life and the impact she made on Canadian society, Keira began to see the similarities to her and her own grandmother Jean. The more Keira and Helen dug into their pasts the more of the Red Thread began to be revealed until it led them back to Helen’s ancestral homes, and the burial plots of both of their ancestors…just over a small hill from each other in the same grave yard.
Seclusion: Breaking the Silence is a terrific documentary that shows how unpredictable and beautiful life can be by showing how people can be connected to each other in the most extraordinary ways. Keira highlights the resilience of immigrants, and the strength required to uproot your entire life to travel to a completely new country with people who not only don’t look like you or speak the same language, but who hold prejudice against you for simply being different. People who themselves are immigrants and the descendants of immigrants who violently took the land from the Indigenous people, rather than work with them.
The documentary shows that for all its marketing as a land of tolerance and friendliness, the reality is that Canada is a country built by colonialism, and the hands of the same people it betrayed and disenfranchised in the past and intent on doing the same today. By the end of the film, the audience may be inclined to ask if perhaps this is Canada’s own Red Thread of Fate.
In my interview with Keira at York University where she is Sessional Assistant Professor of Theatre, we spoke about how Keira’s own path to making the documentary seemed destined to be, how the two years she spent making the film and discovering her own history changed the way she looked at Canada as a country and immigration, and how filmmaking is a way of breaking the silence foisted upon our ancestors.
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Film Critic, Journalist, Podcaster & YouTuber
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Host & Producer Carolyn Talks…, and So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
#KCrush #KCrushAmericaMagazine #ReelAsian #Documentary #AsianCinema #CanadianFilm #FilmFestival #Toronto #ChineseHistory #TorontoReelFimFestival #ChineseCanadian #ChineseImigrationLaw1923Canada #RedThreadofFate #kcrush #kcrushmagazine #kcrushfilminterview #YorkUniversity #ChineseExclusionAct #KeiraLoughrandirector #KeiraLoughranActor #KeiraLoughranWriter #diversity
OMEGA X has canceled its ‘ISLAND: Beyond the Horizon’ US tour.
OMEGA X boy band was scheduled to hold the ‘ISLAND: Beyond the Horizon’ tour across the US from November 30 to December 18. The tour was set to take place across 8 cities including Cleveland, Detroit, and Houston.
However, OMEGA X announced that the tour had been canceled due to unavoidable circumstances. The statement included apologies for the inconvenience and clarified that refunds will be done automatically.
—-Karen Mwenda
#OMEGAX #OMEGAXISLANDBeyondtheHorizonUSTourCanceled #CanceledTour #kcrush #kidol #kpop #korean #kcrushamerica #OMEGAXCancelsUSTour2024 #2024KPopTour #kcrushmagazine #breakingnews #kfashion #hallyu #hallyuboygroup
BIG OCEAN, the world’s 1st ever deaf idol group, is heading to the U.S. this November for brand promotions and performances.
Parastar Entertainment announced that BIG OCEAN will be headed to the U.S. on November 11th, to celebrate the release of their ‘Follow’ album on November 12. BIG OCEAN will interact with fans in several locations, including Central Park, Empire State Building, and Times Square.
On the 14th and 17th of November, BIG OCEAN is scheduled to perform at ‘Cool Out 2024’. The group will be performing the hit song “FLOW” from the ‘Follow’ album for the first time at the event set to take place in the Cayman Islands.
—-Karen Mwenda
#BIGOCEAN #hearingimpared #Follow #NewYork #CoolOut2024 #BIGOCEANKPOPGroup #koreankpop #newgroup #deafidolgroup #USPromotioninNovember #kculture #kpop #newmusic #kcrush #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine #ParastarEntertainment #muchsuccesstothem #happinessandsmiles #knews #kexcitement #hallyuboygroup #hallyu
In her short film Sukoun (Amplified) which screened in the Boundaries program of the 2024 Minikino Film Week 10 of the Bali International Film Festival, Palestinian-Jordinian filmmaker Dina Naser brings draws attention to the betrayal and confusion young victims of sexual harassment experience when someone they trust violates it.
(Image credit courtesy of Minikino)
In Arabic, the word “sukoon” or “sukoun” means to be still or to completely at rest, and for the film Dina uses to represent the state of inner calmness those who are deaf exist in in their life of silence. To those who are hearing, this may be difficult to understand as our world is filled with noise even in quiet spaces, there’s no true and complete absence of sound.
But what if living in silence wasn’t a hindrance, but a blessing because it provides people the opportunity to withdraw from the world in order to focus on healing? For 10-year-old Hind played by Malak Nassar, the silence of her world caused by deafness provides respite and an opportunity to find her determination after she’s sexually harassed by her karate teacher (Nadeem Al Rimawi) one evening after class when he hugs her much tighter and for longer than is comfortable than appropriate.
As a preteen, Hind isn’t much different to the other students in her class at the dojo. She loves the physical exertion she feels after completing a new combination of moves and the accomplishment recognitions of her growth as an athlete brings. And just like every kid her age her relationship with her mother played by Suhad Kahtib is filled with tension as they clash over Hind’s desire for more independence and her mother’s protective instincts.
(Image credit courtesy of Minikino)
However, unlike the other students, Hind’s world is thrown completely off its axis due to this assault. Though she doesn’t yet have the language to name what has happened to her, Hind knows that she’s been violated. She knows that what’s happened was wrong and that she’s no longer safe in the presence of a man she saw as a father figure. She knows, just like ever victim of sexual harassment and assault, that the way she moves through life and sees people, especially men has been forever changed. It’s this realization, and emotional and psychological progression that Dina and the cast have demonstrated with the utmost care and respect, but with a clarity that’s needed to show how trauma shatters a victim’s world view from childhood, through growing as a survivor into adulthood.
By making a film about the sexual assault of a disabled girl, Dina addresses an unfortunate reality that many girls and women are all too familiar with. In essence she amplifies the prevalence of these violating acts in society not only in Jordan where the film was made, but globally. In an effort to process the trauma that has been forced on them, victims can turn inward, pulling away from those closest to them, even parents like Hind does. It’s not to punish her mother, but it’s a defense mechanism, because for Hind, silence means safety. Silence is where she feels most comfortable. The sound design and mixing by Ensieh Maleki is as much a character of this film as Hind is. There’s a very delicate balance in the transitions from sound to the muffling that occurs when Hind puts in her hearing aids, and the absence of sound when she removes it. This gives hearing audiences just a hint of what it means to live with deafness, and hopefully encourages them to think not only about how being deaf impacts someone like Hind, but also those with other visible and invisible disabilities.
Sukoun (Amplified) should serve as a lesson for people to acknowledge the disabilities but don’t let that be all they see of the disabled person. Hind is a fully realized character, and Malak who is profoundly deaf, is a fully realized person who for her very first acting role accepted the challenge of playing a character like Hind, with the bravery and dedication she portrays in the character.
(Image credit courtesy of Minikino)
In my interview with Dina, we spoke about the time and care she spent speaking to professionals in the mental health field who specialize in treating and studying cases of sexual violence, the months she and the cast spent preparing for them to play their characters, and using film as a method of drawing attention to social issues.
Sukoun (Amplified) won the award for Best Short Film Grand Prize at the 2024 HollyShorts Film Festival resulting in its qualification for a 2025 Academy Award.
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Film Critic, Journalist, Podcaster & YouTuber
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Host & Producer Carolyn Talks…, and So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
#KCrush #MinikinoFilmWeek #AsianCinema #FemaleFilmmaker #ShortFilm #FilmFestival #filmfestival #film #kcrushamerica #Amplified #2024HollyShortsFilmFestival #DinaNaser #SukounAmplified #mental #mentalhealth #BaliInternationalFilm
‘The more society progresses, the more it seems to stay the same and even regress, and always at the expense of girls and women’, is just one of the many observations Indonesian student filmmaker I Made Suniartika makes in his short film Purusa: Wedding Sacred.
(Photo credit – I Made Suniartika)
Premiering in the Minikino Film Week 10 of the 2024 Bali International Film Festival, Purusa: Wedding Sacred, may be just 15 minutes long in its run time, but it takes years of observation of all the ways patriarchal societies and cultures dismisses the wants, needs and well beings of young women at the expense of familial honor and male ego.
Pregnant with her fiancé’s baby, Kadek Shanti’s (Kadek Divta Pradnya Dewi) excitement for their impending nuptials turns to dread when Phutu Dharma’s family calls off the wedding because they believe the marriage would bring shame to their family name on the grounds of Nyentano, a cultural belief that men should not be bonded to a family with no male heirs to carry on their own lineage. Phutu and his family, wanting to preserve their own honor and family name in the community, leaves Kadek to deal with the fallout of social stigma.
(Photo credit – I Made Suniartika)
Because of this, Kadek’s parents, with guidance from the village’s religious leader, decides to have her take part in an age-old Balinese tradition of having her marry a “purusa”, a relic Kris, a traditional blade sacred in Balinese culture, endowed with the ritual status of male identity. Meaning, that for all intents and purposes, Kadek (and women who have gone through the ceremony) will be marrying a male object to substitute for the human male she had intended to marry.
But she would still be seen as a single woman and mother by the people in her community.
It is this dichotomy of wanting to preserve a female’s honor, this abstract idea created by men something to be beholden to, much to the emotional and even social detriment of the girls and women the world over.
Made, displays a deft hand at showing how these traditional beliefs clash with the modernity of Balinese culture for its through text messages that Kadek is jilted by Phutu. It is her cell phone that provides her a connection to a world she feels is progressing without her. Leaving her trapped in a circumstance she should never have been placed in by people who claimed to love her. Because why should being bound to an inanimate object for the rest of her life be seen as honorable? Why should she be left to raise a child alone because the father of that child and his family value what strangers may think of them because he married a woman with no male siblings?
(Photo credit – I Made Suniartika)
It is these questions and observations and more that Made and I discussed in our interview for Purusa: Wedding Sacred. Made shared why he made it a priority to work with female producer Yohanna Lila Rosanti and how working with her and Kadek Divta helped him to understand and change his perspective of the world as a man in a patriarchal society, and his thoughts on the contradictions between cultural traditions and social progress.
During Minikino Film Week 10, Purusa: Wedding Sacred was awarded the MFW National Competition Award.
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Film Critic, Journalist, Podcaster & YouTuber
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Host & Producer Carolyn Talks…, and So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh1
#KCrush #MinikinoFilmWeek #AsianCinema #FilmFestival #FilmCritic #Interview #PurusaWeddingSacred #filminterview #filmfestivalinterview #IMadeSunjartika #filmmaker #Asianfilm #YohannaLilaRosanti #film #kcrushamerica #KadekDivta #PuriusaWeddingSacredawardedMFWNationalCompetitionAard
BABYMOSTER’s “CLIK CLAK” single has been termed “ineligible for broadcast”.
BABYMOSTER band’s latest hit single “CLIK CLAK” from the ‘DRIP’ album has failed KBS’s music review ratings. On November 6, IZE reported that “CLIK CLAK” was classified as ineligible for broadcast due to some problematic issues with the song.
The “CLIK CLAK” single mentions brand names, which might have instigated a violation of KBS’s music review policy. Some of the song’s lyrics include “I be laughing to the bank in my Maybach”, “Zero hundred like Ferrari”, and “Cartier stacked up on my wrist”.
However, if a song receives an ineligibility status, it can be modified and resubmitted for airing on KBS’s programs. Other tracks from BABYMOSTER’s ‘DRIP’ album, including “DRIP”, passed the eligibility test. The ‘DRIP’ album was released on November 1, 2024.
—-Karen Mwenda
#BABYMONSTER #CLIKCLAKfailsbroadcastregulations #kcrush #DRIPalbum #KBSmusicreviewpolicy #kpop #kidol #kfasion #kmusic #canberesubmitted #CLIKCLAK #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine #koreanhallyu #koreankpop
GOT7’s Jinyoung has completed his mandatory military service.
On November 7, Jinyoung of GOT7 boy band was discharged from the military after completing the 18-month mandatory service. Jinyoung enlisted in the military in May 2023.
Jinyoung received a warm welcome from fans and fellow GOT7 members BamBam and Yugyeom. While giving a brief press interview, Jinyoung stated that he would be returning to his acting role soon. Jinyoung also stated that GOT7 is working on their upcoming album. Yugyeom and Youngjae are also expected to be discharged from mandatory military service soon.
Meanwhile, fellow members Mark Tuan, BamBam, and Jackson Wang were not required to do the mandatory military service because of their South Korean non-citizen status. Nonetheless, BamBam participated in Thailand’s mandatory military lottery in 2018, and was officially exempt from undertaking the 24-month service.
—-Karen Mwenda
#Jinyoung #GOT7Jinyoung #GOT7Jinyoungdischargedfrommandatorymilitaryservice #18monthmandatoryservice #kpop #kcrush #koreankpop #GOT7 #GOT7workingonnewalbum #Jinyoungactor #Jinyoungkpopsinger #kculture #koreanboygroup #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine
A few months after their debut, 82MAJOR has finally achieved a major milestone by debuting on the global Billboard.
82MAJOR debuted in October last year as Great M Entertainment agency’s 1st first boy band with the ‘X-2’ mini album. Months after its debut, the band has made global milestones by charting on the influential Billboard platform.
On November 5, 82MAJOR charted at No.45 on Billboard’s Album’s Sales Chart with their 2nd mini-album titled ‘X-82’. 82MAJOR made a comeback with ‘X-82’ mini-album on October 15.
82MAJOR also charted in other Billboard charts including 15th on the World Sales chart, 24th on the Emerging Artists chart, and 37th on the Current Album Sales chart. The band also charted on other platforms including Luminate’s Top New Artist Albums chart, Record Label Independent Current Albums chart, and Heatseekers Albums chart.
—-Karen Mwenda
#82MAJOR #82MAJORDebutsonBillboard #WorldSaleschart #EmergingArtistsChart #CurrentAlbumSalesChard #kpop #LuminatesTopNewArtistAlbumChard #RecordLabelIndependentCurrentAlbumsChart #HeatseekersAlbums #kpopidol #koreancelebrity #kpopboygroup #kcrushamerica #kcrush #GreatMEntertainment #pop #billboard #knews
NewJeans will be making history as the first girl band to perform at the ‘Countdown Japan 24/25’.
On November 6, ADOR confirmed that the girl band will be among those performing at the highly anticipated end-year festival in Japan. The festival will take place from 28th to 31st December at Makuhari Messe, Tokyo.
NewJeans is scheduled to hit the stage on 31st December closing the festival in style. NewJean’s performance is expected to be a success given their July Japanese release of their “Supernatural” debut single was a top-seller in Japan.
—-Karen Mwenda
#NewJeans #NewJeansMakeHistory #NewJeanstoperformatCountdownJapanFestival2425 #koreankpop #kcrush #kpop #kidol #koreangirlgroup #MakuhariMesseTokyo #ADORconfirmsNewJeansCountdownJapanFestival #firstgirlgrouptoeverperformthere #makingkpophistory #makingfestivalhistory #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine
Lim Hyun Joo and Kwak Si Yang have been confirmed to have gone their separate ways.
Actors Lim Hyun Joo and Kwak Si Yang confirmed their relationship in September 2023. The relationship revelation came days after Kwak Si Yang mentioned his girlfriend’s name in a YouTube show appearance in August.
However, on November 6, 2024, the actors confirmed that their relationship had come to an end. They revealed the news through their agencies who added that the two actors have gone their separate ways but will continue to support each other in the future as colleagues.
—-Karen Mwenda
#LimHyunJoo #KwakSiYang #breakupnews #actorsLimHuunJooandKwakSiYangannouncebreakup #kactor #korea #kcrush #koreanactors #actorcouplebreakup #agencyannouncebreakup #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine #kidol
IVE has collaborated with the legendary French DJ David Guetta in their new single set to be released this week.
IVE, who recently finished the ‘Show What I Have’ world tour, has made another milestone by collaborating with a globally renowned figure in the music industry. David Guetta is a French DJ and record producer known for the “Titanium” remix.
David Guetta produced an English version of IVE’s “Supernova Love” single by sampling Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” soundtrack. The retouched “Supernova Love” English track will be released on November 8th.
—-Karen Mwenda
#IVE #IVEfeaturesDavidGuetta #November8release #SupernovaLoveIVEsingle #RyuichiSakamotosMerryChristmas #kpop #koreankpop #kcrush #RetouchedSupernovaLoveEnglishtrack #kcrushamerica #kcrushmagazine #kcelebrity #kidol #repurposeofSupernovaLoveproducedbyDavidGuetta #koreanculture #newsingle #koreanhallyu #FrenchDJ