Miike Takashi’s Korean ‘Connect,’ Kimo Stamboel’s ‘Blood Curse’ Disney-Backed Series Set Busan Festival Debuts

Prolific Japanese film director Miike Takashi and Indonesian genre specialist Kimo Stamboel will be among the star names in the ‘On Screen’ section of the Busan International Film Festival given over to TV series.

Miike has made “Connect,” a Korean-language crime fantasy thriller about a man who is kidnapped and has one of his eyes removed by a gang of organ harvesters and transplanted into the body of a notorious serial killer. The unwilling donor now has terrible visions as he witnesses terrifying attacks on the residents of Seoul. The show was written by Nakamura Masaru and Heo Dam (“Monstrum”).

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It features Korean talent including Jung Haein (“Snowdrop,” “Start-Up,” “Tune in for Love”) in the lead role and Ko Kyungpyo (“Decision to Leave,” “Seoul Vibe,”) as the serial killer, and Kim Hyejun (“Inspector Koo,” “Kingdom,” “Sinkhole”) as the mysterious Irang.

The 6-part, 45 mins per episode series is produced by Studio Dragon and is to be presented as a Star Original on the Disney+ streaming platform. The show will play in Busan on Oct. 6-7, 2022.

Indonesia’s Rapi Films is behind Blood Curse” (aka “Teluh Darah”), which is also badged as a Star original. It tells the story of a young woman whose world view is flipped on its head after witnessing a black magic attack on her family. Driven to protect them at any cost, the woman will go to the ends of the earth to find out who is responsible and hold them to account.

Stamboel, one half of the so-called Mo Brothers, directs a cast that includes Mikha Tambayong, Lukman Sardi, Deva Mahenra and Justin Adiwinata.

“Our curated content from APAC is a key part of the best global storytelling The Walt Disney Company is known for,” said Carol Choi, executive VP of original content strategy, The Walt Disney Company in APAC.

Disney+ has other local titles from Asia on its content roster. These include “Big Mouth,” about an inept lawyer who is falsely imprisoned and accused of being the country’s most notorious conman and “Soundtrack #1,” about unrequited love between two close friends.

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