Netflix turns in big beat, biggest quarter, year ever

Once renowned for world-class cinema, Hong Kong's film industry was already struggling before the latest hurdle -- Chinese mainland-style censorship as authorities take their purge of dissent into the cultural sphere.

From Tom Hanks at Los Angeles' new film museum, via Bali, where we meet a young climate change activist, and Paris for the blockbuster exhibition of the year, Eve Jackson brings you the week's culture news.

Film critic Lisa Nesselson tells us about the impressive special effects that recreate the construction of the Eiffel Tower on the big screen, and why she was charmed by central performances from Romain Duris and Emma Mackey in French film "Eiffel".

Netflix is set to edit its new original series, Squid Games after a South Korean woman complained of getting phone calls and texts from fans of the show. Some of them believe it was intentionally included in the Netflix series. However, producers have made it extremely clear that's not what happened.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

The South Korean drama 'Squid Game' is the most successful original Netflix series to date, and has helped boost the streaming giant's subscriber numbers. The company added 4.4 million paying customers between July and September, according to its latest financial results. The platform is also expecting a further influx of viewers as it releases new episodes and films later this year. Meanwhile, we see another boost to the price of Bitcoin from the launch of a Wall Street fund.

Taking aim at the press and those who peddle it, “Lost Illusions” sees Honoré de Balzac settling scores within his sprawling multi-volume epic Comédie Humaine.Director Xavier Giannoli has brought 19th century Paris to life for his film adaptation of the novels, with celebrity, advertising and journalism in the crosshairs. Critic Lisa Nesselson tells us why the movie is as topical as it is entertaining.

Dozens of Netflix employees joined protests outside the company's Los Angeles office. Counterprotesters soon showed up to pushback against the rally.

Angry protesters gather outside Netflix in Los Angeles, over a new Dave Chappelle comedy special that has sparked accusations the comedian is trampling transgender rights and profiting from hate speech. A few dozen staff walked off the job and were joined by a similar number of trans activists and their supporters for a demonstration calling for better representation at the Hollywood streaming giant.

As the COVID-19 outbreak begins to ease, Africa's premier film festival has returned for the 27th year in Burkina Faso. It's theater halls are crowded with masked attendees keen to see their countries represented on the silver screen. Burkinabe director Boubakar Diallo hopes to take home the festival's top prize.

A woman has died after being shot when US actor and producer Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a movie set.

A Netflix-funded anime academy in Tokyo trains the next generation of cartoon artists as global demand for the genre soars. Japan is facing a shortage of skilled animators, in part because most face years toiling in low-paying jobs to learn the ropes, meaning much of the painstaking frame-by-frame drawing work is outsourced overseas.

After the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a petition calling for a ban on live firearms on Hollywood film sets has gathered more than 15,000 signatures.