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A TikTok rapper has been ordered to pay Sony Music just over $800,000 for copyright infringement involving one of his songs, according to court documents filed on Wednesday.

Last year, Sony sued Trefuego, a 20-year-old Arizona resident whose real name is Dantreal Clark-Rainbolt, over his 2019 song “90mh.” The song featured a sample from the Sony-owned 1986 song “Reflections” by Japanese composer Toshifumi Hinata, and while “90mh” garnered more than 100 million Spotify streams and was featured in over 150,000 TikToks according to the suit, Trefuego hadn’t requested any licensing from Sony for the sample.

After a rocky few years, cinema from the Philippines is once again bristling with energy and innovation. International interest is rising, and the Tokyo International Film Festival’s 2019 selection reflects some of that. The recent launch of two incentive schemes by the Philippines government may help the country’s production become more international.

The Tokyo festival this year includes a total of eight films and TV episodes from the Philippines across its different sections: “Mananita” in the main competition section; Brillante Mendoza’s “Mindanao” and Erik Matti’s erotic drama “Food Lore Series—Island of Dreams,” in the World Focus section; and Bradley Liew’s “Motel Acacia” in the Asian Focus category.

Philippines films also dominate Tokyo’s Crosscut Asia sidebar, which this year focuses on Southeast Asian fantasy and genre titles: Lav Diaz’ “The Halt,” Antoinette Jadaone’s “Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay,” Matti’s “The Entity...

The annual St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase is a great way to support the many local filmmakers who practice their art in our area. Cinema St. Louis, our city’s non-profit cinema-related event planning group, will present The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase July 8-12. This is the 12th annual presentation, which serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screens works that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis natives or films with strong local ties. The 16 film programs that screen at the Tivoli from July 8-12 serve as the Showcase’s centerpiece. The programs range from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. Many programs include post-screening Q&As with filmmaker. It all ends with a closing-Night Awards Party Thursday July 12th sponsored by Stella Artois from 8 p.m. to midnight at Blueberry Hill‘s Duck Room,...

Canadian production company Muse Entertainment has announced the beginning of principal photography for a new television adapation of Ben Hur. The finished film will air as a miniseries with a cast that includes Joseph Morgan, Stephen Campbell, Ray Winstone, Kristen Kreuk (Lana Lang in Smallville), Alex Kingston and Art Malik.

Muse is co-producing Ben Hur with companies from Spain, Morocco, Germany and the United States. Shooting is currently taking place in Morocco. Among the people named as producers is David Wyler, the son of William Wyler. The senior Wyler directed the 1959 film version of Ben Hur starring Charlton Heston. That film won 11 Academy Awards.

The press release from Muse announcing the start of filming is below.

Los Angeles, Barcelona, Berlin, Montreal: May 5, 2009 - The legendary story of Ben Hur began principal photography May 4, 2009 and is being produced for the first time for television. Based on the original 1880’s novel by Lew Wallace,...

Madrid -- As the ink dries on last week's two-picture deal between Telecinco Cinema and local heartthrob Miguel Angel Silvestre, industry insiders are trumpeting the emergence of a clutch of young Spanish talent with international possibilities.

While largely unknown outside Spain, here, Silvestre is simply "The Duke," in reference to the character he plays in the popular Colombian TV series "Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso." And while not the first local star to make the leap to the big screen, he may represent a new vanguard of marketable and potentially international stars for the Spanish film industry.

"There is a new generation of Spanish stars. They speak English, have traveled, have worked abroad and are ready for the international market," Spanish sales agent Latido's Massimo Saidel said. "They are definitely the group that the next Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas will come from."

Silvestre, Hugo Silva, Oscar Jaenada,...