DAILY BRIEF: Nov 8, 2018

NEWS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

• 1

  From Viral Vagina Video to Movies and 'SNL' Host: Awkwafina Must "Find Out Who I Am Now"

  Awkwafina, the longtime New Yorker of Chinese and Korean descent, described herself on SNL as "your average Asian trumpet player turned rapper turned actress." But there's nothing average about Nora Lum's (her given name) trajectory to stardom, which capped this year with breakout turns in back-to-back studio films — Ocean's Eight and Crazy Rich Asians. And it all started with a viral video about vaginas. The Hollywood Reporter

• 2

  Box Office: 'Once Upon A Deadpool' Could Be The Coal In Hollywood's Christmas Stocking

  As noted in Deadline two days ago, 'Once Upon A Deadpool' is essentially a recut version of Deadpool 2 with a new wrap-around sequence featuring Fred Savage sending up his Princess Bride character. The film will play in limited release (theater count to-be-determined) starting on Dec. 12 and continuing through Christmas Day. $1 of every ticket will go to F*ck Cancer. Forbes

• 3

  UK and Chinese creative industry firms sign deals worth over £40m at CIIE

  UK and Chinese creative industries firms have signed eight deals worth over £40 million at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. China.org

• 4

  Taiwanese Movies Take the Spotlight at Nantes Later This Month

  The 40th edition of the Three Continents Film Festival (Festival des 3 Continents) kicks off in Nantes, France on Nov. 20. Taiwanese filmmaking has been given the spotlight at this year’s festival, which showcases a total of 12 Taiwanese movies in a special program entitled “Taipei Story.” Taiwan News

• 5

  Your Weekly Movie To-Do List: AFI Fest Begins

  Jia Zhangke, perhaps China's most important contemporary filmmaker, will visit the Billy Wilder Theater for a screening of his new film, Ash Is Purest White. It follows a gangster's moll (Zhao Tao) as she serves time for being complicit in a job turned deadly. Jia will do a Q&A with UCLA professor Michael Berry after the screening. It's part of the China Onscreen Biennial, in its fourth year, of which Jia is artist-in-residence. LA Weekly