The Smoking Section

Coming to @Netflix on January 5, 2024: Man On The Run (@manontherunfilm ), a story of greed, graft and corruption like you’ve never seen before. Billions of dollars stolen from the people of Malaysia and squandered on partying with Hollywood celebrities, international luxury goods and attaining a life beyond the reach of those who were victimized… at the hands of one of their own, who received help from some of the most powerful people in their country. Featuring the preeminent investment bank in America as well as some very important people in the Middle East. Premiering worldwide on January 5, 2024. The Smoking Section (@_thesmokingsection ) presents… Man On The Run. #documentary #documentaryfilm #featuredocumentary #truecrime #financialcrime #netflix #malaysia #1mdb #wolfofwallstreet

OBSESSION is a brutal watch: effective, disturbing, and deeply uncomfortable by design. Curry Barker’s execution is undeniable, and Inde Navarrette delivers a star-making performance as Nikki, a young woman trapped inside someone else’s fantasy of love. The film is clear-eyed about its moral center: Bear isn’t a misunderstood romantic. He’s a coward whose entitlement curdles into something horrifying. This wasn’t always my kind of movie, especially in its increasingly unpleasant second half, but I respected the craft and the creeping dread Barker builds throughout. 7.4 / 10 In collaboration with @Talkhouse . #Obsession #HorrorMovies #IndieHorror #TwoMinuteReviews #MovieReview

I watched HOKUM alone in an empty theater today and definitely screamed like a little girl… at least once. Damian McCarthy’s latest blends ghost story, mystery, Irish folklore and fairy tale horror into one of the most atmospheric genre films I’ve seen this year. The pacing is fantastic, Adam Scott is great as a deeply unpleasant novelist unraveling in remote Ireland, and McCarthy shows a real gift for visual storytelling without drowning the audience in exposition. This isn’t straight horror so much as eerie, unsettling folklore brought to life and I genuinely loved its strange little world. 8.5 / 10 Strong recommendation to see this in theaters. You can scream like I did! In collaboration with @Talkhouse . #Hokum #HorrorMovies #MovieReview #FolkHorror #TwoMinuteReviews

Weird. Campy. Completely its own thing. FRANKIE MANIAC WOMAN throws out the slasher rulebook and commits to a singular, demented vision, balancing gore, humor and just enough self-awareness to make it all work. Dina Ramona Silva is fearless here and the film’s willingness to take big swings pays off in spades. A strong recommendation to seek this one out. It’s destined to become a future cult classic. In collaboration with @Talkhouse . #FrankieManiacWoman #IndieHorror #TwoMinuteReviews #CultCinema #HorrorMovies

Day One of principal photography on “The Grief Eater.” Up in the mountains outside Santa Barbara with an incredible cast and crew, beginning to bring this story to life: a horror tale rooted in grief, loss and what lurks in the dark… even where you think you’re safe. Something is taking shape. More to come soon. [📸: @ny_donuts ] #TheGriefEater #Filmmaking #HorrorFilm #ProductionLife #TentHorror

February highlights 🎥 USS Iowa (Long Beach) • Stockton • Monterey Park. Commercial work, internal project development, and an interview for an upcoming feature documentary. Grateful for the collaborators. Special shout outs to @colorupfilms , @pastortrena , @mex_cellence , @mhenry0502 , @emilywspeaks & @itssarapearl . More coming very soon.

What does chasing the American Dream look like when it feels just out of reach? Jun is a Korean-born tattoo artist and small business owner in Brooklyn, NY. She’s also been part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program for nearly 20 years, after arriving in the U.S. as a small child. As she builds a life and business in the only country she’s ever known, Jun reflects on her undocumented status, the grief of losing her brother, and the looming reality of family separation — all in the age of rampant ICE raids and rising anti-immigrant sentiment. ONLY IN DREAMS, coming soon. #DACAStories #ImmigrantVoices #AsianAmericanStories #AAPI #ShortDocumentary

The holiday season brought with it some semblance of justice for the Malaysian people as Najib Razak, the former Prime Minister, was convicted on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering while being fined 11.4 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) and the seizure of over $500 million in assets. Already serving a prison term for his role in the scandal, Najib was sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison. While the title “Man On The Run” ostensibly referred to the criminal mastermind Jho Low, who remains at large — reputedly under the protection of the Chinese government — the 1MDB scandal could not have occurred without the former Prime Minister’s complicity and willingness to defraud the Malaysian people. His people. When I confronted him about the transfer of $681 million dollars into his personal accounts from a bank account associated with Jho Low, Najib pled ignorance and claimed the money was a donation from the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, with no strings attached to the funds. How very convenient. From the New York Times: [T]he judge concluded that donation letters were forged and that the money was from 1MDB funds. “The accused is no country bumpkin but possessed of not only an impeccable family and a political pedigree, but of superior intelligence,” said Judge Sequerah, who presided over the seven-year trial. Najib later attempted to ban “Man On The Run” from the @netflix platform upon its streaming release in early 2024, without success. We stand by our work and journalistic integrity and look forward to the day when Jho Low is brought to justice, along with all of the other 1MDB conspirators around the world who remain hidden in the shadows. My sincere thanks to our amazing production teams around the world, as well as the brave journalists, opposition leaders and law enforcement officials who did the hard work of bringing the 1MDB scandal to light. “Man On The Run” is available to stream worldwide on Netflix. [📸: @olliedenny ] #1MDB #NajibRazak #JhoLow #Malaysia #OneMalaysia

We’re excited to share screengrabs and BTS photos from “Escape Velocity,” our latest documentary short film made in partnership with SurvivorNet, featuring support from Novartis. The film follows Navy vet, engineer, businessman and avid climber Joel Graybeal, whose battle with metastatic prostate cancer became a story not of illness, but of resilience, love, and flight. We are grateful to Joel and Caroline Graybeal for opening their lives to us with honesty and courage. Their partnership is truly something to aspire to. Special thanks to NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith for lending his voice to Joel’s story, as part of the “Men Beating The Odds” video series. Find the full film at the link in our bio. ESCAPE VELOCITY: THE JOEL GRAYBEAL STORY Writer, Director & Producer: Cassius Michael Kim Cinematographer: Tommy Duncan 3rd Editor: Martín Bauzá Post-Production Audio Engineer: Jeff Keiler Colorist: James Knott Title Animation & Art: Louis Moncouyoux Camera & Drone Operator: Cassius Michael Kim Story Development: Jeff Molter Executive Producer: John Green CEO, SurvivorNet: Steve Alperin #EscapeVelocity #Documentary #DocumentaryShort #ShortDocumentary #CancerSurvivor #Resilience #ProstateCancerAwareness #EveryMinuteCounts #Novartis #SurvivorNet #EmmittSmith #DocumentaryFilm #Filmmaking #Inspiration #LoveAndCourage

The best part of putting on the stage version of “Not Here” was how much fun it was to develop and bring to life with the amazing cast. My sincere gratitude for your time, energy, enthusiasm and talent. It was a blast! Special thanks to @SeriesOfCircumstance and the @smplayhouse for putting on the event.

I hadn’t done anything stage-related since playing the human flesh eating witch in my 2nd grade production of “Hansel and Gretel,” so it was a real treat to direct a stage adaptation of my short film, “Not Here” for the debut evening of @SeriesofCircumstance . Before a sold-out crowd at the Santa Monica Playhouse (@smplayhouse ), Jessi Mechler (@jessimechler ), Sam Jacobs (@samabejacobs ), Flavia Carbone (@flavia_m_carbone ) and Rob Castilo (@robertmoriscastillo ) brought my words to life in a way that was both fresh and exciting to behold. Special thanks to Jessi and Sam for pouring so much of themselves into the roles and performances. It was amazing to witness and partake in the process. . . . . . #NotHere #StageActing #Acting #Actors #OnStage #LivePerformance

This Saturday, May 31st, at the @smplayhouse , we will be putting on a stage adaptation of @_thesmokingsection production, “Not Here.” Event by @seriesofcircumstance . Doors and pre-show mixer starts at 6:30 PM, show starts at 7:30 PM. Starring @jessimechler , @samabejacobs , @flavia_m_carbone and @robertmoriscastillo . Written and directed by Cassius Michael Kim. See you there!