The 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards

The 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards* (November 23rd, 2007, National Theater of Korea)*Films released between November 2006 and October 2007.

BEST FILM and BEST DIRECTOR
Voice of a Murderer, Park Jin-pyo
200 Pounds Beauty, Kim Yong-hwa
The Show Must Go on, Han Jae-rim
Happiness, Hur Jin-ho
May 18, Kim Ji-hoon

 

BEST ACTRESS
Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine)
Kim Ah-jung (200 Pounds Beauty)
Lim Soo-jung (Happiness)
Lee Yo-won (May 18)
Song Hye-kyo (Hwang Jin Yi)



BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Na Moon-hee (Cruel Winter Blues)
Park Sol-mi (Paradise Murdered)
Park Si-yeon (Love)
Yoo Seon (Black House)
Lim Jeong-eun (Shadows in the Palace)

BEST ACTOR
Sol Kyung-gu (Voice of a Murderer)
Song Kang-ho (The Show Must Go On)
Hwang Jung-min (Happiness)
Kim Sang-kyung (May 18)
Joo Jin-mo (Sarang / Love)



BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Park Chul-min (May 18)
Jo Han-sun (Cruel Winter Blues)
Kim Min-joon (Love)
Kim Sang-ho (The Happy Life)
Kim Young-cheol (My Father
Sung Ji-ru (Paradise Murdered)

BEST NEW DIRECTOR
Lee Jeong-beom (Cruel Winter Blues)
Jung Brothers (Epitath)
Kim Mi-jung (Shadows in the Palace)
Kim Han-min (Paradise Murdered)
Hwang Dong-hyeuk (My Father)

BEST NEW ACTOR
Daniel Henney (My Father)
Rain (I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay)
Yoo Ah-in (Shim's Family)
Lee Min-ki (A Day for an Affair)
Jang Geun-seok (The Happy Life)

BEST NEW ACTRESS
Kim Tae-hee (The Restless)
Lee Tae-ran (Love Exposure)
Jung Ryeo-won (2 Faces of My Girlfriend)
Han Ji-min (The Cut)
Hwang Bo-ra (Shim's Family)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Kim Yong-hwa (200 Pounds Beauty)
Han Jae-rim (The Show Must Go on)
Hur Jin-ho, Lee Soo-yeon, Seo Yoo-min, Sin Joon-ho (Happiness)
Nah Hyun (May 18)
Kim Han-min (Paradise Murdered)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHy
- Happiness
- May 18
- Epitath
- Hwang Jin Yi
- Paradise Murdered

BEST LIGHTING
- Happiness
- Epitaph
- Shadows in the Palace
- Black House
- Hwang Jin Yi

BEST SOUND
- 200 Pounds Beauty
- The Show Must Go on
- Happiness
- The Happy Life
- Shim's Family

BEST TECHNOLOGY
- Epitath
- D-WAR
- Hwang Jin Yi
- The Restless

BEST ART DIRECTION
- May 18
- The Restless
- Hwang Jin Yi
- I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
- Epitath
posted by Sam.

Fantastic Parasuicides (South Korea)

Korean Cine News

The Korean film Fantastic Parasuicides has been invited to the 2008 Sydney International Film Festival in Australia.

The Fantastic Parasuicides, which was also invited to the Pusan International Film Festival's Wide Angle category, is an omnibus film which consists of three short films that come together under the common theme "suicide." The three short films include Three People in the Dark directed by Park Soo-yeong, Fly Chicken! directed by Jo Chang-ho and Happy Birthday directed by Kim Seong-ho.

Fantastic Ja-sal So-dong, South Korea, 92min.
Directors: Park Soo-yeong, Jo Chang-ho, Kim Seong-ho.
Actors: Han Yeo-reum, Tablo, Kim Ga-yeon, Park Hwi-soon, Kim Nam-jin, Jeong Jae-jin.
homepage: http://www.fantastic2007.com/

The Golden Rooster Awards

The Golden Rooster Awards and the Hundred Flowers Awards, founded in 1981 and 1962 respectively, have long been the top honours among China's film industry. In 1992, the two combined into the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, an annual celebration known as China's Oscars.

WINNERS: The 16th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival (Suzhou, China)

Best Film: The Knot

Best Director: Yin Li (The Knot) and Qi Jian (The Forest Ranger)
Screenplay: Zhang Sitao, Tang Hao, Zhang Chi. Hu Kun (Tokyo Trial)Cinematography: Zeng Nianping (The Door)
Art Direction: Yi Zhenzhou (A Battle of Wits)
Best Actress: Carina Lau (Curiosity Kills the Cat), and Yan Bingyan (Teeth of Love)

Best Actor: Fu Dalong (Tian Gou, The Forest Ranger)

Supporting Actor: Wang Ying (My Long March)Supporting Actress: Xiangyu Junior (One Foot Off the Ground)Sound: Zheng Chunyu (The Knot)
Music: Shu Nan (A Postman of Paradise)
Special Award: My Long March
Best Animation: The Warrior

Children’s Film: The Magic Gourd
Lifetime Achievement Awards: Zhang Ruifang (actress) and Lu Zhuguo (screenwriter)Intl. film: The White Silk Dress (Ao lua ha dong)
UNESCO Special Culture Contribution Prize: Liu Cheng
Documentary: A Great Master Recaptured
Science and Educational Film: Yuan Ming Yuan
Digital Film: The King of Chess and His Song

posted by Sam.

"The Hidden Fortress" Remake

JAPAN Cine News
Remake of the film that "inspired" George Lucas´s Star Wars.

Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress ("Kakushi Toride no San Akunin") is getting a remake, directed by special effects specialist Shinji Higuchi. This version will star Arashi member Jun Matsumoto in his first jidaigeki role, with popular actress Masami Nagasawa as the princess.

The original film starred Toshiro Mifune as the defeated general Rokurota, now played by Hiroshi Abe. Along the way, he is joined in the journey by two peasants. In Higuchi's version, the story's protagonist is the peasant Takezo (played by Matsumoto), rather than the general. Guest starring, comedian Daisuke Miyagawa.

Film: Kakushi Toride no San Akunin
Director: Shinji Higuchi
Screenwriter: Kazuki Nakashima
Actors: Jun Matsumoto, Masami Nagasawa, Hiroshi Abe, Daisuke Miyagawa
Budget: 1.5 billion yen
Theatrical release: May 10, 2008.

Halloween Movies: Old x New

Halloween Movies: Old x New Generation, what´s your choice?


1. Kubrick´s The Shining x Shimizo´s Reincarnation: one hotel, one crazy guy wants to chop his family.

2. Dracula x Bekmambetov´s Night Watch (RU) it´s like Trainspotting on fangs.

3. Cunningham´s Friday The 13th x Craven´s Scream, lessons on classic teen horror..and I´ll be right back.

4. Scott´s Alien x Kasdan´s Dreamcatcher, on how too give birth to an alien.

5. Seven x Zodiac: double date with David Fincher, both very good, but I´ll stay with Bong Joon-ho´s Memories of Murder.

6. John Landis´s An American Werewolf In London x Wiseman´s Underworld: what can I say?, stay with the classic!

7. Raimi´s The Evil Dead 2 x John Landis´s The Idle Hand: Naughty hands, indeed!

8. Hitchcock´s Psycho x Demmes´s Silence of the Lambs, or Anthony Perkins versus Anthony Hopkins.

9. Romero´s Night of the Living Dead x Boyle´s 28 Days Later: They stink and they´re funny.

10. Hooper´s Poltergeist x Verbinski´s The Ring: Don´t watch too much TV!

11. David Lynch´s Mulholland Drive x Andrea and Canepa´s Dead End: Lynch´s school of horror.

Takuya Kimura´s Hero, the Movie

Hero, a film starred by Japanese star Takuya Kimura, is now in its sixth week of being the top box office winner in Japan. Released on September 8, the movie has already attracted 5.5 million cinema-goers, profiting over 7 billion Japanese yen. It scored the highest out of all the Japanese movies this year, defeating another Kimura's production Bushi no ichibun.

In 2001, Kimura starred in Hero's TV drama series. Box office takings for the movie are expected to keep growing, exceeding Limit of Love: Umizaru, which recorded the highest box office in 2006.

Chinese Cinema: Still Life and Brothers

The movie Still Life by Chinese director Jia Zhangke won the top prize - best international feature film - at the Valdivia International Film Festival held in the city of Valdivia, Chile. And actor Han Sanming, the main character in the film, won the best actor award.

The Tigers Are Back - Andy Lau, Miu Kiu Wai, Felix Wong and Kent Tong, 4 of the the former "five tigers of TVB," (Hong Kong TV Channel) are together again in brotherhood tale Brothers, a typical Hong Kong crime thriller, directed by Sung Kee Chiu.

Eason Chan fills the void of Tony Leung, as the new fifth "tiger."

And also stars Chinese mainland actress Huang Yi and veteran actor Wang Zhiwen.

Andy Lau, who is also a major investor in the US$3.2 mil film, told reporters that his gang is planning to collaborate annually, and they are eager to reunite with Tony Leung on any future projects.

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16th Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Film Festival

16th Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Film Festival News
(from October 23 to 28, Suzhou, China)

Waiting Godot - Director Wong Kar-wai will take his Cannes opening film My Blueberry Nights to Suzhou, China to attend the upcoming Golden Rooster Awards. But apparently,
only the trailer will be shown at the festival. The film assembled a star-heavy cast for his first English feature, including Norah Jones, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law and Natalie Portman.

THC asks: do you want to watch My Blueberry Nights at the movies, or will you wait the DVD?

Funny Lady - Zhang Ziyi, the 2004 Golden Rooster best actress winner for the poignant film
Jasmine Women, will star in the opening short film of this year's Golden Rooster Awards, acting against Liu Ye and Ge You, both of whom are Golden Rooster best actor winners.

The three-minute comedy is directed by Chinese-American filmmaker Dayyan Eng. The China Central Television (CCTV-6) is in charge of producing the awards gala, and will air the show live on October 27.

Romantic feature The Knot grabbed eight nominations for the upcoming Golden Rooster Awards. The film's director Yin Li is in competition for the best director award with Tokyo Trial director Gao Qunshu and four other rivals.

Fireflies in the Garden

Fireflies in the Garden may be Dennis Lee's first feature film, but the Korean American director just snagged Hollywood heavyweight, Julia Roberts as one of his leading ladies. Roberts joins a cast that includes Ryan Reynolds, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Emily Watson.

Written and directed by Lee, Fireflies in the Garden is a semiautobiographical drama about a family struggling to deal with unexpected tragedy. Dennis Lee was 29 when he enrolled in the master’s course in film studies at Columbia University in New York after studying politics at Chicago University. His maternal uncle is novelist Choi In-ho.

A story of the love between family members facing an unexpected tragedy, Fireflies in the Garden is semi-autographical. Lee confesses he found it very difficult to come with the loss of his mother, who died in a traffic accident eight years ago. The film, which begins with the scene where the mother (Julia Roberts) is involved in a traffic accident, is dedicated to the memory of his mother. “It seems that the only thing that lasts forever in life is parents’ love for their children. I dedicate the film to my deceased mother,” he says.
Source: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/ht...802110014.html

Lee has already won an Academy Award for his student short film, Jesus Henry Christ in 2003.
Source: http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/070921/article.asp?parentID=78227

 

Epitaph (South Korea)

Korean Movie News
Korean thriller Epitaph (Gidam) review at:
http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm07.html#epitaph

12th Pusan International Film Festival

12th Pusan International Film Festival Winners
[Oct. 4 to 12]

Of the 11 films in the fest's only competitive section, New Currents, prizes of $30,000 were each awarded to Chinese-South Korean production Life Track, Malaysia's Flower in the Pocket, and Thailand's Wonderful Town.

Iranian helmer Dariush Mehrjui headed the five-member jury, which also included directors Romania's Cristian Mungiu, Serbia's Goran Paskaljevic and South Korea's Lee Chang-dong, plus mainland Chinese actress Yu Nan.

At the press conference today, Mehrjui made a point of mentioning three other movies that generated jury discussion: Filipino street-kid drama Tribe, Taiwanese criss-crosser God Man Dog and Japanese drama Asyl.

NEW CURRENTS AWARDS

Life Track (Gueh-Do)
Writer-Director: Jin Guang Hao / Producer: Jang Ryul , China-S. Korea
Life Track, a static rural drama about an armless man and a mute woman on the run from police.

Flower in the Pocket by Liew Seng-tat, Malaysia
Flower..., a slow-moving item centered on two schoolkids with speech impediments, saw many international crix bailing during the screenings.

Wonderful Town by writer director Aditya Assarat, Producer: Soros Sukhum, Thailand
A beautifully modulated, slow-burning romance, set in a post-tsunami Thai village.

Wonderful Town (Thailand)
A Pop Pictures production, Bangkok
Produced by Soros Sukhum, Jetnipith Teerakulchanyut
Directed, written by Aditya Assarat
Camera (color, HD-to-35mm): Umpornpol Yugala
Editor: Lee Chatametikool
Music: Zai Kuning and Koichi Shimizu
Production designer: Karanyapas Khamsin
Costume designer: Thanon Songsil
With: Anchalee Saisoontorn, Supphasit Kansen, Dul Yaambunying.Running time: 92 MIN.

Wonderful Town is a mix of romance and social realism set in a Thai village devastated by the last tsunami, about people struggling to rebuild their lives after the tragedy.

The Aditya Assarat's (3 Friends) solo directing debut is a touching film with powerful cathartic qualities. Ton (Supphasit Kansen) is a Bangkok architect sent to oversee the building of a new resort. The only guest at a spartan hotel, Ton is instantly attracted to its Thai-Chinese owner Na (Anchalee Saisoontorn). A reserved woman with a city education, Na appears unresponsive to Ton's polite overtures at first. But via a beautiful series of snapshots showing Na touching Ton's clothing and listening to him sing in the shower, she is able to externalize her true feelings. (...) Leading the voices of disapproval at the couple's flowering romance is Na's brother Wit (Dul Yaambunying), who heads a gang of motorbike-riding no-goods and calmly tells his sister he's a hopeless case for reform.

FIPRESCI AWARD
The Red Awn by Cai Shangjun, China
Well-mounted, professional helming debut by scripter Cai Shangjun pic generated positive response during the fest.

The Red Awn (Hongse kangbaiyin), China
Produced by Li Xudong. Executive producer: Wang Xiuling
Co-producers: Lin Nianxiu, Sun Xiaoxi
Directed by Cai Shangjun
Screenplay: Gu Xiaobai, Cai, Feng Rui
Camera: Li Chengyu, Chen Hao
Editor: Zhou Ying
Music: Huang Zhenyu, Dong Wei
Art directo: Zhang Dajun; Sound: Xia Xin, Hu Liang
With: Yao Anlian, Lu Yulai, Huang Lu, Shi Junhui, Wang Hong
Running time: 105 MIN.

Directorial debut of screenwriter Cai Shangjun (Spicy Love Soup, Shower, Sunflower), The Red Awn is a quietly affecting father-and-son drama set amid the scenic cornfields of central Gansu province.

Yao Anlian (Shanghai Dreams) is Song, a man who returns to his village after five years away working to find he’s been officially registered as dead by his 17-year-old son, Yongtao (Lu Yulai, Peacock). In Song’s absence, his wife has fallen sick and died, and Yongtao mopes around, scarcely talking to his dad. Song sets out with a friend, Yongshan (Shi Junhui), who owns a red combine harvester, to cut wheat in surrounding fields. Yongtao reluctantly joins them but remains surly, at one point almost running his dad down with the harvester. Yongtao shows interest in the attractive but slightly trashy young owner of one field (Huang Lu, Blind Mountain). Thinking she’s a hooker from the city, Song offers her money to bed Yongtao, a misunderstanding that doesn’t help the father-son relationship one bit. But as the harvesting season wears on, and a recurrent back problem plagues Song, the two slowly grow closer.

NETPAC AWARD, SHARED
Hello, Stranger (Cheum Mannan Saramdeul) by Kim Dong-hyun, Producer: Park Jin-Soo, S. Korea.
An accessible dramedy, centered on North Korean refugees in the South.
With a Girl of Black Soil by Jeon Soo-il, S. Korea

AUDIENCE AWARD
Flower in the Pocket

SONJE AWARD, BEST KOREAN SHORT, SHARED
Woong's Story by Lee Ha-song, S. Korea
A Man under the Influence by Jung July, S. Korea

WOONPA AWARD, BEST KOREAN DOCUMENTARY
Tear Drops by Mun Jeong-hyun, S. Korea 

Tea House and Cinema Music Selection

THC October Music Podcast (01)

John Water´s Hairspray

The original John Water´s Hairspray Poster

Oxide Pang´s The Detective

Hong Kong Director Oxide Pang´s new thriller The Detective, it´s about a private detective (Tam, played by Aaron Kwok), that is hired by a guy nicknamed Fatty, to find a lady who wanted to kill him. He gives Tam a portrait of the lady without any further details. Tam identifies the lady as Sum, a mahjong player. The detective starts tracking her whereabouts through her mahjong playmates, but is shocked to find each of them murdered every time he is about to be in contact with them. He discovers a half-burned photo at one of the scenes. Tam realises the suspicions behind the deaths and decides that he has to protect the next target of the invisible murderer. The photo is the only clue for Tam to uncover the case.

The Detective (Hong Kong, 2007)

Director:Oxide Pang Chun
Producer: Oxide Pang Chun, Danny Pang Fat
Cast: Aaron Kwok Fu-Sing, Liu Kai-Chi, Shing Fui-On, Kiki Sheung Tin-Ngor, Lau Siu-Ming, Lai Yiu-Cheung, Elle Choi, Jo Koo, Kenny Wong Tak-Bun

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HK Cinema: Chow Yun-fat / Donnie Yen

Good News!!! Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat (Curse of the Golden Flower ) and director Johnnie To (Exiled) are in talks to shoot a Hong Kong action movie together, for the first time.

Donnie Yen is to star in Painted Skin, a rare Chinese supernatural actioner being put together as a China-Singapore co-production. The $10 million budget period pic is to be jointly helmed by Wilson Yip Wai-shun (Dragon Tiger Gate) and Andy Chin Wing-keung (Dragon Chronicles).

The Forbidden Kingdom

Chan and Li throw “rotten tomatoes” at The Forbidden Kingdom

Actor Jackie Chan have been talking abou the new Hollywood action movie he shot with Jet Li, saing honestly that "isn't great". And Jet Li said in his blog that fans should not have overly high expectations for the film.

The Forbidden Kingdom, which finished shooting in China last month, has been anticipated because it´s the first collaboration between the two chinese stars.
They have been playing down the film's potential appeal to Chinese viewers, saying it is targeted at a U.S. audience.

The Web site 'Xinhua News Agency' quoted Chan as saying, "The movie I just shot with Jet Li, actually isn't that great.", is a movie made for Americans. Chinese viewers may not like it. If I say it's a good movie now, then many people will be filled with overly high expectations and be disappointed when they see the movie."

Before shooting on The Forbidden Kingdom started, he told reporters, "I don't have any expectations. It's just making an American movie."
"I believe the world is anticipating the movie, but I'm not too involved," Chan also said at the time.

Separately, Li made similar remarks, seen on Li's Web site, "I hope everyone uses an open mind to watch The Forbidden Kingdom and not invest too much expectation into my fight scenes with Jackie Chan," he said.

The Forbidden Kingdom is about an American teenager's fantasy journey to ancient China to rescue a mythological monkey king. Based on the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West," in which a monkey king, a pig and a friar guard a Buddhist monk in search of religious texts. "After all, this is a story about an American child's dream 'Journey to the West' created by American producers and American scriptwriters. We may have to look at many elements in the movie from a different angle. " Li plays the monkey king and a silent monk, while Chan plays another monk called T'sa-Ho.

Well, I´m pretty sure the Chan-Li fans (the people that enjoy their Chinese movies, not his mediocre American adventures) outside Asia are antecipating the film, and the two stars know that, and nobody had forced them into this project. They are powerful enough to do a decent job, in China or America, if it was their true wish. Just be hotesty and say “I´m in it for the money”, guys! They should do a Chinese comedy alla “The Odd Couple”. That would be funny!

Director: Rob Minkoff
Writer:John Fusco
Release Date:18 April 2008 (USA)

Tsubaki Sanjuro (Japan)

Remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1962 classic Sanjuro.
Scheduled to release in Japan on December 1st, 2007

Screenplay: Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, and Hideo Oguni (based on the original novel by Shugoro Yamamoto)

Starring: Yuji Oda (Bayside Shakedown 2), Kenichi Matsuyama (Shindô) , Anne Suzuki (Initial D), Etsushi Toyokawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Morio Kazama, Tamao Nakamura, Tsuyoshi Hayashi, Makoto Fujita, Tokuma Nishioka, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Takuya Nakayama, Ryohei Suzuki, Ichitaro, Kimito Totani, Kazuhito Tomikawa, Yukichi Kobayashi, Eri Murakawa, and Yoshihiro Kasuya.
 

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Assembly film Poster (China, 2007)

"Every Sacrifice Deserves to be Immortalized"
Trailer link: http://bit.ly/aZxMAj























Chinese director Feng Xiaogang's new war film The Assembly is adapted from a short story about a soldier who seeks recognition for his fallen comrades during the Chinese civil war (1945 - 1949).

Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone

Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone - Japanese animation



(Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Jo)Chief Director:Hideaki AnnoDirector:Kazuya Tsurumaki & Masayuki Screenplay:Hideaki Anno
Animation Production:Studio Khara
homepage: http://www.evangelion.co.jp/
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Toronto International Film Festival (2007)

Toronto International Film Festival Winners
OTTAWA, Sept. 15 2007

Eastern Promises, a thriller by Canadian director David Cronenberg, won the Cadillac People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival which closed Saturday after screening 349 films over ten days.

The London-set film follows the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai(starred by Viggo Mortensen), a Russian gangster tied to one of London's most notorious organized crime families. His carefully maintained existence is shaken when he crosses paths with Anna (starred by Naomi Watts), an innocent midwife who accidentally uncovers potential evidence against the family.
official movie homepage: www.focusfeatures.com/easternpromises/

“... nobody goes quite so far in making it (violence) all look realistic than Canadian director David Cronenberg, whose Russian mob movie Eastern Promises contains the single most disturbing moment of movie violence I have ever seen. It comes at the end of a bloody bathhouse battle between a buck-naked Viggo Mortensen and two hired assassins in black leather jackets, and Cronenberg himself, in an interview with Canadian news magazine Maclean’s, has likened it to the classic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho as “the scene that will get (people) to see the movie.” But Cronenberg also says that the explicit scene — one of three graphic, violent moments in a tense, dark movie — is essential because it shows death for what it is, rather than the James Bond-style action-movie punch-ups, where the hero takes battering after battering, and still stands up to fight another day.” (source: http://blogs.reuters.com/category/events/toronto-2007/)

The Prize of the International Critics Association (FIPRESCI Prize) went to Rodrigo Pla's LA ZONA, a revenge drama set around a gated community in Mexico City. This award is annually bestowed upon a feature film directed by an emerging filmmaker, and making its world premiere at the festival.

The Diesel Discovery Award, voted on by the 1,000 members of the international media attending the festival, was awarded to Cochochi, from directors Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman. The film is about two brothers who become separated when attempting to deliver a package to a faraway community.

The Artistic Innovation award went to another Spanish-language film, Anahi Berneri's Encarnacion, an Argentinean film about an aging actress who returns to her hometown, which was cited by the jury for its for its "critique of mainstream cinema" and issues around the "fetishization of the female body." (source: http://news.xinhuanet.com)

Assembly to Open Pusan Film Fest

The 12th Pusan International Film Festival (Oct. 4 to 12) will open with the world premiere of Chinese director Feng Xuaogang’s (The Banquet) new movie Assembly.

Co-produced by China’s Huay Brothers and Korea’s MK Pictures, Assembly is a drama about a man who devotes his life to restoring the honor of a comrade who disappeared during the war.

The theme of the festival this year is "Beyond Frame", symbolizing the importance of breaking down barriers that divide people within the world's film industry. PIFF has emerged as a major film festival in Asia, where innovative regional films are introduced to moviegoers, film critics, journalists and distributors.

The newly-added section, “Gala Presentation”, screens master artists' new or the year's most talked-about films. This year, the section will feature the latest works by Lee Myung-se, Royston Tan and Hou Hsiao Hsien. Organizers said there will be one screening per day during the festival period, making this branch "a festival within a festival".

And “Flash Forward”, a new world cinema section, looks into young filmmakers who stand out in the industry. This year, Kriv Stenders's Boxing Day, Serge Bozon's France, and Michael Kang's West 32nd will be featured, along with eight other innovative films by young directors.

Finally, the Korean Cinema Retrospective section will be devoted to Kim Seung-ho, a famous actor in the 1950s and 1960s, and seven Korean films which the office of Cutlural Heritage Administration has designated as "National Assets".

One thing to look forward to is a special program in honor of the late Edward Yang, one of Asia's most prominent filmmakers, who died in June. Festival organizer Kim said the program will feature Yang's entire film lineup, adding that the festival staff made great efforts to secure all eight films.
Pusan festival homepage at http://bit.ly/cIWStT

"This year, PIFF will focus on helping Asian films play a bigger role in the world market, while promoting exchanges that go beyond continents", festival director Kim Dong-ho said at a news conference held last week. The international premiere of the Japanese animation Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone by Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki and Masayuki will close the festival. The animation is a new theatre adaptation of 1995 TV animation Neon Genesis Evangelion, the first of three films Anno has planned and is released in Japan on Sept. 1. Source: http://english.chosun.com/

The Festival will feature a record 274 films from 64 countries, along with gala events in the southeastern port city of Pusan.

PUSAN Korean Cine Festival

PUSAN cine festival news:

The jury of the the 2007 Pusan International Film Festival - PIFF named Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui (The Cow) to head the jury of its 12th edition. The New Currents jury will include Chinese actress Nan Yu (Tuya’s Marriage), Lee Chang-dong (Secret Sunshine), Serbian filmmaker Goran Paskaljevic (The Powder Keg) and Romanian director Christian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days). Leesong Hee-il (No Regrets), producer Kim Il-Kwon and documentary director Choiha Dong-ha (Taxi Blues) will comprise the Sonje Jury, responsible for choosing the best Korean short film and documentary in the Wide Angle section.
Site: http://www.piff.org/

Venice International Film Festival

Ang Lee wins Golden Lion

Taiwanese director Ang Lee has walked off with the best film award at the Venice film festival.

Lust, Caution (Se, Jie) won the Golden Lion late on Saturday, two years after Lee  scooped the big prize for American drama Brokeback Mountain. Reporters and critics in the press room, watching the closing ceremony beamed live on a big screen, booed when Lee's Golden Lion was announced.

Reviews of Lust, Caution were generally negative, arguing that at 156 minutes it was much too long. The explicit and sometimes violent sex scenes are getting more attention than the story and acting skills. I guess the fact that is the third consecutive year that a Chinese director has won the Golden Lion had upset some people. Jury president Zhang Yimou said Lee's movie has won applause from all of the seven-member jury.

Lee had made an excellent integration of international resources while filming Lust, Caution, which played an important role in winning him the award, he said. Anyway, can´t wait to watch the film!

But, happily, in Taiwan the people were flushed with pride on Sunday as favorite son and world famous director Ang Lee took Venice film festival's top award.

"Ang Lee steals another Golden Lion," proclaimed the United Daily News, calling him "the glory of Taiwan". "Ang Lee has again won glory for Taiwan," proclaimed the China Times. Both papers pointed out how Lee's two wins, coupled with Jia Zhangke's win last year for Still Life, mean the coveted award has gone to ethnic Chinese directors for the last three years. Jia's Wuyong, or Useless, took the Orizzonti Doc Prize at this year's Venice Film Festival.

Lee told the red carpet prize ceremony that the movie "has taken me to some very difficult places." The director said he was accepting the prize "in the shadow of the passing of two great giants, Michaelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman."

The director said he would like to dedicate the award to Bergman, whom he saw while working on Lust, Caution. "Ingmar hugged me the way a mother hugs a child. This hug was not for me, it was for you, the keepers of cinema," he said. Bergman died on July 30, and Antonioni of Italy one day later. Lee also expressed his gratitude to Chinese viewers and his colleagues in Hong Kong, saying that he hoped to share the award with all Chinese.

List of the main winners

GOLDEN LION FOR BEST FILM
"Lust, Caution" by Chinese director Ang Lee China

SILVER LION FOR BEST DIRECTOR
"Redacted" by U.S. director Brian De Palma US

SPECIAL JURY PRIZES
1. Tunisia-born director Abdellatif Kechiche for "La Graine et Le Mulet"("The Secret of the Grain")
2. U.S. director Todd Haynes for "I'm Not There" US

SPECIAL GOLDEN LION FOR BODY OF WORK
Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov Russia

BEST ACTOR
U.S. actor Brad Pitt for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" US

BEST ACTRESS
Australian Cate Blanchett for "I'm Not There" Australia

BEST YOUNG ACTOR OR ACTRESS
French actor Hafsia Herzi for "The Secret of the Grain" France

BEST SCREENPLAY
British Paul Laverty for Ken Loach's "It's a Free World..." UK

ORIZZONTI PRIZE
"Sugisball" (Autumn Ball) by Veiko Ounpuu of Estonia

ORIZZONTI DOC PRIZE
"Wuyong" (Useless) by Jia Zhangke of China

SPECIAL MENTION:
"Death in the Land of Encantos" by Lav Diaz of the Philippines

THC Wallpaper

THC Wallpaper - September calendar

Johnnie To´s Trilogy

Johnnie To to film trilogy thriller - NEWS

Johnnie To´s next project will be a trilogy thriller based on the popular online novel Ghost Blows Out the Light.

The Shanghai-based Meridian Pictures Group will produce the movie. To was invited to supervise the shooting of the trilogy, and will choose to direct one of the three pieces. The screenplay hasn't been finished yet.

Chinese film director Zhang Yibai, with award-winning work, The Longest Night in Shanghai, is back to his hometown of Chongqing in southwestern China, shooting a star-studded new film. The film, titled Shao Nian or The Boy, its cast members
including new comer, Tan Jianci, as the leading role, while other performers will be top actors from Hong Kong, including Eason Chan, Eric Tsang, Karen Mok, and mainland actress Jiang Wenli.

Zhang Yibai's romantic feature The Longest Night in Shanghai, starring Chinese actress Zhao Wei and Japanese actor Masahiro Motoki, won the Press Prize at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival.
(http://english.cri.cn/)

Toronto International Film Festival

Taiwanese director Ang Lee's Lust, Caution and Alexi Tan's Blood Brothers were invited to the Toronto Film Festival.

Alexi Tan's Blood Brothers, a crime drama set in 1930s Shanghai, was one of the two Asian films to be shown as gala presentations. The other one is Indian director Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Year.

Lust, Caution, an erotic espionage thriller, based on Eileen Chang's short story about a shy Chinese drama student drawn into an assassination plot against a Japanese collaborator during WWII is co-written by Focus CEO James Schamus and Wang Hui Ling. Tony Leung (Hero) and newcomer Tang Wei star. The festival is set to last from September 6 to 15.

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