Anita Gou is no stranger to the festival circuit. Her L.A.-based Kindred Spirit banner saw a raft of its first projects debut at Sundance but, more recently, her co-production Silent Twins was selected in Un Certain Regard in 2022, while Dominic Savage’s Close To You premiered in Toronto last year. The company’s Mubi-acquired doc The Last Year of Darkness, which explores the lives of alternative Chinese youth, was awarded a Special Mention prize in the Next:Wave section at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival last year.
This year, the producer, who has roots in Taiwan, was back in Cannes with Locust, the debut feature from Taiwanese-American filmmaker Keff, which played in Cannes Critics’ Week. The project is set during the 2019 Hong Kong protests and follows Zhong-Han,...
This year, the producer, who has roots in Taiwan, was back in Cannes with Locust, the debut feature from Taiwanese-American filmmaker Keff, which played in Cannes Critics’ Week. The project is set during the 2019 Hong Kong protests and follows Zhong-Han,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Cannes film festival
Close attention is required for this sombre but impressive Taiwanese feature debut about exploited illegal staff, and their patients and gangmasters
Taiwan-based Wei Liang Chiang and You Qiao Yin have made this feature directing debut in the Directors’ Fortnight selection at Cannes. It evokes an almost Zen state of suffering and sadness – a feeling that penetrates the film’s fabric like months of steady rain in a rural landscape.
If that sounds like a daunting prospect, it is, and this movie requires patience and attention, a calibration of your viewing expectations to match its stasis. Yet it’s an andante tempo that makes its moments of drama, and even sensation all the more striking. The film’s executive producer is Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien: his influences are there, and there is also something of the work of Tsai Ming-liang.
Close attention is required for this sombre but impressive Taiwanese feature debut about exploited illegal staff, and their patients and gangmasters
Taiwan-based Wei Liang Chiang and You Qiao Yin have made this feature directing debut in the Directors’ Fortnight selection at Cannes. It evokes an almost Zen state of suffering and sadness – a feeling that penetrates the film’s fabric like months of steady rain in a rural landscape.
If that sounds like a daunting prospect, it is, and this movie requires patience and attention, a calibration of your viewing expectations to match its stasis. Yet it’s an andante tempo that makes its moments of drama, and even sensation all the more striking. The film’s executive producer is Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien: his influences are there, and there is also something of the work of Tsai Ming-liang.
- 5/20/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce that one of Asia's most internationally acclaimed actors, Tony Leung, will serve as the President of the International Competition jury at the 37th TIFF.
TIFF Chairman Ando Hiroyasu expressed his delight that the renowned actor would be returning to TIFF again after last year's wonderful masterclass and screening. (See further comments below)
Tony Leung has an extensive list of awards throughout a career that began in the 1980s, and has gained international recognition for collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai, with whom he has worked on seven films including In the Mood for Love (2000), which earned him the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor Award, and 2046 (2004). He also appeared in three films that won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival: A City of Sadness (1989), directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Cyclo (1995), directed by Tran Anh Hung, and Lust, Caution (2007) by director Ang Lee.
TIFF Chairman Ando Hiroyasu expressed his delight that the renowned actor would be returning to TIFF again after last year's wonderful masterclass and screening. (See further comments below)
Tony Leung has an extensive list of awards throughout a career that began in the 1980s, and has gained international recognition for collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai, with whom he has worked on seven films including In the Mood for Love (2000), which earned him the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor Award, and 2046 (2004). He also appeared in three films that won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival: A City of Sadness (1989), directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Cyclo (1995), directed by Tran Anh Hung, and Lust, Caution (2007) by director Ang Lee.
- 5/17/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung will serve as the president of the international competition at this year’s Tokyo Film Festival.
“I am immensely honored to be on the jury team at TIFF this year. Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one and to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me,” Leung said of this appointment this morning.
“From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people, and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will...
“I am immensely honored to be on the jury team at TIFF this year. Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one and to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me,” Leung said of this appointment this morning.
“From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people, and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will...
- 5/17/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Leading Hong Kong actor Tony Leung has been set as the president of the jury that will decide the main competition prizes at the Tokyo International Film Festival later this year.
“Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one. And to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me. From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will be a bit of an adventure, with an audacious line up of quality films.
“Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one. And to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me. From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will be a bit of an adventure, with an audacious line up of quality films.
- 5/17/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Hong Kong star Tony Leung is set to serve as president of the international competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).
The actor, who won best actor at Cannes in 2000 for his performance in Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love, will take part in the 37th edition, which runs from October 28 to November 6.
”From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time,” Leung recalled. ”These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film,...
The actor, who won best actor at Cannes in 2000 for his performance in Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love, will take part in the 37th edition, which runs from October 28 to November 6.
”From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time,” Leung recalled. ”These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film,...
- 5/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Golden Horse Film Festival, which operates the premier awards in the Chinese-language film industry, has teamed up with Cannes’ Marché du Film to showcase a handful of new films and projects under the banner Golden Horse Goes to Cannes.
To be presented May 16, the five films comprise new works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko and John Hsu, with such high-profile producers as Lee Lieh, Sylvia Chang, Aileen Li, Jeffrey Chan and Hou Hsiao-hsien.
Yang Ya-che, known for Golden Horse-winning “The Bold, the Corrupt and the Beautiful,” and for shaping the careers of several actors, returns behind the camera with “The Chronicles of Libidoists.”
It was a standout at the Golden Horse project market, while at the production stage, the scandalous nature of its erotic take on “The Little Mermaid” tale meant that the names of the cast had to be kept secret.
They are...
To be presented May 16, the five films comprise new works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko and John Hsu, with such high-profile producers as Lee Lieh, Sylvia Chang, Aileen Li, Jeffrey Chan and Hou Hsiao-hsien.
Yang Ya-che, known for Golden Horse-winning “The Bold, the Corrupt and the Beautiful,” and for shaping the careers of several actors, returns behind the camera with “The Chronicles of Libidoists.”
It was a standout at the Golden Horse project market, while at the production stage, the scandalous nature of its erotic take on “The Little Mermaid” tale meant that the names of the cast had to be kept secret.
They are...
- 5/15/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Golden Horse Goes to Cannes” is looking to make a splash on the Croisette, marking a collaboration with the festival’s Marché du Film that aims to showcase the “diversity, vigor and bold competence of Taiwan cinema, ranging from epic, romance, comedy, fantasy and gender awareness.”
The reality of that promise, for those on the ground in France, will be the presentation on May 16 of five projects featuring the leading lights of contemporary Taiwanese cinema. They’ve been selected by the Golden Horse organization, the people behind Taiwan’s famed annual festival and awards night, to showcase the strength in depth boasted by a market that has always punched above its weight in terms of talent.
New works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko, and John Hsu will be on show, and they feature some of the island’s biggest stars, among them Sylvia Chang, who...
The reality of that promise, for those on the ground in France, will be the presentation on May 16 of five projects featuring the leading lights of contemporary Taiwanese cinema. They’ve been selected by the Golden Horse organization, the people behind Taiwan’s famed annual festival and awards night, to showcase the strength in depth boasted by a market that has always punched above its weight in terms of talent.
New works from directors Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko, and John Hsu will be on show, and they feature some of the island’s biggest stars, among them Sylvia Chang, who...
- 5/15/2024
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mubi’s May 2024 (streaming) lineup embraces their latest (theatrical) coup with a Radu Jude program. In addition to Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World arriving May 3, the Romanian director is highlighted with a six-film program launching on May 10. Lee Chang-dong and Bertrand Bonello are each given two-title highlights. While most of us can’t be at Cannes (I guess that’s a pun), the festival’s greatest tradition, booing, is celebrated with Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives, and Olivier Dahan’s Grace of Monaco. Among new releases, Al Warren’s Dogleg and the Ross brothers’ Gasoline Rainbow are notable selections.
As Lee Chang-dong recently told us in an extended interview, “Experiences in my life are what shaped me as a filmmaker, as obvious as that sounds. My artistic taste was shaped by the mountains and fields of my childhood village,...
As Lee Chang-dong recently told us in an extended interview, “Experiences in my life are what shaped me as a filmmaker, as obvious as that sounds. My artistic taste was shaped by the mountains and fields of my childhood village,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Paris-based sales company Alpha Violet has come on board as representative of “Mongrel,” the debut feature of Taiwan-based Singaporean filmmaker Chiang Wei Liang. The film will have its world premiere next month at Cannes in the Directors Fortnight section.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, “Mongrel” stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad as Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
Rungkumjad is joined by newcomer Kuo Shu-wei, who plays Hui, a patient with whom Oom develops a bond. On hearing of the film’s Cannes selection, Kuo said, “I never thought this film would have the opportunity to be seen by so many people. As I live with athetoid cerebral palsy, we worked hard to achieve this. Hui is a character whose abilities are weaker than mine, so I thought of the friends I...
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, “Mongrel” stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad as Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
Rungkumjad is joined by newcomer Kuo Shu-wei, who plays Hui, a patient with whom Oom develops a bond. On hearing of the film’s Cannes selection, Kuo said, “I never thought this film would have the opportunity to be seen by so many people. As I live with athetoid cerebral palsy, we worked hard to achieve this. Hui is a character whose abilities are weaker than mine, so I thought of the friends I...
- 4/16/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Veteran Japanese character actor Tadanobu Asano is having a very overdue breakthrough moment. The chameleonic film star has been a mainstay of Japanese cinema for nearly three decades, while also regularly appearing in prominent supporting parts in big Hollywood productions. But his irresistible performance in FX’s period series Shōgun is giving him an all-new level of global recognition.
Asano co-stars in Shōgun as Kashigi Yabushige, the scheming lord of Izu, a rugged region of feudal Japan where much of the series takes place. Playing the character with lived-in swagger and a fatalistic sense of humor, Asano has become one of the show’s clear fan favorites, with Reddit and Twitter threads popping up to revel in his character’s antics. Asano announced himself early in Shōgun‘s run: As many have marveled, Yabushige makes his entrance to the show by boiling a man alive but then wins the audience...
Asano co-stars in Shōgun as Kashigi Yabushige, the scheming lord of Izu, a rugged region of feudal Japan where much of the series takes place. Playing the character with lived-in swagger and a fatalistic sense of humor, Asano has become one of the show’s clear fan favorites, with Reddit and Twitter threads popping up to revel in his character’s antics. Asano announced himself early in Shōgun‘s run: As many have marveled, Yabushige makes his entrance to the show by boiling a man alive but then wins the audience...
- 4/10/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival is to showcase five upcoming Taiwanese projects at Cannes including features from Chen Yu-hsun, Yang Ya-che, Huang Xi, Giddens Ko and John Hsu with stars such as Wu Kang-ren, Gingle Wang, Kai Ko, Caitlin Fang and Karena Lam.
The new programme, titled Golden Horse Goes To Cannes, comprises works-in-progress projects and will be presented to industry professionals on May 16 at Palais K during the Cannes Film Festival. It marks Golden Horse’s first collaboration with the Marche du Film.
See below for full project list
The collaboration was initiated by Taipei Golden Horse Film...
The new programme, titled Golden Horse Goes To Cannes, comprises works-in-progress projects and will be presented to industry professionals on May 16 at Palais K during the Cannes Film Festival. It marks Golden Horse’s first collaboration with the Marche du Film.
See below for full project list
The collaboration was initiated by Taipei Golden Horse Film...
- 4/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
Patriot Games
The Hong Kong government has licensed the broadcast rights to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. It intends to relicense the rights to four TV broadcasters in the city – Tvb, ViuTV, Hoy TV and government-owned Rthk. While in most territories, broadcasters negotiate directly with the International Olympic Committee or its agents, the Hong Kong government previously intervened in bidding for rights to the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021. It also organized large public screenings in shopping malls.
“By procuring the broadcasting rights for these two games in Hong Kong, members of the public will be able to enjoy the Paris Og and PG [Paralympic Games] on television free of charge, and to cheer for Mainland and Hong Kong athletes,” said Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung.
While the cost of the rights was not disclosed, Yeung said that the fee was lower than the rights for Tokyo. If correct,...
The Hong Kong government has licensed the broadcast rights to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. It intends to relicense the rights to four TV broadcasters in the city – Tvb, ViuTV, Hoy TV and government-owned Rthk. While in most territories, broadcasters negotiate directly with the International Olympic Committee or its agents, the Hong Kong government previously intervened in bidding for rights to the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021. It also organized large public screenings in shopping malls.
“By procuring the broadcasting rights for these two games in Hong Kong, members of the public will be able to enjoy the Paris Og and PG [Paralympic Games] on television free of charge, and to cheer for Mainland and Hong Kong athletes,” said Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung.
While the cost of the rights was not disclosed, Yeung said that the fee was lower than the rights for Tokyo. If correct,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The news of Hou Hsiao-hsien's retirement from filmmaking due to his battle with dementia shocked the cinema world, which seems to have lost one of its definite auteurs. As a small tribute to his timeless work we present a list of all his movies, with the exception of the two omnibuses he participated in 2007 (To Each His Own Cinema) and 2011 (10+10) which we hope to review later on, along with his yet unfinished last movie, “Shulan River”. Without further ado, here is a rundown of his movies, in chronological order.
1. Cute Girl (1980)
You should not ignore the importance of “Cute Girl” when it comes to introducing audiences to the kind of approach, thematically and aesthetically, that Hou would develop further in his next projects. As author Philip Kemp rightfully points out in his essay on the filmmaker's early works, concepts such as the contrast between rural and urban Taiwan or traditional family values,...
1. Cute Girl (1980)
You should not ignore the importance of “Cute Girl” when it comes to introducing audiences to the kind of approach, thematically and aesthetically, that Hou would develop further in his next projects. As author Philip Kemp rightfully points out in his essay on the filmmaker's early works, concepts such as the contrast between rural and urban Taiwan or traditional family values,...
- 4/4/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
To mark the centenary of Yasujiro Ozu's birth, Hou Hsiao-Hsien made his own Tokyo story, “Café Lumière,” a film with Hou's individuality, but full of subtle nuances in tribute to the Japanese master. The family drama gets a modern-day setting, with cultural change seen across the generations.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Yoko (Taiwanese-Japanese musician Yo Hitoto) is a journalist who switches her time between Tokyo and Taiwan. Researching Taiwanese composer Wen-Ye Jiang, she seeks out a cafe the composer frequented when based in Tokyo. And in tribute to Ozu, who favored dialogue over story, that is about that in terms of plot.
Family and its changing nature is a theme hinted at throughout, with Yoko being pregnant by her boyfriend in Taiwan. However, she has a somewhat blasé attitude towards the pregnancy, and indeed her boyfriend; unconcerned as to whether she sees him again,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Yoko (Taiwanese-Japanese musician Yo Hitoto) is a journalist who switches her time between Tokyo and Taiwan. Researching Taiwanese composer Wen-Ye Jiang, she seeks out a cafe the composer frequented when based in Tokyo. And in tribute to Ozu, who favored dialogue over story, that is about that in terms of plot.
Family and its changing nature is a theme hinted at throughout, with Yoko being pregnant by her boyfriend in Taiwan. However, she has a somewhat blasé attitude towards the pregnancy, and indeed her boyfriend; unconcerned as to whether she sees him again,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Considered one of the most distinct samples of Taiwanese New Cinema, “The Sandwich Man” is an omnibus of three short films based on stories by Huang Chunming, which deal with the working class in Taiwan during the 60s.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The first segment, titled “The Sandwich Man” (alternatively “The Son's Big Doll”) is directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and takes place during 1962. Kun Shu is an illiterate young man who works as a “sandwich man”, wearing clown make up, and advertising billboards back and forth and roaming the streets, in order to provide for his wife and child, while she is waiting for a second one, which is what led him to take up the particular job in the first place. Kun Shu is frequently ridiculed, pranked, his father repeatedly tells him that he is ashamed of him, while his boss treats him as a necessary evil.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The first segment, titled “The Sandwich Man” (alternatively “The Son's Big Doll”) is directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and takes place during 1962. Kun Shu is an illiterate young man who works as a “sandwich man”, wearing clown make up, and advertising billboards back and forth and roaming the streets, in order to provide for his wife and child, while she is waiting for a second one, which is what led him to take up the particular job in the first place. Kun Shu is frequently ridiculed, pranked, his father repeatedly tells him that he is ashamed of him, while his boss treats him as a necessary evil.
- 4/2/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, Chantal Akerman, Theo Angelopoulos, Lynne Ramsay, Tsai Ming-liang, Michael Haneke, Lee Chang-dong, Terence Davies, Shōhei Imamura, Bi Gan, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Jia Zhangke, Wong Kar-wai, Yorgos Lanthimos, Denis Villleneuve, Céline Sciamma, Guillermo del Toro, Kelly Reichardt. Those are just a few of the filmmakers introduced to New York audiences at New Directors/New Films over the last half-century across over 1,100 premieres.
Now returning for its 53rd edition at Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art from April 3-14, this year’s lineup features 35 new films, presenting prizewinners from Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Sarajevo, and Sundance film festivals. Ahead of the festival kicking off next week, we’ve gathered fourteen films to see, and one can explore the full lineup and schedule here.
All, or Nothing at All (Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang)
In All, or Nothing at all, director Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang employs an experimental...
Now returning for its 53rd edition at Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art from April 3-14, this year’s lineup features 35 new films, presenting prizewinners from Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Sarajevo, and Sundance film festivals. Ahead of the festival kicking off next week, we’ve gathered fourteen films to see, and one can explore the full lineup and schedule here.
All, or Nothing at All (Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang)
In All, or Nothing at all, director Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang employs an experimental...
- 4/1/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
In 1995, Hou Hsiao-hsien directed the last of the ”Taiwanese History” trilogy, which was his first film to be chiefly produced by a Japanese production company, Team Okuyama, although some Taiwanese companies also contributed. “Good Men, Good Women” won the Golden Deer for Best Director from the Changchun Film Festival, which was the first Chinese festival to accept entries from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Furthermore, the movie netted awards for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Recording from Golden Horse and was screened in Cannes in the competition section, among numerous other festivals around the world.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The film is based on the autobiography by Chiang Bi-yu. The complex script unfolds in three intermingling axes. In today's Taipei, Ching Liang, is a young actress preparing to shoot a movie (sharing a title with the actual movie), in which she plays Chiang Bi-yu,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The film is based on the autobiography by Chiang Bi-yu. The complex script unfolds in three intermingling axes. In today's Taipei, Ching Liang, is a young actress preparing to shoot a movie (sharing a title with the actual movie), in which she plays Chiang Bi-yu,...
- 4/1/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In 1986, Hou Hsiao-hsien concluded the “Coming of Age” trilogy with “Dust in the Wind”, which was however, a commercial failure, despite the excellent reviews it got. The script is based upon the life experiences of Wu Nien-jen, co-writer of the movie along Chu Tien-wen, who is considered as one of the most important and prolific artists of New Cinema, as scriptwriter, director and actor.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Ah Yuan and Ah Yun are childhood sweethearts who live in Jiufen, a rural town on the hills in northern Taiwan, where most people are employed in the mines, including their fathers. After graduation from junior high school, Ah Yuan decides to quit school and go to Taipei to work, eventually getting a job in a printing shop. There, he is constantly mistreated by the wife of the boss, but things get better when Ah...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Ah Yuan and Ah Yun are childhood sweethearts who live in Jiufen, a rural town on the hills in northern Taiwan, where most people are employed in the mines, including their fathers. After graduation from junior high school, Ah Yuan decides to quit school and go to Taipei to work, eventually getting a job in a printing shop. There, he is constantly mistreated by the wife of the boss, but things get better when Ah...
- 3/28/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Since the beginning of his career, Hirokazu Koreeda became recognized for his films representing the family cinema genre—intrinsically linked with the favorite of Western critics among Japanese filmmakers: Yasujiro Ozu. This was already the case with Koreeda's 1995 debut film, “Maboroshi no hikari”, a visual meditation on loss and the passing of time, told through the eyes of a single mother who has just lost her beloved husband. Since the early 1960s and the death of Yasujiro Ozu, Western critics seemed to be engaged in an excruciating quest to find a new ancestor to Ozu's poetics of cinema—and finally, there was one; Koreeda became the new Ozu.
The similarity is there—a contemplative approach towards the mundane which translates to something more transcendental; a patient gaze onto the bonds of the family set against the backdrop of a modernizing world and changing traditions; or a talent to put...
The similarity is there—a contemplative approach towards the mundane which translates to something more transcendental; a patient gaze onto the bonds of the family set against the backdrop of a modernizing world and changing traditions; or a talent to put...
- 3/27/2024
- by Lukasz Mankowski
- AsianMoviePulse
Zhang Yimou is set to receive the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Far East Film Festival (Feff).
The auteur, a key figure in China’s Fifth Generation of filmmakers, is best known for his films Raise the Red Lantern, Red Sorghum, To Live, Hero and House of the Flying Daggers, and was also directed the memorable opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Also receiving the coveted Golden Mulberry at the 26th edition of Feff is Taiwanese producer Chiu Fu-sheng. Chiu, a legendary figure in the Asian film industry, is known for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers including Hou Hsiao-hsien, producing A City of Sadness (1989) and The Puppetmaster (1993) and Zhang, producing both Raise the Red Lantern and To Live (1994). Zhang’s 2023 film Under the Light will also compete in the main competition at Feff.
Feff, the respected Italian festival that takes place in the northern city of Udine,...
The auteur, a key figure in China’s Fifth Generation of filmmakers, is best known for his films Raise the Red Lantern, Red Sorghum, To Live, Hero and House of the Flying Daggers, and was also directed the memorable opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Also receiving the coveted Golden Mulberry at the 26th edition of Feff is Taiwanese producer Chiu Fu-sheng. Chiu, a legendary figure in the Asian film industry, is known for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers including Hou Hsiao-hsien, producing A City of Sadness (1989) and The Puppetmaster (1993) and Zhang, producing both Raise the Red Lantern and To Live (1994). Zhang’s 2023 film Under the Light will also compete in the main competition at Feff.
Feff, the respected Italian festival that takes place in the northern city of Udine,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Italy’s Udine has unveiled the full line-up for its 26th edition, which will honour Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou with an honorary award and world premiere restored versions of his Raise The Red Lantern and To Live.
Running April 24 to May 2, the festival will open with a double bill: Chinese box office hit Yolo and South Korean action-comedy Citizen Of A Kind.
Yolo dominated this year’s Lunar New Year releases, grossing $484m in China, and is directed by Jia Ling, who stars as an unemployed woman in her 30s whose life is...
Running April 24 to May 2, the festival will open with a double bill: Chinese box office hit Yolo and South Korean action-comedy Citizen Of A Kind.
Yolo dominated this year’s Lunar New Year releases, grossing $484m in China, and is directed by Jia Ling, who stars as an unemployed woman in her 30s whose life is...
- 3/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook.NEWSThe Delinquents.The start of the Academy Awards ceremony was delayed by hundreds of protestors obstructing the red carpet to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.Asghar Farhadi has been cleared of plagiarism charges by an Iranian court after allegations were leveled by a former student, who accused him of stealing the idea for A Hero (2021) from her documentary on the same subject, produced in his 2014 filmmaking workshop.Meanwhile, Alexander Payne has been accused of plagiarizing The Holdovers (2023) “line-by-line” from a screenplay by Simon Stephenson he appears to have read on spec.Thailand is planning to reform its national film industry as part of a “soft power” program, which may include increased production funding, more rebates for foreign productions, and a reduction of state censorship domestically.
- 3/13/2024
- MUBI
Bertrand Bonello is a cinephile filmmaker of equal caliber to Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino and as brilliant at threading his fascinations into an original tapestry––he just so happens to work in French and a far-dimmer spotlight. Thus it was great, while preparing to screen his unbelievable House of Tolerance at New York’s Roxy Cinema on March 16 and 17, stumbling upon an interview (conducted by Gabe Klinger around the 2011 Cannes premiere) wherein Bonello outlined his dizzying combination of influences––I wasn’t kidding when I called House a lovechild between Tarantino’s Death Proof and Hou’s Flowers of Shanghai.
I’ll add, relevant to our Roxy showing, something Bonello said at the time of release: “I wanted something very, very, very, very soft. I wanted that we could feel the skin of the girls––the costumes, the hair. That’s why the film is shot in 35. That’s...
I’ll add, relevant to our Roxy showing, something Bonello said at the time of release: “I wanted something very, very, very, very soft. I wanted that we could feel the skin of the girls––the costumes, the hair. That’s why the film is shot in 35. That’s...
- 3/7/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Vesoul continued in its usual style of programming this year, adding, however, three very interesting sections for 2024, one focusing on Malayalam cinema, one on Taiwanese cinema and one on Netpac winners, which allowed the programmers to include a number of movies of quality without being restricted by the prerequisites of the films included in the competition section. The inclusion of films from countries from the former Ussr, as in the case of Uzbek “Sunday” and Kazakh “Scream” was once more the cherry on the top, in one of the best years in terms of film selection for the festival, which celebrated its 30th edition this year. Lastly, the screening of “Snow Leopard” the last film of the recently deceased Pema Tseden was the most touching moment of the whole festival, with the presence of the protagonist, Tetsen Tashi, definitely adding to the overall impact.
Without further ado, here is our...
Without further ado, here is our...
- 2/27/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
“Kuei-mei, a Woman” is a cinematic gem that has not only earned critical acclaim in its time but has also left an indelible mark on the history of filmmaking. Selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards and recipient of the Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film in 1985, Chang Yi's movie has garnered international recognition for its profound portrayal of sacrifice and perseverance. Nowadays, its themes and cinematography resonate even more.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Set against the backdrop of post-revolution Taiwan in the 1950s, the movie unfolds the poignant narrative of its titular character, brilliantly brought to life by the esteemed actress Yang Hui-shan. Born into poverty in mainland China, Kuei-mei embarks on a journey fraught with challenges as she migrates to Taiwan and enters a marriage of convenience with an alcoholic widower.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Set against the backdrop of post-revolution Taiwan in the 1950s, the movie unfolds the poignant narrative of its titular character, brilliantly brought to life by the esteemed actress Yang Hui-shan. Born into poverty in mainland China, Kuei-mei embarks on a journey fraught with challenges as she migrates to Taiwan and enters a marriage of convenience with an alcoholic widower.
- 2/26/2024
- by Hugo Hamon
- AsianMoviePulse
China-based sales agent Rediance has added Huang Xi’s upcoming film Daughter’s Daughter, executive produced by Cannes award-winner Hou Hsiao-Hsien, to its EFM slate.
The feature wrapped shooting last month and stars Sylvia Chang, who won best actress at the Golden Horse Awards in 2022 for Hong Kong drama A Light Never Goes Out. A first look at Chang in the film can be seen above.
It reunites Hou, Chang and Huang after their collaboration on HBO series Twisted Strings in 2022.
In Daughter’s Daughter, Chang plays a widow in her 60s who travels to New York following the death...
The feature wrapped shooting last month and stars Sylvia Chang, who won best actress at the Golden Horse Awards in 2022 for Hong Kong drama A Light Never Goes Out. A first look at Chang in the film can be seen above.
It reunites Hou, Chang and Huang after their collaboration on HBO series Twisted Strings in 2022.
In Daughter’s Daughter, Chang plays a widow in her 60s who travels to New York following the death...
- 2/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Some apotheosis of film culture has been reached with Freddy Got Fingered‘s addition to the Criterion Channel. Three years after we interviewed Tom Green about his consummate film maudit, it’s appearing on the service’s Razzie-centered program that also includes the now-admired likes of Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Querelle, and Ishtar; the still-due likes of Under the Cherry Moon; and the more-contested Gigli, Swept Away, and Nicolas Cage-led Wicker Man. In all cases it’s an opportunity to reconsider one of the lamest, thin-gruel entities in modern culture.
A Jane Russell retro features von Sternberg’s Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men and The Revolt of Mamie Stover; streaming premieres will be held for Yuen Woo-ping’s Dreadnaught, Claire Simon’s Our Body, Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil, the recently restored Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles, and The Passion of Rememberance.
A Jane Russell retro features von Sternberg’s Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men and The Revolt of Mamie Stover; streaming premieres will be held for Yuen Woo-ping’s Dreadnaught, Claire Simon’s Our Body, Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil, the recently restored Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles, and The Passion of Rememberance.
- 2/14/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
“The last thing I hate is that life always forces us to keep moving forwards.”
In the aftermath of the New York Film Festival, reporter Vincent Canby wrote an article about the films of the festival he aptly named “Why Some Films Don't Travel Well”. Works such as Zhang Yimou's “Red Sorghum”, Andrei Konchalovsky's “Asya's Happiness” and Hou Hsiao-Hsien's “Daughter of the Nile” are mostly relevant thanks to their “sociology factor” Canby begins his article, an aspect that these works are and have been applauded for around the world while as films themselves they are not that interesting. Hou Hsiao-Hien, one of the most popular directors of Taiwanese New Cinema along with Edward Yang, was still trying to find a cinematic language for his films, one which strongly resembled the works of Yasujiro Ozu in terms of style and content, the sense of resignation, as he writes...
In the aftermath of the New York Film Festival, reporter Vincent Canby wrote an article about the films of the festival he aptly named “Why Some Films Don't Travel Well”. Works such as Zhang Yimou's “Red Sorghum”, Andrei Konchalovsky's “Asya's Happiness” and Hou Hsiao-Hsien's “Daughter of the Nile” are mostly relevant thanks to their “sociology factor” Canby begins his article, an aspect that these works are and have been applauded for around the world while as films themselves they are not that interesting. Hou Hsiao-Hien, one of the most popular directors of Taiwanese New Cinema along with Edward Yang, was still trying to find a cinematic language for his films, one which strongly resembled the works of Yasujiro Ozu in terms of style and content, the sense of resignation, as he writes...
- 2/13/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The East Asia Film Festival Ireland (Eaffi) and the Irish Film Institute (Ifi) are delighted to announce the programme for the eighth edition of the festival, which will take place this year from Thursday, March 7th to Sunday, March 10th, bringing works from prominent and
emerging writers and directors from diverse cultural and social backgrounds across East Asian cinema to audiences in Ireland. These films reflect on individual and communal experiences, and observe and explore life and relationships in an eclectic mix of fiction, documentary, and classic titles. At the programme's centre is a season of rare screenings by auteur filmmaker Edward Yang (1947–2007) – four masterworks from one of the most iconic figures, alongside Hou Hsiao-Hsien, of the Taiwanese New Wave film movement of the early 1980s.
Each of the four special screenings will be introduced by Taiwanese film producer Chuti Chang. They will be:
A Confucian Confusion , which charts the...
emerging writers and directors from diverse cultural and social backgrounds across East Asian cinema to audiences in Ireland. These films reflect on individual and communal experiences, and observe and explore life and relationships in an eclectic mix of fiction, documentary, and classic titles. At the programme's centre is a season of rare screenings by auteur filmmaker Edward Yang (1947–2007) – four masterworks from one of the most iconic figures, alongside Hou Hsiao-Hsien, of the Taiwanese New Wave film movement of the early 1980s.
Each of the four special screenings will be introduced by Taiwanese film producer Chuti Chang. They will be:
A Confucian Confusion , which charts the...
- 2/11/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
After such works as “A City of Sadness” Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-Hsien, member of the Taiwanese New Wave, was looking for new topics, also outside his home country. Eventually he stumbled upon a novel by Han Ziyun, translated into Mandarin by Eileen Chang, about the Shanghai flower houses, their relevance to urban life in the early 1900s and before, as well as their hierarchy. The work inspired “Flowers of Shanghai”, in they eyes of many cinephiles and critics his most artful feature, which was nominated for Best Film at Cannes Film Festival in 1998 and won the award for best Art Direction and the Jury Award at Golden Horse Film Festival.
Flowers of Shanghai is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema The Spark is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The story takes place during the 1880s, and covers many characters and their encounters in...
Flowers of Shanghai is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema The Spark is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The story takes place during the 1880s, and covers many characters and their encounters in...
- 2/9/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
by Vedant Srinivas
Hou Hsiao-hsien's often overlooked masterpiece “The Puppetmaster”, part of a trilogy on 20th century Taiwan recounts and dramatizes the turbulent life of Taiwan's most celebrated puppeteer, Li Tian-lu.
Follow our tribute to Taiwanese by clicking on the image below
The film's introductory intertitles help establish the film's historical context: the 1995 Sino-Japanese War and the ceding of Taiwan to the Japanese, thus paving the way for fifty years of Japanese rule on the island until the end of the Second World War. Leisurely moving from Tian-lu's childhood to his adult life, the film provides us with vignettes that encapsulate the most poignant moments of his journey: Li's loving relationship with his grandparents, his adolescence in an abusive household, his apprenticeship with a marionette troupe, the gradual death of his loved ones, Li's marriage into a puppet theatre troupe family and his subsequent affair with a prostitute, and...
Hou Hsiao-hsien's often overlooked masterpiece “The Puppetmaster”, part of a trilogy on 20th century Taiwan recounts and dramatizes the turbulent life of Taiwan's most celebrated puppeteer, Li Tian-lu.
Follow our tribute to Taiwanese by clicking on the image below
The film's introductory intertitles help establish the film's historical context: the 1995 Sino-Japanese War and the ceding of Taiwan to the Japanese, thus paving the way for fifty years of Japanese rule on the island until the end of the Second World War. Leisurely moving from Tian-lu's childhood to his adult life, the film provides us with vignettes that encapsulate the most poignant moments of his journey: Li's loving relationship with his grandparents, his adolescence in an abusive household, his apprenticeship with a marionette troupe, the gradual death of his loved ones, Li's marriage into a puppet theatre troupe family and his subsequent affair with a prostitute, and...
- 2/3/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf will serve as jury president at the 30th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (Viffac), which runs from February 6-13.
Held in France, this year’s edition will spotlight Taiwanese cinema and Malayalam-language films from India. A total of 92 films from 29 countries will be screened.
Makhmalbaf’s works include A Moment of Innocence (1996), which won a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as Kandahar (2001), which won the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Other jury members at Viffac this year include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2007, Iranian actress Fatemed Motamed-Arya and Japanese actor Shogen.
There are 17 films across the fiction and documentary competitions, which come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. There are two world premieres, five international premieres, six European premieres and four French premieres.
Held in France, this year’s edition will spotlight Taiwanese cinema and Malayalam-language films from India. A total of 92 films from 29 countries will be screened.
Makhmalbaf’s works include A Moment of Innocence (1996), which won a special mention at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as Kandahar (2001), which won the Ecumenical Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Other jury members at Viffac this year include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in 2007, Iranian actress Fatemed Motamed-Arya and Japanese actor Shogen.
There are 17 films across the fiction and documentary competitions, which come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. There are two world premieres, five international premieres, six European premieres and four French premieres.
- 2/1/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Taiwan and India in the spotlight at the 30th Vesoul Iff of Asian Cinema
The 30th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema will feature 92 films, including 52 never-before-seen films from 29 countries, under the banner of commitment!
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian director with 60 international awards to his credit, is President of the Jury. Other members include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin 2007, Fatemed Motamed-Arya, the most awarded Iranian actress in the history of Iranian cinema, and Japanese actor Shogen, cinema ambassador at the Sea-Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival.
The 17 films in the fiction and documentary competitions come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. Four are French premieres, six European premieres, five international premieres and two world premieres.
Feature Film Competition :
China: All Ears by Liu Jiayin – China (Tibet): The Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden – Korea: Work to...
The 30th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema will feature 92 films, including 52 never-before-seen films from 29 countries, under the banner of commitment!
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian director with 60 international awards to his credit, is President of the Jury. Other members include Taiwanese director Zero Chou, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin 2007, Fatemed Motamed-Arya, the most awarded Iranian actress in the history of Iranian cinema, and Japanese actor Shogen, cinema ambassador at the Sea-Okinawa Pan-Pacific International Film Festival.
The 17 films in the fiction and documentary competitions come from China, Korea, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal and Taiwan. Four are French premieres, six European premieres, five international premieres and two world premieres.
Feature Film Competition :
China: All Ears by Liu Jiayin – China (Tibet): The Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden – Korea: Work to...
- 2/1/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As we have mentioned many times recently, Korea's Weird Wave is definitely having a moment right now, with titles that can only be described with the particular word coming one after the other. Slow-burning, road movie of sorts, family drama of sorts, winner of the Cgv Arthouse Award at the latest Busan International Film Festival “Chorokbam” also falls under the “category”.
“Chorokbam” is available from Echelon Studios
Starting during a night when everything seems to be painted in green, the Dad of a three-membered family who works as a night security guard discovers a cat hanging by its neck on a rope. The image shocks him, but still continues his routine, of returning to their cramped apartment just as Mom leaves to dry peppers in the sun in the morning, with the red color dominating the images this time. As soon as she returns, a rather dysfunctional relationship is revealed,...
“Chorokbam” is available from Echelon Studios
Starting during a night when everything seems to be painted in green, the Dad of a three-membered family who works as a night security guard discovers a cat hanging by its neck on a rope. The image shocks him, but still continues his routine, of returning to their cramped apartment just as Mom leaves to dry peppers in the sun in the morning, with the red color dominating the images this time. As soon as she returns, a rather dysfunctional relationship is revealed,...
- 1/29/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
A UK-based Chinese film festival that strives to take on the responsibility of promoting the importance of a mutual understanding of diverse cultures between greater China and the UK, Mint Chinese Film Festival (Mint Cff) is back for its fresh 2nd edition from Feb 1-4 at Keswick Alhambra Cinema to welcome the Year of Dragon, showcasing the best and most pioneering Chinese films!
Mint is the first women-organised Chinese film festival in the UK and aims to curate for underrepresented voices, images, and stories, actively discovering and supporting Chinese creators, emerging women filmmakers and artists, and gender-diverse directors.
Founded by Chinese film curator Yixiang Shirley Lin and Keswick Alhambra Cinema's co-owner Dr Carol Rennie, Mint is a year-round active film festival; it not only holds an annual Chinese film festival but also curates and organises pop-up film screenings and relevant cultural and artistic events in various venues across the UK...
Mint is the first women-organised Chinese film festival in the UK and aims to curate for underrepresented voices, images, and stories, actively discovering and supporting Chinese creators, emerging women filmmakers and artists, and gender-diverse directors.
Founded by Chinese film curator Yixiang Shirley Lin and Keswick Alhambra Cinema's co-owner Dr Carol Rennie, Mint is a year-round active film festival; it not only holds an annual Chinese film festival but also curates and organises pop-up film screenings and relevant cultural and artistic events in various venues across the UK...
- 1/19/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Mongrel,” a Taiwan-set drama film that has done the round of project markets, will appear at the International Film Festival Rotterdam as a work in progress.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
- 1/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“A City of Sadness” is a critically acclaimed historical drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It was awarded numerous times, notably at the Venice Film Festival and the Golden Horse Film Festival. It is also worth mentioning that “A City of Sadness” was the first Taiwanese movie to win the Golden Lion. Moreover, it was chosen as Taiwan's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 62nd Academy Awards, though it did not get a nomination. In 2023, the restored version of the film was released in cinemas in Taiwan and Hong Kong, among others.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The story, written by Chu T'ien-wen and Wu Nien-jen, shows the consequences of political change in Taiwan in the 1940s by delving into the tales of two families living near Taipei. In the first one, the eldest of four sons (Chen Sung-young) owns a restaurant and a trading company.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The story, written by Chu T'ien-wen and Wu Nien-jen, shows the consequences of political change in Taiwan in the 1940s by delving into the tales of two families living near Taipei. In the first one, the eldest of four sons (Chen Sung-young) owns a restaurant and a trading company.
- 1/12/2024
- by Tobiasz Dunin
- AsianMoviePulse
Film at Lincoln Center is unveiling an Edward Yang retrospective to honor the late filmmaker into the New Year.
Titled “Desire/Expectations: The Films of Edward Yang,” the curated series includes screenings of Yang’s “Yi Yi,” “A Brighter Summer Day,” “Taipei Story,” and the world premiere of a new 4K restoration of “Mahjong.” The Film at Lincoln Center series additionally debuts a new restoration of “A Confucian Confusion.”
IndieWire now reveals that the series, which kicks off December 22, will extend its run through January 9 with new additional screenings, including “Mahjong” in 4K. Also, Yang’s widow, pianist Kaili Peng, who composed the score for “Yi Yi” and is heard playing the piano throughout the film, will introduce the 6:30 p.m. screening of that film on December 22 at 6:30 p.m. That screening will follow a special opening reception at the Furman Gallery at 5:00 p.m.
“Desire/Expectations...
Titled “Desire/Expectations: The Films of Edward Yang,” the curated series includes screenings of Yang’s “Yi Yi,” “A Brighter Summer Day,” “Taipei Story,” and the world premiere of a new 4K restoration of “Mahjong.” The Film at Lincoln Center series additionally debuts a new restoration of “A Confucian Confusion.”
IndieWire now reveals that the series, which kicks off December 22, will extend its run through January 9 with new additional screenings, including “Mahjong” in 4K. Also, Yang’s widow, pianist Kaili Peng, who composed the score for “Yi Yi” and is heard playing the piano throughout the film, will introduce the 6:30 p.m. screening of that film on December 22 at 6:30 p.m. That screening will follow a special opening reception at the Furman Gallery at 5:00 p.m.
“Desire/Expectations...
- 12/18/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
At first sight, the film the French chose to represent them at the Oscars next year couldn’t be any more French. A chaste romantic drama starring Juliette Binoche as Eugénie, an unsung, genius-level private chef, The Taste of Things takes place in the kitchen at the sprawling rustic home of the famous restauranteur Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel), and features every culinary delight known to mankind. Food is braised, broiled, blanched, poached and sautéed, in carefully curated banquets that can take anything up to a waistline-busting 24 hours. Needless to say, audiences at the Cannes film festival savored every bite.
Binoche says she got the script simply because she knew the producer. But the reason she decided to make it was the director, Trần Anh Hùng, the Vietnamese-born auteur who first made his name with The Scent of Green Papaya in 1993.
“I knew Hùng a little bit because he came on...
Binoche says she got the script simply because she knew the producer. But the reason she decided to make it was the director, Trần Anh Hùng, the Vietnamese-born auteur who first made his name with The Scent of Green Papaya in 1993.
“I knew Hùng a little bit because he came on...
- 12/7/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Taiwanese family drama ‘Old Fox’ won the most awards on the night.
China-set drama Stonewalling, directed by husband-and-wife team Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka, won best narrative feature at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan on Saturday (November 25).
Taiwanese family drama Old Fox won the most awards on the night, including best director for Hsiao Ya-chuan, best supporting actor for veteran Akio Chen, makeup and costume design, and best film score.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Mainland Chinese director Huang and Japan’s Otsuka were in attendance at Taipei’s National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to...
China-set drama Stonewalling, directed by husband-and-wife team Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka, won best narrative feature at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan on Saturday (November 25).
Taiwanese family drama Old Fox won the most awards on the night, including best director for Hsiao Ya-chuan, best supporting actor for veteran Akio Chen, makeup and costume design, and best film score.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Mainland Chinese director Huang and Japan’s Otsuka were in attendance at Taipei’s National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to...
- 11/26/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival drifted to a conclusion in midweek, with project awards presented on Wednesday, followed by Thursday’s festival closing events. These involved a screening of portmanteau film “Tales of Taipei” followed by a sit-down dinner-cum-ceremony with a breezy pair of speeches and no prizes.
The film fortnight then sprang to life again on Saturday evening when the 60th edition of the Golden Horse Film Awards represented a new climax. The winners were announced at a ceremony at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.
For decades the Golden Horse awards had been the most prestigious prize ceremony in the Chinese-language firmament. That high profile has been harder to maintain over the last couple of years, given that the mainland Chinese industry is under government instruction to boycott the event, following a pro-independence speech given by an award winner at the 2018 ceremony.
Parts of the Hong Kong industry have stayed away too.
The film fortnight then sprang to life again on Saturday evening when the 60th edition of the Golden Horse Film Awards represented a new climax. The winners were announced at a ceremony at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.
For decades the Golden Horse awards had been the most prestigious prize ceremony in the Chinese-language firmament. That high profile has been harder to maintain over the last couple of years, given that the mainland Chinese industry is under government instruction to boycott the event, following a pro-independence speech given by an award winner at the 2018 ceremony.
Parts of the Hong Kong industry have stayed away too.
- 11/25/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Screenworks Asia, the production subsidiary of Taiwan’s Catchplay, is teaming with the Taiwanese arm of Chinese platform iQiyi to jointly stream two of its original series: Not a Murder Story and I Can See You Shine.
Set to stream on Catchplay+ and iQiyi beginning in January 2024, Not a Murder Story is directed by Chen-Nien Ko, one of Taiwan’s most promising young filmmakers, following her award-winning feature The Silent Forest and series Close Your Eyes Before It’s Dark.
Starring Kuan-Ting Liu (A Sun), Sonia Sui (Women Who Flirt) and Gingle Wang (Wave Makers), Not a Murder Story will also be broadcast on Taiwan’s Gtv Channel and Catchplay Movies Channel.
It revolves around a wannabe actor who finally gets his big break but wakes up with a dead woman beside him, then makes matters worse by trying to make the situation look like a robbery gone wrong.
Here’s...
Set to stream on Catchplay+ and iQiyi beginning in January 2024, Not a Murder Story is directed by Chen-Nien Ko, one of Taiwan’s most promising young filmmakers, following her award-winning feature The Silent Forest and series Close Your Eyes Before It’s Dark.
Starring Kuan-Ting Liu (A Sun), Sonia Sui (Women Who Flirt) and Gingle Wang (Wave Makers), Not a Murder Story will also be broadcast on Taiwan’s Gtv Channel and Catchplay Movies Channel.
It revolves around a wannabe actor who finally gets his big break but wakes up with a dead woman beside him, then makes matters worse by trying to make the situation look like a robbery gone wrong.
Here’s...
- 11/7/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Explore where to stream the best films of 2023.
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Drylongso (Cauleen Smith)
Writer-director Cauleen Smith made Drylongso when she was in college, 25 years ago, premiering at Sundance in 1998. She has gone on to create dozens of short films, art installations, and more experimental work, focused on similar themes of feminism, racial violence, and Black communities. The low-key hangout movie should have been a stepping stone for Smith, but, as with many other works by Black female filmmaking of the last half-century, it fell out of circulation. – Michael F. (full interview)
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Fingernails (Christos Nikou)
Is love quantifiable? No, but that doesn’t stop Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou from exploring that question over two dull, excruciating hours in Fingernails,...
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Drylongso (Cauleen Smith)
Writer-director Cauleen Smith made Drylongso when she was in college, 25 years ago, premiering at Sundance in 1998. She has gone on to create dozens of short films, art installations, and more experimental work, focused on similar themes of feminism, racial violence, and Black communities. The low-key hangout movie should have been a stepping stone for Smith, but, as with many other works by Black female filmmaking of the last half-century, it fell out of circulation. – Michael F. (full interview)
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Fingernails (Christos Nikou)
Is love quantifiable? No, but that doesn’t stop Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou from exploring that question over two dull, excruciating hours in Fingernails,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Film geeks, rejoice. Leading indie label Kino Lorber is entering the world of streaming. The company has launched Kino Film Collection, a new subscription video service available in the U.S. via’s Amazon’s Prime Video Channels. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, many now streaming for the first time. It will cost users $5.99 per month.
Films available at launch include award-winning theatrical releases and critically acclaimed festival favorites and classics from around the globe, such as The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci), Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos), Taxi (Jafar Panahi), Poison (Todd Haynes), Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn), The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour), Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski), Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke), and A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke).
Joining them are entries...
Films available at launch include award-winning theatrical releases and critically acclaimed festival favorites and classics from around the globe, such as The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci), Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos), Taxi (Jafar Panahi), Poison (Todd Haynes), Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn), The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour), Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski), Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke), and A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke).
Joining them are entries...
- 11/2/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber has launched a new subscription streaming outlet, Kino Film Collection.
The $6-a-month destination for recent theatrical releases and hundreds of other films drawn from the company’s vast library will be available in the U.S. on Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber also operates Kino Now, a platform for rentals and purchases of arthouse and specialty films. The company has made several streaming moves of late. In 2022, it acquired MHz Choice and installed AMC Networks veteran Ed Carroll and former IFC Films head Lisa Schwartz in key management roles. Schwartz, Kino Lorber’s Chief Revenue Officer, will oversee Kino Film Collection. Last spring, Kino Lorber also formed a joint venture with First Look Media to operate both MHz Choice and First Look’s streaming service Topic.
Films available on Kino Film Collection at launch include new 4K restorations of The Conformist as well as key works by contemporary...
The $6-a-month destination for recent theatrical releases and hundreds of other films drawn from the company’s vast library will be available in the U.S. on Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber also operates Kino Now, a platform for rentals and purchases of arthouse and specialty films. The company has made several streaming moves of late. In 2022, it acquired MHz Choice and installed AMC Networks veteran Ed Carroll and former IFC Films head Lisa Schwartz in key management roles. Schwartz, Kino Lorber’s Chief Revenue Officer, will oversee Kino Film Collection. Last spring, Kino Lorber also formed a joint venture with First Look Media to operate both MHz Choice and First Look’s streaming service Topic.
Films available on Kino Film Collection at launch include new 4K restorations of The Conformist as well as key works by contemporary...
- 11/1/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Independent film distributor Kino Lorber has officially unveiled streaming service Kino Film Collection, available via Prime Video here.
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
This year's Special Screenings section features two classics directed by the masters of Taiwanese cinema – Tsai Ming-liang and Hou Hsiao-hsien. The screenings of films, restored in 4K, will be a nostalgic trip down the memory lane to the magic tales that have already earned an indisputable cult status and entered the canon of Asian cinema.
The process of digital restoration allows festivals to return to classic titles and bring them back to audiences to revisit and reevaluate through the lens of time passed. The feeling that the world is changing and that cinema follows in its steps will be one of the key emotions accompanying the screenings.
Tsai Ming-liang's “Goodbye, Dragon Inn” is not just a tribute to King Hu, whose retrospective is one of this year's Festival highlights, but also a symbolic goodbye to the golden era of the classic wuxia films that have been kindling the emotions of Asian audiences for many decades.
The process of digital restoration allows festivals to return to classic titles and bring them back to audiences to revisit and reevaluate through the lens of time passed. The feeling that the world is changing and that cinema follows in its steps will be one of the key emotions accompanying the screenings.
Tsai Ming-liang's “Goodbye, Dragon Inn” is not just a tribute to King Hu, whose retrospective is one of this year's Festival highlights, but also a symbolic goodbye to the golden era of the classic wuxia films that have been kindling the emotions of Asian audiences for many decades.
- 10/30/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Ten years after he attended the Tokyo International Film Festival for the screening of The Grandmaster, Tony Leung returned to the festival on Thursday to conduct a masterclass.
The Hong Kong acting icon, dressed in a black tailored suit and fashion-forward Kolor sneakers, was met with warm applause at a packed house at Tokyo’s Hulic Hall. Festival programmer Shozo Ichiyama began proceedings with Leung’s early years as an actor, namely his work with Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien on the classic A City of Sadness, which Ichiyama considered one of his personal favorites. A City of Sadness was notable as it was set in Taipei, and Leung, at the time, had no experience working outside of Hong Kong and couldn’t speak Mandarin.
“It was the start of my career, and I wanted to challenge myself,” Leung said through an interpreter on why he took on the role, given...
The Hong Kong acting icon, dressed in a black tailored suit and fashion-forward Kolor sneakers, was met with warm applause at a packed house at Tokyo’s Hulic Hall. Festival programmer Shozo Ichiyama began proceedings with Leung’s early years as an actor, namely his work with Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien on the classic A City of Sadness, which Ichiyama considered one of his personal favorites. A City of Sadness was notable as it was set in Taipei, and Leung, at the time, had no experience working outside of Hong Kong and couldn’t speak Mandarin.
“It was the start of my career, and I wanted to challenge myself,” Leung said through an interpreter on why he took on the role, given...
- 10/28/2023
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The acclaimed director will no longer make ‘On The Shulan River’.
Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien has retired and stopped work on planned feature On The Shulan River, according to a statement from his family.
The 76-year-old director had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease prior to work beginning on what was to be his next film but his condition worsened after contracting Covid-19, said the statement.
Hou is known as a pioneer of the Taiwanese New Wave in the early 1980s and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1989 with A City Of Sadness. His last...
Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien has retired and stopped work on planned feature On The Shulan River, according to a statement from his family.
The 76-year-old director had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease prior to work beginning on what was to be his next film but his condition worsened after contracting Covid-19, said the statement.
Hou is known as a pioneer of the Taiwanese New Wave in the early 1980s and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1989 with A City Of Sadness. His last...
- 10/25/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
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