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Despite the fact that the West mostly knows about Tsai Ming-liang, Hou Hsiao Hsen, Edward Yang and Ang Lee’s works, Taiwan is actually home of a rather vibrant movie industry, which produces films of quality of every category. Particularly during the last few years, when Netflix gave local filmmakers a platform for their films to be known all over the world, the aforementioned fact became even more evident, with the audience discovering the quite high level of Taiwanese productions, beyond the aforementioned masters. In that fashion, we chose to highlight 40 of the best local productions, actually including two works by them, which could, though, very easily be omitted.

Without further ado, here are 40 great Taiwanese movies released from 2010 and onwards, with a focus, as always, on diversity

1. A Family Tour (2018) by Liang Ying

Liang Ying finally releases a vindicating story against censorship and oppression, because when freedom is so...

Taiwanese filmmaker Chung Mong-hong is on a prolific streak. After having his previous feature A Sun submitted by Taiwan to the Oscars last year, and his latest film, The Falls, set to premiere in Venice’s Orizzonti section this week, the 56-year-old auteur is already at work on his next project — a revenge saga set in the 1950s in politically tumultuous Taipei.

The film will mark a break from the nuanced family melodrama that has characterized his recent work, Chung says. “It’s very violent and bloody,” he explains. “It will focus on the period of time when the Kuomintang government ...

Every family has its good child and its bad child or its “problem” child. How this family of four fractures under the weight of unmet expectations, unexpected tragedy, and uncompromising pride and yet finds its way forward had me so anxious that I could barely sit still. And yet, as I persevered, so did they. The festivals, awards, and honors ‘A Sun’ by Chung Mong-Hong has accrued are worth every minute of its 2 hours 36 minutes.

Continue reading on SydneysBuzz The Blog »...

Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best International Feature is made difficult by the three-step process that begins after the December 1 deadline for countries to submit entries. To be part of the selection process for this category, which was called Best Foreign Language Film before 2020, requires a great deal of dedication. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscar predictions for Best International Feature.)

First, the several hundred academy members of the International Feature screening committee are divided into groups and required to watch a number of the submissions over a two-month period that ends in early February. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top 15 vote-getters make it to the next round. This list of semi-finalists will be revealed on February 9, 2021.

Those 15 films will be available to the entire academy membership who can cast ballots for the final five nominees provided they attest to having watched all the entries.

Gold Open has partnered with the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment Cape to launch the inaugural Gold List which honors the most outstanding Asian and Pacific Islander (Api) achievements in film each year. Gold Open is part of Gold House, which bolsters multicultural movies to box office success — most notably, the movement brought shine to Parasite and Crazy Rich Asians.

Gold List was created to move the needle forward in regards to the fair inclusion of APIs in mainstream media by helping Api films secure major award nominations and recognition — and it’s about time. With anti-Asian racism surging during the pandemic, a celebration of this kind is more than welcomed to help eclipse all the toxicity faced by Asians as well as other underrepresented voices. It should be noted that Asians are the fastest-growing immigrant population, have higher-than-average consumers of digital media, and the second most-frequent moviegoers per year.

“A Sun” is another high-quality production of Taiwanese Studio Mandarin Vision (“The Great Buddha+” 2017). The two and a half-hour long crime drama directed by Mong-Hong Chung (“Godspeed” 2016) has been selected for the Netflix catalog and was the big winner of the 2019 Golden Horse Film Festival including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Leading Actor.

Coming from the homeland of the great Edward Yang, the story incorporates many similar topics such as broken families, lost youth, and the ultimate road to redemption. It all starts with a gritty scene of violence in which A-Ho, played by Wu Chien-Ho (“Xiao Mei” 2018), attacks a young man in a neon trenched back ally store of a dark city. As a result, he is sent away to a juvenile detention center and his father A-Wen decides to cut ties with him and solely focuses on his driving teacher job and the eldest son,...

The nominations for this year’s Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan were unveiled Tuesday, with no Chinese films in contention amid the political fallout from last year’s ceremony.

Now in their 56th year, the awards have traditionally been seen as among the most prestigious for Chinese-language film. But tension bubbled over last year after Taiwanese filmmaker Fu Yue said onstage during an acceptance speech that she hoped Taiwan could be regarded as “independent.”

China classifies Taiwan as a renegade province rather than a separate country, and, according to various reports, authorities declared that China’s actors, directors and producers would not be allowed to submit to year’s Golden Horse Awards.

Instead, this year’s nominees list is largely composed of Taiwanese films, with a handful of features from Hong Kong and elsewhere also up for prizes. Taiwan’s Detention, John Hsu’s thriller, leads the pool with 12 noms including Best Narrative Feature,...

“Godspeed” is director Mong-Hong Chung’s fifth narrative feature film. Chung was born in Southern Taiwan. Originally, he studied computer engineering in college, however his love for cinema, especially for films by Oshima and the New Taiwanese Cinema, led him to pursue filmmaking. After he finished his study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he started his career directing commercials and music videos. His first feature film was a documentary, Doctor (2006), which won him a best documentary award at the Taipei Film Festival and established his name on the Taiwanese film landscape.

the golden age of the Taiwanese New Cinema, it often feels like Taiwanese directors are in a limbo. Should they follow the steps of the masters and make films that could play well in the international film festival circuits; or should they embrace commercial or genre filmmaking? Making art or making money that’s the...

Since its world premiere at the Taipei Film Festival in 2017, „The Great Buddha+“ by the first time fiction feature director Hsin-yao Huang has been travelling across the globe, receiving excellent reviews at the multitude of international festivals. Huang‘s dark comedy based on the narrative by his previous short of the same name, encapsulates the essence of the Taiwanese society marked by growing class extremes and corruption in a country that officially shouldn’t behaving any of it.

„The Great Buddha+“ was shown in Reykjavik in frames of the Stockfish Festival (February 28th – March 10th), in the first-time cooperation with the Taiwan Film Festival (March 8th – 24th) which celebrates Taiwan’s long and tempestuous history and diverse cultural heritage through the uncensored lens of independent Taiwanese filmmakers, and which will straight afterwards be launched in London as well (April 3rd – 14th). It is in Reykjavik we met up with Hsin-yao...

Just when you think 2017 has been a good year for Taiwanese cinema, here comes a movie that upgrades “good” to “excellent”. “The Great Buddha +” is the debut feature film of Taiwanese director Huang Hsin-yao and it’s an extended version (hence the “+”) of his 2014 short movie “The Great Buddha”. Previously a documentary director focused on social and environmental issues, Huang has been helped in his new enterprise by fellow director Chung Mong-hong, in the role of producer and Dop. “The Great Buddha +” scooped several awards at the Taipei Film Festival and later the prestigious New Director Award at the Golden Horse Awards, along with Best Original Film Score, Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Great Buddha + is screening at Art Film Fest Kosice

Like in his documentaries, the storytelling is aided by the director’s own voice-over commentary, punctuating the movie here and there with dark jokes,...

Huang Hsin-Yao is a new voice in independent Taiwanese cinema, and his first narrative feature–an adaptation of his short film The Great Buddha–carries itself with all of the vitriol that one would expect from somebody angry at the state of the Taiwanese film industry and government. This is apparent from the outset of The Great Buddha+, when Huang speaks to the audience as the credits roll, speaking harshly about the producers and delivering a personal statement. This anger remains throughout–a character named after the producer that Huang is particularly dissatisfied with is even killed off in a darkly humorous manner.

The film centers on a community of vagrant Taiwanese laborers. Pickle (portrayed in a surprisingly goofy turn by well-known Taiwanese documentarian Cres Chung) spends his nights as a security guard at a factory that produces monuments of Buddha. His best friend, Belly Button, a scrapper, often joins...

Michael Haneke’s Happy End also among titles in non-competitive strand.

The Sarajevo International Film Festival (August 11-18) has unveiled the line-up for its Kinoscope programme, with 17 titles competing.

The non-competitive strand, which first launched in 2012, selects titles from around the globe and excludes territories featured in the main competition.

Among this year’s cohort are major titles to have competed at Cannes including the Palme d’Or-winner The Square, Michael Haneke’s latest feature Happy End and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s well-received Loveless.

Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa’s Gabriel And The Mountain, Léonor Serraille’s Montparnasse Bienvenüe, Chloé Zhao’s The Rider and Valeska Grisebach’s Western are also included.

The 2017 Kinoscope Line-up

Ava

France, 2017, 105 min.

Director: Léa Mysius

Gabriel And The Mountain / Gabriel E A Montanha

Brazil, France, 2017, 127 min.

Director: Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa

A Ghost Story

USA, 2017, 93 min.

Director: David Lowery

Godspeed / Yi Lu Shun Feng

Taiwan, 2016, 111 min.

Director: Mong-Hong Chung

Happy End

France, Austria, Germany...

What constitutes a soul? What is the connection between a body and a soul? And, hypothetically, if a person's soul were to get replaced by a totally different one, what would happen to its original owner?Mong-Hong Chung's third full-length feature is a lusciously crafted, nightmarish piece of moody cinematic poetry that ruminates on the essence of existence and the human soul. Beyond being a profoundly mysterious and disquietingly eerie supernatural chiller, Soul centers on a strained relationship between a father and a son, building most of its penetrating horror around escalating psychological tension.With its gorgeously atmospheric and dizzy camera work (by Chung, who works under the pseudonym Nakashima Nagao), razor-sharp editing, and piercing sound effects, Soul proves to be a strangely mesmerizing thriller that occasionally...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Ziyi Zhang: Best Actress at the 2013 Golden Horse Awards (photo: Ziyi Zhang in ‘The Grandmaster’) (See previous post: “Golden Horse Awards: Singaporean Movie ‘Ilo Ilo’ Is Surprising Best Picture Choice.”) Although Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo took home the top award at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, Wong Kar Wai’s Berlin Film Festival opening gala film The Grandmaster was this year’s big winner: six awards, including the Best Actress trophy for Ziyi Zhang. That marked Zhang’s first victory, after three previous nominations: Best Actress for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 and for 2046 in 2004; Best Supporting Actress for Forever Enthralled in 2009. "It was a very long and suffering journey making The Grandmaster, but now I’m very happy," Zhang said in her acceptance speech. In Wong’s Hong Kong-Chinese martial arts drama she plays the daughter of fighting master, who, so as to restore her family’s honor,...

Here's Maggie Cheung's commercial (filmed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien) for the Golden Horse awards to be held on November 23rd in Taipei. I have it on good authority that she's saying...

 50 years Golden Horse, happy birthday

I wish I could speak Mandarin and Cantonese.

I also wish I could create sparkler-like effects by waving my arms around. 

Chinese speaking readers should also check out these promos. See, to celebrate their big 5-0 the Golden Horse Awards are interviewing past winners about their classic performances/films. And for those who missed the announcement the Best Picture nominees this year at the Golden Horse Awards are the following features:

Tony Leung, Maggie's #1 screen partner, in The GrandmasterDRUG War (Johnny To)

The Grandmaster (Wong Kar Wai) Hong Kong's Oscar Submission, Dan's review which is likely the frontrunner given the huge amount of nominations (11) and the Maggie Cheung-adjacent legends involved

Ilo Ilo...

In line with SydneysBuzz’s focus on the international film business we have put together the most complete list on the 67 national submissions to compete for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. This list showcases films that have been the centerpieces of the most renowned festivals and that represent the best in the cinematic landscape from across the globe. Last year, at this point in the race the clear favorite was Palm d'Or winner Amour, which went on to win the award with no significant competition and scoring 4 other nominations including Best Picture, an outstanding feat for a foreign film about love at the end of life, by Michael Haneke.

This time around the story could have repeated almost identically with the most recent winner of Cannes’ biggest prize Blue is the Warmest Color. However, the film became one more victim of the Academy's rules, which rendered it unqualified to compete because of the late release date in France. With Blue out of the race the award is fair game for virtually anyone on the list, although there are certainly some favorites.

Saudi Arabia's first ever submission, the charming Wadjda might turn into beginners luck and score the Kingdom, in which movie theaters are banned, a nomination or even a win. Iran's audacious decision to submit the French-language The Past caused uproar among conservatives, but might certainly score the nation another nomination after their win in 2012 with the masterful A Separation. Other strong contenders are Denmark's The Hunt starring Mads Mikkelsen, and which would continue the countries streak of 3 consecutive nominations winning in 2011 with In A Better World, as well as Canada's Gabrielle about the romantic relationship of a handicapped couple, and Hong Kong’s The Grandmaster by famous director Wong Kar-wai.

Italy’s The Great Beauty, Australia’s The Rocket, Romania’s Child’s Pose, and Chile’s Gloria are among other titles that might score a nomination given their success and prominence during their festivals rounds. Some countries decided to take a chance and send audacious choices as their representation to the Academy, so is the case Mexico, a country that chose the more violent and artistically daring Cannes winner Heli, over the hit comedy Instructions Not Included, or Greece’s Boy Eating The Bird’s Food, which includes grotesque imagery that might not sit well with academy members.

The African continent is minimally represented with only 3 entries, South Africa’s Four Corners, and the Arabic-language works God’s Horses from Morocco, and Winter of Discontent from Egypt. Algeria, which has submitted regularly and even scored several nominations, is absent in this occasion. Another big omission is China who did not submit an entry but whose language is represented by Taiwan and the above-mentioned Hong Kong; equally strange is France’s decision to enter Renoir over tons of other films that could have substituted Abdellatif Kechiche.

Less surprising is Russia’s decision to submit a blockbuster-style production with a very nationalistic message in lieu of a more intimate film. On the other hand, Cambodia, Lithuania, and Switzerland decided to go with a documentary, a choice that has never been very fruitful in this category. Lastly, Israel and Palestine both entered strong candidate with Bethlehem and Omar respectively, adding with that to the great year the region has seen in the cinematic realm.

The rest of the films are a mixture of obscure titles with not much exposure outside their homelands, and a others with great premise but equally unknown quality. Thankfully for SydneysBuzz readers, the list below compiles all 67 Foreign Submissions and includes links to more information and a link to the trailer of every single one of them. For the most part the clips are subtitled; the ones that are not will at least give the reader a sense of what the film is about. As the Awards Season develops, we will have updates on predicted nominees and other developments in the race for the Best Foreign Language Film.

Argentina

The German Doctor (Wakolda)

Dir: Lucia Puenzo

Language: Spanish, German, Hebrew

U.S Release: Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Un Certain Regard

Trailer

Australia

The Rocket

Dir: Kim Mordaunt

Language: Lao

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin 2013: Best First Feature Film ,Tribeca 2013: World Narrative Competition

Trailer

Austria

The Wall

Dir: Julian Polsler

Language: German

U.S Release: Released by Music Box Films on May 31st, 2013

Festivals: Sitges Ff 2012 Oficial Fantastic, Mumbai Ff 2012 Int'l Competition

Trailer

Bangladesh

Television

Dir: Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Language: Bengali

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Dubai Diff 2012 (Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature Special Mention)

Trailer

Belgium

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Dir: Felix van Groeningen

Language: Flemish

U.S Release: Tribeca Film Will Release the Film on November 1st, 2013

Festivals: Berlinale - Efm 2013 - Panorama

Trailer

Bosnia And Herzegovina

An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker

Dir: Danis Tanović

Language: Bosnian, Romani

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlinale - Efm 2013 Competition, Tiff 2013 Contemporary World Cinema

Trailer

Brazil

Neighboring Sounds

Dir: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Language: Portuguese, Mandarin

U.S Release: Released by Cinema Guild, Now Available on Netflix streaming

Festivals:Mar Del Plata Ff 2012 Competencia Int'l, Bafici (Buenos Aires) 2013 Panorama

Trailer

Bulgaria

The Color of the Chameleon

Dir: Emil Hristov

Language: Bulgarian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2012 Discovery, Thessaloniki Iff 2012 Int'l Competition

Trailer

Cambodia

The Missing Picture

Dir: Rithy Panh

Language: French

U.S Release: Acquired by Strand Releasing for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Cannes 2013 - Un Certain Regard Prix, San Sebastian 2013 Pearls

Trailer

Canada

Gabrielle

Dir: Louise Archambault

Language: French

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013, Toronto- Tiff 2013, Locarno International Film Festival 2013

Trailer

Chile

Gloria

Dir: Sebastian Lelio

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Acquired by Roadside Attractions for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Cannes 2013, Toronto - Tiff 2013

Trailer

Colombia

La Playa DC

Dir: Juan Andrés Arango

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Released by Artmattan Productions on July 19th, 2013

Festivals:Official Selection Cannes 2012 Un Certain Regard, Chicago Iff 2012 New Directors Competition

Trailer

Croatia

Halima's Path

Dir: Arsen Anton Ostojić

Language: Bosnian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Tallinn Black Nights Iff 2012 - EurAsia (Special Jury Prize)

Trailer

Czech Republic

Burning Bush

Dir: Agnieszka Holland

Language: Czech

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2013

Trailer

Denmark

The Hunt

Dir: Thomas Vinterberg

Language: Danish

U.S Release: Released by Magnolia Pictures on July 12th

Festivals: Cannes 2012 Competition, Toronto - Tiff 2012, AFI Fest

Trailer

Dominican Republic

Who's the Boss?

Dir: Ronni Castillo

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Egypt

Winter of Discontent

Dir: Ibrahim el-Batout

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013

Trailer

Estonia

Free Range

Dir: Veiko Õunpuu

Language: Estonian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2012

Trailer

Finland

The Disciple

Dir: Ulrika Bengts

Language: Finnish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals:Helsinki International Film Festival, Montréal World Film Festival

Trailer

France

Renoir

Dir: Gilles Bourdos

Language: French

U.S Release: Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on March 29th, 2013

Festivals: Cannes 2012 Un Certain Regard

Trailer

Georgia

In Bloom

Dir: Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß

Language: Georgian

U.S Release: Acquired by Big World Pictures for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Cannes 2013, Cicae award Berlinale Forum 2013

Trailer

Germany

Two Lives

Dir: Georg Maas

Language: German

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Cannes 2013, Toronto-tiff 2013, Busan 2013

Trailer

Greece

Boy Eating The Bird's Food

Dir: Ektoras Lygizos

Language: Greek

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2012 Discovery

Trailer

Hong Kong

The Grandmaster

Dir: Wong Kar-wai

Language: Cantonese, Mandarin

U.S Release: Released by The Weinstein Company on August 23rd, 2013

Festivals: Berlinale - Efm 2013, Cannes 2013

Trailer

Hungary

The Notebook

Dir: Janosz Szasz

Language: Hungarian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2013 Contemporary World Cinema

Trailer

Iceland

Of Horses and Men

Dir: Benedikt Erlingsson

Language: Icelandic

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Sundance 2013

Trailer

India

The Good Road

Dir: Gyan Correa

Language: Gujarati

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: London Indian Film Festival in 2013

Trailer

Iran

The Past

Dir: Asghar Farhadi

Language: French, Persian

U.S Release: Sony Pictures Classics will release the film on December 20th, 2013

Festivals:Cannes 2013 Competition-Won Best Actress, Toronto - Tiff 2013

Trailer

Israel

Bethlehem

Dir: Yuval Adler

Language: Hebrew

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2013 Discovery, Cannes 2013 , Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

Italy

The Great Beauty

Dir: Paolo Sorrentino

Language: Italian

U.S Release: Acquired by Janus Films for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Competition, Berlin Efm 2013,

Trailer

Japan

The Great Passage

Dir: Yuya Ishii

Language: Japanese

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Fantasia Ff 2013 Official Selection, Cannes 2013

Trailer

Kazakhstan

The Old Man

Dir: Ermek Tursunov

Language: Russian, Kazakh

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Latvia

Mother, I Love You

Dir: Janis Nords

Language: Latvian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013, Los Angeles Film Festival 2013

Trailer

Lebanon

Ghadi

Dir: Amin Dora

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Lithuania

Conversations on Serious Topics

Dir: Giedrė Beinoriūtė

Language: Lithuanian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

Luxembourg

Blind Spot

Dir: Christophe Wagner

Language: Luxembourgish, French

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2012

Trailer

Mexico

Heli

Dir: Amat Escalante

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Competition-Won Best Director, San Sebastian 2013 Horizontes Latinos,

Trailer

Montenegro

Bad Destiny

Dir: Draško Đurović

Language: Serbo-Croatian

U.S Release: Acquired by Princ Films for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Toronto- Tiff 2013, Busan 2013

Trailer

Morocco

God's Horses

Dir: Nabil Ayouch

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2012, Bif London Film Festival 2012

Trailer

Nepal

Soongava: Dance of the Orchids

Dir: Subarna Thapa

Language: Nepalese

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2012, Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

The Netherlands

Borgman

Dir: Alex van Warmerdam

Language: Dutch

U.S Release: Acquired by Drafthouse Films for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Competition, Busan 2013, Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

New Zealand

White Lies

Dir: Dana Rotberg

Language: Maori

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Norway

I Am Yours

Dir: Iram Haq

Language: Norwegian, Urdu

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Pakistan

Zinda Bhaag

Dir: Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi

Language: Udu, Punjabi

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Palestine

Omar

Dir: Hany Abu-Assad

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Un Certain Regard, Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Peru

The Cleaner

Dir: Adrian Saba

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Palm Springs Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival

Trailer

Philippines

Transit

Dir: Hannah Espia

Language: Filipino, Tagalog, Hebrew

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cinemalaya Film Festival 2013

Trailer

Poland

Walesa

Dir: Andrzej Wajda

Language: Polish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2013, Venice- Biennale 2013

Trailer

Portugal

Lines of Wellington

Dir: Valeria Sarmiento

Language: Portuguese, English, French

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Venice - Biennale 2012 Competition, Toronto - Tiff 2012

Trailer

Romania

Child's Pose

Dir: Calin Peter Netzer

Language: Romanian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlinale - Efm 2013 - Competition (Golden Bear for the Best Film), Toronto - Tiff 2013 Contemporary World Cinema

Trailer

Russia

Stalingrad

Dir: Fedor Bondarchuk

Language: Russian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: N/A

Trailer

Saudi Arabia

Wadjda

Dir: Haifaa al-Mansour

Language: Arabic

U.S Release: Released by Sony Pictures Classics on September 13th, 2013

Festivals: Cannes 2012, Venice International Film Festival 2012, Los Angeles Film Festival, Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Serbia

Circles

Dir: Srdan Golubovic

Language: Serbian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Sundance 2013 World Dramatic, Berlinale - Efm 2013 Forum, Cannes 2013

Trailer

Singapore

Ilo Ilo

Dir: Anthony Chen

Language: Mandarin, Hokkien, English, Tagalog

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013 Directors Fortnight, Toronto - Tiff 2013 Discovery

Trailer

Slovakia

My Dog Killer

Dir: Mira Fornay

Language: Slovak

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Berlin Efm 2013, Cannes 2013, Busan 2013

Trailer

Slovenia

Class Enemy

Dir: Rok Biček

Language: Slovene

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013, Toronto-tiff 2013

Trailer

Spain

15 Years and One Day

Dir: Gracia Querejeta

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: San Sebastian 2013 Made in Spain, Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

South Africa

Four Corners

Dir: Ian Gabriel

Language: Afrikaans, Tsotsitaal

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals:N/A

Trailer

South Korea

Juvenile Offender

Dir: Kang Yi-kwan

Language: Korean

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2012 Contemporary World Cinema,

Trailer

Sweden

Eat Sleep Die

Dir: Gabriela Pichler

Language: Swedish, Croatian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Venice International Film Festival 2012, Toronto - Tiff 2012

Trailer

Switzerland

More Than Honey

Dir: Markus Imhoof

Language: German, Mandarin

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto - Tiff 2012 Tiff Docs, Cannes 2013, Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

Taiwan

Soul

Dir: Mong-Hong Chung

Language: Mandarin

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Cannes 2013, Toronto - Tiff 2013 Vanguard

Trailer

Thailand

Countdown

Dir: Nattawut Poonpiriya

Language: Thai

U.S Release: Acquired by Birch Tree Entertainment for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Cannes 2013, Far East Film Festival 2013

Trailer

Turkey

The Butterfly's Dream

Dir: Yılmaz Erdoğan

Language: Turkish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Istanbul Film Festival, Los Angeles Turkish Film Festival

Trailer

Ukraine

Paradjanov

Dir: Serge Avedikian and Olena Fetisova

Language: Russian

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Toronto 2013

Trailer

United Kingdom

Metro Manila

Dir: Sean Elllis

Language: Filipino, Tagalog

U.S Release: Acquired by Paladin/108 Media for U.S Distribution

Festivals: Sundance 2013 World Dramatic, Berlin Efm 2012, Cannes 2012, Afm 2012, Berlin Efm 2013

Trailer

Venezuela

Breach in the Silence

Dir: Luis and Andrés Rodríguez

Language: Spanish

U.S Release: Tba

Festivals: Ventana Sur 2012, Festival de Mar del Plata "Panorama Latinomaericano"

Trailer...

Time for another Far East delicacy to gnaw on as the first poster and trailer are here for the latest spooker from Taiwan, Soul. Check 'em out right here along with a side order of fried rice and wontons.

Mong-Hong Chung directs this latest thriller, which tells the tale of a bloody, philosophical investigation of possession which looks at what happens when someone is possessed by another soul and how his family treats him.

Expect much shrieking, etc. Dig on the goods below, and look for more on this one soon!

Synopsis

30-year-old A-Chuan is a sous chef at a Japanese restaurant. One day he collapses and is rushed to the hospital, where doctors are at a loss to explain what happened to him. They deduce that his sudden disassociated state is a psychological disorder and send him back to his hometown in the mountains to recuperate under the care of his 70-year-old father,...

I don’t know much about Taiwanese director Mong-Hong Chung’s upcoming thriller “Soul,” but the teaser is certainly eye-catching. Although it doesn’t reveal much in terms of the story, it definitely sets the proverbial stage for some truly unsettling moments. I can’t wait to see more. As always, here’s a healthy synopsis to help get you started: Quiet, 30 year-old A-Chuan is a sous chef at a Japanese restaurant. One day he collapses and is rushed to hospital, where doctors are at a loss to explain what happened to him. They deduce that his sudden disassociated state is a psychological disorder and send him back to his hometown in the mountains to recuperate under the care of his 70 year-old father, Wang. A-Chuan won’t speak, won’t eat and can’t even go to the toilet on his own. One day his father returns from work to...

A study of madness, ghostly possession or both? Either way, the plotline and trailer we’ve stumbled across for Taiwanese director Mong-Hong Chung’s psychological thriller...Soul, has well and truly piqued our interest. It debuted at last years Cannes film fest, and is getting a release this summer. Synopsis: Quiet, 30 year-old A-Chuan is a sous chef at a Japanese restaurant. One day he collapses and is rushed to hospital, where doctors are at a loss to explain what happened to him. They deduce that his sudden disassociated state is a psychological disorder and send him back to his hometown in the mountains to recuperate under the care of his 70 year-old father, Wang. A-Chuan won’t speak, won’t eat and can’t even go to the toilet on his own. One day his father returns from work to find A-Chuan sitting in the corner and his daughter, Yan, dead...

This is kind of becoming old hat, isn’t it? Another day, another quality acquisition from Montreal based DVD label Evokative Films. They’ve already got Miki Satoshi’s Adrift In Tokyo and Sion Sono’s Hazard and now the young start up outfit has picked up rights to Chung Mong-Hong’s Taiwanese drama Parking, starring Chang Chen and Chapman To. Our very own Simon caught this at the World Film Festival in Montreal and came away much impressed.

As I mentionned earlier in my first article on the World Film Festival, this event suffers from Tiff picking up the majority of the year’s exciting titles. There are some exceptions and Parking is one of them. Why Toronto didn’t pick this first feature is a total mystery. This gem puts a new talent in Taiwanese cinema on the map, a promising director named Chung Mong-hong.