Wang Xiaoshuai, director of “So Long, My Son” and “Red Amnesia,” will be the most senior mainland Chinese director to present a new film at a major Western festival this year.
That may be a reflection of the growing political and economic separation between China and the West over the past couple of years — with Covid an additional irritant. But tough times can also breed innovation.
Wang’s latest, “The Hotel,” a chamber piece about a small group of Chinese tourists trapped in a hotel in Thailand during the early days of the pandemic, was inspired by events that Wang personally endured in 2020. It was made in almost improvised fashion, with a hastily written screenplay and shot with available crew.
The film was financed and produced entirely outside mainland China and has not obtained the “Dragon Seal,” the mark of China’s censorship approval. That means the film cannot (yet) have a release in China,...
That may be a reflection of the growing political and economic separation between China and the West over the past couple of years — with Covid an additional irritant. But tough times can also breed innovation.
Wang’s latest, “The Hotel,” a chamber piece about a small group of Chinese tourists trapped in a hotel in Thailand during the early days of the pandemic, was inspired by events that Wang personally endured in 2020. It was made in almost improvised fashion, with a hastily written screenplay and shot with available crew.
The film was financed and produced entirely outside mainland China and has not obtained the “Dragon Seal,” the mark of China’s censorship approval. That means the film cannot (yet) have a release in China,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Directors of award-winning films including Uncle Boonmee… and Kandahar also back freedom of expression fight.
Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Fremaux, Venice’s Alberto Barbera and renowned filmmakers including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tsai Ming Liang and the Makhmalbaf family have sent strongly-worded statements of support to the Busan International Film Festival (Biff), currently embroiled in a censorship struggle.
The Busan fest last year refused mayor Seo Byeong-soo’s request to withdraw the ferry disaster documentary The Truth Shall Not Sink With The Sewol and has since been through what pundits have called a “vindictive audit”, and has seen the mayor this year request festival director Lee Yong-kwan step down.
Fremaux in a video expressed “stupefaction and sadness” over the events at Busan and the demand that Lee Yong-kwan resign.
Fremaux describes Lee and the Busan fest as “very respected in the world of film festivals” for reasons that include, for instance, for the French...
Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Fremaux, Venice’s Alberto Barbera and renowned filmmakers including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tsai Ming Liang and the Makhmalbaf family have sent strongly-worded statements of support to the Busan International Film Festival (Biff), currently embroiled in a censorship struggle.
The Busan fest last year refused mayor Seo Byeong-soo’s request to withdraw the ferry disaster documentary The Truth Shall Not Sink With The Sewol and has since been through what pundits have called a “vindictive audit”, and has seen the mayor this year request festival director Lee Yong-kwan step down.
Fremaux in a video expressed “stupefaction and sadness” over the events at Busan and the demand that Lee Yong-kwan resign.
Fremaux describes Lee and the Busan fest as “very respected in the world of film festivals” for reasons that include, for instance, for the French...
- 2/23/2015
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has acquired a 60% stake in film and TV producer and distributor ChinaVision Media Group for $804m.
The deal gives Alibaba access to film and TV content at a time when competition with internet rivals such as Tencent Holdings and Baidu is intensifying.
Alibaba has recently stepped up its involvement in the entertainment and gaming sectors – launching the Ali TV operating system last July and a mobile gaming platform this year.
Tencent, which owns a minority stake in ChinaVision, is also moving into Alibaba’s turf by announcing the acquisition of a stake in online retailer Jd.com earlier this week. Following the Alibaba deal, Tencent’s 8% stake in ChinaVision has been diluted to around 3%. Other ChinaVision shareholders include Us venture capital firm Sequoia Capital.
ChinaVision was one of the major investors in the top-grossing movie in China last year; Stephen Chow’s Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons. It also produces...
The deal gives Alibaba access to film and TV content at a time when competition with internet rivals such as Tencent Holdings and Baidu is intensifying.
Alibaba has recently stepped up its involvement in the entertainment and gaming sectors – launching the Ali TV operating system last July and a mobile gaming platform this year.
Tencent, which owns a minority stake in ChinaVision, is also moving into Alibaba’s turf by announcing the acquisition of a stake in online retailer Jd.com earlier this week. Following the Alibaba deal, Tencent’s 8% stake in ChinaVision has been diluted to around 3%. Other ChinaVision shareholders include Us venture capital firm Sequoia Capital.
ChinaVision was one of the major investors in the top-grossing movie in China last year; Stephen Chow’s Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons. It also produces...
- 3/12/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has acquired a 60% stake in film and TV producer and distributor ChinaVision Media Group for $804m.
The deal gives Alibaba access to film and TV content at a time when competition with internet rivals such as Tencent Holdings and Baidu is intensifying.
Alibaba has recently stepped up its involvement in the entertainment and gaming sectors – launching the Ali TV operating system last July and a mobile gaming platform this year.
Tencent, which owns a minority stake in ChinaVision, is also moving into Alibaba’s turf by announcing the acquisition of a stake in online retailer Jd.com earlier this week. Following the Alibaba deal, Tencent’s 8% stake in ChinaVision has been diluted to around 3%. Other ChinaVision shareholders include Us venture capital firm Sequoia Capital.
ChinaVision was one of the major investors in the top-grossing movie in China last year; Stephen Chow’s Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons. It also produces...
The deal gives Alibaba access to film and TV content at a time when competition with internet rivals such as Tencent Holdings and Baidu is intensifying.
Alibaba has recently stepped up its involvement in the entertainment and gaming sectors – launching the Ali TV operating system last July and a mobile gaming platform this year.
Tencent, which owns a minority stake in ChinaVision, is also moving into Alibaba’s turf by announcing the acquisition of a stake in online retailer Jd.com earlier this week. Following the Alibaba deal, Tencent’s 8% stake in ChinaVision has been diluted to around 3%. Other ChinaVision shareholders include Us venture capital firm Sequoia Capital.
ChinaVision was one of the major investors in the top-grossing movie in China last year; Stephen Chow’s Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons. It also produces...
- 3/12/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Pang Ho-cheung’s Aberdeen and Fruit Chan’s The Midnight After will open this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff), which takes place March 24-April 7.
Starring Louis Koo, Miriam Yeung and Gigi Leung, Aberdeen is a drama revolving around different members of an extended Hong Kong family. Post-apocalyptic thriller The Midnight After recently premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin film festival.
The festival will also screen the world premiere of Beautiful 2014, the third installment in the portmanteau series co-produced by Hkiff and Chinese online video platform Youku. This year, the short films have been directed by Australia’s Christopher Doyle, China’s Zhang Yuan, Hong Kong’s Shu Kei and Korea’s Kang Je-gyu.
Another omnibus film, Three Charmed Lives, will also receive its world premiere at the festival. The film comprises shorts directed by three actors: Hong Kong’s Francis Ng, Taiwan’s Chang Chen and Korea’s Jeong U-seong.
On March 30, the...
Starring Louis Koo, Miriam Yeung and Gigi Leung, Aberdeen is a drama revolving around different members of an extended Hong Kong family. Post-apocalyptic thriller The Midnight After recently premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin film festival.
The festival will also screen the world premiere of Beautiful 2014, the third installment in the portmanteau series co-produced by Hkiff and Chinese online video platform Youku. This year, the short films have been directed by Australia’s Christopher Doyle, China’s Zhang Yuan, Hong Kong’s Shu Kei and Korea’s Kang Je-gyu.
Another omnibus film, Three Charmed Lives, will also receive its world premiere at the festival. The film comprises shorts directed by three actors: Hong Kong’s Francis Ng, Taiwan’s Chang Chen and Korea’s Jeong U-seong.
On March 30, the...
- 2/27/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson win actor prizes.Scroll down for full list of winners
Tir, the first narrative film by Italian director Alberto Fasulo, has picked up the Golden Marc Aurelio Award for best film at the 8th Rome Film Fesival.
The docu-drama explores the current econmic crisis as seen through the eyes of a former professor who becomes a trucker to solve his money problems. It stars Slovenian actor Branko Zavrsan (No Man’s Land).
Fasulo is best known for documentaries including White Noise (Rumore bianco). Tir is being sold internationally by Fandango Sales.
One of 18 competition titles, Tir beat heavyweight Us titles including Jean-Marc Vallee’s Dallas Buyers Club, Spike Jonze’s Her and Scott Cooper’s Out of the Furnace.
However, all three of those films did manage to secure wins at the festival on Saturday evening.
Scarlett Johansson, who walked the red carpet at Rome earlier in the festival, won the best...
Tir, the first narrative film by Italian director Alberto Fasulo, has picked up the Golden Marc Aurelio Award for best film at the 8th Rome Film Fesival.
The docu-drama explores the current econmic crisis as seen through the eyes of a former professor who becomes a trucker to solve his money problems. It stars Slovenian actor Branko Zavrsan (No Man’s Land).
Fasulo is best known for documentaries including White Noise (Rumore bianco). Tir is being sold internationally by Fandango Sales.
One of 18 competition titles, Tir beat heavyweight Us titles including Jean-Marc Vallee’s Dallas Buyers Club, Spike Jonze’s Her and Scott Cooper’s Out of the Furnace.
However, all three of those films did manage to secure wins at the festival on Saturday evening.
Scarlett Johansson, who walked the red carpet at Rome earlier in the festival, won the best...
- 11/17/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Us director James Gray to preside over main competition jury, as previously announced.
Marco Müller, artistic director of the 8th Rome Film Festival (Nov 8-17), has announced the jury members who will complete the Competition Jury.
Jury president James Gray will be joined by:
Verónica Chen (Argentina);Luca Guadagnino (Italy);Aleksei Guskov (Russia);Noémie Lvovsky (France);Amir Naderi (Iran);Zhang Yuan (China).
(See below for more details on the jury)
The Jury will confer the feature films in Competition the:
Golden Marc’Aurelio Award for Best FilmBest Director AwardSpecial Jury PrizeBest Actor AwardBest Actress AwardAward for Emerging Actor or ActressAward for Best Technical ContributionAward for Best Screenplay.
It was also announced today that Italian actress Anna Foglietta will host the awards ceremony on Nov 16.
The actress, whose credits include Anton Corbijn’s 2010 thriller The American, starring Geroge Clooney, will continue to do the honours through the second part of the evening, when the Maverick...
Marco Müller, artistic director of the 8th Rome Film Festival (Nov 8-17), has announced the jury members who will complete the Competition Jury.
Jury president James Gray will be joined by:
Verónica Chen (Argentina);Luca Guadagnino (Italy);Aleksei Guskov (Russia);Noémie Lvovsky (France);Amir Naderi (Iran);Zhang Yuan (China).
(See below for more details on the jury)
The Jury will confer the feature films in Competition the:
Golden Marc’Aurelio Award for Best FilmBest Director AwardSpecial Jury PrizeBest Actor AwardBest Actress AwardAward for Emerging Actor or ActressAward for Best Technical ContributionAward for Best Screenplay.
It was also announced today that Italian actress Anna Foglietta will host the awards ceremony on Nov 16.
The actress, whose credits include Anton Corbijn’s 2010 thriller The American, starring Geroge Clooney, will continue to do the honours through the second part of the evening, when the Maverick...
- 10/29/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Beijing Flickers
Written and directed by Zhang Yuan
China, 2012
Beijing Flickers is a compelling, loosely-plotted portrait of young outcasts in the titular city, each struggling to find their own place and independence in the face of escalating setbacks both personal and economic. Lead San Bao (Duan Bowen) spends much of the film mute, his first word after hundreds of days taking place in the opening sequence. Zhang Yuan’s narrative takes us back to the beginning of San Bao’s woes, which include the departure of his beloved dog, being made unemployable, and his girlfriend dumping him for a wealthy businessman.
In a drunken state one night, he eats a glass in a bar, resulting in a lacerated mouth; this bar is where You Zi (Li Xinyun) plays concerts with the local indie rock band she fronts. San Bao is temporarily hospitalised, sharing a room with Xioa Shi (Shi Shi...
Written and directed by Zhang Yuan
China, 2012
Beijing Flickers is a compelling, loosely-plotted portrait of young outcasts in the titular city, each struggling to find their own place and independence in the face of escalating setbacks both personal and economic. Lead San Bao (Duan Bowen) spends much of the film mute, his first word after hundreds of days taking place in the opening sequence. Zhang Yuan’s narrative takes us back to the beginning of San Bao’s woes, which include the departure of his beloved dog, being made unemployable, and his girlfriend dumping him for a wealthy businessman.
In a drunken state one night, he eats a glass in a bar, resulting in a lacerated mouth; this bar is where You Zi (Li Xinyun) plays concerts with the local indie rock band she fronts. San Bao is temporarily hospitalised, sharing a room with Xioa Shi (Shi Shi...
- 6/23/2013
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
The Shanghai International Film Festival’s Siff Project market closed last night (June 19) with Gao Bo’s Fantasy Journey picking up the award for Most Promising Investment Project.
Budgeted at $2m, the road movie is about a father who takes his previously unknown nine-year-old daughter to flee a creditor while masking the sadness of the things they encounter on the way with fanciful stories he makes up.
Gao’s previous credits include The Piano In A Factory, Only Walk and Lemon.
Li Xiaofeng’s Scrape My Bone took the award for Most Creative Project. Based on a novel, the China Film Pitch and Catch (Cfpc) selection portrays the development of two teenagers’ stories in four chapters spanning the four seasons.
Li previously worked as a scriptwriter and actor on Zhang Yuan’s Dada’s Dance.
Three projects won the Phenom Films Special Attention Award: Lu Yitong’s Invisible Tattoo – one of the Co-production Film Pitch and Catch...
Budgeted at $2m, the road movie is about a father who takes his previously unknown nine-year-old daughter to flee a creditor while masking the sadness of the things they encounter on the way with fanciful stories he makes up.
Gao’s previous credits include The Piano In A Factory, Only Walk and Lemon.
Li Xiaofeng’s Scrape My Bone took the award for Most Creative Project. Based on a novel, the China Film Pitch and Catch (Cfpc) selection portrays the development of two teenagers’ stories in four chapters spanning the four seasons.
Li previously worked as a scriptwriter and actor on Zhang Yuan’s Dada’s Dance.
Three projects won the Phenom Films Special Attention Award: Lu Yitong’s Invisible Tattoo – one of the Co-production Film Pitch and Catch...
- 6/20/2013
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Li Bingbing cast in Transformers 4. The casting of Li Bingbing in Transformers 4 (2014) answers the question of which Chinese actors will star in the Michael Bay directed film. Li Bingbing will play an unspecified role in the fourth Transformers movie. On Li Bingbing: Her film debut was Zhang Yuan’s Seventeen Years (1999), which won [...]
Continue reading: Transformers 4 (2014): Li Bingbing cast in Michael Bay Film...
Continue reading: Transformers 4 (2014): Li Bingbing cast in Michael Bay Film...
- 5/21/2013
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"A visually playful biopic on Mexico's Ed Wood." -Variety
The accolades continue to roll in as Global Lens 2013 puts a spotlight on The Fantastic Wrld of Juan Orol, which recently played at the San Diego Latino Film Festival.
The story: Move over Ed Wood! Mexico's half-forgotten B-movie master, "involuntary surrealist" Juan Orol, receives a pitch-perfect tribute in this irresistible love letter to a self-made man of showbiz, whose career spanned nearly sixty films. In a glorious black-and-white flashback mingling movie-tainted memories of his Galician childhood, forced exile to Cuba and arrival in Mexico. The intrepid "Juanito" pursues failed careers as baseball player, boxer, bullfighter and gangster before landing in the movies-where failure kind of works for him. As Orol, Roberto Sosa exudes droll underdog charm, anchoring a fast-moving comedy and a homage to a golden age of cinema.
"A clever camp homage to Orol, this film playfully explores the filmmaker's cult legacy, including visuals that deftly evoke the vintage stock of bygone eras, and the budget aesthetic of its subject." -AFI Silver
Through Global Lens, fans are invited to bring this film to local theaters or community centers. Preview this and the rest of the Global Lens 2013 lineup now on Festival Scope and email bookings [at] globalfilm.org.
Other Global Lens 2013 films now available for booking:
About 111 Girls (Darbare 111 Dokhtar), dir. Nahid Ghobadi and Bijan Bijan Zamanpira, Iraq, 2012, 79 minutes
An Iranian state official, his driver and a young guide race across a troubled but magnificent landscape to stop 111 young Kurdish women from committing suicide in protest against conditions that have left them spinsters. Official Selection, 2012 Busan Iff.
Beijing FlICKERS (You-zhong), dir. Zhang Yuan, China, 2012, 96 minutes
A young man left behind by Beijing's fabulous new wealth experiences moments of euphoria amid despair as he roams the city with other misfit dreamers in this darkly funny, gorgeously gritty portrait of disaffected youth. Official Selection, 2012 Toronto Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Busan.
Cairo 678, dir. Mohamed Diab, Egypt, 2010, 100 minutes
Three Cairene women from different backgrounds warily unite to combat the sexual harassment that has impacted each of their lives-and become a citywide plague-but their unconventional response provokes a dogged police hunt. Official Selection, 2011 New Directors/New Films; Official Selection, 2011 Seattle Iff; Muhr Arab Feature Best Actress and Best Actor, 2010 Dubai Iff.
The Fantastic World Of Juan Orol (El FANÁSTICO Mundo De Juan Orol) , dir. Sebastían del Amo, Mexico, 2012, 90 minutes
Move over Ed Wood! The story of Mexico's half-forgotten B-movie master, "involuntary surrealist" Juan Orol, receives a pitch-perfect tribute in this deft, irresistible love letter to life, the movies and a self-made man of showbiz. Best First Feature Film, 2012 Guadalajara Iff.
Life Kills Me (La Vida Me Mata), dir. Sebastían Silva, Chile, 2007, 92 minutes
Death come wrapped in a mutual embrace, absurd and poignant at once, in celebrated director Sebastián Silva's debut film about the unlikely friendship between a grieving, young cinematographer and a morbidly obsessed drifter. Best First Feature Film, 2008 International Latino Ff; Best Chilean Film of 2007, Chilean Art Critics Circle.
Modest Reception (Paziraie Sadeh), dir. Mani Haghighi, Iran, 2012, 100 minutes
Two sibling-sophisticates from Tehran travel the mountainous northern countryside, maniacally pushing bags of money on locals-a hilarious and alarming exercise that unfurls with unexpected force amid subtle themes of power and corruption. Netpac Prize, 2012 Berlin Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Chicago Iff.
The Parade (Parada), dir. Srdjan Dragojevic, Serbia, 2011, 115 minutes
In exchange for some wedding-planning expertise, a macho Serbian crime boss recruits a ragtag group of Balkan war-buddies to provide protection for a Pride march in this rollicking yet poignant comedy inspired by real events. Panorama Audience Award, 2012 Berlin Iff; Fipresci Serbia Award for Best Serbian Film 2011.
Shyamal Uncle Turns Off The Lights, dir. Suman Ghosh, India, 2012, 65 minutes
An 80-year-old Kolkata retiree is determined to get the streetlights turned off after sunrise, but finding someone to take him seriously proves a battle against an indifferent bureaucracy and a complacent status quo. Official Selection, 2012 Busan Iff.
Southwest (Sudoeste) dir. Eduardo Nunes, Brazil, 2011, 128 minutes
A young woman gives birth on her deathbed to a child who, spirited away to a remote lakeside village, lives her lifetime in a single day, in this hauntingly dreamlike tale of incommensurable life. Special Jury Prize, Fipresci Best Latin American Film and Best Photography, 2011 Rio Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Iff Rotterdam.
Student, dir. Darezhan Omirbayev, Kazakhstan, 2012, 90 minutes
A solitary philosophy student commits a calculated violent crime against the backdrop of Kazakhstan's growing inequality, institutional corruption and a ruthless ethic of eat-or-be-eaten in this broodingly contemporary adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Un Certain Regard, 2012 Cannes Ff; Official Selection, 2012 Toronto Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Venice If.
The Global Lens film series is an annual, curated program of narrative feature films from Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Films from the series are screened in more than fifty cities nationwide, are featured exclusively on Virgin America airlines, and include top festival picks and official submissions to the Oscars. All proceeds received from Global Lens are reinvested in the Global Film Initiative's Granting Program, and other philanthropic programs of the Initiative.
About The Global Film Initiative
The Global Film Initiative was founded in 2002 to create global understanding, empathy and connectivity through film. Since its establishment, the Initiative has supported hundreds of filmmakers with grants and networking opportunities, and has presented its signature film series, Global Lens, in the U.S. and select international locations via a diverse network of artistic, educational, cultural and diplomatic partners. For more information about the Global Lens film series and Global Film Initiative programs, readers are invited to http://globalfilm.org/programs.htm
Change the Way You See the World.
The Global Film Initiative is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All proceeds from the Global Lens film series support international filmmaker grants, educational programming and resources, touring film exhibitions and other philanthropic initiatives and programs sponsored by the Global Film Initiative.
The accolades continue to roll in as Global Lens 2013 puts a spotlight on The Fantastic Wrld of Juan Orol, which recently played at the San Diego Latino Film Festival.
The story: Move over Ed Wood! Mexico's half-forgotten B-movie master, "involuntary surrealist" Juan Orol, receives a pitch-perfect tribute in this irresistible love letter to a self-made man of showbiz, whose career spanned nearly sixty films. In a glorious black-and-white flashback mingling movie-tainted memories of his Galician childhood, forced exile to Cuba and arrival in Mexico. The intrepid "Juanito" pursues failed careers as baseball player, boxer, bullfighter and gangster before landing in the movies-where failure kind of works for him. As Orol, Roberto Sosa exudes droll underdog charm, anchoring a fast-moving comedy and a homage to a golden age of cinema.
"A clever camp homage to Orol, this film playfully explores the filmmaker's cult legacy, including visuals that deftly evoke the vintage stock of bygone eras, and the budget aesthetic of its subject." -AFI Silver
Through Global Lens, fans are invited to bring this film to local theaters or community centers. Preview this and the rest of the Global Lens 2013 lineup now on Festival Scope and email bookings [at] globalfilm.org.
Other Global Lens 2013 films now available for booking:
About 111 Girls (Darbare 111 Dokhtar), dir. Nahid Ghobadi and Bijan Bijan Zamanpira, Iraq, 2012, 79 minutes
An Iranian state official, his driver and a young guide race across a troubled but magnificent landscape to stop 111 young Kurdish women from committing suicide in protest against conditions that have left them spinsters. Official Selection, 2012 Busan Iff.
Beijing FlICKERS (You-zhong), dir. Zhang Yuan, China, 2012, 96 minutes
A young man left behind by Beijing's fabulous new wealth experiences moments of euphoria amid despair as he roams the city with other misfit dreamers in this darkly funny, gorgeously gritty portrait of disaffected youth. Official Selection, 2012 Toronto Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Busan.
Cairo 678, dir. Mohamed Diab, Egypt, 2010, 100 minutes
Three Cairene women from different backgrounds warily unite to combat the sexual harassment that has impacted each of their lives-and become a citywide plague-but their unconventional response provokes a dogged police hunt. Official Selection, 2011 New Directors/New Films; Official Selection, 2011 Seattle Iff; Muhr Arab Feature Best Actress and Best Actor, 2010 Dubai Iff.
The Fantastic World Of Juan Orol (El FANÁSTICO Mundo De Juan Orol) , dir. Sebastían del Amo, Mexico, 2012, 90 minutes
Move over Ed Wood! The story of Mexico's half-forgotten B-movie master, "involuntary surrealist" Juan Orol, receives a pitch-perfect tribute in this deft, irresistible love letter to life, the movies and a self-made man of showbiz. Best First Feature Film, 2012 Guadalajara Iff.
Life Kills Me (La Vida Me Mata), dir. Sebastían Silva, Chile, 2007, 92 minutes
Death come wrapped in a mutual embrace, absurd and poignant at once, in celebrated director Sebastián Silva's debut film about the unlikely friendship between a grieving, young cinematographer and a morbidly obsessed drifter. Best First Feature Film, 2008 International Latino Ff; Best Chilean Film of 2007, Chilean Art Critics Circle.
Modest Reception (Paziraie Sadeh), dir. Mani Haghighi, Iran, 2012, 100 minutes
Two sibling-sophisticates from Tehran travel the mountainous northern countryside, maniacally pushing bags of money on locals-a hilarious and alarming exercise that unfurls with unexpected force amid subtle themes of power and corruption. Netpac Prize, 2012 Berlin Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Chicago Iff.
The Parade (Parada), dir. Srdjan Dragojevic, Serbia, 2011, 115 minutes
In exchange for some wedding-planning expertise, a macho Serbian crime boss recruits a ragtag group of Balkan war-buddies to provide protection for a Pride march in this rollicking yet poignant comedy inspired by real events. Panorama Audience Award, 2012 Berlin Iff; Fipresci Serbia Award for Best Serbian Film 2011.
Shyamal Uncle Turns Off The Lights, dir. Suman Ghosh, India, 2012, 65 minutes
An 80-year-old Kolkata retiree is determined to get the streetlights turned off after sunrise, but finding someone to take him seriously proves a battle against an indifferent bureaucracy and a complacent status quo. Official Selection, 2012 Busan Iff.
Southwest (Sudoeste) dir. Eduardo Nunes, Brazil, 2011, 128 minutes
A young woman gives birth on her deathbed to a child who, spirited away to a remote lakeside village, lives her lifetime in a single day, in this hauntingly dreamlike tale of incommensurable life. Special Jury Prize, Fipresci Best Latin American Film and Best Photography, 2011 Rio Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Iff Rotterdam.
Student, dir. Darezhan Omirbayev, Kazakhstan, 2012, 90 minutes
A solitary philosophy student commits a calculated violent crime against the backdrop of Kazakhstan's growing inequality, institutional corruption and a ruthless ethic of eat-or-be-eaten in this broodingly contemporary adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Un Certain Regard, 2012 Cannes Ff; Official Selection, 2012 Toronto Iff; Official Selection, 2012 Venice If.
The Global Lens film series is an annual, curated program of narrative feature films from Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Films from the series are screened in more than fifty cities nationwide, are featured exclusively on Virgin America airlines, and include top festival picks and official submissions to the Oscars. All proceeds received from Global Lens are reinvested in the Global Film Initiative's Granting Program, and other philanthropic programs of the Initiative.
About The Global Film Initiative
The Global Film Initiative was founded in 2002 to create global understanding, empathy and connectivity through film. Since its establishment, the Initiative has supported hundreds of filmmakers with grants and networking opportunities, and has presented its signature film series, Global Lens, in the U.S. and select international locations via a diverse network of artistic, educational, cultural and diplomatic partners. For more information about the Global Lens film series and Global Film Initiative programs, readers are invited to http://globalfilm.org/programs.htm
Change the Way You See the World.
The Global Film Initiative is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All proceeds from the Global Lens film series support international filmmaker grants, educational programming and resources, touring film exhibitions and other philanthropic initiatives and programs sponsored by the Global Film Initiative.
- 3/22/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Beijing Flickers (dir. Zhang Yuan) featured in Global Lens 2013, follows the travails of a poor, despairing, but stubbornly proud, young man named San Bao (played by actor Duan Bowen) and his circle of 20-something bohemians and dreamers. Their stories are set against a backdrop of a burgeoning, materialistic, and brutally unequal city, yet one with an almost ethereal magic to it.
The film blends once more a highly cinematic style with a documentary-like devotion to the lives and stories conveyed onscreen. Indeed, the film itself grew out of Zhang's 2010 photography exhibition, Unspoiled Brats, commissioned by Beijing's Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, in which he profiled the images and stories of 10 Beijing 20-something nonconformists. Zhang's cameo in the film-- as a wealthy, inebriated restaurant patron who gratefully offers his support to the young chauffeur who has seen him safely home--acknowledges and even gently sends up his own success relative to this younger generation while firmly underscoring his role as a sympathetic "big brother."
Through a combination of cinematic theatricality and close-to-the-ground realism, Beijing Flickers registers the ongoing tumult of change in contemporary China while giving voice to today's new generation of restless, creative seekers. The film received its U.S. premiere on January 10 at New York's Museum of Modern Art, where it led off the Global Film Initiative's 2013 Global Lens series. The film recently opened in New York at the Museum of Modern Art, leading off the premiere of the Global Film Initiative's Global Lens 2013 film series. A few hours prior to the screening, Zhang Yuan sat at a table in a small room on an upper floor of the Museum of Modern Art's education department.
Facing a plate glass window that looked out on the museum courtyard and the late-afternoon Manhattan skyline, Zhang spoke about his new film and the hopes and surprises it held for him two decades after Beijing Bastards had offered a seminal portrait of his own outsider generation. Assisting with the interview was translator Vincent (Tzu-Wen) Cheng.
Rob Avila: Beijing Flickers is beautifully and also meticulously shot. You studied cinematography as a student at the Beijing Film Academy. Was it images that first attracted you to filmmaking, and are images how a film begins for you? Or is it more often an idea you have that you then translate into a visual language?
Zhang Yuan: Actually, around six years old, I somehow got drawn into painting quite a bit. At that time, I got sick quite often and I couldn't go to school, so I would stay around the house, and I picked up painting because of that. That was the initiation for me, in terms of this visual component. After that, when I was maybe 15 or 16 years old-i didn't see myself as a painter in the future, however, when I was in my teenage years I started to pick up some very interesting writings and then moved from literature to films. And eventually I went into the Film Academy for cinematography.
Ra: I also mention cinematography because the new film sets out to, among other things, capture the face of Beijing today--a face that's changed so much since Beijing Bastards and continues constantly changing so much. How did you strategize to capture this on the screen?
Zy: I was not only the director, but I also served as a director of cinematography for this particular film. The reason for that was that I wanted to have full control of the visual component. For this film, I'm definitely trying to reflect, in a very realistic way, what's going on right now in China, in Beijing especially. So everything's on location.
The sites selected were usually places that I'm very familiar with. Places I've been to, places that have some kind of emotional significance to me--including everything from the different bars to the arrangement of furniture--and that somehow play out the sense of here and now in Beijing.
Ra: Moving from the face of the city to your characters, it seems that they too share a mixture of beauty and resilience as well as a feeling of dislocation or disorder. They are as much remade as remaking themselves (one even goes in for facelifts). Their tumultuousness reflects, and is reflected in, the city itself.
I wonder how familiar or how different you found those characters compared to your own generation, the generation of Beijing Bastards and the 1990s? Did you feel an immediate kinship with them or were there things that surprised you about them?
Zy: This is a very good question, because when I first started this project I thought that I understood this new generation of youth. Before I did this film I put together the photography exhibition at the Ullens Center [for Contemporary Art] in Beijing. For this particular exhibition, I had a chance to interact with about 200-plus young participants, and not only through interviews. Mostly--before I would even ask them questions--they would just sit down and tell me stories about their lives. So I got to listen to a lot of fascinating stories.
And I realized after all these interviews and all these interactions with the 200-plus young people, that I was wrong about my judgment, my assessment of this new generation. I thought that since they grew up in a very different environment--they were born after 1980, after Deng Xiaoping and after the reforms so they grew up in a very different environment than our generation, which was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution and didn't have outlets for culture, for film, for different forms of expression--so I assumed that they must be very happy, and have a lot of creative outlets for expression and just culturally a lot of options.
But I realized that I was wrong, because they also had a lot of sad stories to share. It's very interesting. At first I really thought that they would probably be not as quote-unquote unhappy as we were, but in fact they had other reasons to be unhappy.
Ra: The challenges they face are distinct from the ones of your generation, in terms of seeking livelihoods and creative expression. You can glean much from the film, of course, but what specifically are the challenges that they face as you see it?
Zy: I think one of the major differences I observed through the interviews and interactions I had with them was--i don't know if this was coincidence or not--that almost 80 or 90 percent of them had parents who were divorced.
As a result, they left home quite early, from other provinces and other cities to Beijing, when they were still very young. So I do think that, on some level, there are a lot of similarities among New York, Beijing, Tokyo, for example. Although, categorically, it's not exactly capitalism in Beijing, but in fact it's actually the same as Tokyo and New York, this idea of suddenly becoming a mega-city. During my time, there were only about eight or nine million people in Beijing; now you have [over 20 million].
I think just the sheer numbers of people in the same space, trying to survive, that's where the pressures and where the heartaches are from.
Ra: How is the relative opening of China to the rest of the world, and the even more recent ability of masses of people to travel abroad, changing this generation? Is that a big factor in the desires and self-image of the generation you portray in your film?
Zy: I think that's also one of the reasons why I was involved not only in this film but also in this art project with Ullens. I do think that when people think about China they tend to think about the growth of the annual Gdp, or they tend to think about the mega-skyscrapers and buildings, and the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games-and all these superficial things. But to me, it's more important to think about what's beneath that surface and really going on in people's lives. What kind of real impact has it had on people's lives, all this superficial growth and progress?
For me, I take it almost like a mission to find something that's close to reality, what's really going on. Although I of course know the stories that I put together in the film are so-called fictional, to me these are real stories I want to put together in a so-called fiction film. I want to make sure that all the stories that I put in my films are real stories. And in fact these are the stories that I heard from the people I interacted with and the people I interviewed through this particular art project that I did.
I'm a filmmaker; I'm not an economist or a sociologist. The only way for me to do this is to use these real stories to document, to record, and to witness what's really going on through the economic transformation in China.
Ra: We're still a few hours away from the film's U.S. debut, but I wonder what the response was from audiences in Toronto. What is your sense of how the film is being received over here? Do people relate to the kinds of stories and experiences described in the film?
Zy: In general, the reaction was very positive. A lot of people did mention that they welcomed the opportunity to see a different side of Beijing, something that they hadn't seen before or had a chance to see before. And of course people are very curious about whether these stories are real or entirely made up. To answer that question of whether these stories are real stories or fictional stories, I think that pointed to the biggest challenge for me in this particular film. My intention is to get as close to reality as possible. As I mentioned, I already had all the photographs for the exhibition, I had all the interviews that I had one, I had all these raw materials.
The next thing was to think about how am I going to put this all together to get very close to the truth and to the reality. I had this method or process to put things together, similar to how I put together East Palace, West Palace, how I put together Beijing Bastards or Seventeen Years. It's almost like documentary, but it's a feature film with a documentary style to it.
To me, this is a continuation of that, but I definitely think this was the biggest challenge so far, that I have to somehow find a way to make every component work together, in a very realistic way, in a very documentary way.
Ra: As the film prepares to head across the United States as part of Global Lens, I wanted to ask you about the relationship between China and the U.S. specifically.
You've been making films for two decades. What does that mean in the context of how you perceive the relationship between China and the U.S. evolving in that time, in the time you have been a filmmaker. What is your perspective on the nature of this relationship and how it's changed since your films have been showing here?
Zy: I definitely think that in terms of films, in terms of culture, this type of exchange is very important and it's also ongoing. If you look back on how people started to have access to a lot of films from Chinese directors, including Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhangke, also me, and other directors, that gave audiences some sense of what this particular place is about.
They learned something from the films that they watch.
If you take a look at the Hollywood film industry, there are about 32 Hollywood films in China every year. They take up more than half of the film market there. On some level the exchange is still ongoing, especially this type of cultural exchange.
Personally, I learned about the United States through films, at first, and then through literature, novels, and through real stories you get through news and other outlets. And the more you learn through all these different media, the more you realize that human nature is the same everywhere, that there's some kind of universality to it, that we're essentially the same on many different levels.
Ra: Can you talk a little about casting Beijing Flickers? Did you have people in mind as you put the script together, or was in some cases a challenge to find the right actor for a part?
Zy: When we started the script there were definitely certain parts where I already had someone in mind for some roles. There were also people we had to find after we finished the script, for example, the character Xioa Shi, who is the cross-dresser. We actually have a prototype, which is the person who actually shared the story with us. We tried to see if it would work with him playing this role himself. But there was just something that was not quite right about the way he expressed himself in front of the camera, so we needed to find someone to play the role but still keep the sense of reality and truthfulness. That was probably one of the more challenging casting choices that I had to make, to find someone to play that role when in fact we already had the prototype himself try this character.
Ra: He's a fascinating character. He comes across as both very youthful and also somehow very old-souled. There's a wonderful duality in general to that character, and he's wonderfully embodied by the actor. Where did you end up finding the actor?
Zy: I do think that casting is definitely important. If you have the right cast, you don't need to do a lot, just a few clues, a little bit of suggestion, and they will find a way. For this particular role of Xioa Shi, [the actor Shi Shi] is not professionally trained as an actor. But he is a model, and he is also a dancer, so he had the quality to play this role and we saw that in him. It took a little bit of guidance, but then he found a way to embody this particular character.
Ra: What is the most immediate, or satisfying aspect of the process of filmmaking to you?
Zy: To me, the most rewarding part of this whole process is that I do actualize and fulfill the plans that I have for this film, which is to somehow get as close to the reality as possible. The atmosphere, the mood that I created, the inter-personal relationships that the characters have, the quality of how they express that-i do think that all captures the realness, the sense of reality that I wanted to somehow present in the film. That's probably the most rewarding part, to see that actually happen.
Rob Avila is a San Francisco-based writer, and film and stage critic. He is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Bay Guardian, among other publications, and has worked with the Global Film Initiative on a range of projects and programs, including Global Lens educational resources, filmmaker interviews and the Initiative's Granting Program. ...
The film blends once more a highly cinematic style with a documentary-like devotion to the lives and stories conveyed onscreen. Indeed, the film itself grew out of Zhang's 2010 photography exhibition, Unspoiled Brats, commissioned by Beijing's Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, in which he profiled the images and stories of 10 Beijing 20-something nonconformists. Zhang's cameo in the film-- as a wealthy, inebriated restaurant patron who gratefully offers his support to the young chauffeur who has seen him safely home--acknowledges and even gently sends up his own success relative to this younger generation while firmly underscoring his role as a sympathetic "big brother."
Through a combination of cinematic theatricality and close-to-the-ground realism, Beijing Flickers registers the ongoing tumult of change in contemporary China while giving voice to today's new generation of restless, creative seekers. The film received its U.S. premiere on January 10 at New York's Museum of Modern Art, where it led off the Global Film Initiative's 2013 Global Lens series. The film recently opened in New York at the Museum of Modern Art, leading off the premiere of the Global Film Initiative's Global Lens 2013 film series. A few hours prior to the screening, Zhang Yuan sat at a table in a small room on an upper floor of the Museum of Modern Art's education department.
Facing a plate glass window that looked out on the museum courtyard and the late-afternoon Manhattan skyline, Zhang spoke about his new film and the hopes and surprises it held for him two decades after Beijing Bastards had offered a seminal portrait of his own outsider generation. Assisting with the interview was translator Vincent (Tzu-Wen) Cheng.
Rob Avila: Beijing Flickers is beautifully and also meticulously shot. You studied cinematography as a student at the Beijing Film Academy. Was it images that first attracted you to filmmaking, and are images how a film begins for you? Or is it more often an idea you have that you then translate into a visual language?
Zhang Yuan: Actually, around six years old, I somehow got drawn into painting quite a bit. At that time, I got sick quite often and I couldn't go to school, so I would stay around the house, and I picked up painting because of that. That was the initiation for me, in terms of this visual component. After that, when I was maybe 15 or 16 years old-i didn't see myself as a painter in the future, however, when I was in my teenage years I started to pick up some very interesting writings and then moved from literature to films. And eventually I went into the Film Academy for cinematography.
Ra: I also mention cinematography because the new film sets out to, among other things, capture the face of Beijing today--a face that's changed so much since Beijing Bastards and continues constantly changing so much. How did you strategize to capture this on the screen?
Zy: I was not only the director, but I also served as a director of cinematography for this particular film. The reason for that was that I wanted to have full control of the visual component. For this film, I'm definitely trying to reflect, in a very realistic way, what's going on right now in China, in Beijing especially. So everything's on location.
The sites selected were usually places that I'm very familiar with. Places I've been to, places that have some kind of emotional significance to me--including everything from the different bars to the arrangement of furniture--and that somehow play out the sense of here and now in Beijing.
Ra: Moving from the face of the city to your characters, it seems that they too share a mixture of beauty and resilience as well as a feeling of dislocation or disorder. They are as much remade as remaking themselves (one even goes in for facelifts). Their tumultuousness reflects, and is reflected in, the city itself.
I wonder how familiar or how different you found those characters compared to your own generation, the generation of Beijing Bastards and the 1990s? Did you feel an immediate kinship with them or were there things that surprised you about them?
Zy: This is a very good question, because when I first started this project I thought that I understood this new generation of youth. Before I did this film I put together the photography exhibition at the Ullens Center [for Contemporary Art] in Beijing. For this particular exhibition, I had a chance to interact with about 200-plus young participants, and not only through interviews. Mostly--before I would even ask them questions--they would just sit down and tell me stories about their lives. So I got to listen to a lot of fascinating stories.
And I realized after all these interviews and all these interactions with the 200-plus young people, that I was wrong about my judgment, my assessment of this new generation. I thought that since they grew up in a very different environment--they were born after 1980, after Deng Xiaoping and after the reforms so they grew up in a very different environment than our generation, which was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution and didn't have outlets for culture, for film, for different forms of expression--so I assumed that they must be very happy, and have a lot of creative outlets for expression and just culturally a lot of options.
But I realized that I was wrong, because they also had a lot of sad stories to share. It's very interesting. At first I really thought that they would probably be not as quote-unquote unhappy as we were, but in fact they had other reasons to be unhappy.
Ra: The challenges they face are distinct from the ones of your generation, in terms of seeking livelihoods and creative expression. You can glean much from the film, of course, but what specifically are the challenges that they face as you see it?
Zy: I think one of the major differences I observed through the interviews and interactions I had with them was--i don't know if this was coincidence or not--that almost 80 or 90 percent of them had parents who were divorced.
As a result, they left home quite early, from other provinces and other cities to Beijing, when they were still very young. So I do think that, on some level, there are a lot of similarities among New York, Beijing, Tokyo, for example. Although, categorically, it's not exactly capitalism in Beijing, but in fact it's actually the same as Tokyo and New York, this idea of suddenly becoming a mega-city. During my time, there were only about eight or nine million people in Beijing; now you have [over 20 million].
I think just the sheer numbers of people in the same space, trying to survive, that's where the pressures and where the heartaches are from.
Ra: How is the relative opening of China to the rest of the world, and the even more recent ability of masses of people to travel abroad, changing this generation? Is that a big factor in the desires and self-image of the generation you portray in your film?
Zy: I think that's also one of the reasons why I was involved not only in this film but also in this art project with Ullens. I do think that when people think about China they tend to think about the growth of the annual Gdp, or they tend to think about the mega-skyscrapers and buildings, and the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games-and all these superficial things. But to me, it's more important to think about what's beneath that surface and really going on in people's lives. What kind of real impact has it had on people's lives, all this superficial growth and progress?
For me, I take it almost like a mission to find something that's close to reality, what's really going on. Although I of course know the stories that I put together in the film are so-called fictional, to me these are real stories I want to put together in a so-called fiction film. I want to make sure that all the stories that I put in my films are real stories. And in fact these are the stories that I heard from the people I interacted with and the people I interviewed through this particular art project that I did.
I'm a filmmaker; I'm not an economist or a sociologist. The only way for me to do this is to use these real stories to document, to record, and to witness what's really going on through the economic transformation in China.
Ra: We're still a few hours away from the film's U.S. debut, but I wonder what the response was from audiences in Toronto. What is your sense of how the film is being received over here? Do people relate to the kinds of stories and experiences described in the film?
Zy: In general, the reaction was very positive. A lot of people did mention that they welcomed the opportunity to see a different side of Beijing, something that they hadn't seen before or had a chance to see before. And of course people are very curious about whether these stories are real or entirely made up. To answer that question of whether these stories are real stories or fictional stories, I think that pointed to the biggest challenge for me in this particular film. My intention is to get as close to reality as possible. As I mentioned, I already had all the photographs for the exhibition, I had all the interviews that I had one, I had all these raw materials.
The next thing was to think about how am I going to put this all together to get very close to the truth and to the reality. I had this method or process to put things together, similar to how I put together East Palace, West Palace, how I put together Beijing Bastards or Seventeen Years. It's almost like documentary, but it's a feature film with a documentary style to it.
To me, this is a continuation of that, but I definitely think this was the biggest challenge so far, that I have to somehow find a way to make every component work together, in a very realistic way, in a very documentary way.
Ra: As the film prepares to head across the United States as part of Global Lens, I wanted to ask you about the relationship between China and the U.S. specifically.
You've been making films for two decades. What does that mean in the context of how you perceive the relationship between China and the U.S. evolving in that time, in the time you have been a filmmaker. What is your perspective on the nature of this relationship and how it's changed since your films have been showing here?
Zy: I definitely think that in terms of films, in terms of culture, this type of exchange is very important and it's also ongoing. If you look back on how people started to have access to a lot of films from Chinese directors, including Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhangke, also me, and other directors, that gave audiences some sense of what this particular place is about.
They learned something from the films that they watch.
If you take a look at the Hollywood film industry, there are about 32 Hollywood films in China every year. They take up more than half of the film market there. On some level the exchange is still ongoing, especially this type of cultural exchange.
Personally, I learned about the United States through films, at first, and then through literature, novels, and through real stories you get through news and other outlets. And the more you learn through all these different media, the more you realize that human nature is the same everywhere, that there's some kind of universality to it, that we're essentially the same on many different levels.
Ra: Can you talk a little about casting Beijing Flickers? Did you have people in mind as you put the script together, or was in some cases a challenge to find the right actor for a part?
Zy: When we started the script there were definitely certain parts where I already had someone in mind for some roles. There were also people we had to find after we finished the script, for example, the character Xioa Shi, who is the cross-dresser. We actually have a prototype, which is the person who actually shared the story with us. We tried to see if it would work with him playing this role himself. But there was just something that was not quite right about the way he expressed himself in front of the camera, so we needed to find someone to play the role but still keep the sense of reality and truthfulness. That was probably one of the more challenging casting choices that I had to make, to find someone to play that role when in fact we already had the prototype himself try this character.
Ra: He's a fascinating character. He comes across as both very youthful and also somehow very old-souled. There's a wonderful duality in general to that character, and he's wonderfully embodied by the actor. Where did you end up finding the actor?
Zy: I do think that casting is definitely important. If you have the right cast, you don't need to do a lot, just a few clues, a little bit of suggestion, and they will find a way. For this particular role of Xioa Shi, [the actor Shi Shi] is not professionally trained as an actor. But he is a model, and he is also a dancer, so he had the quality to play this role and we saw that in him. It took a little bit of guidance, but then he found a way to embody this particular character.
Ra: What is the most immediate, or satisfying aspect of the process of filmmaking to you?
Zy: To me, the most rewarding part of this whole process is that I do actualize and fulfill the plans that I have for this film, which is to somehow get as close to the reality as possible. The atmosphere, the mood that I created, the inter-personal relationships that the characters have, the quality of how they express that-i do think that all captures the realness, the sense of reality that I wanted to somehow present in the film. That's probably the most rewarding part, to see that actually happen.
Rob Avila is a San Francisco-based writer, and film and stage critic. He is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Bay Guardian, among other publications, and has worked with the Global Film Initiative on a range of projects and programs, including Global Lens educational resources, filmmaker interviews and the Initiative's Granting Program. ...
- 2/26/2013
- by Rob Avila
- Sydney's Buzz
San Bao (Duan Bowen), the disaffected, down-and-out protagonist of Zhang Yuan's latest and beautifully observed film Beijing Flickers, in an early scene, is desperately chasing after his dog Lucky, "meaning Happiness," who has suddenly run away. It soon becomes clear that the idea that luck and happiness has left San Bao refers to much more than the fact of his canine companion abandoning him. The mean streets of Beijing have not been kind to San Bao: in short order, he loses his dead-end assembly-line job, his girlfriend Chengcheng (Xiao Yuyu) to a rich (and married) man, and will soon be homeless due to his run-down digs being slated for demolition. Making San Bao feel like even more of a loser is his unsuccessful attempt to...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/11/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Global Film Initiative (Gfi) and MoMA present Global Lens 2013: 10 films from developing film communities as diverse as Kazakhstan and Chile, in a traveling exhibition. From January 10th - 25th, the program holds up shop in NYC, where many of the titles are making their North American or New York premieres. To celebrate the 10th year, Global Lens starts with a week-long run of Zhang Yuan's Beijing Flickers and Eduardo Nunes's Southwest; an overlooked earlier film, Life Kills Me (2007), from Chilean director Sebastián Silva (whose 2009 film The Maid was much admired); Cairo 678, a big hit at MoMA's 2011 New Directors/New Films festival, and much more. I am just stupefied by the caliber of these films. I just wish I had more...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/9/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Hong Kong – Chinese filmmakers from across generations and movie-making backgrounds have united in calling for an overhaul of Beijing’s much-maligned film censorship system, with most calling for the establishment of the internationally common system of classifying films in accordance to their suitability for audiences of different ages. Prominent directors such as Zhang Yuan (Beijing Bastards, Crazy English), Wang Xiaoshuai (Beijing Bicycle, 11 Flowers), Gao Qunshu (The Message, Golden Horse award-winner Beijing Blues), He Ping (Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Wheat) and Zhang Yang (Shower, Getting Home) have spoken out on Sina Weibo (China's version of Twitter) in support
read more...
read more...
- 12/18/2012
- by Clarence Tsui
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Suman Ghosh’s Shyamal Uncle Turns Off The Lights, which was picked up by Global Film Initiative (Gfi) at Busan Film Festival recently, will be part of Global Lens 2013 film series. A total of ten award winning films have been chosen in the line up for the tenth edition of the film series.
The Global Lens will run from 10th to 24th January, 2013 and will be followed by a year long tour to more than fifty cities in the United States and Canada.
Shyamal Uncle Turns Off The Lights, produced by Arindam Ghosh, is the story of an eighty year old pensioner who wants the street lights switched off during the day to save waste. The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and was screened at the Mumbai Film Festival 2012.
The Global Lens film series was launched in 2003 to support the distribution of unique and critically acclaimed cinematic works from around the world,...
The Global Lens will run from 10th to 24th January, 2013 and will be followed by a year long tour to more than fifty cities in the United States and Canada.
Shyamal Uncle Turns Off The Lights, produced by Arindam Ghosh, is the story of an eighty year old pensioner who wants the street lights switched off during the day to save waste. The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and was screened at the Mumbai Film Festival 2012.
The Global Lens film series was launched in 2003 to support the distribution of unique and critically acclaimed cinematic works from around the world,...
- 11/16/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Chinese Indies Struggle Abroad Boasting A Wide Array of entries at Biff this year — including films by Zhang Yuan, Wang Ping, Lou Ye and Emily Tang, among others — independent Chinese filmmakers have again shown themselves to be a force in global cinema. But there’s a missing link there: most, if not all, of these directors are heavily reliant on international sales companies to bring their work onto the global stage. Burmese Film Sector Opens Up Following The Recent formal abolishment of press censorship and the rapid economic and political reforms now underway in Burma, the country’s film sector
read more...
read more...
- 10/9/2012
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Boasting a wide array of entries at Biff this year – including films by Zhang Yuan, Wang Ping, Lou Ye and Emily Tang, among others – independent Chinese filmmakers have again shown themselves to be a force in global cinema. But there’s a missing link there: most, if not all, of these directors are heavily reliant on international sales companies to bring their work onto the global stage. “It’s true there aren't that many important strong Asian sales companies – and there is almost none in China, where you mostly have companies selling their own films,” said Isabelle Glachant,
read more...
read more...
- 10/9/2012
- by Clarence Tsui
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Above: Ernie Gehr's Auto-Collider Xv.
The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.
Galas
A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)
Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)
The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)
Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)
Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)
English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)
Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)
Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)
Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)
Looper (Rian Johnson,...
The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.
Galas
A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)
Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)
The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)
Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)
Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)
English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)
Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)
Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)
Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)
Looper (Rian Johnson,...
- 8/22/2012
- MUBI
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival® will roll out the red carpet for hundreds of guests from the four corners of the globe in September. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Rian Johnson, Noah Baumbach, Deepa Mehta, Derek Cianfrance, Sion Sono, Joss Whedon, Neil Jordan, Lu Chuan, Shola Lynch, Barry Levinson, Yvan Attal, Ben Affleck, Marina Zenovich, Costa-Gavras, Laurent Cantet, Sally Potter, Dustin Hoffman, Francois Ozon, David O. Russell, David Ayer, Pelin Esmer, Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Andrew Adamson, Michael McGowan, Bahman Ghobadi, Ziad Doueiri, Alex Gibney, Stephen Chbosky, Eran Riklis, Edward Burns, Bernard Émond, Zhang Yuan, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Newell, Miwa Nishikawa, Margarethe Von Trotta, David Siegel, Scott McGehee, Gauri Shinde, Goran Paskaljevic, Baltasar Kormákur, J.A. Bayona, Rob Zombie, Peaches and Paul Andrew Williams.
Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford,...
Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford,...
- 8/21/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Just last week, the 37th Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the initial first half of their Gala and Special Presentation films, now they're finalizing the line-up with a list of the remaining 62 films being shown this year. Tiff has announced the line-up of the remaining Vanguard International Films, World Premiere Documentaries and Midnight Madness line-ups, along with Tiff Cinematheque and Tiff Kids. I was extremely impressed and immensely excited by the first half of the selection, and this just tops things off even more. Can't wait! Check out the second half of Toronto 2012 films listed below. Here's a look at the second half of Tiff's 2012 film line-up unveiled. Starting with the Vanguard selections. Vanguard: 90 Minutes (dir. Eva Sørhaug, Norway) Director Eva Sørhaug (Cold Lunch) reveals the rage and violence lurking beneath seemingly tranquil domesticity in her bold and uncompromising sophomore feature. Beijing Flickers (dir. Zhang Yuan, China) Beneath Beijing's dazzling...
- 7/31/2012
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Easily the section that this journalist feels the most at home with, this year’s Vanguard section (programmed by such folk, among others Scandi-discoverer Steve Gravestock, Asian fare specialist Giovanni Fulvi and Latin Europe/American know it all Diana Sanchez) includes the highly anticipated first time offerings from gender-bender singer Peaches (Peaches Does Herself Peaches), Mexico’s Juan Carlos Medina (Painless) and Ben Drew (iLL Manors) along with auteurs we appreciate in Jesper Ganslandt (see pic above of Venice preemed Blondie), Soi Cheang (Motorway) and Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio) along with the English language remake of Pusher and Adrian Garcia Bogliano who comes to Tiff packing a pair of items with The ABCs of Death and in this section, Here Comes the Devil. Comprised of 14 film items which includes a trio of Cannes shown Room 237 , Sightseers and The We and the I. Here’s the complete listing below:
90 Minutes Eva Sørhaug,...
90 Minutes Eva Sørhaug,...
- 7/31/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The 2012 Toronto International Film Festival line-up got another boost with today's announcement of the Midnight Madness, Vanguard and Documentary selections which include films from the likes of Barry Levinson, Don Coscarelli, Rob Zombie, Martin McDonagh, Ben Wheatley, Michel Gondry and Alex Gibney and include titles such as Aftershock, Dredd, Seven Psychopaths, Pusher, Sightseers, The We and the I, The Gatekeepers, Finding Nemo 3D, Hotel Transylvania and a Cinemateque selection that includes Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder, Roman Polanski's Tess and Roberto Rossellini's Stromboli. Considering Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master was recently added to the official selection as a Special Presentation I am going to have my hands full when it comes to screenings, but I will definitely make sure to catch McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths, which is one of my most anticipated films of the year. Otherwise, the schedule will determine which ones I check out. The...
- 7/31/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Dark dramas, edgy experiments, slow burning horror and more abound in the Tiff 2012 Vanguard selection. Vanguard has quickly become a favorite selection at the festival since it was first introduced a few years back and this year looks to be no exception. The 2012 selection has just been announced and will include: 90 Minutes Eva Sørhaug, Norway World Premiere Director Eva Sørhaug (Cold Lunch) reveals the rage and violence lurking beneath seemingly tranquil domesticity in her bold and uncompromising sophomore feature. Beijing Flickers Zhang Yuan, China World Premiere Beneath Beijing's dazzling economic boom exists the downtrodden and the forgotten "little" people who bear the weight of life's trials and injustices. Berberian Sound Studio Peter Strickland, United Kingdom North American Premiere Set in 1976: Gilderoy...
- 7/31/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Following up an already stellar initial line-up, the Toronto International Film Festival 2012 has announced additional sections including Midnight Madness, Documentaries and Vanguard. When the clock strikes 12, some titles one will be able to see include the highly anticipated Seven Psychopaths, from In Bruges director Martin McDonagh. There’s also the world premiere of the horror anthology The ABCs of Death, as well as Dredd and Eli Roth‘s Aftershock and new films from Rob Zombie and Barry Levinson.
The documentary section brings new films from Alex Gibney, Ken Burns and an interesting one titled How to Make Money Selling Drugs, featuring interviews with 50 Cent, Eminem and more. Rounding out the Vanguard section is many titles screened elsewhere, including the excellent documentary on The Shining, Room 237, as well as the next from Kill List director Ben Wheatley, Sightseers (Cannes review). We also have Luis Prieto‘s Pusher remake, and Michel Gondry...
The documentary section brings new films from Alex Gibney, Ken Burns and an interesting one titled How to Make Money Selling Drugs, featuring interviews with 50 Cent, Eminem and more. Rounding out the Vanguard section is many titles screened elsewhere, including the excellent documentary on The Shining, Room 237, as well as the next from Kill List director Ben Wheatley, Sightseers (Cannes review). We also have Luis Prieto‘s Pusher remake, and Michel Gondry...
- 7/31/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
In celebration of Fortissimo Films' 20th anniversary, Moma will host the film series "In Focus: Fortissimo Films" November 10-21. The series will showcase 11 of of the notable Asian films the company has supported or developed. Highlights include Wong Kar-Wai's "Happy Together," Tian Zhuangzhuang's "Springtime In A Small Town," and Zhang Yuan's "Beijing Bastards." "We are honored to have the opportunity over the past years to share our vision with ...
- 10/18/2011
- Indiewire
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