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One of the key figures in Hong Kong cinema, Tsui Hark is a writer, actor, producer, and groundbreaking director. Born in Vietnam, he attended college in the US before working in Hong Kong television.

Hark directed his first features in the early 1980s. In 1984 he formed Film Workshop, a studio that helped boost the careers of John Woo, Chow Yun-fat, and Jet Li. Shanghai Blues, the first Film Workshop release, brought a revolutionary style and originality to Hong Kong filmmaking. Hark’s other films include the Once Upon a Time in China and Detective Dee franchises, Peking Opera Blues, and entry into the anthology film Septet.

I had the opportunity chat with the legendary filmmaker at this year’s Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, where he received the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement, in addition to introducing restored versions of Shanghai Blues and Green Snake, Hark brought his latest film,...

With John Wick 5 moving forward at Lionsgate, fans await to see how the next installment in the popular neo-noir action film series plays out after Keanu Reeves' titular character seemingly died in the last sequel. Though franchise director Chad Stahelski admits he and fellow creatives are still tweaking the John Wick sequel's story, he's sharing his vision and inspiration for the anticipated film.

Speaking with SlashFilm, Stahelski delved into his ideas for the next John Wick movie, including his influences and some potential production locations. According to the stuntman-turned-director, Chinese and Japanese cinema elements will be incorporated into John Wick 5, further boosting its neo-noir presentation.

"I will tell you as much as I know, which isn't much. Look, we have an inkling to it ... I can't tell you what John Wick 5 is about because we haven't quite got it all down. We have thoughts, I have a thematic.... You can...

John Wick: Chapter 5 gets a new tease from director Chad Stahelski, who hypes the film's globetrotting story. With each new John Wick movie, the franchise became bigger and more popular, culminating with the fourth film in 2023, which ends with Keanu Reeves' titular assassin seemingly dead and buried. The film left enough clues that Wick could return, however, and it was announced in April that John Wick: Chapter 5 is in development with Stahelski and Reeves both returning.

During a recent interview with SlashFilm, Stahelski shares what influences and cinematic styles he's hoping to incorporate into John Wick: Chapter 5. While the director makes clear that the film is currently short on story specifics, he does reveal that the works of iconic directors from Japan and China will continue to be a major source of inspiration for him moving forward, naming both John Woo and Akira Kurosawa. Global politics permitting,...

I come from the video generation. People today have their pick of whatever they want to see online – legally or not – so one can’t say there’s a lack of available stuff. In fact, I’d wager no movie, no matter how obscure, is totally impossible to find nowadays. But let me take you back to a time before the internet, when things weren’t so easy to find. In the eighties and nineties, we had video stores, where you could rent video tapes for a day, and were limited by the inventory, which is why everyone had at least two or three video stores in their circuit to hit. Each place had different things. Without the internet, renting older movies was a real crapshoot, especially if they were obscure, but sometimes you’d find gold.

Such was the case when, at thirteen years old, I walked into my local video store,...

The Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine came to an end on Friday, May 2, closing the 27th chapter in its ongoing celebration of Asian cinema. Feff has always been a festival that knows how to please its fanbase, and this year was no exception. Ranging from popular blockbusters to auteur-driven works, from crowd-pleasing comedies to emotional tearjerkers, and including tributes to cinematic heritage – such as the retrospective and publication Yokai and Other Monsters: From Asian Folklore to Cinema – the program offered a rich portrait of contemporary Asia. Audiences were especially thrilled by the presence of major stars in the theatre, including Sylvia Chang and Tsui Hark – both honored with the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement – and Japanese actor Lily Franky, who presented the Filipino film “Diamonds in the Sand” alongside its director, Janus Victoria.

The Taiwanese presence was notably strong this year, both in terms of films and guests.

Balancing realism with fantasy, commerce with art, and creative freedom with censorship — legendary Hong Kong director Tsui Hark isn’t just making movies; he’s negotiating the complex realities of contemporary filmmaking.

Speaking with Variety from Udine, Italy after receiving his Golden Mulberry lifetime achievement honor at the recently concluded Far East Film Festival, the mastermind behind “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” offers a candid glimpse into his creative process and the forces reshaping Asian cinema today.

Tsui, who is considered the leading figure of Hong Kong’s New Wave of the 1980s and has been dubbed Asia’s Spielberg, is best known for his “Once Upon a Time in China” saga and “Detective Dee” film series, among other titles. His more recent blockbuster action movies — prior to “”Legends of the Condor Heroes” — include “Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back” and “The Battle at Lake Changjin.

The 27th edition of the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy, concluded this weekend with China’s “Her Story” taking home the Golden Mulberry award, marking a significant triumph for female filmmakers at the event.

Director Yihui Shao’s box office hit claimed the festival’s top honor, awarded by audience votes, while Hong Kong’s “The Last Dance – Extended Version” by Anselm Chan secured the Silver Mulberry. Mainland China dominated the podium as director Yin Lichuan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” rounded out the winners with the Crystal Mulberry.

This year’s results highlighted gender equality in Asian cinema, with two of the three top prizes awarded to female directors from mainland China. The victories came as part of a festival edition that organizers described as “particularly attentive to social issues.”

The festival, which ran from April 24 to May 2 at Udine’s Teatro Nuovo and Visionario venues,...

Her Story, Yihui Shao’s feature dramedy that became something of a feminist phenomenon in China, scored another big win by securing the top prize at the 27th Far East Film Festival (Feff), which concluded Friday night in the northern Italian city of Udine. The film, which grossed almost $100 million at China’s box office and inspired a thousand think pieces about its radical and refreshing themes, received Feff’s Golden Mulberry Audience Award. Her Story stars Song Jia and Zhong Chuxi, and tells the story of two single women who become neighbors, and despite their contrasting personalities and circumstances, become fast friends.

Feff’s second most coveted audience award, the Silver Mulberry, went to Anselm Chan’s Hong Kong family drama The Last Dance. Like Her Story, The Last Dance was a box office phenomenon in its domestic market, and is currently the highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time.

Chinese comedy-drama Her Story scooped the Golden Mulberry for best film at the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Udine, Italy.

Shao Yihui’s feminist feature is about a single mother and her friendship with a new female neighbour, which proved a major box office hit when released in China last November, grossing nearly $100m.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Feff’s top awards are decided by a public vote and saw the Silver Mulberry go to the extended version of The Last Dance, Anselm Chan’s funeral rites drama that ranks as Hong Kong’s biggest local film of all time.

Udine Far East Film Festival is an all-embracing gaze over the Far East which – since 1999 – has been engaging with, transcending, and never ceasing to delve deeper into questions of diversity, distance and every possible interpretation of the word “inspiring”. This year’s lineup included 75 titles from 11 countries: 7 world premieres, 15 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres. The selection spanned from popular cinema, auteur films, to tributes to the past, offering a deep look at today’s Asia.

The 27th edition of this prestigious and beloved Festival came to an end on Friday night with the Awards Ceremony in its historic headquarters of the Teatro Nuovo theatre. Here all the winners:

Audience Awards

1st place: Her Story, Shao Yihui, China 2024

2nd place: The Last Dance (Extended Version), Anselm Chan, Hong Kong 2024

3rd place: Like a Rolling Stone, Yin Lichuan, China 2024

The Last Dance

Black Dragon Audience Award

The Last Dance (Extended Version), Anselm Chan,...

Shout! Studios is punching Monday in the face with brass knuckles by announcing an outstanding action film initiative with Hong Kong Cinema Classics! The celebration of Hong Kong action classics includes 4K presentations on Digital and physical media featuring iconic filmmakers, time-honored films, and many of the action genre’s legendary badasses of the silver screen.

The Hong Kong Cinema Classics collection brings films like Hard Boiled, City on Fire, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Bullet in the Head, Fist of Legend, Peking Opera Blues, and more to the stage!

Per today’s press release from Shout! Studios:

Hong Kong cinema in the ’80s and ’90s, renowned for its thrilling action choreography, distinctive visual styles, and emotional storytelling, represents a remarkable era in cinematic history, whose crime thrillers, martial arts classics, and action films, in particular, have left an indelible mark on Hollywood, profoundly influencing everything from Quentin Tarantino’s...

In a major boon for action film enthusiasts and physical media collectors, Shout! Studios is launching a new entertainment label dedicated to restored Hong Kong cinema classics.

The Hong Kong Cinema Classics line will spotlight a treasure trove of Hong Kong cinematic masterpieces, beginning with digital 4K releases in June before expanding to definitive-edition physical media.

The move comes on the back of Shout! Studios nabbing worldwide rights (excluding select Asian territories) to the coveted Golden Princess movie library.

The digital rollout begins June 24, while the label’s first physical release will be “The Jet Li Collection,” a 10-disc 4K Uhd + Blu-ray box set arriving July 29. This comprehensive set features five of the martial arts superstar’s seminal Hong Kong films: “Fist of Legend,” “Tai Chi Master,” “Fong Sai Yuk,” “Fong Sai Yuk II,” and “The Bodyguard from Beijing.” The lavish collection includes new interviews, audio commentaries, vintage featurettes and more special features.

Shout! Studios has unveiled Hong Kong Cinema Classics Line, “a new entertainment label spotlighting a treasure trove of Hong Kong’s most captivating and cinematic masterpieces on digital entertainment platforms in 4K and definitive-edition physical releases (Uhd and Blu-ray) for collectors’ home entertainment shelves,” according to the official release. The first titles will be released this summer.

The home video company “in collaboration with the Hong Kong Film Archives, has been working diligently to remaster and restore several prized hits, all scanned in stunning 4K from the original camera negatives. The video and audio have been restored, and the subtitles have been newly translated. With fans in mind, Shout! Studios is currently producing a variety of bonus content for each physical media release for this numbered and deluxe home entertainment series.”

Many of these titles have long been out-of-print or unavailable in the west, so to have them with brand-new...

Hong Kong cinema in the ’80s and ’90s, renowned for its thrilling action choreography, distinctive visual styles, and emotional storytelling, represents a remarkable era in cinematic history, whose crime thrillers, martial arts classics, and action films, in particular, have left an indelible mark on Hollywood, profoundly influencing everything from Quentin Tarantino’s movies to the iconic Matrix and John Wick franchises. Among these are many acclaimed and popular early works by renowned filmmakers John Woo, Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark, Corey Yuen, Gordon Chan, Johnnie To, and internationally renowned actors Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Leslie Cheung, and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Many of these highly sought-after movies from Shout!’s Golden Princess library and seminal Hong Kong classics have been dormant and out–of–print for decades outside of Asia.

For the upcoming Hong Kong Cinema Classics releases, Shout! Studios, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Film Archives,...

Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In swept the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) scoring nine wins including best film, best director and all the technical categories.

The big-budget action thriller, which recreated the now demolished Kowloon City in 1980s Hong Kong, scooped prizes for best cinematography, editing, art direction, costume and makeup design, action choreography, sound design and visual effects.

The $40m feature received its international premiere at Cannes last year, was the second biggest film at the local box office in 2024 with takings of nearly $14m (Hk$108.44m) and was Hong Kong’s entry to the Oscars.

Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In was the big winner at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, taking nine prizes including best film and best director.

The martial arts action thriller, set in the infamous Kowloon Walled City in 1980s Hong Kong, also scored in the technical categories, winning best editing, best cinematography, best art direction, best costume & make-up design, best sound design, best visual effects and best action choreography. Soi Cheang also won best director at last year’s Hong Kong Film Awards for mystery thriller Mad Fate.

The Last Dance, written and directed by Anselm Chan, also triumphed at this year’s awards, taking five prizes including best screenplay, best actress for Michelle Wai’s performance, best supporting actor for Chu Pak-hong, best original film score and best original film song.

The drama about a Taoist priest and a wedding planner who team up...

In 2024, acclaimed director Zhang Yimou was honoured with the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement Award at the Teatro Nuovo during the Far East Film Festival. This year, the prestigious award will be presented to another cinematic giant: Sylvia Chang. A multifaceted talent whose career spans acting, singing, directing, screenwriting, producing, and radio hosting, Chang is widely regarded as one of Asia’s most influential and enduring figures in the arts.

At the 27th edition of Feff, audiences will have the opportunity to celebrate both her past and present contributions to cinema. The programme includes Tsui Hark’s Shanghai Blues – a classic featuring Chang and showcased as part of the festival’s restored gems – as well as Daughter’s Daughter, a moving contemporary family drama that highlights her continued relevance and talent.

Daughter’s Daughter...

Over the decades, the paths of the Far East Film Festival (Feff) and legendary director Tsui Hark have crossed more than once—from the explosive 2015 Closing Night screening of The Taking of Tiger Mountain to his memorable 2007 interview featured in an essay on Patrick Tam. Yet, until now, the perfect storm had never materialized. That changes this year, as Feff 27 presents a celebration that is sure to delight Tsui Hark fans around the world.

The programme features the international festival premiere of his latest fantasy blockbuster, Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, alongside the restoration of his 1984 masterpiece Shanghai Blues, and the revival of cult favorite Green Snake as part of the Yokai and Other Monsters retrospective.

Adding to the excitement, Feff 27 will host not one, but two Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement presentations. On Thursday, 1st May, Sylvia Chang—iconic actress and star of Shanghai Blues—will be honored onstage.

Two Hollywood features have retained their release dates in China despite restrictions recently announced by authorities on the import of US films amid escalating tariff disputes.

Warner Bros Animation’s The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is set to open this Friday (April 18) and Marvel’s latest superhero film Thunderbolts* is scheduled for release on April 30, ahead of its May 2 release in the US, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.

Whether they will be the last US films to secure a theatrical release in China for the foreseeable future remains unclear as the escalating trade war is...

Tsui Hark is a great director. Tsui Hark is a great actor (here the most expert will immediately mention Final Victory by Patrick Tam). Tsui Hark is a great producer. But Tsui Hark is first of all a Great Dreamer. A tireless creator of wonders who, from the late 80s to today, has continually rewritten the expressed codes of entertainment and the rules of the mainstream industry (let’s not forget the Hollywood experiences with Van Damme: Double Team and Knock Off). A brilliant activist of the Hong Kong New Wave who has constantly reinvented himself, project after project, always looking “further ahead”. Eyes wide open to the future but a heart deeply tied to roots and tradition.

Tsui Hark will present the super fantasy “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” and will receive the Far East Film Festival Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement from celebrated China-Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-Fai!

Iconic Hong Kong director Tsui Hark will be celebrated with a lifetime achievement award at Italy’s Far East Film Festival in Udine, where his latest film “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” will have its international festival premiere.

Tsui will receive Udine’s Golden Mulberry Award from Tony Leung Ka-fai, best known for his roles in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “The Lover” based on the Marguerite Duras novel and Johnnie To’s “Election” and appears in “Legends of the Condor Heroes.”

Tsui, who is considered the leading figure of Hong Kong’s New Wave of the 1980s and has been dubbed Asia’s Spielberg, is best known for his “Once Upon a Time in China” saga and “Detective Dee” film series, among other titles. His more recent blockbuster action movies — prior to “”Legends of the Condor Heroes” — include “Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back” and “The Battle at Lake Changjin.

Acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark is set to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Italy’s Udine.

The director, known for blockbusters The Battle at Lake Changjin, Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back and the Detective Dee film series, will receive the Golden Mulberry Award at the festival on April 30.

The award will be presented by Tony Leung Ka-Fai, who appears in Tsui’s latest martial arts film, Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants. The feature, which was acquired by Sony Pictures International Productions, will screen at...

Taiwan industry icon Sylvia Chang will receive the Golden Mulberry lifetime achievement award at the 27th Far East Film Festival, which has set Chinese comedy “Green Wave” as its opening film.

The Far East Film Festival is set to once again transform the Italian city of Udine into a vibrant Asian cultural hub with its most expansive edition yet, showcasing 75 titles from 11 countries, including 7 world premieres, 15 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres.

This year’s lineup specifically examines “time and society through cinema,” with selections that reflect current Asian social phenomena. The opening film, Chinese comedy “Green Wave” from director Xu Lei, explores the “tangping” movement (young people metaphorically “lying down” in rejection of ultra-competitive career paths), while films like “Upstream” address the gig economy. Female directors Yihui Shao and Yin Lichuan bring stories of gender equality with “Her Story” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Japan’s “Teki Cometh...

If Asia is a galaxy, contemporary Asia is the planet the Far East Film Festival (Feff) of Udine has observed since its first edition in 1999. Now in its 27th year, the festival remains focused on the evolving landscape of Asian cinema. This year’s lineup includes 75 titles from 11 countries: 7 world premieres, 15 international premieres, 20 European premieres, and 19 Italian premieres. The selection spans popular cinema, auteur films, and tributes to the past, offering a deep look at today’s Asia.

Graphic designer Roberto Rosolin captures this perspective in Feff’s official image, reinforcing the festival’s ever-curious gaze.

In 2024, legendary filmmaker Zhang Yimou received the Golden Mulberry for Lifetime Achievement Award at Feff. This year, the honor goes to a queen of Asian cinema: Sylvia Chang—actress, singer, director, screenwriter, producer, and radio DJ. “Icon” may be overused, but few words truly capture her impact. Audiences will be able to celebrate her...

The Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine has unveiled the full line-up for its 27th edition, which will honour Taiwanese actress and filmmaker Sylvia Chang with an honorary award.

Chang will receive Feff’s Golden Mulberry for lifetime achievement award in recognition of a career spanning several decades. Daughter’s Daughter, for which she received an honourable mention at Toronto in September, will screen at the festival alongside a restored version of Tsui Hark’s comedy Shanghai Blues from 1984.

The festival will open with Green Wave, a Chinese father-son comedy drama directed by Xu Lei, which won the...

It can’t be denied that in the eighties and nineties, the action movies coming out of Hong Kong revolutionized the industry. Marrying the kinetic style of seventies grid house martial arts epics with the technological innovations and kinetic energy of the best American action movies of the era, directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam, and stars like Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat made a huge mark internationally. In the mid-nineties, and in the face of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover to China, many of the biggest names from the scene found their way to America, and outside of Jackie Chan and John Woo, arguably the most successful transition was made by martial arts superstar Jet Li.

A former member of the Bejing Wushu team, Li’s arguably became the biggest martial arts movie star since Bruce Lee. Sure, Jackie Chan movies maybe made more money, but they,...

China’s box office for the weekend of March 21–23 saw “Ne Zha 2” maintaining its dominant position, while new releases made modest debuts.​

“Ne Zha 2” earned RMB85.7 million ($11.9 million) over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $2.081 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. In its eighth week, the animated blockbuster continues to captivate audiences. In Imax, “Ne Zha 2” added $1.8 million globally, a 41% drop from the previous weekend, increasing its global cume in the format to $158.2 million, with $154 million from China alone.​

Hanna Pictures’ “The River of Fury” debuted in second place with $2 million. Directed by Feng Yongqin, the film is a crime thriller where the mysterious disappearance of a woman is related to a series of murders.

“Detective Chinatown 1900”, from As One Production, continued its strong performance, securing third place with $1.9 million. The film’s cumulative gross now stands at $492.1 million.

Lian Ray Pictures’ “New Life” opened in fourth place,...

Over the years, many films and TV series have been adapted from the classic 1957 wuxia novel “The Legend of the Condor Heroes“, by Jin Yong (also known as Louis Cha). Some have been memorable and have become classics in their own rights, like the 1983 TV series or Wong Kar Wai‘s “Ashes of Time“. Tsui Hark‘s latest movie, on the other hand, will not stay long in anyone’s memory.

Trouble starts right away, when the film introduces its characters and their backstories in short vignettes that succeed each other at a furious pace. Little makes sense there, while the events being outlined on screen could easily have filled two movies of their own. It quickly becomes a challenge, for those unfamiliar with the original novel, to understand what is going on and, even more problematically, why the characters are doing the things they do. This is a major...

Released on the streaming platforms in China on Lunar New Year’s Eve, January 28th 2025, “Invincible Swordsman” is a product of Wong Jing and mainland director Luo Yi Wei. Adapted very loosely from the wuxia novel “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer” written by Louis Cha, or Jin Yong, this is basically a straight remake of Ching Siu Tung and Tsui Hark’s “Swordsman II” (1992) starring Brigitte Lin and Jet Li.

Check also this video

The film kicks off with Ren Wo Xing (Yin Zi Wai) the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult practicing his “Cosmic Absorbing Power” on the Blackwoods Cliff. Out of nowhere, a self-castrated man with supreme kung fu powers, calling himself Dong Feng Bu Bai or Invincible East (Kitty Zhang Yu Qi) appears to challenge him. During their fierce battle, Dong easily defeats Ren, blinds him in one eye, declares himself as the new leader and imprisons...

Beijing born Hu Jin Quan, better known as King Hu, worked as an actor, scriptwriter, set decorator and assistant director after joining the Shaw Brothers Studio in 1958. Hu slowly worked his way up as the director of “Sons of the Good Earth” (1965) under the influence of director Li Han Hsiang. Besides launching the film career of its star Cheng Pei Pei, Hu’s highly acclaimed wuxia film “Come Drink with Me” (1966) would put him on the world map. After leaving Shaw, he directed “Dragon Inn” (1967) in Taiwan which became a phenomenal cult classic in Southeast Asia.

Hu continued to achieve more fame with films like “A Touch of Zen” (1971), “The Valiant Ones” (1975), “Raining in the Mountain” and “Legend of the Mountain” both in 1979. Although his later films were less successful commercially, he returned from California to direct “Swordsman” (1990) and “Painted Skin” (1992). Actually, producer Tsui Hark‘s team had to finish...

Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants is exclusively in cinemas February 20, 2025. Watch the official trailer now.

Under Genghis Khan, the Mongolian army pushes west to destroy the Jin Dynasty, setting its sights on the Song Dynasty next. Amid internal conflicts among martial arts schools, Guo Jing unites the Central Plains’ warriors to defend Xiangyang, embodying courage and loyalty in the fight for the nation.

Directed by Tsui Hark and starring Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Dafei, Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants is an action-packed fantasy drama adapted from Jin Yong’s classic martial arts novel, “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”.

"The world is big enough to have many masters, The one with the best skills does not necessarily have a kind heart." Sony has debuted their official trailer for the Chinese action movie epic called Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, adapted from a famous martial arts novel. This movie is another massive production from China, featuring tons of action and massive set pieces and endless numbers of people in giant battles. Under Genghis Khan, the Mongolian army pushes west to destroy the Jin Dynasty, setting its sights on the Song Dynasty next. Amid internal conflicts among martial arts schools, Guo Jing unites the Central Plains' warriors to help defend Xiangyang, embodying courage & loyalty in the fight for the nation. Directed by Tsui Hark and starring Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Dafei, Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants is an action-packed fantasy drama adapted from Jin Yong's book...

Though once head-spinningly prolific, Tsui Hark hasn’t directed a solo feature since 2018’s Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings, the time between then and now seeing one short in the Septet omnibus and two co-helmed entries in China’s über-popular Battle at Lake Changjin series. Thus making notable Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, a fantastical-looking epic he’s directed and scripted––based on a novel by Jin Yong, himself inspiration for Tsui’s The Swordsman and Swordsman II––which Sony will release on February 20, signaling his biggest stateside opening in decades. Ahead of this comes a U.S. trailer.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Under Genghis Khan, the Mongolian army pushes west to destroy the Jin Dynasty, setting its sights on the Song Dynasty next. Amid internal conflicts among martial arts schools, Guo Jing unites the Central Plains’ warriors to defend Xiangyang, embodying courage and loyalty in the fight for the nation.

Sinister Stories

India’s pioneering horror film festival Wench is set to unleash its fifth edition at Mumbai venues with British psychological thriller “The Eye,” toplining Shruti Haasan, who will participate in a post-screening Q&a. Running Feb. 27-March 2, the fest continues its mission to spotlight female voices in genre cinema, with women helmers accounting for 35 of the 42 selected films.

Festival founder Sapna Bhavnani is expanding the event’s footprint with a Kolkata edition while also launching Terror Talkies, billed as India’s first horror portal. The lineup boasts partnerships with genre heavyweights Fantasia and Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, including Oscar-nominated short “I’m Not a Robot” as part of the Fantasia collaboration.

Closing night honors go to Ishan Shukla’s IFFR winner “Schirkoa – In Lies We Trust.” The fest will also present masterclasses by Riksundar Banerjee and Vishal Furia, plus an art installation titled “Silent Skies” spotlighting avian conservation,...

The Hong Kong box office took $3.9m (Hk$30.6m) over five days from January 28-February 1, down 37.1% on the same five-day Lunar New Year period in 2024 and 59.3% down on pre-Covid 2019.

The Hong Kong Box Office, which released the data, said that the results were disappointing and hoped that more people would go to the cinemas to support Chinese New Year releases.

Two Hong Kong comedies took the top two places. Hit N Fun topped the chart with $959,715 (Hk$7.47m) from Tuesday to Saturday, while My Best Bet ranked second with $744,693 (Hk$5.8m).

Hit N Fun follows a boxing trainer who helps...

Tsui Hark’s classic tale of love and mistaken identity, with plentiful helpings of farce and wackiness, has been restored for its 40th anniversary

It’s impossible not to be carried along by the delirious rush of silliness in this knockabout screwball comedy from 1984, directed by Hong Kong genre veteran Tsui Hark and restored last year for its 40th anniversary. It’s a tale of love and mistaken identity, with plenty of farcical hiding in cupboards to avoid the scandal of being caught in a compromising position, and we even get the time-honoured business of having sex with the wrong person in pitch darkness – a plot point stretching back to Jacobean drama.

It’s a wacky love triangle. In 1937 Shanghai, with the Japanese about to invade, a young would-be songwriter nicknamed Do-Re-Mi (Kenny Bee) is humiliatingly employed as a clown in a nightclub and figures he might as well join the army.

The Chinese box office hit a record high over Lunar New Year with animation Ne Zha 2 and prequel Detective Chinatown 1900 helping deliver a total gross of more than $1.1bn (RMB8bn) over six days from January 29 to February 3

The Year of the Snake made a strong start last Wednesday (January 29), the first day of the holidays, with takings of $250m (RMB1.8bn), up 35% on 2024 and the biggest single day gross ever in China – beating the previous record of $235m (RMB1.69bn) from 2021.

Six new local titles were released over the period and the total gross is expected to...

Worldwide box office: January 31-February 2 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Ne Zha 2(various) $283.6m $416.3m $283.6m $416.3m 1 2. Detective Chinatown1900(various)

$129.4m $247.4m $128.7m $246.3m 8 3. Creation Of The Gods II: Demon Force(various) $42.9m $125.1m $41.6m $123.8m 10 4. Dog Man(Universal) $40.2m $40.6m $4.2m $4.6m 31 5. Boonie Bears Future Reborn(various) $25.6m $56.5m $25.6m $56.5m 1 6. Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants(various) $21m $74.6m $21m $74.6m 3 7. Mufasa: The Lion King(Disney) $17.8m $653m $11.7m $423.5m 53 8. Companion(Warner Bros) $15m $15m $5.5m $5.5m 61 9. Operation Handal(various) $13m $35.4m $13m $35.4m 1 10. Sonic The Hedgehog 3...

The Chinese box office experienced a massive boost over the Lunar New Year holiday, with five major releases propelling weekend earnings to $536.9 million, according to Artisan Gateway.

The five-day holiday frame delivered a cumulative total of $1.24 billion for 2025, marking a 234.1% increase from the same period last year, driven by strong debuts and record-setting performances in Imax.

Enlight Pictures’ “Ne Zha 2” led the charge, opening to RMB2.16 billion ($300 million) in its two-day debut. The sequel to the 2019 animated hit follows the mythological hero in a new fantasy adventure, continuing the franchise’s dominance at the Chinese box office. Its cumulative gross has already reached $434.2 million, making it the undisputed leader of the holiday period. The film also led the Imax box office, generating $22.1 million, making it the fastest Imax release to surpass RMB100 million in China and the 13th highest-grossing local-language film in Imax history.

The five-day opening for “Ne Zha 2...

China began ushering in the Year of the Snake last Wednesday, as local audiences sank their teeth into a host of new films with record-breaking gusto. The trend continued throughout the weekend with grosses for all films in release (including holdovers) reaching Rmb 7B ($965.4M) from Wednesday-Sunday, according to Maoyan. The Chinese New Year holiday was extended this year and runs through February 4, meaning it’s possible that 2025 becomes the biggest Lunar New Year period ever at the local box office.

This has also been a record-breaking few days for Imax which saw five of the new Chinese films released in the format adding up to $38.1M through Sunday in China. That’s already the biggest Cny ever for Imax, besting 2023’s $34M, and with two days left in the stretch.

Overall, as we noted on Wednesday, Enlight’s animated fantasy adventure sequel Ne Zha 2 from director Yu Yang...

Early Hong Kong classics from Jet Li, including works from celebrated filmmakers Gordon Chan, Yuen Woo-ping (perhaps best known by western audiences for his work on “The Matrix”) and Corey Yuen will finally arrive on digital 4K on Feb. 18, courtesy of Shout! Studios in collaboration with Li.

The releases include 1994’s “Fist of Legend,” 1993’s “Tai Chi Master,” “The Legend” and “The Legend 2,” and 1994’s “The Bodyguard From Beijing.” These are the movies that made Li an international superstar and paved the way for him to appear in western blockbusters like “Lethal Weapon 4,” “Romeo Must Die,” “The One” and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” along with Sylvester Stallone’s “Expendables” franchise.

“Thanks to our new partner Shout! Studios, movie fans can now easily enjoy these entertaining films in stunning 4K on various digital platforms. I hope a new generation of audiences will be introduced to these...

Japan’s box office fell 6.5% to $1.33bn (¥207bn) in 2024 due to a large drop in takings for US features, despite strong earnings for local titles.

Overall admissions were 7.1% down to 144.4 million, according to data published by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren). The figures remain some distance from pre-pandemic 2019, when the gross box office was $1.55bn (¥242bn) from 195 million admissions.

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It was a positive picture for Japanese films, which took $1bn (¥156bn) at the local box office, up 5.1% year-on-year and comprising 75% of total takings. Topping the chart was anime Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram,...

Chinese New Year box office started with a bang today in China, as Maoyan estimates 1.8B yuan ($248.3M) was generated for all films on day-one of the holiday period. This would mark a new milestone that well exceeds 2021’s previous first-day New Year record of 1.69M yuan.

For its part, Imax topped itself on Wednesday, seeing a Cny day-one record-breaking haul of $12M, besting its previous high of $11M in 2021. With 5% of the Cny box office so far, and on less than 1% of total screens, Imax captured its biggest percentage of the first-day results ever. Attendance for Imax was also at a new peak with 1.2M admissions nationwide.

The No. 1 title ushering in the Year of the Snake on Wednesday was Enlight’s Ne Zha 2, the follow up to 2019’s animated hit, with 486.6M yuan ($67.1M). In Imax, it grossed $2.5M.

Behind Ne Zha 2 at No. 2 for the day is...

Hong Won-ki, the South Korean director of recent Busan sales title Gory: A Horror Tale, will direct the K-pop psychological thriller Perfect Girl for Badlands to starAdeline Rudolph and Arden Cho.Upgrade will introduce to EFM buyers next month, with CAA Media Finance handling US rights.

Based on the 2023 Black List script by Lynn Q. Yu, the project is styled as Scream meets Black Swan set in the competitive world of K-pop, where slots are up for grabs as a new super group is about to be unveiled at a massive concert.

When a talented and mysterious new girl is introduced at the last minute,...

Hong Won-ki, the South Korean director of recent Busan sales title Gory: A Horror Tale, will direct the K-pop psychological thriller Perfect Girl for Badlands to starAdeline Rudolph and Arden Cho.Upgrade will introduce to EFM buyers next month, with CAA Media Finance handling US rights.

Based on the 2023 Black List script by Lynn Q. Yu, the project is styled as Scream meets Black Swan set in the competitive world of K-pop, where slots are up for grabs as a new super group is about to be unveiled at a massive concert.

When a talented and mysterious new girl is introduced at the last minute,...

Sony Pictures International Productions (Spip) has acquired international rights, including the US and Hong Kong, to Tsui Hark’s upcoming martial arts film Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants, following the studio’s recent success with Yolo.

The Chinese-language film is set for release in mainland China cinemas on January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year through China Film Group.

Spip will release it on the same day in Hong Kong, followed by Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand on February 20, the US on February 21 and Indonesia on February 26.

The film is adapted from the novel of...

Sony Pictures International Productions (Spip) has acquired international rights, including the US and Hong Kong, to Tsui Hark’s upcoming martial arts film Legend Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants, following the studio’s recent success with Yolo.

The Chinese-language film will is set for release in mainland China cinemas on January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year through China Film Group.

Spip will release it on the same day in Hong Kong, followed by Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand on February 20, the US on February 21 and Indonesia on February 26.

The film is adapted from the novel...

Action icon Jackie Chan has completed principal photography on “The Shadow’s Edge,” a high-stakes thriller that marks his second collaboration with Chinese helmer Larry Yang. The duo previously struck gold with “Ride On,” which dominated Asian box offices in 2023, becoming Japan’s highest-grossing Chinese import and landing among Malaysia’s top three Chinese releases of the year.

Set against the neon-lit backdrop of Macau, the film stars Chan as a veteran surveillance expert pulled out of retirement by the local police force. He’s tasked with mentoring a crack team of young detectives to hunt down an elusive gang of thieves that has been running circles around law enforcement. The narrative pits old-school surveillance tactics against cutting-edge tech in what’s being billed as a tension-filled game of cat and mouse.

The project assembles a powerhouse cast that bridges generations of Asian entertainment. Chan shares the screen with Zhang Zifeng,...

Jackie Chan’s newest film The Shadow’s Edge has wrapped principal photography.

Directed by Chinese director Larry Yang, filming commenced in October 2024 in Macau.

The Shadow’s Edge marks the second collaboration between Jackie Chan and Larry Yang, after they also worked together on Ride On, which was released theatrically in more than 30 countries.

Ride On became the highest-grossing Chinese film in Japan since 2022 and ranked among the top three highest-grossing Chinese films in Malaysia in 2023.

In The Shadow’s Edge, Jackie Chan stars as a retired surveillance expert from the Macau Police Service, who is rehired by the Police Force to collaborate with a team of elite young detectives to help capture a group of cunning thieves. In a tense confrontation between traditional tracking techniques and state-of-the-art technology, the police and criminals engage in a battle of wits, setting the stage for a cat-and-mouse showdown between good and evil.

The Shadow’s Edge...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSInland Empire.Former MoviePass CEO Ted Farnsworth pleaded guilty to defrauding the company’s investors by making “materially false and misleading representations” of the company’s operations. In the words of a Justice Department official, Farnsworth “concealed that MoviePass’s subscription model was a money-losing gimmick and falsely claimed that [the company] used artificial intelligence to monetize MoviePass’s subscriber data,” the latter tactic described as “AI washing.”Shout! Studios has acquired the worldwide rights to the Golden Princess movie library, a collection of 156 Hong Kong action cinema classics that have been unavailable in Western markets for decades. The collection includes John Woo classics like The Killer (1989), Bullet in the Head (1990), and Hard Boiled (1992), as well as Tsui Hark’s...