Actualités

Beijing-based Blossoms Entertainment has been appointed by Warner Bros Pictures as the film distribution agent for the studio’s first locally developed live action feature, The Way Out, and its first animated film featuring Tom and Jerry from China.

The Way Out stars Xiao Yang, best known for the Sheep Without A Shepherd trilogy, as a game programmer who finds himself wrongfully confined to a rehab centre. He soon forms an unexpected bond with fellow patients, which propels him to question the very nature of normalcy. The film explores the challenges faced by the younger generation, both in the workplace and their personal lives,...

Distribution Workshop has picked up international rights to Chinese director Steven Zhang Zhonghua’s Iou, a comedy drama set against the background of recent illegal fundraising scams, starring Aaron Kwok.

The film is produced by Hong Kong’s Julia Chu, reuniting with Kwok after their work together on Port Of Call (2015) and Where The Wind Blows (2022). Zhang is described as an emerging talent from China’s post-80s generation. Kwok is one of Hong Kong’s biggest stars, recently appearing in Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In.

Taipei-based Distribution Workshop will launch sales on the film at Filmart, which is taking place March 17-20 in Hong Kong.

Kwok plays a desperate man who is trying to repay his debts by any means necessary. He blockades the rural home of a pair of simple-minded but compassionate siblings, hoping to force their father home to repay his loan to him, but is...

Hong Kong film critic turned director Philip Yung’s latest feature begins with a harrowing crime committed by an unlikely culprit: One night, without any prior warning or explanation, a troubled 15-year-old boy named Ming (Dylan So) picks up a meat cleaver in the kitchen and then proceeds to murder his mother and sister in cold blood.

Yung explores the before and after of that shocking event through the eyes of Ming’s father, Yuen (Sean Lau), who tries to piece his life back together while also trying to figure out what may have caused his son to carry out such a horrendous act. In that sense, Papa is reminiscent of the director’s 2015 murder mystery, Port of Call, except this time the plot is not about who did it, but why. And even more so, it’s about how to go on living after facing such utter tragedy.

Shifting...

Hong Kong stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai play corrupt police officers in Philip Yung’s ambitious but over-the-top crime epic

This stunning-looking but chronologically restless Hong Kong-set crime epic unfurls across 50-odd years from the mid-20th century; it revolves around two frenemy protagonists, corrupt police officers played here by Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who were inspired by real-life Hong Kong cops/triad front men back in the day. Altogether, it’s a heady mix of potted history, period detail, violence, gangster lore, lust and lawlessness on which writer-director Philip Yung (Port of Call) really goes to town, splashing budget money like petrol all over the place and then throwing a lighted match on top just to see the pretty flames. The ambition and swagger is undeniably admirable, but the end result is a bit of a charred mess – or perhaps more flatteringly a burnt offering...

Plot: A detective (Benicio del Toro) living in New England with his wife (Alicia Silverstone) investigates the gruesome death of a local real estate magnate’s (Justin Timberlake) wife.

Review: There’s a version of Reptile that could have been a standard cop noir. After all, how many movies have we seen about a rumpled detective investigating a murder that implicates a well-connected family? Yet, director Grant Singer seems less interested in making the straight-laced neo-noir this could have been and instead turns this into a quirky, darkly comedic riff on the genre that almost functions as a spoof at times. After all, a movie that uses Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door” for a gunfight can’t expect us to take it entirely seriously.

Reptile is a weird but wonderful surprise. The odd vibe will turn some off, and it took me about thirty minutes to finally...

Supported by the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office, London, Focus Hong Kong brings the very best in new and classic Hong Kong cinema to London in July, with a diverse programme of screenings at the presBgious BFI Southbank. Films include three of the most acclaimed and popular Hong Kong films of the year, with the UK Premieres of all-star crime epic Where the Wind Blows from award-winning director Philip Yung and horror anthology and international festival favourite Let it Ghost, and a special screening of social justice courtroom thriller A Guilty Conscience, one of Hong Kong's biggest box office hits of 2023 so far. Also included is the UK Premiere of a new 4K version of the Hong Kong New Wave classic Nomad, re-edited by director Patrick Tam after being heavily censored on its original release, starring the immortal Leslie Cheung in an early breakthrough role, screening to mark the 20th...

Chicago – On April 1st (2:30pm), director Ka Sing Fung will represent the North American premiere of his film “Lost Love,” part of Season 16 for the Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc), with screenings at AMC New City in Chicago. The film, part of Hong Kong Cinema Showcase, will feature a Q&a moderated by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com. Click Hong Kong for location and timing details, including for the rest of the films in the series, including “The Sparring Partner,” “Remember What I Forgot,” and “Port of Call.”

Apuc Hong Kong Cinema Showcase: ‘Lost Love’

Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

Season 16 Apuc will focus on a variety of films from Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Singapore and South Korea, and is curated by the Founder and Executive Director of the fest, Sophia Wong Boccio. Apuc features films by region, and it continues with Hong Kong (March 31-April 1), online for China,...

Chicago – Season 16 of the Asian Pop Up Cinema (Apuc) continues with the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase, with ‘A Guilty Conscience’ featuring appearances by an actress and director.

The appearance is on Friday, March 31st (7pm), and ‘A Guilty Conscience’ is the first film in Hong Kong history to pass the $100 million mark locally in country. The evening will feature an honor for actress Renci Yeung with Apuc’s Bright Star Award and will also have director Jack Ng Wai Lun at the screening. They talked to HollywoodChicago.com below.

On April 1st (2;30pm), director Ka Sing Fung will represent the North American premiere of his film “Lost Love.” Both screenings are at AMC New City in Chicago, and will feature Q&As moderated by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com. Click Hong Kong for location and timing details, including for the rest of the films in the series, including “The Sparring Partner,...

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) and China’s Heaven Pictures announced that they will award six Asian filmmakers RMB1 million in a joint project to demonstrate how high-quality films can still be made inexpensively.

The six films that emerge from the new initiative, titled “Back to Basics (B2B): A Love Supreme,” will be co-produced by the two entities and released over the next three years. Hkiffs will handle international sales and festival strategies, while Heaven Pictures will handle mainland distribution.

Participating directors include Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan’s Ishii Yuya, Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu, Chinese independent filmmaker Yang Jin, Malaysian New Wave director Tan Chui Mui, and Hong Kong director Philip Yung, whose “Port of Call” won seven Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015.

“We aim to strip away the artifice of much contemporary movie-making, returning cinema to something raw and exciting,” said Jacob Wong,...

Hong Kong film director Philip Yung and his cast were in Shanghai on Monday to promote their upcoming film “Where the Wind Blows.” They revealed new details while cautiously sidestepping — for the most part — the awkward issue of last week’s massive civil protests in Hong Kong against a controversial bill that would have deepen ties with China, which have been entirely censored from mainland Chinese media.

The film, which used to be titled “Theory of Ambitions” in English, stars Hong Kong’s Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Aaron Kwok, Patrick Tam and Michael Chow and Chinese actress Du Juan. The actors play four notoriously corrupt police officers who rose to power in 1960s Hong Kong, and Du one of their wives. The stylish crime thriller covers a particularly long time span, said Kwok, saying he had to play officer Lui Lok from age 20 up until around 80.

“As a born and bred Hong Konger,...

Above: 1960 Us first release one sheet for A Lesson in Love (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1954).Starting on February 7, The Best Show in Town may well be Film Forum’s Centennial Retrospective of the gargantuan six-decade oeuvre of Ingmar Bergman. 47 films over five weeks, 40 of them brand new digital restorations. Usually in these circumstances I gather as many posters as I can find from a filmmaker's career, but collecting posters for all of Bergman’s work would be a monumental task. And so I’ve decided to cut to the chase and select my ten favorite posters for his films.Most American posters for Bergman’s films—especially those from the 60s and 70s—are unusually wordy and quote-heavy, relying on critical acclaim to sell the latest product from the master. But, as much a visual stylist as a cerebral provocateur, Bergman has inspired many poster artists to great heights over the years.

Plot : Based on a real life murder case where a dismembered corpse of a murdered 16-year-old prostitute girl was found in Hong Kong in 2008

‘Port of Call‘ stole the show in the acting categories at the recent Hong Kong Film Awards, Coming away with 7 awards including a Best Actor win for ‘Aaron Kwok’

35th Hong Kong Film Awards

Best Screenplay Philip Yung Won Best Actor Aaron Kwok Won Best Actress Jessie Li Won Best Supporting Actor Michael Ning Won Best Supporting Actress Elaine Jin Won Best New Performer Michael Ning Won Jessie Li Nominated Best Cinematography Christopher Doyle Won...

Controversial , low-budget dystopian Ten Years took the top honors at the Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday.

A local box office hit made up of five vignettes set in 2025, where locals are persecuted for speaking Cantonese not Mandarin.

Amidst increasing fears of mainland pressure and interference in Hong Kong and some cinemas refusing to screen the film, its success was a surprise even to the producers themselves.

Andrew Choi, one of the producers for the film, said “The meaning of this prize is that it shows Hong Kong still has hope. It reminds us that we could have courage to be creative. I would like to thank everyone who has watched it.”

According to the Guardian, this film with a budget of Hk$500,000 ($64,000) has earned Hk$6m, but its run stopped despite still playing to packed theatres.

State broadcaster, CCTV, pulled out from broadcasting the ceremony live unlike previous years,...

The ceremony broadcast was banned in mainland China, reportedly due to the nomination of the politically-charged dystopian drama.Scroll down for the full list

Port Of Call emerged as a big winner with seven prizes from the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards, while controversial local independent production Ten Years was declared best film and The Taking Of Tiger Mountain’s Tsui Hark took best director.

Port Of Call, which came into the night with the most nominations at 13, pulled off a clean sweep of all the acting prizes: best actor for Aaron Kwok (his first Hkfa win), best actress for newcomer Jessie Li, best supporting actress for Elaine Jin, as well as best new performer and best supporting actor, both of which for Michael Ning.

The crime thriller also won best screenplay for writer-director Philip Yung and best cinematography for Christopher Doyle.

However, the biggest award of the evening went to Ten Years, which beat heavyweights...

The 35th Hong Kong Film Awards have just been announced at a star-studded ceremony at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. 18 competitive categories were contested, with Philip Yung’s gritty crime thriller Port Of Call sweeping the board, winning a total of seven awards including all four acting categories and Best Screenplay. However, independent anthology Ten Years will be grabbing all the headlines as it scooped the award for Best Film - the only category in which it was nominated. Chinese broadcasters in the mainland had dumped the awards ceremony from their channels after the low budget drama, which depicts Hong Kong a decade into the future, was nominated. This comes as little surprise, as Ten Years shows Hong Kong locals reeling under escalating oppression...

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

We present the list of winners of the 10th Asian Film Awards that took place on March 17th at The Venetian Theatre in the city if Macao.

It was a big night for The Assassin as the movie grab eight awards (Best Film, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Original Music, Production Design and Sound). On second place we have Port of Call by Philip Yung with two awards (Best Newcomer and Best Editing)

Best Film

The Assassin (Nie yin niang) by Hou Hsiao-Hsien Hong Kong, China, Taiwan | 2015

Best Director

Hou Hsiao Hsien for the film The AssassinHong Kong, China, Taiwan | 2015

Best Actor

Lee Byung-Hun for the film Inside Man – South Korea

Best Actress

Shu Qi for the film The Assassin – Hong Kong, China, Taiwan

Best Supporting Actor

Asano Tadanoby for the film Journey to the Shore – Japan

Best Supporting Actress

Zhou Yun for the film The Assassin – Hong Kong,...

Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s period drama took eight awards including best film, best director and best actress.Scroll down for the full list of winners

The Assassin dominated this year’s Asian Film Awards, winning eight of the 15 prizes announced on the night.

The period drama, which premiered in competition at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, scooped the ceremony’s major awards for best film and best director for Hou Hsiao-Hsien, as well as best actress for star Shu Qi [pictured right].

The film also took prizes for supporting actress for Zhou Yun, cinematography for Mark Lee Ping-bing, original music for Lim Giong, as well as further awards for production design and best sound.

Other winners on the night included best actor Lee Byung-hun [pictured left] for his role in Min-ho Woo’s crime drama Inside Men, Asano Tadanobu for his supporting turn in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s romantic fantasy Journey To The Shore, and Jia Zhangke...

Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s period drama took eight awards including best film, best director and best actress.Scroll down for the full list of winners

The Assassin dominated this year’s Asian Film Awards, winning eight of the fifteen prizes announced on the night.

The period drama, which premiered in competition at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, scooped the ceremony’s major awards for best film and best director for Hou Hsiao-Hsien, as well as best actress for star Shu Qi [pictured right].

The film also took prizes for supporting actress for Zhou Yun, cinematography for Mark Lee Ping-bing, original music for Lim Giong, as well as further awards for production design and best sound.

Other winners on the night included best actor Lee Byung-hun [pictured left] for his role in Min-ho Woo’s crime drama Inside Men, Asano Tadanobu for his supporting turn in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s romantic fantasy Journey To The Shore, and Jia Zhangke...

Hong Kong-based Mei Ah Entertainment Group has announced a slate of six films at Hong Kong Filmart, including a film centred on a half-butterfly woman and China’s answer to Boyhood.

Based on Cai Jun’s popular suspense novel, Butterfly Cemetery 3D is a $12m fantasy thriller about a half-butterfly woman directed by Joe Ma and produced by Manfred Wong.

The effects-heavy film was shot mainly in Budapest and stars Zhang Li and Vivian Dawson.

Wong is the producer of a further two projects, of which the first is an untitled crime thriller by Philip Yung. Inspired by a true story, the film follows a village woman who travels across China to track down the murderer of her husband over 17 years. It is also produced by Julia Chu, who produced Yung’s critically acclaimed Port Of Call.

The second is Yu Zhong’s Growing Up, a coming-of-age drama that follows Wu Zang Suet, the child star...

Port Of Call director Philip Yung to helm detective thriller.

Hong Kong-based China 3D Digital Entertainment launched a new slate of six titles at Hong Kong Filmart, including $13m (Hk$100m) detective crime thriller The Death Notice (working title).

Directed by Philip Yung, whose last film Port Of Call is a multiple award-winning crime thriller, the new picture is a co-production with Chinese streamlining platform iQiyi. A-list actors are expected to be cast.

The Death Notice was originally published as an Internet novel. It has subsequently been adapted into a highly popular Internet drama with reportedly a billion click-throughs.

Also on China 3D’s new slate is The Menu, which is the big screen adaptation of Hktv’s series and reunites the series director Pun Man Hung with his cast Gregory Wong, Catherine Chau and Kate Yeung; 29+1, which is based on actress-director-playwright Kearen Pang’s theatre production of the same name and stars Chrissie Chau and Joyce...

On March 17, at Macau’s Venetian Theater the 10th Asian Film Awards will be underway. Winners from nearly 1,600 submissions from 32 countries will be announced. Since its inauguration in 2007, the award has grown in scale and is now largest film awards event in Asia.

This year, The Assassin has the most nominations (best film, director, actress, supporting actress, cinematography, original music, costume design, production design, and sound). This historical drama featuring Shu Qi has been hailed as “the most ravishingly beautiful film Hou [Hsiao-hsien] has ever made, and certainly one of his most deeply transporting” by Variety.

Bajirao Mastani by Sanjay Leela Bhansali follows with five nominations. This Indian historical romance is one of the highest grossing Indian films of all time. It will compete with The Assassin, Three Stories of Love (Koibito Tachi, Japan), Mr Six (Hu Guan, China) and Veteran (Ryoo Seung-wan, South Korea) in the Best film category.

Asian...

Chinese broadcaster CCTV and leading portal Tencent have pulled out of showing this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, which includes controversial drama Ten Years among the best picture nominees.

Both media outlets notified the Hong Kong Film Awards Association over the weekend that they would not be broadcasting the event, scheduled to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on April 3.

State-owned broadcaster CCTV has broadcast a replay of the awards since 1991, while privately-owned portal Tencent has an on-going contract to live stream the event.

Their decision is understood to be in response to the inclusion of Hong Kong sleeper hit Ten Years among the best picture nominees.

The political drama comprises five short films exploring how life in Hong Kong may have changed under mainland China’s influence by the year 2025. Directed by five different filmmakers, the five shorts examine the potential loss of human rights and political freedoms.

Produced on an ultra...

Shu Qi in The Assassin

The nominations for this year's Asian Film Awards were revealed today, and Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin has taken a clear lead with Best Film and Best Director nominations as well as nod in several other categories, including Best Actress for Shu Qi. The actress, who plays a woman challenged to prove her mettle by killing her betrothed in the Taiwanese epic, has been nominated for a major award almost every year since 2005, when she won Best Actress at the Golden Horse Film Festival for her performance in Three Times. The Assassin may prove a controversial choice, attracting scorn from some critics after it premiered at Cannes last year, but Shu Qi has defended it vigorously and has received widespread praise for her acting in it.

Also making a big impression this year is Philip Yung's first film as both writer and director, Port Of Call,...

In an online free live stream conference the Asian Film Award Academy announced the list of nominees for the 10th Asian Film Awards. The Assassin (Taiwan) by Hsiao-Hsien Hou lead the list with 9 nominations (Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Sound), Then comes Bajirao Mastani (India) by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Best Film, Best Editing, Best Original Music, Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects) and Port of Call (Hong Kong) by Philip Yung (Best Supporting Actress, Best Newcomer, Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Cinematography) with 5 nominations each. Mountains May Depart (China) by Jia Zhang Ke, Mr. Six (China) by Guan Hu and Veteran (South Korea) by Ryoo Seung-wan have 4 nominations each.

Best Film

The Assassin (Nie yin niang) by Hou Hsiao-Hsien

Hong Kong, China, Taiwan | 2015 Bajirao Mastani by Sanjay Leela Bhansali – India...

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin leads the nominations for the 10th Asian Film Awards with nine nods, followed by India’s Bajirao Mastani and Hong Kong’s Port Of Call with five apiece.

The Assassin, which won best director in Cannes last year, was nominated for best film, director, actress (Shu Qi), supporting actress (Zhou Yun), cinematography (Mark Lee Ping-bing) and four other technical categories.

Another sumptious period epic, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani, was also nominated for best film, along with best editing, original music, costume design and visual effects.

Philip Yung’s social drama Port Of Call, based on the true story of a mainland prostitute who was murdered in Hong Kong, picked up nods for best supporting actor (Michael Ning), newcomer (Jessie Li), screenplay, editing and Christopher Doyle’s cinematography.

Rounding out the best film category are Jia Zhangke’s Mountains May Depart (France-China); Hashiguchi Ryosuke’s Three Stories Of Love (Japan...

Nominations for the 10th Asian Film Awards were announced today in Hong Kong, and Hou Hsiao Hsien's wuxia drama The Assassin unsurprisingly leads the pack with 9 nominations. Appearing in the Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, the Cannes winner will also contend for Best Cinematography, Original Music, Costume Design, Production Design and Best Sound.Philip Yung's local crime drama Port Of Call, which has been warmly received at festivals around the world since its debut at last year's Hong Kong International Film Festival, secured 5 nominations, including Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor, Best Newcomer and Best Editing, but missed out in the major categories.Joining The Assassin in the Best Picture race are Mountains May Depart and Mr. Six...

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

Two sets of international film awards were recently handed out and in the holiday flurry we haven't yet shared them, but since three Oscar submissions dominated, better late than never!

Alfred Castro in "El Club"

Fenix Awards

The Fenix awards are a Mexican based initiative to honor films and industry professionals of Latin America, Spain and Portugal.m They're only in their second year so it's too new to know if they'll make an impact but this year they gave Pablo Larraín's  El Club (Chile's tramautizing Oscar submission) Picture, Director, Screenplay and Actor prizes. Alfredo Castro was the acting recipient of the latter (it's a large cast of mostly men and fans of Larraín will know him well since he previously starred in Larraín's other Oscar submissions Tony Manero and No). Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia's mesmerizing Oscar submission for which we're heartily rooting) took Sound, Cinematography, and Music...

Port Of Call wins best feature; Turbo Kid team take Best Director.Scroll down for full list

At the 19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan), Philip Yung’s Hong Kong crime-thriller Port Of Call scooped the Bucheon Choice: Feature Award along with Best Actress for Jessie Li and a Special Mention for actor Michael Ning.

Starring Aaron Kwok and shot by Christopher Doyle, Port Of Call previously closed the Hong Kong fest and opened the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff).

The Bucheon Choice feature competition jury, made up of filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe, actress Lee Jung Hyun, producer Pablo Guisa Koestinger, critic Richard Kuipers and director Kim Tae Kyun, announced they were unanimous in their decision to award the top prize to Port Of Call, citing its “sharp commentary on disaffected youth and contemporary Chinese society, and its examination of a shocking crime and its disturbing psychological components.”

The jury gave...

The 19th Annual Fantasia Film Festival is only a week away, beginning July 14 and running through August 4. And as promised for today, they’ve revealed their full line-up of films screening at 2015’s festival in Montreal.

This year’s line-up boasts 22 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 21 North American Premieres. Both Marvel’s Ant-Man and the animated Miss Hokusai were previously announced, but now they’ve added the much anticipated Attack on Titan movie as their closing night film. Other highlights include the Sundance darlings Cooties, starring Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson, Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by the upcoming Spider-man director Jon Watts, and a trio of films from horror auteur Sion Sono.

See the full line-up announcement of films below via Fantasia’s Facebook page, and be sure to check out their website at fantasiafestival.com for additional information.

****

Fantasia 2015:

36 Countries, 135 Features, and Nearly 300 Short Films

- Including 22 World Premieres,...

The 14th New York Asian Film Festival in partnership with Screen International will honour the Japanese youngster with the International Rising Star Award on July 4.

Sometani will attend the event and the New York premiere of Kabukicho Love Hotel with director director Ryuichi Hiroki.

The 22-year-old actor Sometani has made a name for himself in his home country with lead roles in the likes of Himizu, for which he shared the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best new young actor in Venice with Fumi Nikaido.

The latter was the subject of the International Rising Star Award in 2014.

The festival, set to run from June 26-July 11, will showcase more than 50 films, most of which will receive their Us and North American premieres.

Port Of Call, will receive its North American premiere and Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will receive the Star Asia Award.

Kwok earned back-to-back Golden Horse best actor awards in 2005 and 2006 for Divergence and After This Our Exile.

Other...

Laura Bispuri’s Sworn Virgin won the Firebird Award in the Young Cinema Competition at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff), which wrapped on Monday night.

The Italian-Albanian co-production is a socio-political and magical tale about a girl from the Albanian mountains who escapes a life of servitude by pledging her eternal virginity in return for a male body. Bispuri collected the award at the Hkiff awards gala on April 3, which included a screening of Tsui Hark’s The Taking Of Tiger Mountain.

In the same competition, Chinese director Xin Yukun’s The Coffin In The Mountain received a Special Mention, while Kafka-esque fable K, directed by D.E. Bulag and Emyr ap Richard, picked up the Jury Prize as well as the Fipresci award. The Mongolian production was produced by Jia Zhangke.

Jurors for the Young Cinema Competition included Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, Hong Kong actress...

Exclusive: Hong Kong’s Mei Ah Entertainment will unveil several projects at Filmart today, including a co-production with Wong Kar Wai’s Jet Tone Productions titled Drive Me Crazy, and a Boyhood-inspired drama, Growing Up, which will be shot over a period of 15 years.

Drive Me Crazy, a $12m romantic drama scripted by Zhou Jingzhi (The Grandmaster), tells the story of a jilted bride who pays a stranger to take her on a road trip from Beijing to Yunnan.

Chen Chang and Luodan Wang (The Continent) will head the cast of the film, which is currently in pre-production. The director has yet to be confirmed.

Produced by Manfred Wong and directed by Yu Zhong, Growing Up will follow a group of child actors as they grow up in Beijing – with the aim of capturing the growth of the city and China as a country, as well as the children.

In addition, Gordon Chan and [link...

Yesterday the full line-up for the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival was announced, and this year's closing film is a director's cut of Philip Yung's Port Of Call. The director's last film, May We Chat, was an impressive look at compensated dating and teen prostitution in the city, and he has previously impressed audiences with films including Glamorous Youth and wrote last year's firefighter hit As The Lights Went Out as well as Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis.Port Of Call stars Aaron Kwok, Elaine Jin, Jessie Li, Michael Ning and Patrick Tam, and is described on the festival's official website thus:a teenage prostitute is murdered; her body cut up and flushed down the toilet, and her severed head thrown into Victoria Harbor. Director Philip Yung...

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

Philip Yung’s Port Of Call to close the festival.

Sylvia Chang’s Murmur Of The Hearts will open this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff, March 23-April 6), while Philip Yung’s Port Of Call will close the event.

Chang was previously named as the Filmmaker in Focus at this year’s Hkiff, which will screen 14 of her films. Murmur Of The Hearts, in which she goes back to her Taiwanese roots, stars Isabella Leong, Joseph Chang, Lawrence Ko and Lee Sinje.

Yung’s Port Of Call is a crime drama starring Aaron Kwok.

Other Hong Kong films receiving their world premiere at Hkiff include Lau Ho-Leung’s Two Thumbs Up, starring Francis Ng, Simon Yam and Leo Ku, and Fruit Chan’s documentary My City about well-known local writer Xi Xi.

Hkiff has also collaborated once again with Youku on an omnibus film, which will receive its receive its world premiere at the...

Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang's latest directorial effort Murmur Of The Hearts will open the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival, it was announced today. The world premiere is part of a Filmmaker in Focus programme dedicated to Chang, which will screen 13 of her films, including Legend Of The Mountain, Passion and Queen Of Temple Street.May We Chat director Philip Yung's latest, Port Of Call, will close the festival, which runs from 23 March - 6 April 2015. Gala presentations include debuts for the latest pan-Asian anthology Beautiful 2015 (with segments from Huang Jianxin, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Yim Ho and Tsai Ming-liang), the directorial debut from Painted Skin and The Great Magician scribe Lau Ho Leung, Two Thumbs Up, the local premiere of Tsui Hark's 3D...

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