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The 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF49) opened tonight at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, kicking off the 12-day festival with world premiere of Japanese director Nakashima Tetsuya’s The Brightest Sun, followed by the Malaysian feature Pavane for an Infant, directed by Chong Keat-aun and starring Fish Liew, Natalie Hsu and Ben Yuen.

The star-studded Grand Opening ceremony featured appearances by Filmmaker in Focus Louis Koo, director Nakashima Tetsuya and producer Yasunori Naruse from The Brightest Sun, director Chong Keat-aun and cast Fish Liew and Ben Yuen from Pavane for an Infant. Adding to the excitement, renowned Japanese actress Ando Sakura, one of “Face to Face” guests this year, made a special appearance and wished the festival a successful run, making the evening even more memorable.

This year’s festival will showcase nearly 200 films, including six world premieres, two international premieres, and 52 Asian premieres. In addition to the aforementioned film talents,...

The world premiere of The Brightest Sun by Japan’s Nakashima Tetsuya will open the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff), along with Pavane For An Infant by Malaysia’s Chong Keat-Aun.

Johan Haugerud’s Dreams (Sex Love), winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale last month, has been set as the closing film.

The full line-up of the festival, which runs from April 10-21, was announced on the first day of Filmart with Hong Kong star Louis Koo, this year’s filmmaker in focus, and Angela Yuen, the new festival ambassador, in attendance.

Nearly 200 films from 69 countries...

Chinese sales agent Parallax Films has scooped international sales rights to Malaysian director Chong Keat Aun’s Pavane For An Infant and Japanese documentarian Kaori Oda’s Underground, ahead of their world premieres at Tokyo International Film Festival.

Pavane For An Infant will premiere in the Asian Future competition and stars Malaysia-born Hong Kong-based Fish Liew from 2023 box office hit A Guilty Conscience, rising actress Natalie Hsu (Fly Me To The Moon), Ben Yuen (Suk Suk) and Pearlly Chua (Snow In Midsummer).

The film is set around a baby hatch in Kuala Lumpur where dedicated staff and social workers navigate...

Actor Nick Cheung is back behind (and in front of) the camera with a new horror feature. Always vocal about his desire to keep the Hong Kong horror scene alive, the director returns with “Peg O' My Heart,” a thrilling adventure through the human subconscious. The film had its world premiere at the 26th edition of Udine's Far East Film Festival.

Peg O' My Heart is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival 2024

Taxi driver Choi San-keung (played by Nick Cheung himself) has serious trouble sleeping, to the point he endangers his customers. One of them is psychiatrist Dr. Man (Terrance Lau), who will meet him again at the hospital where he works. In fact, San-keung becomes his involuntary patient after a dangerous driving night. Subsequently, the medications and therapy methods will affect San-keung's wife (Fala Chen), who is mentally disturbed as well. On his part, Terrance Lau's character is also sleepless,...

Wong Ching Po’s crime thriller The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon has emerged as the second biggest Taiwanese film of all time on release in mainland China, having grossed over $69.5m (Rmb 500m) amid a simultaneous worldwide launch on Netflix.

Distributed by Star Alliance Movies, the film opened third on March 1 at the tail end of the Chinese New Year period, behind festive hits Article 20 and Pegasus 2. But it climbed to number one on its third day of release and has since been topping China’s daily box-office chart for 16 consecutive days, beating other new releases such as Dune: Part Two,...

Back in 2010 in Hong Kong, Wong Ching-po shot the cult “Revenge: A Love Story”, about a man that kills pregnant women, taking away their unborn babies. His later works, however, were mostly martial arts/action movies that definitely did not reach the standards of the aforementioned. That is until this year and “The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon” which seems to bring him back to the Cat III space that he thrived, this time, though, in a Taiwanese production.

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The film shows its colors from the beginning. Chen Kui-lin, a notorious hitman in the criminal underworld, infiltrates a funeral and shoots down a high-ranking gang boss, amidst a huge crowd of his ‘underlings'. As he runs to escape, he stumbles upon detective Chen Hui, who was surveilling the boss, and ends up chasing the perpetrator. The two engage in a brutal fight,...

Chicago – It’s Hong Kong Weekend for Season 17 Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) on September 16th and 17th, 2023, and representing the films there will be actor and filmmaker appearances. Apuc will honor three guests with a Pinnacle Career Achievement Award and two Bright Star Awards for up and coming actors.

The film schedule, details and ticket info are (click links) for Saturday, September 16th, Ready O/R Rot , In Broad Daylight and Stand Up Story. On Sunday, September 17th, Over My Dead Body and Wish Come True.

Apuc Season 17 Hong Kong Weekend, September 18 & 17, 2023

Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

Bright Star Award honoree Rachel Leung will introduce three films she performs in … “Ready O/R Rot,” “In Broad Daylight” and “Wish Come True.” Actors Ng Siu Hin and Ben Yuen will represent “Stand Up Story” with Hin receiving the Bright Star Award and Yuen the Pinnacle Career Achievement Award. Also appearing will be...

The second movie from Hong Kong this year that focuses on people with disabilities, although in a completely different approach than “In Broad Daylight”, Au Cheuk Man's “Stand Up Story” follows a more dramatic approach, in order to present the relationship of a young man with his intellectually disabled father.

“Stand Up Story” is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema

From a young age, Mancer had realized that his father, Wah, was different from other adults, as he was frequently speaking illogically, had slow comprehension and was quite easily deceived. As he grew up, he realized that he was intellectually disabled, but his mother's abandonment of the two forced him to grow up early and also take care of his father. As the pandemic hits, the life of the two becomes even harder, with the young man facing financial issues also, as a number of people seem to exploit his father,...

Chicago – Fall film festivals begin this week with Season 17 of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema, curated by Executive Director/Founder Sophia Wong Boccio. Opening Night is Friday, September 8th, with the Japanese film “Yudo,” subtitled “The Way of the Bath,” directed by Masayuki Suzuki. For tickets and info, click Apuc 17.

The Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) will take place in Chicago between September 8th and October 7th, 2023, and for the first time will include film selections from Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan, along with entries from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and more. According to Sophia Wong Boccio, “Through the lenses of this season’s diversified filmmakers we are presenting a broad spectrum of films that are relevant and entertaining.”

Apuc Season 17, September 8th - October 7th, 2023

Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

This season’s special guests appearing on behalf of their films include Amarsaikhan Baljinnyham, Ben Yuen, Dornaz Hajiha, Lawrence Kan, Lee Won Suk,...

Chicago, Il – Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) announces its upcoming Season 17 lineup, running between September 8 and October 7 in Chicago. For the first time, this year's programming will include film selections from Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan, along with entries from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and more. This season's special guests attending with their films include Amarsaikhan Baljinnyham, Ben Yuen, Dornaz Hajiha, Lawrence Kan, Lee Won Suk, Ng Siu Hin, Park Dong-Hee, Rachel Leung, Roya Sadat and Wong You Nam. South Korean actor Lee Sun-Kyun will be Apuc's Excellent Achievement in Film Award recipient and will receive his award before the feature presentation of closing night film Killing Romance.

Apuc's Season 17 opens with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, following architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) attempts to modernize his outdated public bathhouse family business. As he immerses himself in the new role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to...

Season 17 (September 8 – October 7) kicks off with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) and his return to his family-owned public bathhouse. Intent on modernizing the outdated establishment, Shiro faces unexpected challenges from both his brother Goro (Gaku Hamada) and a fire that lands him as the bathhouse's temporary manager. As he immerses himself in the role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to understand the happiness and democratizing power the place offers. The film will be presented at AMC Newcity 14, 1500 N. Clybourn, (September 8).

Centerpiece film Harvest Moon is Mongolian actor Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam's debut feature as director. An award-winning screenwriter, he adapted this father-son story from a short novel by T. Bum-Erden, following a city chef who must fulfill the harvesting in his village after his father dies. Representing Mongolia in the international feature 2022 Oscar submission, the film will be presented at AMC Newcity...

Bad Education

Director: Kai Ko

Producers: Ko Yao-zong, Lu Wei-chun, Giddens Ko, Midi Z, Molly Fang

Key cast: Berant Zhu, Kent Tsai, Edison Song

Actor Kai Ko’s directorial debut revolves around three young men who decide to bond with each other as sworn brothers as they graduate from high school by sharing dark secrets. The film’s Berant Zhu won the supporting actor prize at the 2022 Golden Horse Awards.

Sales: Harvest 9 Road Entertainment

COO-coo 043

Director: Chan Ching-Lin

Producers: Lin I-ling, Lin Shih-ken

Key cast: Yu An-Shun, Hu Jhih-Ciang, Yang Li-Yin, Rimong Ihwar

Haunting family drama set against the world of pigeon racing in Taiwan. Winner of 59th Golden Horse Awards’ narrative feature in 2022 and the Golden Horse Film Festival’s Fipresci prize.

Sales: Distribution Workshop

In The Morning Of LA Petite Morte

Director: Wang Yu-lin

Producers: Patrick Mao Huang, Jan Yi-ting

Key cast: Fukuchi Yusuke, Wang Yun-zhi, Ivy Yin,...

Veteran Hong Kong director Herman Yau has assembled a top-notch cast for “War Customised,” a high-octane action thriller that is one of the highest-profile commercial productions to emerge from the territory in the past couple of years.

The cast is headed by Jacky Cheung and Nicholas Tse, along with Karena Lam and Francis Ng.

The supporting cast includes Liu Yase (“Limbo”), Michelle Wai, Angus Yeung (“Raging Fire”), Melvin Wong (“Above the Law”), Ben Yuen, Amanda Strang (“Final Romance”), and Brahim Chab as the villain of the piece.

Production, now underway, is by Emperor Motion Pictures, with principal Albert Yeung named as producer. Emperor is also handling international rights licensing.

The “War Customised” screenplay is by Erica Li. Plot details have been withheld.

In addition to playing the lead, Tse will also act as the film’s action choreographer.

Yau is a veteran of the action, martial arts and comedy genres...

“Aided by the star magnetism of Yen and Tse and back in his element on the colorful streets of Hong Kong, Chan goes out with both guns blazing.” ~ G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

An explosive action thriller boasting a powerhouse cast headlined by international martial arts action superstars Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse (Shaolin, New Police Story), Raging Fire will debut exclusively on the martial arts streaming service Hi-yah! on October 22, before hitting Digital, Blu-ray and DVD November 23 with a new English dub from Well Go USA Entertainment.

A “blistering action/thriller exploring police corruption, violent regret, and all the heroic bloodshed you can handle” and the last film from acclaimed action auteur Benny Chan, Raging Fire co-stars Patrick Tam, Kenny Wong (New Police Story), Deep Ng (Stool Pigeon), Jeana Ho, Angus Yeung, Bruce Tong, Henry Mak (Operation Red Sea), Yu Kang (Ip Man 3), German Cheung (The White Storm 2: Drug Lords...

When talking to soldiers, even those who only served a limited time, the level of camaraderie, respect and collaboration are often aspects that are mentioned. Especially people from a working-class background or from troubled families describe the experience as life-changing, because even though there were tough times, the feeling of being supported by the other members of your unit is quite unique, and is sadly seldom repeated in the world of work. It is this feeling and the small gestures that accompany it which are at the foundation of Chan Kin-long crime drama “Hand Rolled Cigarette”, which premiered at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival in 2020. Using a very noirish visual language, the feature tells a story about loyalty, between people and within society in general, while also delving deep into the criminal underworld of Hong Kong.

Hand Rolled Cigarette is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival

Once a...

Newcomer Hong Kong director Jun Li decided to begin his career in feature movies with a “bang” and a big pink wig on the head of one of the most recognisable Hong Kong actors. What a way to start! Aided by seasoned scriptwriter Shu Kei and Herman Yau’s regular collaborator Erica Li, Jun Li has co-scripted and directed “Tracey”, where he frankly introduces a transgender character and follows her struggle on the path to happiness and self-discovery.

Tracey is streaming on Focus Hong Kong

Tung Tai-hung (Philip Keung) is a quiet fifty-something man, a gentle but somehow distant middle-class husband and father of 2, and an earnest optometrist with his own shop. Fond of his sweet memories of adolescence and his school-time inseparable trio, Tung has always been a loyal friend to Jun (Eric Kot), a brash and jolly womaniser and Ching, talented and passionate war photographer, who has long...

New projects include Au Cheuk Man’s Stand Up Story, co-produced with Emp, and Chui Tze Yiu’s Remember What I Forgot.

Hong Kong-based One Cool Film Production is making good on its promise to get the pandemic-hit local film industry back to work. The company’s sales arm, One Cool Pictures, is attending Filmart Online with a slate of several new productions from both new and established filmmakers, including the first project from its partnership with Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp).

One Cool and Emp announced last year that they would co-produce and co-distribute a slate of films to support...

Review by Ray Yeung

When it comes to queer cinema, we do not see the romance between two older people, especially not in the surrounding that is quite traditional and family values-driven as it is, or at least was, the case with Hong Kong. “Suk Suk”, the third featured film directed by Ray Yeung, who is considered to be one of the important figures of queer cinema because of his earlier works “Cut Sleeve Boys” and “Front Cover”, is one of the rare films that deals with the topic. The film premiered last autumn at Busan, while the European Premiere took place at Berlinale.

“Suk Suk” is screening at Slovak Queer Film Festival

Pak, played by the legendary Taiwan-based Hong Kong actor Tai-Bo (known for his work in Jackie Chan movies with “Police Story” being the highlight), is a seventy-year-old cab driver. He still works not because of the financial needs,...

Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning “Parasite” leads the race of this year’s Asian Film Awards, which will be hosted in his home country South Korea for the first time since the prize ceremony’s inception in 2007. The acclaimed drama picked up 10 nominations, including best film, best director and best screenplay.

“Parasite” was closely followed by Wang Xiaoshuai’s drama “So Long, My Son” from mainland China, and Taiwan drama “A Sun” by Chung Mong-hong. They each scored seven nominations including best film and best director, organizers of the 14th Asian Film Awards announced on Wednesday. A total of 39 films from 11 countries and regions are competing for the awards.

Founded by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, the AFAs have been staged in Hong Kong and Macau since their launch. In 2013, three major film festivals in Asia — Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo — joined hands to launch the non-profit Afa Academy,...

The Asian Film Awards Academy has decided to announce the winners online on October 14.

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite leads the nominations for this year’s Asian Film Awards (Afa) – hosted by Busan International Film Festival and the first to be held outside of Hong Kong and Macau – with ten nominations including best film and best director.

The Asian Film Awards Academy (Afaa), comprising the Hong Kong, Tokyo and Busan international film festivals, announced during last year’s Busan that the 14th Afa ceremony would be held in the South Korean city this year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers...

Strand Releasing has acquired North American rights to Ray Yeung’s “Twilight’s Kiss” (“Suk Suk”) which world premiered at Busan and played at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

Sold by Films Boutique, “Twilight’s Kiss” tells the story of two closeted married men in their twilight years, Pak, a 70 year-old taxi driver who refuses to retire, and Hoi, a 65 year-old retired single father. Despite years of societal and personal pressure, they are proud of the families they have created through hard work and determination. Yet, when they meet, something that had been suppressed for so many years is unleashed in them.

Strand Releasing, whose roster is packed with renowned world auteurs, previously handled Yeung’s film “Front Cover” with Jake Choi (“Single Parents”). “The delicate and beautiful story of two older men finding love later in life is a refreshing and realistic story and although uniquely Asian, is universal,...

The coronavirus disrupted both the festival and commercial careers of Hong Kong drama film “Suk Suk.” But as the film’s narrative suggests, a late blooming is still possible.

Written and directed by Ray Yeung, the film chronicles the gay romance between two aging men who had lived much of their younger lives hiding their sexuality. It had its world premiere at the Busan festival in October and competed for the Teddy Award in February as part of the Berlin festival’s Panorama section. But a planned series of other festival releases in key territories was abruptly halted when the Covid-19 outbreak became a global pandemic.

The film’s sales agent, Films Boutique is now trying to develop a new festival strategy that stretches through 2020 and early 2021.

Films Boutique is also pushing ahead with license deals. In Asia, “Suk Suk” has been licensed to Cai Chang International for Taiwan, M Pictures for Thailand,...

Hong Kong Arts Centre: Moving Images announces their May programme, which includes their Golden Scene Selection, “Hong Kong Short Film: New Action Express” Online Short Film Selection: And Here Comes the Dawn, Hong Kong Arts Centre x Hong Kong Independent Film Festival – Independently Yours: Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down and Independently Yours – May.

Golden Scene Selection – May

Venue: Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre Date: 2020.05.26 – 2020.05.31Price: Standard ticket: $80. Tickets are now available at Putyourself.in.

“Golden Scene Selection”, proudly presented by the Hong Kong Arts Centre (Hkac) and Golden Scene Company Limited, will bring the audience a series of cherry-picked selections from around the world at the Hkac.Screening Schedule26/5 (Tue) 8pm Suk Suk (Preview)27/5 (Wed) 8pm Beyond The Dream (Preview)28/5 (Thu) 8pm My Prince Edward (Preview)29/5 (Fri) 8pm Tora-san, Wish You Were Here*30/5 (Sat) 3pm Beyond The Dream (Preview)30/5 (Sat) 7pm Suk Suk31/5 (Sun) 3pm Tora-san,...

When it comes to queer cinema, we do not see the romance between two older people, especially not in the surrounding that is quite traditional and family values-driven as it is, or at least was, the case with Hong Kong. “Suk Suk”, the third featured film directed by Ray Yeung, who is considered to be one of the important figures of queer cinema because of his earlier works “Cut Sleeve Boys” and “Front Cover”, is one of the rare films that deals with the topic. The film premiered last autumn at Busan, while the European Premiere took place at Berlinale.

Pak, played by the legendary Taiwan-based Hong Kong actor Tai-Bo (known for his work in Jackie Chan movies with “Police Story” being the highlight), is a seventy-year-old cab driver. He still works not because of the financial needs, but as a mean to keep himself active. While at home, with...

Two older working-class men, both secretly gay, meet by chance and a hidden relationship develops in “Suk Suk,” the poignant third feature from writer-director Ray Yeung. Inspired by a sociology professor’s oral history of older gay men in Hong Kong, the drama incorporates documentary-like elements about end-of-life issues for gay elders. Mainly, however, it asks if it is possible for men who have been raised with strict traditional values and led hetero-normative lives with wives and children to put that aside and find happiness and fulfillment with a man. Strong performances by veterans Tai Bo and Ben Yuen make the protagonists’ struggle concrete and affecting.

Seventy-year-old Pak (Bo) still drives his cab, less for financial gain than because he wants a space that he controls and a means to cruise the city’s male pick-up spots in search of anonymous sex. He’s been married to Ching (Au Ga Man Patra) for 40 years,...

It’s finally time for the prestigious Taiwanese Award Ceremony “Golden Horse Awards” (23rd November 2019) and this is year the event is heavily influenced by the the snowballing effect of director Fu Yue’s cry for independence during her acceptance speech for the documentary “Our Youth In Taiwan” at last year’s edition. The statement caused a stir, ended with China boycotting the Golden Horse and Hong Kong directors being advised to stay away.

On the other hand, China’s Golden Rooster Awards has just opened and announced that from now on it will be held permanently in Xiamen and annually, instead of every two years. Therefore the two events will happened almost at the same time.

The “Golden Horse Awards” lineup is consequently “different” this year and – to stay positive – Taiwanese film-makers will have a greater chance to showcase their work and be awarded.

Leading the competition is the horror movie “Detention” with 12 nominations,...

“Suk Suk,” a gay drama which is in contention for the best film prize at Saturday’s Golden Horse Awards, has succeeded in lining up theatrical distributors in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

For Taiwan, it was acquired by distributor Cai Chang International. In Hong Kong, it has been picked up by Golden Scene. The deals were handled by international sales agent Films Boutique.

Directed by Hong Kong’s Ray Yeung, the film focuses on two elderly men, who have lived all their lives never revealing their sexual identities. When they meet by chance in the streets of Hong Kong they fall in love and dare to contemplate a possible future together. Topics covered by the film include societal conformity, religion, and identities that have been suppressed for the good of the family.

The film had its world premiere last month in the Busan film festival. It is now nominated in...