China’s box office surged over the July 18–20 weekend, led by a strong showing from local-language titles. “The Lychee Road,” a period drama distributed by Aimmedia Pictures, opened in first place with RMB170.3 million ($23.7 million), according to data from Artisan Gateway.
Including previews, the film has amassed a $31.7 million cumulative total. Directed by Dong Chengpeng and scripted by Si’ao Dai and Yuyue Shen (based on Ma Boyong’s novel), “The Lychee Road” follows petty official Li Shande (Dong Chengpeng) as he embarks on a nearly impossible mission: delivering fresh lychees across 5,000 miles during the Tang Dynasty to appease the imperial court’s demand.
Animated fantasy sequel “The Legend of Hei 2” (Qianwanjian Media) took second place with $14.4 million. Co-directed and co-written by Mtjj (Ping Zhang) and Gu Jie, the sequel follows Luo Xiaohei, a cat spirit who, two years after settling into the human world alongside his mentor Wuxian, faces...
Including previews, the film has amassed a $31.7 million cumulative total. Directed by Dong Chengpeng and scripted by Si’ao Dai and Yuyue Shen (based on Ma Boyong’s novel), “The Lychee Road” follows petty official Li Shande (Dong Chengpeng) as he embarks on a nearly impossible mission: delivering fresh lychees across 5,000 miles during the Tang Dynasty to appease the imperial court’s demand.
Animated fantasy sequel “The Legend of Hei 2” (Qianwanjian Media) took second place with $14.4 million. Co-directed and co-written by Mtjj (Ping Zhang) and Gu Jie, the sequel follows Luo Xiaohei, a cat spirit who, two years after settling into the human world alongside his mentor Wuxian, faces...
- 7/21/2025
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Norway’s “Loveable” swept the 15th Beijing International Film Festival’s Tiantan Awards, claiming best feature film, best director for Lilja Ingolfsdottir, and best actress for Helga Guren. Best screenplay went to Ingolfsdottir and Sahaja and Sagara for “Trapped.”
Pierre Bastin and Benjamin Lambillotte shared the best actor prize for their performances in the Belgian feature “Vitrival – The Most Beautiful Village in the World.”
China made a strong showing in the supporting categories. The best supporting actor award was shared by Hai Yitian for “Better Me, Better You” and Geng Le for his role in “Trapped.” Mara Bestelli took home best supporting actress for her work in “The Message,” which also triumphed with the best artistic contribution award and best cinematography award for Gustavo Schiaffino, signaling a standout night for the Argentine production.
Marc Bastien won best music for Italy’s “The Great Ambition.” “Nawi: Dear Future Me” was accorded a special jury honor.
Pierre Bastin and Benjamin Lambillotte shared the best actor prize for their performances in the Belgian feature “Vitrival – The Most Beautiful Village in the World.”
China made a strong showing in the supporting categories. The best supporting actor award was shared by Hai Yitian for “Better Me, Better You” and Geng Le for his role in “Trapped.” Mara Bestelli took home best supporting actress for her work in “The Message,” which also triumphed with the best artistic contribution award and best cinematography award for Gustavo Schiaffino, signaling a standout night for the Argentine production.
Marc Bastien won best music for Italy’s “The Great Ambition.” “Nawi: Dear Future Me” was accorded a special jury honor.
- 4/26/2025
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
After several sun-kissed days, Beijing brought out the stars on Saturday night as Lilja Ingolfsdottir’s debut feature, Norwegian marital drama Loveable, won the best feature film honor, plus three additional awards, at a closing ceremony full of Chinese stars and music that wrapped up the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival on a high.
With director Ingolfsdottir not in attendance, it was up to her star Helga Guren to collect not only the best actress award but also the other honors.
Iván Fund’s The Message left the evening with three Tiantan Awards, while Chinese filmmaker Sagara’s Trapped picked up honors in two categories.
Other award winners included Noëlle Bastin and Baptiste Bogaert’s Vitrival – The Most Beautiful Village in the World, Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s Better Me, Better You, and Nawi: Dear Future Me, directed by Tobias Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler, Apuu Mourine,...
With director Ingolfsdottir not in attendance, it was up to her star Helga Guren to collect not only the best actress award but also the other honors.
Iván Fund’s The Message left the evening with three Tiantan Awards, while Chinese filmmaker Sagara’s Trapped picked up honors in two categories.
Other award winners included Noëlle Bastin and Baptiste Bogaert’s Vitrival – The Most Beautiful Village in the World, Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s Better Me, Better You, and Nawi: Dear Future Me, directed by Tobias Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler, Apuu Mourine,...
- 4/26/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jiang Wen Talks New Technologies, Dumplings, and Why, as a Director, He “Showers” Actors With Praise
Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) shared his take on new technologies, his approach to adapting novels, and his experience with acting, among a wide range of issues, during a jam-packed masterclass at the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival on Friday.
Naturally, the continued technological development and its effect came up during the conversation. “Why should we refuse the further evolution of new technologies,” especially if “good content, good stories” are still being told, which is the key, he replied. With film, “it is the story that you tell” that counts.
In a different context, though, he encouraged the audience to take a break from one form of technology, mobile phones. Jiang received a huge superstar ovation, including loud cheers and a wave of mobile phone snapshots after the doors to the venue were opened to welcome him in,...
Naturally, the continued technological development and its effect came up during the conversation. “Why should we refuse the further evolution of new technologies,” especially if “good content, good stories” are still being told, which is the key, he replied. With film, “it is the story that you tell” that counts.
In a different context, though, he encouraged the audience to take a break from one form of technology, mobile phones. Jiang received a huge superstar ovation, including loud cheers and a wave of mobile phone snapshots after the doors to the venue were opened to welcome him in,...
- 4/25/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“60 sheep, eight camels, and 100 goats.” These words from the protagonist of Nawi: Dear Future Me, a Kenyan-German coming-of-age drama film that was Kenya’s entry for the best international feature film race at the 2025 Oscars, hit home. After all, the movie tells the story of a young African girl battling child marriage in hopes of an education and self-determination. The list of animals is the price a stranger is willing to pay for the young bride.
On Tuesday, the film, directed by the brothers Toby and Kevin Schmutzler, as well as Apuu Mourine and Vallentine Chelluget, from a script by Milcah Cherotich, is getting the spotlight at the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival.
Nawi screens in the main competition section of the fest, which runs through April 26. Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) will serve as the head of the jury,...
On Tuesday, the film, directed by the brothers Toby and Kevin Schmutzler, as well as Apuu Mourine and Vallentine Chelluget, from a script by Milcah Cherotich, is getting the spotlight at the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival.
Nawi screens in the main competition section of the fest, which runs through April 26. Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) will serve as the head of the jury,...
- 4/21/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival kicks off on Friday, and its competition lineup of 15 titles includes three homegrown Chinese movies.
Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) will serve as the head of the main competition jury that will hand out the fest’s Tiantan Awards.
Here is THR‘s closer look at the three Chinese films in this year’s Beijing competition program.
Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s Better Me, Better You
Executive producer and actress Ma Li stars as Bai Liping in the drama Better Me, Better You, described as an ode to female resilience.
The star plays a caregiver from Northeastern China who leaves a life of domestic violence behind “to seek a better life in the city, only to face repeated setbacks.” In Beijing, she meets a lonely elderly woman called Tang Shuyin, portrayed by Zhao Shuzhen.
Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) will serve as the head of the main competition jury that will hand out the fest’s Tiantan Awards.
Here is THR‘s closer look at the three Chinese films in this year’s Beijing competition program.
Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s Better Me, Better You
Executive producer and actress Ma Li stars as Bai Liping in the drama Better Me, Better You, described as an ode to female resilience.
The star plays a caregiver from Northeastern China who leaves a life of domestic violence behind “to seek a better life in the city, only to face repeated setbacks.” In Beijing, she meets a lonely elderly woman called Tang Shuyin, portrayed by Zhao Shuzhen.
- 4/18/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As the 15th Beijing International Film Festival (Bjiff) commences on April 18, the annual event is presenting an array of riches for cinephiles and industry professionals alike, marking a trifecta of milestones: the 130th anniversary of world cinema, the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema, and the festival’s own 15th year.
Headlining this year’s Workshop & Masterclass series is a triumvirate of cinematic heavyweights. French acting legend Isabelle Huppert, who has appeared in over 100 films and earned multiple accolades including best actress at Cannes for “The Piano Teacher” and a Golden Globe for “Elle,” will explore “The Undercurrent Beneath the Ice” – an examination of her distinctive artistic approach that has made her a force in European cinema. The masterclass promises insights into her celebrated collaborations with directors like Claude Chabrol and Michael Haneke.
Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke, whose works like “Still Life” and “Ash Is Purest White” have earned him acclaim at Cannes and Venice,...
Headlining this year’s Workshop & Masterclass series is a triumvirate of cinematic heavyweights. French acting legend Isabelle Huppert, who has appeared in over 100 films and earned multiple accolades including best actress at Cannes for “The Piano Teacher” and a Golden Globe for “Elle,” will explore “The Undercurrent Beneath the Ice” – an examination of her distinctive artistic approach that has made her a force in European cinema. The masterclass promises insights into her celebrated collaborations with directors like Claude Chabrol and Michael Haneke.
Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke, whose works like “Still Life” and “Ash Is Purest White” have earned him acclaim at Cannes and Venice,...
- 4/17/2025
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Beijing International Film Festival has developed a reputation for putting a spotlight on female voices in cinema.
Its 15th edition, running April 18-26, is continuing that trend with its sixth annual “Women’s Voice” section, featuring the likes of Walter Salles’ Oscar winner I’m Still Here, the political autobiographical drama starring Fernanda Torres as a Brazilian woman whose dissident husband disappears, and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, his depression comedy-drama with Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
“In recent years, female creators and their stories have continued to emerge, and the voices of women on screen have become more diverse and powerful,” the Beijing festival highlights. “These works continue to break boundaries in form and theme, bringing us richer and more multidimensional female expressions.”
This year’s lineup “brings together masters and emerging creators from all over the world” who “show the complex faces of women” in various situations. “This is not only a cinematic feast,...
Its 15th edition, running April 18-26, is continuing that trend with its sixth annual “Women’s Voice” section, featuring the likes of Walter Salles’ Oscar winner I’m Still Here, the political autobiographical drama starring Fernanda Torres as a Brazilian woman whose dissident husband disappears, and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, his depression comedy-drama with Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
“In recent years, female creators and their stories have continued to emerge, and the voices of women on screen have become more diverse and powerful,” the Beijing festival highlights. “These works continue to break boundaries in form and theme, bringing us richer and more multidimensional female expressions.”
This year’s lineup “brings together masters and emerging creators from all over the world” who “show the complex faces of women” in various situations. “This is not only a cinematic feast,...
- 4/17/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director’s debut feature enters Beijing International Film Festival spotlight amid renewed global conversations on women’s rights
A century-old criminal case from Switzerland is at the center of Frieda’s Case, the debut feature from German-Swiss filmmaker Maria Brendle. The historical drama, set in 1904, follows the trial of Frieda Keller, a young seamstress accused of murdering her son. The case, and the laws surrounding it, cast a stark light on gender inequality, both past and present.
The film, which premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in October, is part of the main competition at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival this month. Actor-director Jiang Wen will lead the competition jury. Brendle, who co-wrote the script with Michèle Minelli and Robert Buchschwenter, said she was drawn to the project because of its continuing relevance beyond its immediate setting in early 20th-century St. Gallen.
“This is a story about women’s rights,...
A century-old criminal case from Switzerland is at the center of Frieda’s Case, the debut feature from German-Swiss filmmaker Maria Brendle. The historical drama, set in 1904, follows the trial of Frieda Keller, a young seamstress accused of murdering her son. The case, and the laws surrounding it, cast a stark light on gender inequality, both past and present.
The film, which premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in October, is part of the main competition at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival this month. Actor-director Jiang Wen will lead the competition jury. Brendle, who co-wrote the script with Michèle Minelli and Robert Buchschwenter, said she was drawn to the project because of its continuing relevance beyond its immediate setting in early 20th-century St. Gallen.
“This is a story about women’s rights,...
- 4/15/2025
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely
The 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival will feature 15 films in its Forward Future section, which highlights first and second features from new directors. Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr will serve as jury president for the section. The festival runs April 18 to 26 in Beijing.
Established in 2014, Forward Future is dedicated to directors early in their careers. This year’s program includes titles from China, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Two Chinese titles, The Botanist by Jing Yi and Floating Clouds Obscure the Sun by Tao Shen, are part of the lineup. The Botanist made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Also screening in the section are Peacock by Austrian writer-director Bernhard Wenger, The Lonely Musketeer by Nicolai Schumann, and The Poet by Felix Umarov. Other selections include Nobody Wants to Shoot a Woman by Kerry Ann Enright, My Eternal Summer by Sylvia Le Fanu, and At the Bench by Yoshiyuki Okuyama.
Established in 2014, Forward Future is dedicated to directors early in their careers. This year’s program includes titles from China, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Two Chinese titles, The Botanist by Jing Yi and Floating Clouds Obscure the Sun by Tao Shen, are part of the lineup. The Botanist made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Also screening in the section are Peacock by Austrian writer-director Bernhard Wenger, The Lonely Musketeer by Nicolai Schumann, and The Poet by Felix Umarov. Other selections include Nobody Wants to Shoot a Woman by Kerry Ann Enright, My Eternal Summer by Sylvia Le Fanu, and At the Bench by Yoshiyuki Okuyama.
- 4/8/2025
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely
The Beijing International Film Festival has unveiled the 15 titles that will screen in the Forward Future section of its 15th edition later this month.
The Forward Future section, launched in 2014, is dedicated to discovering and promoting new filmmakers, focusing on directors’ first or second features. Hungarian director, screenwriter, and producer Béla Tarr (Damnation, Satan’s Tango, The Man From London) will serve as the president of the jury for the Forward Future program. Rounding out his jury will be Chinese actress Jin Chen, also known as Gina Jin, Chinese actor Song Yang, Japanese director, screenwriter and actor Sabu, and Swiss director and screenwriter Cyril Schäublin.
Beijing organizers promise “innovative” spirit, “unique styles,” and “cutting-edge” filmmaking in the Forward Future section, along with insight into the thinking and concerns of young filmmakers from all over the world.
Featured in the program are movies from first-time Chinese directors, namely Jing Yi’s The Botanist,...
The Forward Future section, launched in 2014, is dedicated to discovering and promoting new filmmakers, focusing on directors’ first or second features. Hungarian director, screenwriter, and producer Béla Tarr (Damnation, Satan’s Tango, The Man From London) will serve as the president of the jury for the Forward Future program. Rounding out his jury will be Chinese actress Jin Chen, also known as Gina Jin, Chinese actor Song Yang, Japanese director, screenwriter and actor Sabu, and Swiss director and screenwriter Cyril Schäublin.
Beijing organizers promise “innovative” spirit, “unique styles,” and “cutting-edge” filmmaking in the Forward Future section, along with insight into the thinking and concerns of young filmmakers from all over the world.
Featured in the program are movies from first-time Chinese directors, namely Jing Yi’s The Botanist,...
- 4/8/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alfred Hitchcock, the late “Master of Suspense,” and Jiří Menzel, the late Czech director who won the foreign-language film Oscar for 1966’s Closely Watched Trains, will get some screen love during the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival.
The “Homage-Restoration” section of the fest will feature, among others, Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason, and late Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman’s Meetings With Anna, starring Aurore Clément and Jean-Pierre Cassel, in new 4K restorations.
Anna is about an emotionally unavailable filmmaker who is traveling through Western Europe to promote her new film, meeting with strangers, friends, former lovers, and family members. North by Northwest is known as a tale of mistaken identity, featuring a man pursued by agents of a mysterious organization.
The Beijing festival organizers also unveiled that this year’s “Homage” section will put a...
The “Homage-Restoration” section of the fest will feature, among others, Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason, and late Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman’s Meetings With Anna, starring Aurore Clément and Jean-Pierre Cassel, in new 4K restorations.
Anna is about an emotionally unavailable filmmaker who is traveling through Western Europe to promote her new film, meeting with strangers, friends, former lovers, and family members. North by Northwest is known as a tale of mistaken identity, featuring a man pursued by agents of a mysterious organization.
The Beijing festival organizers also unveiled that this year’s “Homage” section will put a...
- 4/4/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Late New Hollywood legend Robert Altman (Gosford Park, M*A*S*H), late master of violence Sam Peckinpah, and Dogme 95, the Danish avant-garde movement led by directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round), will get the spotlight treatment at the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival
“To commemorate the 130th anniversary of world cinema,” the Beijing fest has curated a retrospective program “to document the history of film and envision its future,” organizers said. “With a curated selection of cinematic classics, the festival blends nostalgia with new perspectives, drawing inspiration from the past to ignite future creativity.”
Among the offerings will be “Endless Waves: 30 Years of the Dogme 95.” The Dogme 95 Manifesto expressed a commitment to create movies focused on storytelling, acting, and theme rather than the elaborate use of special effects or technological tricks. One of its key goals was to empower directors as artists. The...
“To commemorate the 130th anniversary of world cinema,” the Beijing fest has curated a retrospective program “to document the history of film and envision its future,” organizers said. “With a curated selection of cinematic classics, the festival blends nostalgia with new perspectives, drawing inspiration from the past to ignite future creativity.”
Among the offerings will be “Endless Waves: 30 Years of the Dogme 95.” The Dogme 95 Manifesto expressed a commitment to create movies focused on storytelling, acting, and theme rather than the elaborate use of special effects or technological tricks. One of its key goals was to empower directors as artists. The...
- 4/3/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival has unveiled Chinese director Guan Hu (Black Dog, A Man and a Woman) as the head of its jury for the second annual AI-generated content (Aigc) section. The other jury members are The Lion King director Rob Minkoff, actress Tan Zhuo, technology and creative expert Wang Lei, and director Chen Jianying.
The second AI-centric program at Beijing comes at a time when AI and its pros and cons have been a hot-button issue in the film industry.
“Since its 14th edition, the Beijing International Film Festival officially launched the ‘Aigc film’ [program], the world’s first film festival section dedicated to co-creation with AI,” the festival highlighted. “This pioneering initiative aims to explore the vast potential of AI in the realm of digital filmmaking and to promote the deep integration of Aigc technologies with cinematic art.”
This year’s second annual AI...
The second AI-centric program at Beijing comes at a time when AI and its pros and cons have been a hot-button issue in the film industry.
“Since its 14th edition, the Beijing International Film Festival officially launched the ‘Aigc film’ [program], the world’s first film festival section dedicated to co-creation with AI,” the festival highlighted. “This pioneering initiative aims to explore the vast potential of AI in the realm of digital filmmaking and to promote the deep integration of Aigc technologies with cinematic art.”
This year’s second annual AI...
- 4/2/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 15th Beijing International Film Festival has revealed that acclaimed Chinese director and actor Jiang Wen will preside over the Tiantian competition jury, with celebrated Chinese-American actor and filmmaker Joan Chen joining the panel.
The seven-member international jury brings together a cross-section of global film talent, including British director David Yates, Chinese actor Ni Ni, Finnish director Teemu Nikki, Swiss director and actor Vincent Perez, and Hong Kong art director Tim Yip.
Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr will lead the jury for the festival’s Forward Future strand.
The main competition lineup features a diverse slate of films vying for the award, including Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s “Better Me, Better You,” Li Yongyi’s “Deep in the Mountains” and Zhang Qi’s “Trapped,” all from China, and Emine Yildirim’s “Apollon by Day Athena by Night” (Turkey), Sora Hokimoto’s “Baus: The Ship’s Voyage Continues” (Japan), Maria Brendle...
The seven-member international jury brings together a cross-section of global film talent, including British director David Yates, Chinese actor Ni Ni, Finnish director Teemu Nikki, Swiss director and actor Vincent Perez, and Hong Kong art director Tim Yip.
Hungarian auteur Béla Tarr will lead the jury for the festival’s Forward Future strand.
The main competition lineup features a diverse slate of films vying for the award, including Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s “Better Me, Better You,” Li Yongyi’s “Deep in the Mountains” and Zhang Qi’s “Trapped,” all from China, and Emine Yildirim’s “Apollon by Day Athena by Night” (Turkey), Sora Hokimoto’s “Baus: The Ship’s Voyage Continues” (Japan), Maria Brendle...
- 3/28/2025
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) will serve as the head of the main competition jury at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival, which will hand out its Tiantan Awards.
The jury will also include Chinese American director and actor Joan Chen (The Last Emperor), British director David Yates (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Chinese actor Ni Ni, Finnish director Teemu Nikki, Swiss director and actor Vincent Perez, and art director Tim Yip from Hong Kong. The panel will select the winners across 10 award categories, including best feature film, best director and best screenplay.
The festival also unveiled its 15 main competition films, with organizers saying they received a record 1,794 feature film submissions from 103 countries and regions, marking a 19 percent increase over last year.
The three Chinese films in the main competition lineup are Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s Better Me,...
The jury will also include Chinese American director and actor Joan Chen (The Last Emperor), British director David Yates (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Chinese actor Ni Ni, Finnish director Teemu Nikki, Swiss director and actor Vincent Perez, and art director Tim Yip from Hong Kong. The panel will select the winners across 10 award categories, including best feature film, best director and best screenplay.
The festival also unveiled its 15 main competition films, with organizers saying they received a record 1,794 feature film submissions from 103 countries and regions, marking a 19 percent increase over last year.
The three Chinese films in the main competition lineup are Hao Ming and Li Peiran’s Better Me,...
- 3/28/2025
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Black Snow” dates back to the time when the cinema of the People’s Republic, which had come to a virtual standstill due to the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and was barely noticeable internationally, was awakening from its deep sleep. Director Xie Fei, who was already 48 years old at the time of completion, is still considered one of the recognized greats today, not least because of his long-term work as a professor at the renowned Beijing Film Academy.
Follow our Tribute to Chinese Mainland Cinema by clicking the image below
In 1978, Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou were among the first to study at the newly reopened Beijing Film Academy. Both graduated in 1982, and Chen’s “Yellow Earth” (1984) marked the beginning of the triumph of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers. The generations are easy to distinguish in that those of the Fifth Generation were born in the 1950s, those of the Sixth in the 1960s,...
Follow our Tribute to Chinese Mainland Cinema by clicking the image below
In 1978, Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou were among the first to study at the newly reopened Beijing Film Academy. Both graduated in 1982, and Chen’s “Yellow Earth” (1984) marked the beginning of the triumph of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers. The generations are easy to distinguish in that those of the Fifth Generation were born in the 1950s, those of the Sixth in the 1960s,...
- 2/7/2025
- by Andreas Ungerbock
- AsianMoviePulse
Star Wars fans shouldn't say goodbye to Rogue One character Jyn Erso just yet. Actor Felicity Jones recently hinted that her time in the Disney-owned sci-fi franchise is far from over.
Speaking with Screen Rant to promote her upcoming movie The Brutalist, Jones refused to believe that she'd never return to the Star Wars galaxy as Jyn Erso. "Never. We'll never say goodbye to her. She will live on, she'll live on," said Jones when asked whether audiences had seen the last of Jyn. "I mean, never say never. She's a pretty badass character. Maybe she could come back as a hologram or something, which is completely possible in the Star Wars universe."
Related Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Creators Reveal 'Interesting' Inspirations and the Benefits of Having a Young Cast
Exclusive: The creators of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew discuss the show's cast and its more surprising influences.
Despite signing a...
Speaking with Screen Rant to promote her upcoming movie The Brutalist, Jones refused to believe that she'd never return to the Star Wars galaxy as Jyn Erso. "Never. We'll never say goodbye to her. She will live on, she'll live on," said Jones when asked whether audiences had seen the last of Jyn. "I mean, never say never. She's a pretty badass character. Maybe she could come back as a hologram or something, which is completely possible in the Star Wars universe."
Related Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Creators Reveal 'Interesting' Inspirations and the Benefits of Having a Young Cast
Exclusive: The creators of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew discuss the show's cast and its more surprising influences.
Despite signing a...
- 12/6/2024
- by Lee Freitag
- CBR
Let this be an object lesson for those fearing it’s to late to pursue their dreams: at the age of 50, Shu Qi––who, granted, is the iconic star of films by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Feng Xiaogang, Jiang Wen, Corey Yuen, and Stephen Chow––made her directorial debut. Announced on the Chinese social-media site Weibo is Girl, a feature that’s just finished production, is scripted by the actress, and boasts a cast in which she does not appear. Greater details on either remain unknown for the time being, but likely not long––it’s expected the project’s completed in 2025. [Variety]
On Weibo, Shu shared a poster and behind-the-scenes images collected by Twitter user simon chou chou, which can be found below. Stay tuned for further details on Girl, a sudden candidate for 2025’s most-anticipated films.
The post Shu Qi Wraps Directorial Debut Girl for 2025 Completion first appeared on The Film Stage.
On Weibo, Shu shared a poster and behind-the-scenes images collected by Twitter user simon chou chou, which can be found below. Stay tuned for further details on Girl, a sudden candidate for 2025’s most-anticipated films.
The post Shu Qi Wraps Directorial Debut Girl for 2025 Completion first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 9/17/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Taiwan-born actor Shu Qi has completed production of her feature film directing debut, “Girl.”
While plot and cast details of the new film remain under wraps, “Girl” is Shu Qi’s original story that she wrote and directed after a prolonged development period. Shu Qi does not appear in the film.
The picture is financed by Taiwan’s Cmc Entertainment, Wow momentum, J.Q. Pictures and Aranya Pictures, and produced by Mandarin Vision. The film is executive produced by Yeh Jufeng, a Midas-like producer behind “A Sun,” “The Great Buddha+” and the Shu Qi-starring “The Village of No Return.”
The film is expected to be completed at an unspecified date in 2025. Mandarin Vision also serves as the film’s international sales agent, outside mainland China.
“I am so happy that the filming is wrapped. I look forward to sharing this film with audiences everywhere,” Shu Qi said in a prepared statement.
While plot and cast details of the new film remain under wraps, “Girl” is Shu Qi’s original story that she wrote and directed after a prolonged development period. Shu Qi does not appear in the film.
The picture is financed by Taiwan’s Cmc Entertainment, Wow momentum, J.Q. Pictures and Aranya Pictures, and produced by Mandarin Vision. The film is executive produced by Yeh Jufeng, a Midas-like producer behind “A Sun,” “The Great Buddha+” and the Shu Qi-starring “The Village of No Return.”
The film is expected to be completed at an unspecified date in 2025. Mandarin Vision also serves as the film’s international sales agent, outside mainland China.
“I am so happy that the filming is wrapped. I look forward to sharing this film with audiences everywhere,” Shu Qi said in a prepared statement.
- 9/17/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Taiwanese actress Shu Qi has wrapped production on her directorial debut — a project previously kept under wraps. Production company Mandarin Vision released a teaser image for the new film, titled Girl, along with a shot of Shu behind the camera during a recent location shoot.
Described as an original story written and directed by Shu, the film is scheduled for release in Asia sometime in 2025, according to the producers. It’s unclear whether Shu will also perform in Girl. Mandarin Vision declined to share additional information about the project.
Shu Qi on set for ‘Girl.
A fashion icon and favorite of both arthouse and commercial filmmakers across the Chinese-speaking world, Shu made her breakthrough in Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 2001 feature Millennium Mambo. Later successes have included Feng Xiaogang’s If You Are the One (2008), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) from Stephen Chow, Gone with the Bullets (2014) by Jiang Wen,...
Described as an original story written and directed by Shu, the film is scheduled for release in Asia sometime in 2025, according to the producers. It’s unclear whether Shu will also perform in Girl. Mandarin Vision declined to share additional information about the project.
Shu Qi on set for ‘Girl.
A fashion icon and favorite of both arthouse and commercial filmmakers across the Chinese-speaking world, Shu made her breakthrough in Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 2001 feature Millennium Mambo. Later successes have included Feng Xiaogang’s If You Are the One (2008), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) from Stephen Chow, Gone with the Bullets (2014) by Jiang Wen,...
- 9/17/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Richard Fox, who has been with Warner Bros. 42 years and served the last 25 as Executive VP, International, will be leaving his post. Fox spent his entire professional career at the studio and remained during regime after regime change from 1975 forward. He moved to Beijing in January 2016 to spearhead the studio’s expansion in China and to oversee Warner Bros.’ 49% interest in Flagship Entertainment, a Chinese language film co-production joint venture with China Media Capital (Cmc).
In August 2016, Gillian Zhao — who has worked closely with Fox over the past eight months — was named Executive VP and Managing Director of Warner Bros. China. She now oversees all of the Studio’s in-country businesses as well as its stake in Flagship.
While in China, Fox worked with divisional leaders in the U.S., as well as current Warner Bros execs in China, to coordinate business activities and explore new opportunities and partnerships.
“Richard...
In August 2016, Gillian Zhao — who has worked closely with Fox over the past eight months — was named Executive VP and Managing Director of Warner Bros. China. She now oversees all of the Studio’s in-country businesses as well as its stake in Flagship.
While in China, Fox worked with divisional leaders in the U.S., as well as current Warner Bros execs in China, to coordinate business activities and explore new opportunities and partnerships.
“Richard...
- 5/16/2017
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline Film + TV
Mostofa S. Farooki’s Ant Story and John Carney’s Begin Again are among the films that will compete for the Golden Goblet Award at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff).
Begin Again was recently acquired for Chinese distribution by Ivanhoe Pictures and Beijing Galloping Horse, while Ant Story premiered at last year’s Dubai International Film Festival.
Organisers said the full Golden Goblet line-up has yet to be announced but will also include Volker Schlöndorff’s Diplomatie; Thai filmmaker Tom Waller’s The Last Executioner; Greek filmmaker Pantelis Voulgaris’ Mikra Anglia; Maiko wa Lady, from Japan’s Masayuki Suo; Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig’s Predestination (Australia); Jeanne Herry’s She Adores Him (France); Mehdi Rahmani’s Snow (Iran); Zhang Meng’s The Uncle Victory (China); and Marko Nabersnik’s The Woods Are Still Green (Germany).
As previously announced, Gong Li will serve as president of the Golden Goblet jury, which also includes...
Begin Again was recently acquired for Chinese distribution by Ivanhoe Pictures and Beijing Galloping Horse, while Ant Story premiered at last year’s Dubai International Film Festival.
Organisers said the full Golden Goblet line-up has yet to be announced but will also include Volker Schlöndorff’s Diplomatie; Thai filmmaker Tom Waller’s The Last Executioner; Greek filmmaker Pantelis Voulgaris’ Mikra Anglia; Maiko wa Lady, from Japan’s Masayuki Suo; Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig’s Predestination (Australia); Jeanne Herry’s She Adores Him (France); Mehdi Rahmani’s Snow (Iran); Zhang Meng’s The Uncle Victory (China); and Marko Nabersnik’s The Woods Are Still Green (Germany).
As previously announced, Gong Li will serve as president of the Golden Goblet jury, which also includes...
- 5/29/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Yip in GM role at Emperor Motion Pictures
HONG KONG -- Emperor Motion Pictures appointed May Yip as general manager of distribution Wednesday.
It marks a homecoming for Yip, who left the then-Emperor Multimedia Group in 2003 to head the distribution department of Fortune Star Entertainment. She now reports to EMP CEO Albert Lee.
EMP will release no fewer than six films in 2008. "Mei Lanfang", directed by Chen Kaige and starring Leon Lai and Ziyi Zhang, headlines EMP's slate of films this year. "Kung Fu Dunk", Stephen Chiao's basketball follow-up to the record-breaking "Shaolin Soccer", will star popular Taiwan singer-actor Jay Chou, and is scheduled for the Chinese New Year period in Hong Kong and China, one of the most lucrative of the year.
The slate also includes Derek Yee's "Shinjuku Incident", the non-action drama featuring kung fu star Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu and Naoto Takenaka; David Lee's "Yes, I Can See Dead People"; Sylvia Chang's "Run Papa Run"; and Jeff Lau's "The Fantastic Water Babes".
EMP, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Emperor Group, is the feature film and TV production and distribution entity behind such films as the Chan vehicle "The Medallion" and Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises".
It marks a homecoming for Yip, who left the then-Emperor Multimedia Group in 2003 to head the distribution department of Fortune Star Entertainment. She now reports to EMP CEO Albert Lee.
EMP will release no fewer than six films in 2008. "Mei Lanfang", directed by Chen Kaige and starring Leon Lai and Ziyi Zhang, headlines EMP's slate of films this year. "Kung Fu Dunk", Stephen Chiao's basketball follow-up to the record-breaking "Shaolin Soccer", will star popular Taiwan singer-actor Jay Chou, and is scheduled for the Chinese New Year period in Hong Kong and China, one of the most lucrative of the year.
The slate also includes Derek Yee's "Shinjuku Incident", the non-action drama featuring kung fu star Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu and Naoto Takenaka; David Lee's "Yes, I Can See Dead People"; Sylvia Chang's "Run Papa Run"; and Jeff Lau's "The Fantastic Water Babes".
EMP, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Emperor Group, is the feature film and TV production and distribution entity behind such films as the Chan vehicle "The Medallion" and Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises".
- 1/3/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pretty Pictures taking 'Sun' to France
HONG KONG -- French rights to Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises" have been acquired by Pretty Pictures from Hong Kong's Emperor Motion Pictures.
The deal was brokered between Alan Ng of Emperor Motion Pictures and James Velaise of Pretty Pictures. The film is set for release in France in April with 50 prints.
"Sun" screened at this year's Venice Film Festival, but lost the Golden Lion to Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution". It also screened at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival.
The film stars Joan Chen, Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan and Jiang Wen, best known for his role opposite Gong Li in "Red Sorghum", for which he was nominated in China for best actor at the Golden Rooster Awards in 1988.
The deal was brokered between Alan Ng of Emperor Motion Pictures and James Velaise of Pretty Pictures. The film is set for release in France in April with 50 prints.
"Sun" screened at this year's Venice Film Festival, but lost the Golden Lion to Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution". It also screened at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival.
The film stars Joan Chen, Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan and Jiang Wen, best known for his role opposite Gong Li in "Red Sorghum", for which he was nominated in China for best actor at the Golden Rooster Awards in 1988.
- 11/2/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hong Kong financing forum accepting films
HONG KONG -- Film submissions for the sixth Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum, organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival and co-organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the MPA, are now being accepted, the HKIFF announced Thursday.
The call for HAF submissions comes hot on the heels of the Hong Kong Film Development Council's announcement Tuesday that they are inviting applications for the HK$300 million ($38.4 million) Film Development Fund they are in charge of administering to small- to medium-budget productions.
HAF is one of the core events of Hong Kong's Entertainment Expo and is designed to connect Asian filmmakers with film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers and funders for co-production ventures.
HAF promotes new talent as well as helping established directors. Past participants in the program have included China's Jiang Wen, Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan, Ann Hui, Pang Ho Cheung, Taiwan's Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan's Miike Takashi, Korea's IM Sang-Soo as well as Thailand's Pen-ek Ratanaruang.
The call for HAF submissions comes hot on the heels of the Hong Kong Film Development Council's announcement Tuesday that they are inviting applications for the HK$300 million ($38.4 million) Film Development Fund they are in charge of administering to small- to medium-budget productions.
HAF is one of the core events of Hong Kong's Entertainment Expo and is designed to connect Asian filmmakers with film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers and funders for co-production ventures.
HAF promotes new talent as well as helping established directors. Past participants in the program have included China's Jiang Wen, Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan, Ann Hui, Pang Ho Cheung, Taiwan's Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan's Miike Takashi, Korea's IM Sang-Soo as well as Thailand's Pen-ek Ratanaruang.
- 10/6/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hong Kong accepting film funding submissions
HONG KONG -- Film submissions for the sixth Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) are now being accepted, the Hong Kong International Film Festival said Thursday.
The call for submissions comes hot on the heels of the Hong Kong Film Development Council's announcement Tuesday that they are inviting applications for the HK$300 million ($38.4 million) Film Development Fund they are in charge of administering to small- to medium-budgeted productions.
The forum is one of the core events of Hong Kong's Entertainment Expo and is designed to connect Asian filmmakers with film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers and funders for co-production ventures.
It is organized by HKIFF and co-organized by the development council and the MPA.
HAF promotes new talent as well as helping established directors. Past participants in the program include China's Jiang Wen, Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan, Ann Hui, Pang Ho Cheung, Taiwan's Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan's Miike Takashi, Korea's Im Sang-Soo and Thailand's Pen-ek Ratanaruang.
The call for submissions comes hot on the heels of the Hong Kong Film Development Council's announcement Tuesday that they are inviting applications for the HK$300 million ($38.4 million) Film Development Fund they are in charge of administering to small- to medium-budgeted productions.
The forum is one of the core events of Hong Kong's Entertainment Expo and is designed to connect Asian filmmakers with film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers and funders for co-production ventures.
It is organized by HKIFF and co-organized by the development council and the MPA.
HAF promotes new talent as well as helping established directors. Past participants in the program include China's Jiang Wen, Hong Kong's Stanley Kwan, Ann Hui, Pang Ho Cheung, Taiwan's Tsai Ming-Liang, Japan's Miike Takashi, Korea's Im Sang-Soo and Thailand's Pen-ek Ratanaruang.
- 10/5/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jiang, Ge are 'Nobles' for Feng
BUSAN, South Korea -- Jiang Wen and Ge You, two of China's biggest actors, will star in director Feng Xiaogang' next movie, The Nobles, a comedy poking fun at the growing ranks of China's overnight millionaires.
"Jiang will play the nouveau riche guy and Ge You the con artist who scams him for his money," Feng told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, on the eve of the premiere of his anti-war film Assembly which opens the 12th Pusan International Film Festival.
Feng said he had delivered them a treatment of the script he wrote himself and hopes to start and finish it in time for release in 2008 around Christmas, a period that in years past has boosted Feng to become China's most bankable director at the boxoffice.
Feng hopes to shoot The Nobles in Beijing for about $5 million with Huayi Brother Pictures producing, but he said it might be inconvenient to do so because of the madness that will arrive in the Chinese capital with the Summer Olympics.
"Jiang will play the nouveau riche guy and Ge You the con artist who scams him for his money," Feng told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, on the eve of the premiere of his anti-war film Assembly which opens the 12th Pusan International Film Festival.
Feng said he had delivered them a treatment of the script he wrote himself and hopes to start and finish it in time for release in 2008 around Christmas, a period that in years past has boosted Feng to become China's most bankable director at the boxoffice.
Feng hopes to shoot The Nobles in Beijing for about $5 million with Huayi Brother Pictures producing, but he said it might be inconvenient to do so because of the madness that will arrive in the Chinese capital with the Summer Olympics.
- 10/4/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Sun Also Rise (Taiyang zhaocheng shengqi)
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Fluid motion and glorious colors provide a visual treat in Jiang Wen's sumptuous romantic fantasy The Sun Also Rises, which screened in competition at the Venice International Film Festival.
Flowers in bloom, intricately embroidered slippers, billowing curtains and a belly as soft as velvet are among the sensuous elements in a quartet of interrelated stories about characters who are variously addled, lecherous, vengeful and yearning in the four quadrants of China in the mid-1970s.
Lavishly produced and imaginatively shot, the film will delight audiences who enjoy extravagantly gorgeous imagery without the violence that usually accompanies it. Boxoffice potential looks good in art houses worldwide.
The first sequence is all about madness and mischief as a single mother (Zhuo Yun) drives her devoted son (Jaycee Chan) to distraction with her daredevil antics in pursuit of tranquility. The agile mom climbs tall trees and stands perilously astride a small earthen raft on the river. She treasures a beautiful pair of slippers that she is forever losing, and the son fears that, one day, the footwear will remain while his mother disappears.
Then, on a college campus, two old friends find their friendship tested by rivalry over a woman. Doctor Lin (Joan Chen) is the mistress of Old Tang (director Jiang), but she finds herself drawn to teacher Liang (Anthony Wong), who is catnip to beautiful women. When Liang is accused of groping women at a campus gathering, Lin offers her rear end behind a curtain to determine whose was the guilty hand.
Old Tang, who is a hunter, has a young wife (Kong Wei) who begins a relationship with the madwoman's son. One day, Tang overhears their noises of passion and his wife whispering that her husband says her belly is like velvet. He determines to shoot the young man but is given pause when the boy asks him, "What is velvet?"
The final episode involves all the characters in a dreamlike sequence that brings their lives full circle. Three cinematographers -- Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee and Yang Tao -- worked on the project, and they make the most of some gorgeous scenery, the lush production design of Cao Jiuping and Zhang Jianqun and Xu Jianshu's lovely costumes.
Besides being wonderful to look at, The Sun Also Rises is great fun, with sure-handed performances and an especially spry one by Zhuo as the addled mother. Joe Hisaishi's variegated score adds to the entertainment.
THE SUN ALSO RISES
Beijing Buyilehu Films
Credits:
Director: Jiang Wen
Screenwriters: Shu Ping, Jiang Wen, Guo Shixing
Based on the novel Velvet di by: Ye Mi
Producers: Albert Lee, Jiang Wen
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, Wang Wei, Jiang Wen
Directors of photography: Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee, Yang Tao
Production designers: Cao Jiuping, Zhang Jianqun
Music: Joe Hisaishi
Costume designer: Xu Jianshu
Editors: Zhang Yifan, Jiang Wen
Cast:
Old Tang: Jiang Wen
Doctor Lin: Joan Chen
Mad Mother: Zhuo Yun
The Son: Jaycee Chan
Teacher Liang: Anthony Wong
Tang's Wife: Kong Wei
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
VENICE, Italy -- Fluid motion and glorious colors provide a visual treat in Jiang Wen's sumptuous romantic fantasy The Sun Also Rises, which screened in competition at the Venice International Film Festival.
Flowers in bloom, intricately embroidered slippers, billowing curtains and a belly as soft as velvet are among the sensuous elements in a quartet of interrelated stories about characters who are variously addled, lecherous, vengeful and yearning in the four quadrants of China in the mid-1970s.
Lavishly produced and imaginatively shot, the film will delight audiences who enjoy extravagantly gorgeous imagery without the violence that usually accompanies it. Boxoffice potential looks good in art houses worldwide.
The first sequence is all about madness and mischief as a single mother (Zhuo Yun) drives her devoted son (Jaycee Chan) to distraction with her daredevil antics in pursuit of tranquility. The agile mom climbs tall trees and stands perilously astride a small earthen raft on the river. She treasures a beautiful pair of slippers that she is forever losing, and the son fears that, one day, the footwear will remain while his mother disappears.
Then, on a college campus, two old friends find their friendship tested by rivalry over a woman. Doctor Lin (Joan Chen) is the mistress of Old Tang (director Jiang), but she finds herself drawn to teacher Liang (Anthony Wong), who is catnip to beautiful women. When Liang is accused of groping women at a campus gathering, Lin offers her rear end behind a curtain to determine whose was the guilty hand.
Old Tang, who is a hunter, has a young wife (Kong Wei) who begins a relationship with the madwoman's son. One day, Tang overhears their noises of passion and his wife whispering that her husband says her belly is like velvet. He determines to shoot the young man but is given pause when the boy asks him, "What is velvet?"
The final episode involves all the characters in a dreamlike sequence that brings their lives full circle. Three cinematographers -- Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee and Yang Tao -- worked on the project, and they make the most of some gorgeous scenery, the lush production design of Cao Jiuping and Zhang Jianqun and Xu Jianshu's lovely costumes.
Besides being wonderful to look at, The Sun Also Rises is great fun, with sure-handed performances and an especially spry one by Zhuo as the addled mother. Joe Hisaishi's variegated score adds to the entertainment.
THE SUN ALSO RISES
Beijing Buyilehu Films
Credits:
Director: Jiang Wen
Screenwriters: Shu Ping, Jiang Wen, Guo Shixing
Based on the novel Velvet di by: Ye Mi
Producers: Albert Lee, Jiang Wen
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, Wang Wei, Jiang Wen
Directors of photography: Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee, Yang Tao
Production designers: Cao Jiuping, Zhang Jianqun
Music: Joe Hisaishi
Costume designer: Xu Jianshu
Editors: Zhang Yifan, Jiang Wen
Cast:
Old Tang: Jiang Wen
Doctor Lin: Joan Chen
Mad Mother: Zhuo Yun
The Son: Jaycee Chan
Teacher Liang: Anthony Wong
Tang's Wife: Kong Wei
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/5/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
China b.o. headed for $400 mil mark
BEIJING -- China's boxoffice is expected to rise to 3 billion yuan ($400 million) in 2007 as the number of cinemas and Chinese-language movies competing with imported titles grows, state-run media reported Thursday.
Chinese movie theaters reaped 1.2 billion yuan ($158 million) in boxoffice revenue in the first half of 2007, the Xinhua news agency said, putting it on pace to overtake the 2 billion yuan reported for all of 2005 and 2006's 2.6 billion yuan.
Growth in 2007 is partly because of the rise in cinemagoing at the 100 new cinemas and 700-plus screens opened in China so far this year, the Beijing News reported.
Boxoffice in China's state-restricted theatrical marketplace could swell in the fourth quarter with the anticipated December releases of Taiwanese-American director Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" and Beijing director Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises".
Meanwhile, Hollywood blockbusters have given local movies a run for their money as such titles as "Spider-Man 3", "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Transformers" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" have each earned more than 100 million yuan ($13 million).
Chinese movie theaters reaped 1.2 billion yuan ($158 million) in boxoffice revenue in the first half of 2007, the Xinhua news agency said, putting it on pace to overtake the 2 billion yuan reported for all of 2005 and 2006's 2.6 billion yuan.
Growth in 2007 is partly because of the rise in cinemagoing at the 100 new cinemas and 700-plus screens opened in China so far this year, the Beijing News reported.
Boxoffice in China's state-restricted theatrical marketplace could swell in the fourth quarter with the anticipated December releases of Taiwanese-American director Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" and Beijing director Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises".
Meanwhile, Hollywood blockbusters have given local movies a run for their money as such titles as "Spider-Man 3", "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Transformers" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" have each earned more than 100 million yuan ($13 million).
- 8/24/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Toronto fills calendar with global diversity
TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival gave world cinema the stage Wednesday as it announced slots for the latest films from Ang Lee, Manoel de Oliveira and Francois Ozon.
Toronto, which considers itself a barometer for international cinema, also announced a high-profile slot at Roy Thomson Hall for Alexi Tan's Chinese-language period drama Blood Brothers, scheduled to debut at the Venice Film Festival.
The 32nd annual Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 6-15.
Fortissimo Films' Brothers was produced by John Woo and Terence Chang and portrays three friends in 1930s China who move from the countryside to a life of crime in Shanghai.
Toronto also booked a Roy Thomson Hall sendoff for Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, which stars Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan in her first leading English-language role.
Other Toronto titles unveiled Wednesday that will head here after Venice include Lee's Lust, Caution from Focus Features, Ken Loach's It's a Free World and The Sun Also Rises, Jiang Wen's China-Hong Kong co-production.
"Not only does this international presence speak to the diversity of the city of Toronto, but seeing ourselves reflected in films from other countries, we see how the art of filmmaking unites us all," festival co-director Noah Cowan said in making the announcement.
Toronto, which considers itself a barometer for international cinema, also announced a high-profile slot at Roy Thomson Hall for Alexi Tan's Chinese-language period drama Blood Brothers, scheduled to debut at the Venice Film Festival.
The 32nd annual Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 6-15.
Fortissimo Films' Brothers was produced by John Woo and Terence Chang and portrays three friends in 1930s China who move from the countryside to a life of crime in Shanghai.
Toronto also booked a Roy Thomson Hall sendoff for Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, which stars Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan in her first leading English-language role.
Other Toronto titles unveiled Wednesday that will head here after Venice include Lee's Lust, Caution from Focus Features, Ken Loach's It's a Free World and The Sun Also Rises, Jiang Wen's China-Hong Kong co-production.
"Not only does this international presence speak to the diversity of the city of Toronto, but seeing ourselves reflected in films from other countries, we see how the art of filmmaking unites us all," festival co-director Noah Cowan said in making the announcement.
- 8/16/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jiang targets local auds with 'Rises' site
BEIJING -- Chinese actor Jiang Wen celebrated the Venice Film Festival's selection of his "The Sun Also Rises" on Thursday by launching a Sohu.com Web site to promote the film at home.
Nasdaq-listed Sohu is one of China's leading Web portals and Jiang -- best known in the West for his role opposite Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's 1987 classic "Red Sorghum" -- told reporters that, while Venice was the right international platform for "Sun", Sohu will help the film reach its domestic boxoffice target of 100 million yuan ($13.2 million).
"While we all know that Cannes and Venice are important," Jiang said, "I make films not for the festivals but for the audience."
The "Sun" Web site unveiled with Sohu CEO Charles Zhang will promote the film -- which stars martial arts legend Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee Chan -- to the Web portal's audience of more than 100 million registered users.
Having a Web site is typical for Chinese films, but Sohu's Zhang said that "Sun" is the first to enjoy connection to the portal's just-launched video-sharing service, which he likened to Google-owned YouTube.
Nasdaq-listed Sohu is one of China's leading Web portals and Jiang -- best known in the West for his role opposite Gong Li in Zhang Yimou's 1987 classic "Red Sorghum" -- told reporters that, while Venice was the right international platform for "Sun", Sohu will help the film reach its domestic boxoffice target of 100 million yuan ($13.2 million).
"While we all know that Cannes and Venice are important," Jiang said, "I make films not for the festivals but for the audience."
The "Sun" Web site unveiled with Sohu CEO Charles Zhang will promote the film -- which stars martial arts legend Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee Chan -- to the Web portal's audience of more than 100 million registered users.
Having a Web site is typical for Chinese films, but Sohu's Zhang said that "Sun" is the first to enjoy connection to the portal's just-launched video-sharing service, which he likened to Google-owned YouTube.
- 7/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Emperor Group unveils film slate aimed at China
More Hong Kong Filmart news
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong-based Emperor Group Pictures has unveiled a new slate of a dozen films, with budgets of $1 million-$10 million, geared toward penetrating the emerging Chinese market.
"There are basically two corporations working with film production in Hong Kong. There's us and Media Asia," Emperor Motion Pictures chief operating officer Philip Chan said Tuesday at Filmart. "I can see the China audience maturing. The market is out there, and I don't think there is any better time."
The new slate at EMP, formerly best known for its in-house productions, combines a mixture of distribution, investment and equity deals and is toplined by the $10 million drama "The Sun Also Rises", directed by Jiang Wen and starring Joan Chen, Jaycee Chan and Anthony Wong.
"Sun", a series of interconnected stories set across numerous time zones, is a co-production between EMP, Beijing Taihe Film Investment and Beijing's Buyilehu Films (HR 12/7). It's set to premiere in the summer across Southeast Asia.
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong-based Emperor Group Pictures has unveiled a new slate of a dozen films, with budgets of $1 million-$10 million, geared toward penetrating the emerging Chinese market.
"There are basically two corporations working with film production in Hong Kong. There's us and Media Asia," Emperor Motion Pictures chief operating officer Philip Chan said Tuesday at Filmart. "I can see the China audience maturing. The market is out there, and I don't think there is any better time."
The new slate at EMP, formerly best known for its in-house productions, combines a mixture of distribution, investment and equity deals and is toplined by the $10 million drama "The Sun Also Rises", directed by Jiang Wen and starring Joan Chen, Jaycee Chan and Anthony Wong.
"Sun", a series of interconnected stories set across numerous time zones, is a co-production between EMP, Beijing Taihe Film Investment and Beijing's Buyilehu Films (HR 12/7). It's set to premiere in the summer across Southeast Asia.
- 3/21/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
'Sun' rises for HK's Emperor
BEIJING -- Hong Kong-based Emperor Motion Pictures took "a significant equity position" and will handle worldwide sales for mainland Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen's $10 million picture The Sun Also Rises, executives said Thursday.
Jiang's production company, Beijing Buyilehu Film Co., finished shooting last week in Beijing on his first film as a director since the controversial Cannes Grand Prix winner Devils On the Doorstep (2000), Emperor Motion Pictures said.
"Sun" stars Jiang, Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan, Joan Chen, Zhou Yun and Kong Yishan. It is Jiang's third film as a director. Jiang co-wrote "Sun" with Guo Shixing and longtime collaborator Wang Shuping.
"We are absolutely delighted at finally concluding our negotiations," EMP chief executive Albert Lee said in a statement. "Jiang Wen is unquestionably one of the most brilliant Chinese filmmakers of his generation and, hopefully, 'The Sun Also Rises' will mark the first of many collaborations between us."
Jiang, 43, is perhaps best known outside China for his starring role opposite Gong Li in director Zhang Yimou's 1987 film Red Sorghum.
Jiang made his directing debut with In the Heat of the Sun, which won the Volpi Cup for its lead actor, Xia Yu, at the Venice International Film Festival in 1994.
Jiang's production company, Beijing Buyilehu Film Co., finished shooting last week in Beijing on his first film as a director since the controversial Cannes Grand Prix winner Devils On the Doorstep (2000), Emperor Motion Pictures said.
"Sun" stars Jiang, Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan, Joan Chen, Zhou Yun and Kong Yishan. It is Jiang's third film as a director. Jiang co-wrote "Sun" with Guo Shixing and longtime collaborator Wang Shuping.
"We are absolutely delighted at finally concluding our negotiations," EMP chief executive Albert Lee said in a statement. "Jiang Wen is unquestionably one of the most brilliant Chinese filmmakers of his generation and, hopefully, 'The Sun Also Rises' will mark the first of many collaborations between us."
Jiang, 43, is perhaps best known outside China for his starring role opposite Gong Li in director Zhang Yimou's 1987 film Red Sorghum.
Jiang made his directing debut with In the Heat of the Sun, which won the Volpi Cup for its lead actor, Xia Yu, at the Venice International Film Festival in 1994.
- 12/7/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Illicit 'Devil' DVD appears in China
BEIJING -- Banned in China since winning the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2000, Devils at the Doorstep, about the excesses of the Sino-Japanese war, was released on DVD here this week, heavily edited and apparently without the permission of the copyright holder or the director. The DVD was released Wednesday, by Qiaojiaren Audio Visual Co. of Guangzhou. But on Friday, Dong Ping, general manager of the film's copyright holder Poly Buona, said he was not even aware of the release. "We have never signed any contract with any company to distribute a DVD of 'Guizi Lai Le, ' " Dong said, calling the film by its Mandarin name. " 'Devils' has never screened in China," Dong said, because it did not pass muster with the censors at the state Film Bureau. An assistant to the film's director and star, Jiang Wen (best known in the West as the lead in Zhang Yimou's Red Sorghum), said Jiang also was unaware of the release.
- 3/31/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warriors of Heaven
Opened Oct. 1 (China); Oct. 16 (Hong Kong)
HONG KONG -- "Warriors of Heaven & Earth" is fascinating as a new genre hybrid -- a Chinese Western. A creation of director He Ping, this big-sky epic, set in the wild, wild east of the Gobi Desert, derives as much of its visual and narrative power from John Ford and Don Siegel as it does from wuxia dramas and silk road classics. Financed by Columbia Pictures Asia, the film brings back the mythic spirit of pioneers and adventurers, reclaiming themes of heroic individual struggle against evil and injustice.
Because it arrives in the shadow of such other epics as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero", "Warriors" has not received the attention it deserves. In Hong Kong, the film captured the imagination of neither audiences nor critics.
Part of the lukewarm reception might have to do with a not particularly satisfying ending that involves silly CG effects. On the other hand, the acting is uniformly compelling, the fight sequences are energetic, and, as character drama, the material is especially enthralling. Columbia may have better luck marketing it overseas.
Veteran actor Jiang Wen ("Red Sorghum") plays Li, an honored Chinese army lieutenant who suddenly becomes a wanted man because he and his soldiers refused an order to kill civilians. Japanese actor Nakai Kiichi is a master swordsman whom the emperor dispatched to catch the mutinous lieutenant.
Although the two are adversaries, with one trying to escape across China's western plains and the other giving faithful chase, they end up putting aside their differences to help a young monk and his caravan traveling with an important Buddhist artifact. The hazard the monk faces is an evil warlord who wants to acquire the Buddhist relic for its supposed powers.
What follows is like a stagecoach being trailed by Indians. Li, the swordsman, and a small band of soldiers must then cross the desolate plains of inner Asia while battling the warlord's men and the desert's harsh elements.
The director's interest in frontier stories from China's western provinces is reflected in his other films too. 1991's "Swordsman in Double Flag Town" received the Young Director's Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, while "Sun Valley" got a special mention in Berlin in 1995.
"Warriors" is likewise filled with classic elements of the Western genre -- with a bit of Japanese samurai movies tossed in. Unlike Kurosawa's period films, the director here makes a point of using the environment as a crucial character and obstacle for the protagonist. Shot by acclaimed cinematographer Zhao Fei, who has become Woody Allen's regular lensman as well as having shot Zhang's "Raise the Red Lantern", the scenic vistas could almost pass for Wyoming or Arizona.
However, it's not just pretty scenery and galloping horses that make this an Eastern Western. Jiang's earnest stoicism recalls the moral certainty of the most memorable of John Wayne characters. Against the Tang Dynasty backdrop, the story is revealed with majestic pageantry and grandeur.
WARRIORS OF HEAVEN & EARTH
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia/Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film Investment/Xian Film Studio
Credits:
Director: He Ping
Screenwriters: He Ping & Zhang Rui
Producers: Yan Yi-yun, Wang Zhong-jun
Director of photography: Zhao Fei
Music: A.R. Rahman
Sound designer: Qu Lixin
Costume designer: Yao Xiaohong
Editor: Kong Jing-lei
Cast:
Lt. Li: Jiang Wen
Lai Xi: Nakai Kiichi
Wen Zhu: Zhao Wei
Master An: Wang Xueqi
Cao Jian: Hasi Bagen
Ma Gun: He Tao
Old Diehard: Wang Deshun
Zao Zimo: Li Haibin
Wu Lao Er: Harrison Liu
Turkish Emissary: Yeerjiang Mahepushen
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
HONG KONG -- "Warriors of Heaven & Earth" is fascinating as a new genre hybrid -- a Chinese Western. A creation of director He Ping, this big-sky epic, set in the wild, wild east of the Gobi Desert, derives as much of its visual and narrative power from John Ford and Don Siegel as it does from wuxia dramas and silk road classics. Financed by Columbia Pictures Asia, the film brings back the mythic spirit of pioneers and adventurers, reclaiming themes of heroic individual struggle against evil and injustice.
Because it arrives in the shadow of such other epics as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero", "Warriors" has not received the attention it deserves. In Hong Kong, the film captured the imagination of neither audiences nor critics.
Part of the lukewarm reception might have to do with a not particularly satisfying ending that involves silly CG effects. On the other hand, the acting is uniformly compelling, the fight sequences are energetic, and, as character drama, the material is especially enthralling. Columbia may have better luck marketing it overseas.
Veteran actor Jiang Wen ("Red Sorghum") plays Li, an honored Chinese army lieutenant who suddenly becomes a wanted man because he and his soldiers refused an order to kill civilians. Japanese actor Nakai Kiichi is a master swordsman whom the emperor dispatched to catch the mutinous lieutenant.
Although the two are adversaries, with one trying to escape across China's western plains and the other giving faithful chase, they end up putting aside their differences to help a young monk and his caravan traveling with an important Buddhist artifact. The hazard the monk faces is an evil warlord who wants to acquire the Buddhist relic for its supposed powers.
What follows is like a stagecoach being trailed by Indians. Li, the swordsman, and a small band of soldiers must then cross the desolate plains of inner Asia while battling the warlord's men and the desert's harsh elements.
The director's interest in frontier stories from China's western provinces is reflected in his other films too. 1991's "Swordsman in Double Flag Town" received the Young Director's Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, while "Sun Valley" got a special mention in Berlin in 1995.
"Warriors" is likewise filled with classic elements of the Western genre -- with a bit of Japanese samurai movies tossed in. Unlike Kurosawa's period films, the director here makes a point of using the environment as a crucial character and obstacle for the protagonist. Shot by acclaimed cinematographer Zhao Fei, who has become Woody Allen's regular lensman as well as having shot Zhang's "Raise the Red Lantern", the scenic vistas could almost pass for Wyoming or Arizona.
However, it's not just pretty scenery and galloping horses that make this an Eastern Western. Jiang's earnest stoicism recalls the moral certainty of the most memorable of John Wayne characters. Against the Tang Dynasty backdrop, the story is revealed with majestic pageantry and grandeur.
WARRIORS OF HEAVEN & EARTH
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia/Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film Investment/Xian Film Studio
Credits:
Director: He Ping
Screenwriters: He Ping & Zhang Rui
Producers: Yan Yi-yun, Wang Zhong-jun
Director of photography: Zhao Fei
Music: A.R. Rahman
Sound designer: Qu Lixin
Costume designer: Yao Xiaohong
Editor: Kong Jing-lei
Cast:
Lt. Li: Jiang Wen
Lai Xi: Nakai Kiichi
Wen Zhu: Zhao Wei
Master An: Wang Xueqi
Cao Jian: Hasi Bagen
Ma Gun: He Tao
Old Diehard: Wang Deshun
Zao Zimo: Li Haibin
Wu Lao Er: Harrison Liu
Turkish Emissary: Yeerjiang Mahepushen
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 7/9/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warriors of Heaven
Opened Oct. 1 (China); Oct. 16 (Hong Kong)
HONG KONG -- "Warriors of Heaven & Earth" is fascinating as a new genre hybrid -- a Chinese Western. A creation of director He Ping, this big-sky epic, set in the wild, wild east of the Gobi Desert, derives as much of its visual and narrative power from John Ford and Don Siegel as it does from wuxia dramas and silk road classics. Financed by Columbia Pictures Asia, the film brings back the mythic spirit of pioneers and adventurers, reclaiming themes of heroic individual struggle against evil and injustice.
Because it arrives in the shadow of such other epics as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero", "Warriors" has not received the attention it deserves. In Hong Kong, the film captured the imagination of neither audiences nor critics.
Part of the lukewarm reception might have to do with a not particularly satisfying ending that involves silly CG effects. On the other hand, the acting is uniformly compelling, the fight sequences are energetic, and, as character drama, the material is especially enthralling. Columbia may have better luck marketing it overseas.
Veteran actor Jiang Wen ("Red Sorghum") plays Li, an honored Chinese army lieutenant who suddenly becomes a wanted man because he and his soldiers refused an order to kill civilians. Japanese actor Nakai Kiichi is a master swordsman whom the emperor dispatched to catch the mutinous lieutenant.
Although the two are adversaries, with one trying to escape across China's western plains and the other giving faithful chase, they end up putting aside their differences to help a young monk and his caravan traveling with an important Buddhist artifact. The hazard the monk faces is an evil warlord who wants to acquire the Buddhist relic for its supposed powers.
What follows is like a stagecoach being trailed by Indians. Li, the swordsman, and a small band of soldiers must then cross the desolate plains of inner Asia while battling the warlord's men and the desert's harsh elements.
The director's interest in frontier stories from China's western provinces is reflected in his other films too. 1991's "Swordsman in Double Flag Town" received the Young Director's Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, while "Sun Valley" got a special mention in Berlin in 1995.
"Warriors" is likewise filled with classic elements of the Western genre -- with a bit of Japanese samurai movies tossed in. Unlike Kurosawa's period films, the director here makes a point of using the environment as a crucial character and obstacle for the protagonist. Shot by acclaimed cinematographer Zhao Fei, who has become Woody Allen's regular lensman as well as having shot Zhang's "Raise the Red Lantern", the scenic vistas could almost pass for Wyoming or Arizona.
However, it's not just pretty scenery and galloping horses that make this an Eastern Western. Jiang's earnest stoicism recalls the moral certainty of the most memorable of John Wayne characters. Against the Tang Dynasty backdrop, the story is revealed with majestic pageantry and grandeur.
WARRIORS OF HEAVEN & EARTH
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia/Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film Investment/Xian Film Studio
Credits:
Director: He Ping
Screenwriters: He Ping & Zhang Rui
Producers: Yan Yi-yun, Wang Zhong-jun
Director of photography: Zhao Fei
Music: A.R. Rahman
Sound designer: Qu Lixin
Costume designer: Yao Xiaohong
Editor: Kong Jing-lei
Cast:
Lt. Li: Jiang Wen
Lai Xi: Nakai Kiichi
Wen Zhu: Zhao Wei
Master An: Wang Xueqi
Cao Jian: Hasi Bagen
Ma Gun: He Tao
Old Diehard: Wang Deshun
Zao Zimo: Li Haibin
Wu Lao Er: Harrison Liu
Turkish Emissary: Yeerjiang Mahepushen
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
HONG KONG -- "Warriors of Heaven & Earth" is fascinating as a new genre hybrid -- a Chinese Western. A creation of director He Ping, this big-sky epic, set in the wild, wild east of the Gobi Desert, derives as much of its visual and narrative power from John Ford and Don Siegel as it does from wuxia dramas and silk road classics. Financed by Columbia Pictures Asia, the film brings back the mythic spirit of pioneers and adventurers, reclaiming themes of heroic individual struggle against evil and injustice.
Because it arrives in the shadow of such other epics as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero", "Warriors" has not received the attention it deserves. In Hong Kong, the film captured the imagination of neither audiences nor critics.
Part of the lukewarm reception might have to do with a not particularly satisfying ending that involves silly CG effects. On the other hand, the acting is uniformly compelling, the fight sequences are energetic, and, as character drama, the material is especially enthralling. Columbia may have better luck marketing it overseas.
Veteran actor Jiang Wen ("Red Sorghum") plays Li, an honored Chinese army lieutenant who suddenly becomes a wanted man because he and his soldiers refused an order to kill civilians. Japanese actor Nakai Kiichi is a master swordsman whom the emperor dispatched to catch the mutinous lieutenant.
Although the two are adversaries, with one trying to escape across China's western plains and the other giving faithful chase, they end up putting aside their differences to help a young monk and his caravan traveling with an important Buddhist artifact. The hazard the monk faces is an evil warlord who wants to acquire the Buddhist relic for its supposed powers.
What follows is like a stagecoach being trailed by Indians. Li, the swordsman, and a small band of soldiers must then cross the desolate plains of inner Asia while battling the warlord's men and the desert's harsh elements.
The director's interest in frontier stories from China's western provinces is reflected in his other films too. 1991's "Swordsman in Double Flag Town" received the Young Director's Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, while "Sun Valley" got a special mention in Berlin in 1995.
"Warriors" is likewise filled with classic elements of the Western genre -- with a bit of Japanese samurai movies tossed in. Unlike Kurosawa's period films, the director here makes a point of using the environment as a crucial character and obstacle for the protagonist. Shot by acclaimed cinematographer Zhao Fei, who has become Woody Allen's regular lensman as well as having shot Zhang's "Raise the Red Lantern", the scenic vistas could almost pass for Wyoming or Arizona.
However, it's not just pretty scenery and galloping horses that make this an Eastern Western. Jiang's earnest stoicism recalls the moral certainty of the most memorable of John Wayne characters. Against the Tang Dynasty backdrop, the story is revealed with majestic pageantry and grandeur.
WARRIORS OF HEAVEN & EARTH
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia/Huayi Brothers & Taihe Film Investment/Xian Film Studio
Credits:
Director: He Ping
Screenwriters: He Ping & Zhang Rui
Producers: Yan Yi-yun, Wang Zhong-jun
Director of photography: Zhao Fei
Music: A.R. Rahman
Sound designer: Qu Lixin
Costume designer: Yao Xiaohong
Editor: Kong Jing-lei
Cast:
Lt. Li: Jiang Wen
Lai Xi: Nakai Kiichi
Wen Zhu: Zhao Wei
Master An: Wang Xueqi
Cao Jian: Hasi Bagen
Ma Gun: He Tao
Old Diehard: Wang Deshun
Zao Zimo: Li Haibin
Wu Lao Er: Harrison Liu
Turkish Emissary: Yeerjiang Mahepushen
Running time -- 114 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/2/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes film review: 'Devils on Doorstep'
Jiang Wen's "Devils on the Doorstep" boldly articulates the horrors and travesty of war in a tragicomedy of surreal proportions. But the film itself is hampered by so many aesthetic and linguistic problems that it will likely prove taxing to most viewers.
These problems may preclude much exhibition in the Western world, and in the Far East, the delicate issue of the Japanese occupation of China during World War II and the film's inherent anti-Japanese attitude may prevent much exposure outside of film festivals.
There's a gem of an idea lurking inside this movie, but the film is burdened with an overwrought and static first hour and wild tonal fluctuation. And for those who speak neither Mandarin nor Japanese, the flood of dialogue -- which the film's translator is apparently determined to render verbatim in the subtitles -- would defeat a speed-reader.
Which is a shame because "Devils" has the making of the darkest of black comedies. The story takes place in a remote Chinese village in the final year of the occupation. A local peasant (played by Jiang) is rousted from the joys of making love to a young widow by a knock at the door late one night. At gunpoint, he must accept delivery of two men -- a Japanese POW and his Chinese interpreter -- for a few days. Failure to mind the two men would result in his murder.
But the few days stretch into six months. Eventually, he, the widow and the entire village are in despair. While the POW issues daily tongue-lashings of the peasants in Japanese, his translator renders these as pleas for mercy, which appease the villagers.
But the moment arrives that they decide they must kill the men. Yet since none has ever slain another soul, various strategies are undertaken, all ending in failure. These passages bring on delicious comedy.
Jiang switches tone and moods so abruptly as to toy with the viewer's emotions. And the lengthy arguments among the villagers run in such circles as to tire even the most patient viewer.
Shot in black and white -- for reasons that become clear only in the final scene -- "Devils" contains little visual rhythm or variety.
Devils on the Doorstep
Asian Union Film & Entertainment Ltd.
Director: Jiang Wen
Screenwriters: Wang Shuping,
Jiang Wen, Shi Jianquan
Director of photography:
Gu Chengwei
Production designer: Tang Shiyan
Editor: Zhang Yifan, Folmer Wiesinger
Music: Cui Juin, Li Haiying, Lui Xing
Cast:
Ma Dasan: Jiang Wen
Hanaya Kosaburo: Kagawa Teruyki
Yuer: Jiang Hongbo
Yi Da Lui: Chen Qiang
Sakatsuka Inokichi: Sawada Kenya
Running Time -- 164 minutes...
These problems may preclude much exhibition in the Western world, and in the Far East, the delicate issue of the Japanese occupation of China during World War II and the film's inherent anti-Japanese attitude may prevent much exposure outside of film festivals.
There's a gem of an idea lurking inside this movie, but the film is burdened with an overwrought and static first hour and wild tonal fluctuation. And for those who speak neither Mandarin nor Japanese, the flood of dialogue -- which the film's translator is apparently determined to render verbatim in the subtitles -- would defeat a speed-reader.
Which is a shame because "Devils" has the making of the darkest of black comedies. The story takes place in a remote Chinese village in the final year of the occupation. A local peasant (played by Jiang) is rousted from the joys of making love to a young widow by a knock at the door late one night. At gunpoint, he must accept delivery of two men -- a Japanese POW and his Chinese interpreter -- for a few days. Failure to mind the two men would result in his murder.
But the few days stretch into six months. Eventually, he, the widow and the entire village are in despair. While the POW issues daily tongue-lashings of the peasants in Japanese, his translator renders these as pleas for mercy, which appease the villagers.
But the moment arrives that they decide they must kill the men. Yet since none has ever slain another soul, various strategies are undertaken, all ending in failure. These passages bring on delicious comedy.
Jiang switches tone and moods so abruptly as to toy with the viewer's emotions. And the lengthy arguments among the villagers run in such circles as to tire even the most patient viewer.
Shot in black and white -- for reasons that become clear only in the final scene -- "Devils" contains little visual rhythm or variety.
Devils on the Doorstep
Asian Union Film & Entertainment Ltd.
Director: Jiang Wen
Screenwriters: Wang Shuping,
Jiang Wen, Shi Jianquan
Director of photography:
Gu Chengwei
Production designer: Tang Shiyan
Editor: Zhang Yifan, Folmer Wiesinger
Music: Cui Juin, Li Haiying, Lui Xing
Cast:
Ma Dasan: Jiang Wen
Hanaya Kosaburo: Kagawa Teruyki
Yuer: Jiang Hongbo
Yi Da Lui: Chen Qiang
Sakatsuka Inokichi: Sawada Kenya
Running Time -- 164 minutes...
- 5/17/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
AFI REVIEWS: The 11th annual American Film Institute Los Angeles International Film Festival runs through Saturday at theaters in Hollywood and Santa Monica. Details: (213) 520-2000.
Today
THE SOULER OPPOSITE
7 p.m., Monica
(also 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Monica)
Comic meets girl. Comic pursues girl. Comic dates girl. Girl stops thinking comic is funny and their relationship turns into no laughing matter. But the movie, overall, is oddly endearing even as it sweeps toward a too-slow conclusion.
Screenwriter-director Bill Kalmenson, a former comic himself, believably conveys the comic's life and angst. The suffering here, professionally and romantically, seems entirely realistic.
In a romantic comedy where one-liners are an integral part of the proceedings, comic Barry Singer (Christopher Meloni) milks his eternal adolescence and mistrust of relationships, using those topics for fuel in his stand-up comedy act.
Finally finding someone he can care for, younger woman Thea Douglas (Janel Moloney), Barry discovers it's nearly impossible to lower his defenses as he hurtles into sensitive areas of his life, like love, commitment and trust.
Meloni does a stand-out job as a stand-up comic in this ingenuous romantic comedy. There are legitimately touching scenes -- as when he finds himself in a family situation with Thea's clan and is genuinely moved by their affection. Moloney, for her part, is appealing and believable as a political activist with a sense of humor and romance. Timothy Busfield has a decent, supporting comic role, but his contribution to the film could have been pushed further into dark comedy.
Overall, the characters have a refreshing, natural feeling, and that's likely to bring "Souler Opposite" a wider release than the festival circuit.
Michael Farkash
BAT OUT OF HELL
4:30 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Monica)
A French gangster film with grisly executions, bloody gun battles and deeply buried secrets that drive a young crime boss' son (Arnaud Giovaninetti) to confront his ruthless sire, director Xavier Durringer's "Bat Out of Hell" is mildly interesting with its glimpses of seedy Paris and the usual morally reprehensible suspects, but not enough to fully engage domestic audiences overloaded with such fare.
At its murky core, the lead's rocky relationship with his father is the most intriguing thing going on, but most of the film is a feverish few days of attacks and reprisals as two gangs go to war. One develops sympathy for Giovaninetti's lost soul and his loyal comrade-in-arms (Gerald Laroche), but the film as a whole, co-written by one-time prison inmate Jean Miez, is only sporadically involving.
David Hunter
JOURNEY ON THE HOUR HAND
9:30 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Monica)
It's not every day you see Turkey, Hungary and the Czech Republic collaborating on an existential mystery about an itinerant clockmaker who gets tangled up in the time-space continuum, but that's exactly what gives "Journey on the Hour Hand" its exotic allure.
After an intriguing start, however, the storyline undergoes a metaphysical meltdown -- imagine an episode of "The Twilight Zone" written by Kierkegaard -- and never quite recovers.
Director Omer Kavur does a good job in laying on the atmospherics and lead Mehmet Aslantug makes an effective everyman, but the film's pace is so numbingly measured that on more than one occasion it really does feel as if time has come to a complete stop.
Michael Rechtshaffen
KEEP COOL
10 p.m., Monica
Fast and frenetic, but even more so if one is familiar with the exquisite period films of Chinese director Zhang Yimou ("Raise the Red Lantern", Shanghai Triad"), "Keep Cool" is an amiable comedy that captures the passionate lives of a loosely connected trio in Beijing and takes off when a bookseller (Jiang Wen) pursues a sexy young woman (Qu Ying). After the expected initial brush-off, he tracks her down to an apartment complex and, in a fairly amusing gambit, hires passers-by to yell out his messages of love, a ploy that eventually succeeds.
But she is also involved with a nightclub owner, who sends thugs to discourage the persistent bookseller. In a violent encounter on the street, an aging researcher (Li Baotian) is drawn into the scenario when his portable computer is smashed to bits and he seeks compensation from the frustrated young lead. They form an alliance and set up a meeting with the nightclub owner to further their own agendas. Fine performances aside and with respect to the subtext about changes going on in Chinese society, "Keep Cool" is good but not great, which is, alas, what one expects from such a supremely talented international filmmaker.
David Hunter
Tuesday
WITHOUT A MAP
4 p.m., Monica
Trekking into too-familiar territory, writer-director Peter Turman takes us into the lives of a Hollywood wannabe writer and his quest for meaning in life and a successful romantic relationship. It's the voyage of discovery a lot of young people must make and which young filmmakers are wont to share with audiences.
The writer character, Martin Philip Tanzini), hates his job and struggles to get his icy, sexy girlfriend Anna (Lola Glaudini) to take their relationship seriously.
After they go through one more volatile breakup, Martin meets ad executive Jamie (Robin McKee) and they seem to hit it off all right, a rarity for Martin. Except, of course, he's still obsessed with Anna.
"Without a Map" frequently feels like it's treading into Woody Allen territory about a quiet, intelligent fellow at odds with the universe who ruminates endlessly about relationships and his place in the world. All this gets a bit tiresome, and a primary device -- the use of quirky, documentary style asides as the characters talk about themselves or about Martin -- also feels like a familiar technique.
Turman provides us with a competently assembled film, but some scenes are lit too dimly and dialog frequently meanders undramatically and repetitiously in the quest for verisimilitude. But then, that's the point -- a film about ennui and spiritual desolation among the aging young.
Michael Farkash
AN AMBIGUOUS REPORT ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD
10:15 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Monica)
After a five-year absence, Czech director Juraj Jakubisko returns with another lyrical, epic parable about the human race that boasts beautiful imagery and a milieu that both seriously and comically asks what's in store for us as the third millennium dawns. It's also a compelling family saga that begins with the massacre by wolves of nearly an entire village after gung-ho hunters leave it unprotected.
Among the survivors are a young, pregnant bride and the deceased groom's 10-year-old brother, who because of his heroism is promised the bride's baby girl in marriage. Seriously depopulated, the village hangs on and the young hero grows into a stern, hardworking man (Milan Bahul) while the remarried bride (Deana Horvathova) still plans to see him wed her pretty but still-immature daughter (Klara Issova).
In typical Jakubisko fashion, the story seems to stray, but not too far, when the arrival of a circus leads to a drunken night of wagering after which the village's many lonely widowers suddenly find themselves with new mates. But this new influence includes the dispirited circus owner (Joachim Kemmer), who convinces them to grow illegal poppy and cannabis crops that bring down the usually distant representatives of modern law enforcement.
With earthquakes that selectively tilt houses and a half-crazy local constantly reassuring everyone that Nostradamus predicted 1,000 years of peace, "Ambiguous" moves on to a socially disruptive relationship between Bahul's jilted groom and Horvathova's free spirit. Magical and wondrous and a bit long, but a treat for fans of Jakubisko, the film is likewise a terrific introduction to an original, compelling cinema artist.
David Hunter...
THE SOULER OPPOSITE
7 p.m., Monica
(also 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Monica)
Comic meets girl. Comic pursues girl. Comic dates girl. Girl stops thinking comic is funny and their relationship turns into no laughing matter. But the movie, overall, is oddly endearing even as it sweeps toward a too-slow conclusion.
Screenwriter-director Bill Kalmenson, a former comic himself, believably conveys the comic's life and angst. The suffering here, professionally and romantically, seems entirely realistic.
In a romantic comedy where one-liners are an integral part of the proceedings, comic Barry Singer (Christopher Meloni) milks his eternal adolescence and mistrust of relationships, using those topics for fuel in his stand-up comedy act.
Finally finding someone he can care for, younger woman Thea Douglas (Janel Moloney), Barry discovers it's nearly impossible to lower his defenses as he hurtles into sensitive areas of his life, like love, commitment and trust.
Meloni does a stand-out job as a stand-up comic in this ingenuous romantic comedy. There are legitimately touching scenes -- as when he finds himself in a family situation with Thea's clan and is genuinely moved by their affection. Moloney, for her part, is appealing and believable as a political activist with a sense of humor and romance. Timothy Busfield has a decent, supporting comic role, but his contribution to the film could have been pushed further into dark comedy.
Overall, the characters have a refreshing, natural feeling, and that's likely to bring "Souler Opposite" a wider release than the festival circuit.
Michael Farkash
BAT OUT OF HELL
4:30 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Monica)
A French gangster film with grisly executions, bloody gun battles and deeply buried secrets that drive a young crime boss' son (Arnaud Giovaninetti) to confront his ruthless sire, director Xavier Durringer's "Bat Out of Hell" is mildly interesting with its glimpses of seedy Paris and the usual morally reprehensible suspects, but not enough to fully engage domestic audiences overloaded with such fare.
At its murky core, the lead's rocky relationship with his father is the most intriguing thing going on, but most of the film is a feverish few days of attacks and reprisals as two gangs go to war. One develops sympathy for Giovaninetti's lost soul and his loyal comrade-in-arms (Gerald Laroche), but the film as a whole, co-written by one-time prison inmate Jean Miez, is only sporadically involving.
David Hunter
JOURNEY ON THE HOUR HAND
9:30 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Monica)
It's not every day you see Turkey, Hungary and the Czech Republic collaborating on an existential mystery about an itinerant clockmaker who gets tangled up in the time-space continuum, but that's exactly what gives "Journey on the Hour Hand" its exotic allure.
After an intriguing start, however, the storyline undergoes a metaphysical meltdown -- imagine an episode of "The Twilight Zone" written by Kierkegaard -- and never quite recovers.
Director Omer Kavur does a good job in laying on the atmospherics and lead Mehmet Aslantug makes an effective everyman, but the film's pace is so numbingly measured that on more than one occasion it really does feel as if time has come to a complete stop.
Michael Rechtshaffen
KEEP COOL
10 p.m., Monica
Fast and frenetic, but even more so if one is familiar with the exquisite period films of Chinese director Zhang Yimou ("Raise the Red Lantern", Shanghai Triad"), "Keep Cool" is an amiable comedy that captures the passionate lives of a loosely connected trio in Beijing and takes off when a bookseller (Jiang Wen) pursues a sexy young woman (Qu Ying). After the expected initial brush-off, he tracks her down to an apartment complex and, in a fairly amusing gambit, hires passers-by to yell out his messages of love, a ploy that eventually succeeds.
But she is also involved with a nightclub owner, who sends thugs to discourage the persistent bookseller. In a violent encounter on the street, an aging researcher (Li Baotian) is drawn into the scenario when his portable computer is smashed to bits and he seeks compensation from the frustrated young lead. They form an alliance and set up a meeting with the nightclub owner to further their own agendas. Fine performances aside and with respect to the subtext about changes going on in Chinese society, "Keep Cool" is good but not great, which is, alas, what one expects from such a supremely talented international filmmaker.
David Hunter
Tuesday
WITHOUT A MAP
4 p.m., Monica
Trekking into too-familiar territory, writer-director Peter Turman takes us into the lives of a Hollywood wannabe writer and his quest for meaning in life and a successful romantic relationship. It's the voyage of discovery a lot of young people must make and which young filmmakers are wont to share with audiences.
The writer character, Martin Philip Tanzini), hates his job and struggles to get his icy, sexy girlfriend Anna (Lola Glaudini) to take their relationship seriously.
After they go through one more volatile breakup, Martin meets ad executive Jamie (Robin McKee) and they seem to hit it off all right, a rarity for Martin. Except, of course, he's still obsessed with Anna.
"Without a Map" frequently feels like it's treading into Woody Allen territory about a quiet, intelligent fellow at odds with the universe who ruminates endlessly about relationships and his place in the world. All this gets a bit tiresome, and a primary device -- the use of quirky, documentary style asides as the characters talk about themselves or about Martin -- also feels like a familiar technique.
Turman provides us with a competently assembled film, but some scenes are lit too dimly and dialog frequently meanders undramatically and repetitiously in the quest for verisimilitude. But then, that's the point -- a film about ennui and spiritual desolation among the aging young.
Michael Farkash
AN AMBIGUOUS REPORT ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD
10:15 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Monica)
After a five-year absence, Czech director Juraj Jakubisko returns with another lyrical, epic parable about the human race that boasts beautiful imagery and a milieu that both seriously and comically asks what's in store for us as the third millennium dawns. It's also a compelling family saga that begins with the massacre by wolves of nearly an entire village after gung-ho hunters leave it unprotected.
Among the survivors are a young, pregnant bride and the deceased groom's 10-year-old brother, who because of his heroism is promised the bride's baby girl in marriage. Seriously depopulated, the village hangs on and the young hero grows into a stern, hardworking man (Milan Bahul) while the remarried bride (Deana Horvathova) still plans to see him wed her pretty but still-immature daughter (Klara Issova).
In typical Jakubisko fashion, the story seems to stray, but not too far, when the arrival of a circus leads to a drunken night of wagering after which the village's many lonely widowers suddenly find themselves with new mates. But this new influence includes the dispirited circus owner (Joachim Kemmer), who convinces them to grow illegal poppy and cannabis crops that bring down the usually distant representatives of modern law enforcement.
With earthquakes that selectively tilt houses and a half-crazy local constantly reassuring everyone that Nostradamus predicted 1,000 years of peace, "Ambiguous" moves on to a socially disruptive relationship between Bahul's jilted groom and Horvathova's free spirit. Magical and wondrous and a bit long, but a treat for fans of Jakubisko, the film is likewise a terrific introduction to an original, compelling cinema artist.
David Hunter...
- 10/27/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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