News

“Girl on the Bulldozer” was a promising debut, but the improvement Park Ri-woong demonstrates in his second film is truly impressive. The movie won three awards at Busan and recently took home the Golden Cyclo from Fica Vesoul.

The Land of the Morning Calm is screening at Far East Film Festival

Young fisherman Yong-su works with elderly captain Yeong-guk while living with his Vietnamese wife, Soon-hee, and his mother, Pan-rye. However, he is deeply dissatisfied with his life, and after an almost fatal accident, he decides to commit insurance fraud by faking his own death—without informing his mother or wife—leaving Yeong-guk to bear the consequences.

Expectedly, the old man finds himself under scrutiny from the police and the insurance company, while also facing Pan-rye’s wrath, as she holds him responsible for her son’s supposed death. Left without a hand for his boat, he is forced to hire the local pariah.

“Girl on the Bulldozer” was a promising debut, but the improvement Park Ri-woong demonstrates in his second film is truly impressive. The movie won three awards at Busan and recently took home the Golden Cyclo from Fica Vesoul.

Pickpocket is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas

Young fisherman Yong-su works with elderly captain Yeong-guk while living with his Vietnamese wife, Soon-hee, and his mother, Pan-rye. However, he is deeply dissatisfied with his life, and after an almost fatal accident, he decides to commit insurance fraud by faking his own death—without informing his mother or wife—leaving Yeong-guk to bear the consequences.

Expectedly, the old man finds himself under scrutiny from the police and the insurance company, while also facing Pan-rye’s wrath, as she holds him responsible for her son’s supposed death. Left without a hand for his boat, he is forced to hire the local pariah.

Asia in the mid-1990s to early 2000s experienced both economic upheaval and a cinematic renaissance. As the financial crisis rippled through the region, a new wave of filmmakers emerged, crafting films that captured the turbulence of the era. World cinema witnessed the rise of several influential movements, from J-horror and Korean crime thrillers to the early days of Hallyu and the digital arthouse films of Southeast Asia that produced figures such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Erik Khoo, and Lav Diaz.

Between the festival regulars and national mainstream releases, are relatively underseen films that captured their times with a sense of grit. In the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the region faced economic instability, widespread unemployment, and a deep sense of uncertainty about the future. Against this backdrop, a wave of filmmakers across Asia captured the struggles, aspirations, and disillusionment of those navigating an increasingly precarious world. These films, often made on modest budgets,...

Throughout the years, and at least to the people who do not deal extensively with Vietnamese cinema, the local movie industry was almost exclusively represented by Tran Anh Hung, whose films like “Cyclo”, “The Scent of Green Papaya” and “Vertical Ray of the Sun” are the first that come to the mind of any cinephile. However, the Camera D’or for best first feature film Pham Tien An won at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” showed that there might be more to local cinema than the aforementioned director, who did won Best Director for “The Taste of Things”, in a production though, that is exclusively French.

Furthermore as Le Chou wrote in an article published last year in Asian Movie Pulse, “For the first time in modern Vietnam cinema since the establishment of its box office tracking, six local films topped the Vietnam box...

Even after 25 years, Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece stands tall as one of the most beautifully crafted stories that would leave its fans speechless. Though the Shonen Series focuses primarily on Monkey D. Luffy and his goal of becoming the King of the Pirates, the side characters of the show add to the plot of the series.

Monkey D. Luffy vs. Rob Lucci in the Egghead Arc. Credits: Toei Animation

One of the most significant side characters of the show is Roronoa Zoro, who happens to be the most loyal crewmate of Straw Hat Pirates. Since the start of the story, the swordsman has been preparing himself to make himself worthy of being the swordsman of the Future Pirate King.

However, Dracule Mihawk stands between him and his coveted dream. Fans have been eagerly waiting for a rematch between the two, but it looks like fans have to wait for...

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is pleased to announce that one of Asia's most internationally acclaimed actors, Tony Leung, will serve as the President of the International Competition jury at the 37th TIFF.

TIFF Chairman Ando Hiroyasu expressed his delight that the renowned actor would be returning to TIFF again after last year's wonderful masterclass and screening. (See further comments below)

Tony Leung has an extensive list of awards throughout a career that began in the 1980s, and has gained international recognition for collaborations with director Wong Kar-wai, with whom he has worked on seven films including In the Mood for Love (2000), which earned him the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor Award, and 2046 (2004). He also appeared in three films that won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival: A City of Sadness (1989), directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Cyclo (1995), directed by Tran Anh Hung, and Lust, Caution (2007) by director Ang Lee.

Veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung will serve as the president of the international competition at this year’s Tokyo Film Festival.

“I am immensely honored to be on the jury team at TIFF this year. Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one and to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me,” Leung said of this appointment this morning.

“From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people, and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will...

Leading Hong Kong actor Tony Leung has been set as the president of the jury that will decide the main competition prizes at the Tokyo International Film Festival later this year.

“Japan is close to my heart in more ways than one. And to be involved in celebrating film in this way, is a big deal for me. From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time. These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film, people and its culture for me, that has just grown and grown. I’m already expecting the festival to be full of surprises and a lot of fun to preside over, I’m sure. What I hope is that it will be a bit of an adventure, with an audacious line up of quality films.

Hong Kong star Tony Leung is set to serve as president of the international competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

The actor, who won best actor at Cannes in 2000 for his performance in Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love, will take part in the 37th edition, which runs from October 28 to November 6.

”From the age of 12, growing up in Hong Kong, I remember going to see all the classic Japanese movies from that time,” Leung recalled. ”These exciting trips to the cinema were the start of a great love affair between Japanese film,...

Tony Leung will serve as the president of the international competition jury at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival, organizers announced on Friday.

The Hong Kong acting icon, who gave a masterclass at the festival last year, will return to Tokyo to head up a jury that will be announced at a later date. Leung has a long history with Tokyo Film Festival and had attended the event for the screening of his 2013 film The Grandmaster.

Leung is widely considered one of the greatest actors Asia has produced. Best known globally for his work with Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai, the pair have worked on seven films together — Days of Being Wild (1990), Chungking Express (1994), Ashes of Time (1994), Happy Together (1997), In the Mood for Love (2000), 2046 (2004), and The Grandmaster (2013). Leung has also starred in three films — A City of Sadness (1989), Cyclo (1995) and Lust, Caution (2007) — that have won the Golden Lion prize...

French Concession

Vietnamese French director and screenwriter Tran Anh Hung has been named as president of the jury for the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival.

The festival, which runs June 14 to 23, said that his works “blend the expressions of Eastern and Western cultures, with sensitivity, delicacy, and a romantic style.” His films include: 1992’s “Scent of the Green Papaya”; 1995’s “Cyclo,” starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai; 2009 English-language thriller “I Come With the Rain,” starring Josh Hartnett; and “The Taste of Things,” which earned him the best director prize at Cannes last year.

The jury president role marks a return and a promotion for the director. He was previously on the Shanghai festival’s jury in 2011, when he also screened his “Norwegian Wood.”

Laser Focus

Sm Cinema, the largest exhibitor in the Philippines, is to open giant screen Imax cinemas in three new venues. It will also upgrade seven other cinemas to Imax with Laser installations.

Chicago – The great food movies of cinema history … think “Babette’s Feast” or “Big Night” … use food prep cinematically as a palette for the senses. A French/Belgium film from last year continues that tradition. “The Taste of Things,” featuring Oscar winner Juliette Binoche and written/directed by Ahn Hung Tran, is set in late 19th Century France within a romance between a chef and his muse.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Adapted from a popular French novel featuring Chef Dodin Bouffant (Benoit Magimel), and set in 1889, the story involves the developing love affair between Bouffant and his vital taster and sous chef Eugenie (Juliette Binoche). As Bouffant’s reputation grows, to a point where ambassadors and kings desire his meals, Eugenie continues to be his muse. Right at the height of their love and food creative relationship, Eugenie’s health becomes an obstacle.

Ahn Hung Tran and Benoit Magimel on the set of ‘The...

French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung spoke about the making of “The Taste of Things” (previously titled “The Pot-au-Feu”) the food-themed romantic drama that won him best director award at Cannes this year, at the master class held Tuesday at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Screening in TIFF’s Gala section, the film stars Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel as respectively a chef and gourmet. Set in 1885, the film depicts their relationship, which mixes romance with food, based on a 1924 novel by Marcel Rouff. It has been selected by France as its international Oscar contender.

“I had always wanted to make a film about food,” Hung told the audience. “Cooking is an art form. I also wanted to make a film about the love between a couple in the autumn of their lives.”

He said that the project had a gestation going back two decades when Binoche and Magimel were romantically linked in real life.

Vietnamese-born French director Trần Anh Hùng's is famous for films like The Scent of Green Papaya, Cyclo and Norwegian Wood. His newest film The Taste of Things won him the prize of Best Director at Cannes this year, and has just been chosen as the French selection for the Academy Award for best Foreign-language Film. That means the film has to play in the United States in 2023, and to that effect IFC Films will distribute it in a limited release in December, after which a full roll-out will happen in February 2024. With a release comes a trailer, and here it is. The film is a loose adaptation of Marcel Rouff's 1924 novel 'La Vie et la Passion de Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet' (which translates as...

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

Tony Leung Chiu-wai has starred in three movies that have scooped the top prize Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and today he is receiving his very own Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

The 61-year-old Hong Kong actor and singer is one of Asia’s most successful and internationally recognized stars. Among his major global credits are Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 romantic drama In the Mood for Love, for which he won the Best Actor prize in Cannes. His other collaborations with Wong include Chungking Express, Happy Together and The Grandmaster.

Leung also starred in the Academy Award-nominated film Hero by Zhang Yimou, and the box office hits Hard Boiled by John Woo and Infernal Affairs by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. The latter trilogy formed the basis for Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning The Departed.

Talking with the press today, Leung beamed of the Lifetime Achievement Lion, “Finally I can have it for myself,...

Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the Hong Kong star of “In the Mood for Love” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has joined the cast of “Silent Friend” by Oscar-nominated Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi (“On Body and Soul”).

Leung will be honored at the Venice Film Festival, where he will receive a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. He previously starred in three movies that have won the Venice Golden Lion: “A City of Sadness” (1989) by Hou Hsiao-hsien, “Cyclo” (1995) by Tran Anh Hung and “Lust, Caution” (2007) by Ang Lee.

“Silent Friend” is being produced by German banner Pandora Film. It marks Enyedi’s follow up to “The Story of My Wife” which competed at Cannes, and “On Body and Soul,” the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning film that earned an Oscar nomination.

Currently in pre-production, “Silent Friend” is set in the botanical garden of Marburg, a medieval university town in Germany,...

“The Pot Au Feu” from French-Vietnamese director Trần Anh Hùng may be one of the most radical films competing for a Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes. The sensorial movie, set in late-19th century France, opens with a mouthwatering cooking sequence that runs nearly 40 minutes and portrays a slow-burning romance with a minimalist plot. Yet, Hùng, best known for his Cannes’ Golden Camera-winning “The Scent of Green Papaya” and Venice Golden Lion-winning “Cyclo,” tells Variety he’s always been confident “The Pot Au Feu” would strike a chord beyond the foodie niche, and it has. The movie earned some of the competition’s strongest reviews on the heels of its world premiere and a U.S. deal is currently being negotiated by Gaumont. Variety‘s Guy Lodge praised the film for holding its audience “entirely on the pleasures of beauty, vicarious indulgence and, eventually, the human care inherent in haute cuisine.

’The Night Porter’ director and ’In The Mood For Love’ actor to receive awards at this year’s festival.

The Venice Film Festival will present Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement to Liliana Cavani, the Italian director of The Night Porter and Ripley’s Game; and to Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, whose credits include In The Mood For Love and Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Cavani’s Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary at Venice in 1965. Her films Francis of Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), The Year of the Cannibals,...

Liliana Cavani, one of the key directors of the New Italian Cinema movement and recognized internationally for The Night Porter, and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the acclaimed Hong Kong actor known for his numerous collaborations with Wong Kar-wai, are set to receive Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

“I am very happy and grateful to the Biennale di Venezia for this wonderful surprise”, said Cavani, who first made a name for herself in Venice in 1965 with with Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy, followed by Francis of Assisi (1966), Galileo (1968), I cannibali (The Year of the Cannibals, 1970), Il gioco di Ripley (Ripley’s Game, 2002) and Clarisse (2012).

“I am overwhelmed and honoured with the news from the Biennale di Venezia. I hope to celebrate this award with all the filmmakers I have worked with. This award is a tribute to all of them as well,” said Leung Chiu-wai, who...

The Venice Film Festival will honor “The Night Porter” director Liliana Cavani and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the Hong Kong star of “In the Mood for Love” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” with its 2023 Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement.

Cavani first attended Venice in 1965 with the historical doc “Philippe Pétain: Processo a Vichy,” which won the Lion of San Marco for best documentary. She was back the Lido in 1966 with her TV movie “Saint Francis of Assisi,” and, again, in 1968, with “Galileo,” followed by Patricia Highsmith adaptation “Ripley’s Game,” starring John Malkovich, in 2002 and “Clarisse,” a doc about an order of cloistered nuns in 2012.

“I am very happy and grateful to the Biennale di Venezia for this wonderful surprise,” Cavani, who is 90, said in a statement.

Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera praised Cavani as “One of the most emblematic protagonists of the New Italian Cinema of the 1960s,...

In the run up to Cannes, Gaumont is launching sales on “The Pot of Feu,” Tran Anh Hung’s period romance starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel. The movie is currently shooting in a French castle.

Set in the world of French gastronomy in 1885, “The Pot of Feu” charts the relationship between Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the fine gourmet she has been working for over the last 20 years. Growing fonder of one another, their bond turns into a romance and gives rise to delicious dishes that impress even the world’s most illustrious chefs. When Dodin is faced with Eugenie’s reluctance to commit to him, he decides to start cooking for her.

Pierre Gagnaire, the 14 Michelin starred-chef, is serving as culinary counselor on the film and also has a small part in it. The story is inspired by the famous French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

“The Pot...

How many Vietnamese films have you ever seen? Or even heard of? For a heavily populated country that was controlled during roughly the first half of the 20th century by one of the most cinematically advanced nations, France, it’s surprising that Vietnam has such a thin history where film is concerned. The only Vietnamese director to ever make much of mark internationally is Tran Anh Hung, who in the 1990s gained an art house reputation with such films as The Scent Of Green Papaya and Cyclo.

But now suddenly a new film has opened in the United States (via 3388 Films) that is being promoted as the number one Vietnamese box office champion of all time. On a budget of $1M, Dad, I’m Sorry (Bo Gia) has raked in over $17M in its native country since releasing on March 12. And, after two weekends dominating the U.S. specialty box office,...

By Raghu Pratap

French-Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh Hung came to the cinema world’s attention with his very first film – “The Scent of Green Papaya”: a glacially paced, aesthetically lush work set in 1950s and 1960s Saigon with a significant dose of political subtext that continues to find relevance even today. The film created waves among the film fraternity, winning two awards at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival including the Camera d’Or, a Cesar award for Best Debut Feature, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1993. “The Scent of Green Papaya” forms the first of a triumvirate of films -referred to as Tran’s ‘Vietnam Trilogy’ which includes his later works: “Cyclo” (1995) and “The Vertical Ray of the Sun” (2000).

The movie takes place in two timelines, separated by ten years. In the first section, the film revolves around, and follows a young...

The following remembrance was written by Deborah Davis, Mark Urman’s wife.

From Anatole Litvak’s “Anastasia,” the first movie he saw as a child at a picture palace in the Bronx, to Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” (his choice for this year’s Best Picture), Mark Urman was a man with a boundless passion for cinema. In the course of his nearly 50 years in film, Mark felt blessed to work with some of the greatest luminaries in the business, from Joseph Losey, David Lean, and Bernardo Bertolucci to Roman Polanski, Sydney Lumet, and Julian Schnabel.

He also delighted in encouraging talents as they emerged, including Ryan Gosling, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Lynette Howell, Jamie Patricof, Christian Bale, Liv Tyler, Marc Forster, Natasha Richardson, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Kevin Smith, Cary Fukunaga, Lee Daniels, and Bill Condon.

Mark was born in the Bronx on November 24, 1952, the...

LÊ Bình Giang was educated in Film at the University of Ho Chi Minh, but he wasn’t allowed to graduate because the script for his film KFC was considered too violent by the Council of Examiners. Lê didn’t give up on his project and tried to find sponsors. He won the Film of the Future Award at the Vietnamese Autumn Meeting 2013, which helped him get started. After making several short films he finally made KFC (2016), his feature film debut, three years later.

Here are his 13 favorite Vietnamese films, in random order

1. Bi, Don’t Be Afraid

2. Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories

3. The Rebel

4. Touch (Minh Duc Nguyen, 2011)

5. Living in Fear (Bui Thac Chuyen, 2005)

6. When the Tenth Month Comes (Dang Nhat Minh, 1984)

7. Truong Ba’s Soul in Butcher’s Body (Quang Dung Nguyen, 2006)

8. Cyclo (Anh Hung Tran, 1995)

Buy...

Eternité

Director: Tran Anh Hung

Writer: Tran Anh Hung

Vietnamese auteur Tran Anh Hung had a smoldering early career, snagging the Camera d’Or at Cannes for his 1993 debut Scent of the Green Papaya and nabbing the Golden Lion in Venice for his 1995 sophomore film, Cyclo. A five year break brought The Vertical Ray of the Sun in 2000, and then nine years later Hung premiered his ill received English language debut, I Come With the Rain, which starred Josh Hartnett. An adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s celebrated novel Norwegian Wood was better received, though received a delayed and limited theatrical run in the Us. He’s back with an exciting new project, his French language debut Eternité (Eternity), set to star three French beauties, Melanie Laurent, Beatrice Bejo, and Audrey Tautou, based on Alice Ferney’s celebrated novel which concerns a story from the late 19th century to the end...

Éternité

Director: Tran Anh Hung // Writer: Tran Anh Hung

Vietnamese auteur Tran Anh Hung had a smoldering early career, snagging the Camera D’or at Cannes for his 1993 debut Scent of the Green Papaya and nabbing the Golden Lion in Venice for his 1995 sophomore film, Cyclo. A five year break brought The Vertical Ray of the Sun in 2000, and then nine years later Hung premiered his ill received English language debut, I Come With the Rain, which starred Josh Hartnett. An adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s celebrated novel Norwegian Wood was better received, though received a delayed and limited theatrical run in the Us. He’s back with an exciting new project, his French language debut Eternity, set to star three French beauties, Melanie Laurent, Beatrice Bejo, and Audrey Tautou, based on Alice Ferney’s celebrated novel which concerns a story from the late 19th century to the end of...

• Amanda Seyfried (Lovelace) is set to star in Seth MacFarlane’s upcoming sequel to Ted. Seyfried will join returning star Mark Wahlberg in the upcoming comedy, which continues the story of John Bennett and his crass, foul-mouthed teddy bear (voiced by MacFarlane). As for Mila Kunis, according to Deadline, who broke the news, she will return for Ted 2 but in a much smaller role. [Deadline]

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Don Jon) will play Man on Wire aerialist Philippe Petit in the upcoming 3-D film To Walk the Clouds. Robert Zemeckis (Flight) will direct.

• American Hustle’s Bradley Cooper is slated to star...

Feature revolving around womanhood set to shoot in France late summer.

Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung is set to work with Mélanie Laurent, Audrey Tautou and Bérénice Bejo on his first French-language feature, which is due to start shoot this summer.

Entitled Eternité (Eternity), the feature is an adaptation of Alice Ferney’s novel L’élégance des Veuves, revolving around the theme of motherhood and three women who face up to tragedy and unhappiness with dignity.

Tran has adapted the novel for the big screen. The director adapted Japanese writer Haruki Marakumi’s Norwegian Wood for his last film.

The €10m ($14m) production, due to start shooting at the end of this summer, is produced by Christophe Rossignon of Paris-based Nord-Ouest with the support of Canal+ and co-producers Samsa Film in Luxembourg and Artemis in Belgium.

Pathé will distribute in France and Pathé International will handle sales.

Tran won the Camera d’Or with his debut film The Scent of Green Papaya...

Feature revolving around womanhood set to shoot in France late summer.

Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung is set to work with Mélanie Laurent, Audrey Tautou and Bérénice Bejo on his first French-language feature, which is due to start shoot this summer.

Entitled Eternité (Eternity), the feature is an adaptation of Alice Ferney’s novel L’élégance des Veuves, revolving around the theme of motherhood and three women who face up to tragedy and unhappiness with dignity.

Tran has adapted the novel for the big screen. The director adapted Japanese writer Haruki Marakumi’s Norwegian Wood for his last film.

The €10m ($14m) production, due to start shooting at the end of this summer, is produced by Christophe Rossignon of Paris-based Nord-Ouest with the support of Canal+ and co-producers Samsa Film in Luxembourg and Artemis in Belgium.

Pathé will distribute in France and Pathé International will handle sales.

Tran won the Camera d’Or with his debut film The Scent of Green Papaya...

I'm not really the biggest Anh Hung Tran fan, but I do follow his work from a distance. While not truly spectacular, I appreciated the soft-natured atmosphere of Mua He Chieu Thang Dung, Xich Lo on the other hand was somewhat of a disappointment. But when I heard Tran was going to adapt a book of Murakami, I was pretty excited to see how he would blend his Vietnamese roots with the Japanese setting. The result is nothing short of amazing.Norwegian Wood is a well-known novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, one of the few Japanese writers who actually managed to acquire an avid following in the West. The book itself took its name from a lesser known Beatles song. I haven't read the book...