By the time Chinese star Zhang Ziyi walked the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet on the event’s penultimate night last Friday, it was already clear that Chinese cinema was back on the international stage in a major way. The world’s most glamorous movie event premiered five films from China across its official selection this year, ending a long period of relative obscurity that began with the pandemic. The two most prominent Chinese films to unfurl in Cannes this year — Jia Zhangke’s acclaimed drama Caught By the Tides and Peter Chan’s commercial powerhouse She’s Got No Name, starring Zhang and a slew of big-name Chinese actors — were both backed by rising studio Huanxi Media.
Founded in 2015 by veteran producer Dong Ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and former attorney Steven Xiang, Huanxi Media has climbed to the forefront of the Chinese industry thanks to a streak of...
Founded in 2015 by veteran producer Dong Ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and former attorney Steven Xiang, Huanxi Media has climbed to the forefront of the Chinese industry thanks to a streak of...
- 5/28/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jia Zhangke’s is often a cinema of déjà vu: “We’re again in the northern Chinese city of Datong,” Giovanni Marchini Camia wrote for Sight and Sound back in 2019, “it’s again the start of the new millennium, Qiao is again dating a mobster, yet no one else makes a reappearance and there are enough differences to signal that this isn’t a sequel or remake.” Camia was writing about Ash Is Purest White yet much of the same could be said for Caught by the Tides, the director’s latest experiment in plundering his archive––indeed his memories––and spinning what he finds into something new. The protagonist of Tides is again named Qiao and is again played by Zhao Tao, appearing here in more than 20 years of the director’s footage and allowing the viewer to watch that singular creative partnership evolve in real time––one of...
- 5/20/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
by Cláudio Alves
Coralie Fargeat's The Substance is a body horror shocker.
Half of the Cannes Main Competition has screened, and it seems we're in a year of big swings and even bigger faceplants. Divisive titles aplenty, the most acclaimed films of the festival appear to be located in parallel sections rather than Thierry Frémaux's selection. Even so, Jia Zhangke's Caught by the Tides has confirmed itself as the critics' favorite, though that only extends to writers already fond of the director's oeuvre. The documentary-fiction hybrid made no new converts. Jacques Audiard dazzled audiences with the trans-themed Mexican musical Emilia Perez, and while some critics are ecstatic, others loathe the thing. Reactions are more pointedly adverse to Kirill Serebrennikov's Limonov biopic, while Coralie Fargeat's The Substance has elicited equal pans and praise. Some folks online are trying to characterize the body horror's critical divide as a battle of the sexes,...
Coralie Fargeat's The Substance is a body horror shocker.
Half of the Cannes Main Competition has screened, and it seems we're in a year of big swings and even bigger faceplants. Divisive titles aplenty, the most acclaimed films of the festival appear to be located in parallel sections rather than Thierry Frémaux's selection. Even so, Jia Zhangke's Caught by the Tides has confirmed itself as the critics' favorite, though that only extends to writers already fond of the director's oeuvre. The documentary-fiction hybrid made no new converts. Jacques Audiard dazzled audiences with the trans-themed Mexican musical Emilia Perez, and while some critics are ecstatic, others loathe the thing. Reactions are more pointedly adverse to Kirill Serebrennikov's Limonov biopic, while Coralie Fargeat's The Substance has elicited equal pans and praise. Some folks online are trying to characterize the body horror's critical divide as a battle of the sexes,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Across his 25-year career, Jia Zhangke has become the de facto face of independent-minded Chinese cinema — and the Cannes Film Festival has arguably been the most important institution to help him hoist that flag on the world stage.
Beginning with his 2002 drama Unknown Pleasures, the 53-year-old auteur has landed in Cannes’ main competition seven times — more than any other Chinese filmmaker in the festival’s history. Although the Palme d’Or has so far proved elusive, Jia won Cannes’ best screenplay prize in 2013 with his acclaimed anthology thriller A Touch of Sin, a searing depiction of China during its breakneck economic boom times. Jia returns to Cannes this year with Caught by the Tides, his first fictional feature since his well-regarded drama Ash Is Purest White debuted at the festival in 2018.
“A lyrical, fluid narrative,” as Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux recently described it, Caught by the Tides is composed...
Beginning with his 2002 drama Unknown Pleasures, the 53-year-old auteur has landed in Cannes’ main competition seven times — more than any other Chinese filmmaker in the festival’s history. Although the Palme d’Or has so far proved elusive, Jia won Cannes’ best screenplay prize in 2013 with his acclaimed anthology thriller A Touch of Sin, a searing depiction of China during its breakneck economic boom times. Jia returns to Cannes this year with Caught by the Tides, his first fictional feature since his well-regarded drama Ash Is Purest White debuted at the festival in 2018.
“A lyrical, fluid narrative,” as Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux recently described it, Caught by the Tides is composed...
- 5/19/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Chinese title of Jia Zhangke’s mesmerizing “Caught by the Tides,” a masterfully poetic and pioneering fusion of the old and the new, can be translated in several ways. Jia himself suggests “The Drifting Generation,” but it can also mean “The Romantic Generation” with the etymology of “romantic” lying in the Chinese words for wind and current. The restless motion of the natural world is certainly captured in the English title’s reference to an ocean’s ebb and flow. But what that version cannot adequately convey is the airiness and the yearning that Jia whips in to “Caught by the Tides” — quite miraculously considering he is largely working with repurposed footage from across the last 23 years of his justly celebrated career.
Loosely speaking a love story, “Tides” is also perhaps the most definitive national portrait that Jia, modern China’s foremost cinematic chronicler, has ever delivered. This is...
Loosely speaking a love story, “Tides” is also perhaps the most definitive national portrait that Jia, modern China’s foremost cinematic chronicler, has ever delivered. This is...
- 5/18/2024
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
A recurring motif in the films of Jia Zhang-ke is the enchantment of watching his extraordinary muse, Zhao Tao, dance — in the glitzy faux-Vegas spectacles of The World; leading a routine to the Pet Shop Boys’ “Go West” in Mountains May Depart; strutting in formation to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A” in Ash Is Purest White. In the Chinese master filmmaker’s decades-spanning drama Caught by the Tides (Feng Liu Yi Dai), Zhao shimmies around a dance floor to pulsing Edm, unaware that the man in her life will soon leave town, dropping her into a 20-year romantic limbo.
Eclectic music choices have always played an important part in Jia’s chronicles of social change and shifting values in a contemporary China surging forward, driven by cultural and economic expansion, urbanization and globalization, its traditional insularity increasingly pierced by Western influences.
Songs are more present than ever in his new film.
Eclectic music choices have always played an important part in Jia’s chronicles of social change and shifting values in a contemporary China surging forward, driven by cultural and economic expansion, urbanization and globalization, its traditional insularity increasingly pierced by Western influences.
Songs are more present than ever in his new film.
- 5/18/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A searching and scattershot portrait of displacement that’s as likely to resonate with Jia Zhang-ke devotees as it is to mystify those who are new to his work, “Caught by the Tides” finds the Chinese auteur returning the most pivotal characters and locations that have defined his movies over the last two decades. Then again, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he never left them.
Tracing the faintest contours of a scripted love story around the scaffolding of some documentary footage that Jia has collected over the course of 22 years, this elusive chimera of a film strains to literalize the delicate relationship between time and memory — a theme that has become increasingly central to the director’s work since the Three Gorges Dam was constructed in 2006 (see: “Still Life”), submerging 13 entire cities and forever displacing the millions of people who once lived in them. Here, even...
Tracing the faintest contours of a scripted love story around the scaffolding of some documentary footage that Jia has collected over the course of 22 years, this elusive chimera of a film strains to literalize the delicate relationship between time and memory — a theme that has become increasingly central to the director’s work since the Three Gorges Dam was constructed in 2006 (see: “Still Life”), submerging 13 entire cities and forever displacing the millions of people who once lived in them. Here, even...
- 5/18/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The 77th Cannes Film Festival is poised to serve up a feast for film lovers, including new movies from celebrated directors such as Yorgos Lanthimos and Paolo Sorrentino, as well as living legends like Francis Ford Coppola, David Cronenberg and George Miller.
Lanthimos will bring Poor Things follow-up Kinds of Kindness to the Cannes competition. The Greek auteur’s latest, featuring the Oscar-winning Poor Things star Emma Stone, alongside Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe, will be high on every Cannes attendee’s must-see list. Sorrentino’s Parthenope, the Italian director’s 10th feature, will also premiere in competition on the Croisette.
Meanwhile, Coppola will unveil the highly anticipated Megalopolis, starring Adam Driver, Shia Labeouf, and Aubrey Plaza, in the competition lineup, while Canada’s Cronenberg returns with The Shrouds, a horror thriller with Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce.
And among the Hollywood highlights at Cannes this year is...
Lanthimos will bring Poor Things follow-up Kinds of Kindness to the Cannes competition. The Greek auteur’s latest, featuring the Oscar-winning Poor Things star Emma Stone, alongside Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe, will be high on every Cannes attendee’s must-see list. Sorrentino’s Parthenope, the Italian director’s 10th feature, will also premiere in competition on the Croisette.
Meanwhile, Coppola will unveil the highly anticipated Megalopolis, starring Adam Driver, Shia Labeouf, and Aubrey Plaza, in the competition lineup, while Canada’s Cronenberg returns with The Shrouds, a horror thriller with Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce.
And among the Hollywood highlights at Cannes this year is...
- 5/14/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s the most exciting time of the year for a cinephile: the Cannes Film Festival is set to kick off next week, running May 14-25. Ahead of festivities we’ve rounded up what we’re most looking forward to, and while we’re sure many surprises await, per every year, one will find 20 films that should be on your radar. Check out our picks below and be sure to subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest updates from the festival.
All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia)
After one film, Payal Kapadia is a name you should know––a fresh, intrepid voice in cinema. And in the wake of student protests turning the world upside-down, she’s an essential up-and-comer. Her lone feature to date, 2021’s A Night of Knowing Nothing, is an experimental immersion into India’s own student revolutions––a brutal awakening into the shockingly violent...
All We Imagine as Light (Payal Kapadia)
After one film, Payal Kapadia is a name you should know––a fresh, intrepid voice in cinema. And in the wake of student protests turning the world upside-down, she’s an essential up-and-comer. Her lone feature to date, 2021’s A Night of Knowing Nothing, is an experimental immersion into India’s own student revolutions––a brutal awakening into the shockingly violent...
- 5/9/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The lineup for the 77th Cannes Film Festival has officially been unveiled. As of right now, 19 films will be competing for the prestigious top prize, the Palme d’Or. The festival will be running from May 14 through the closing ceremony on May 25 in the small town on the French Riviera. This year’s jury will be led by Greta Gerwig, fresh off of her success writing and directing “Barbie,” which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. The remaining members of the jury have yet to be announced.
Having an idea of a filmmaker’s history at the festival can sometimes help give us an insight as to who could be in the best position to take home the Palme. For example, two of this year’s entries come from filmmakers who have previously claimed the Palme. Another five are from directors who have won prizes in official...
Having an idea of a filmmaker’s history at the festival can sometimes help give us an insight as to who could be in the best position to take home the Palme. For example, two of this year’s entries come from filmmakers who have previously claimed the Palme. Another five are from directors who have won prizes in official...
- 4/18/2024
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Acclaimed auteurs Francis Ford Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos, Paolo Sorrentino and Andrea Arnold are among the filmmakers set to compete for the coveted Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
A total of 19 features were revealed today (April 11) that will play in Competition at the festival, set to run May 14-25.
Rarely a festival to veer far from familiar names, the Competition line-up is dominated by directors who have been selected multiple times for Cannes.
They include US filmmaker Coppola with sci-fi epic Megalopolis, which stars Adam Driver and is set in a future version of New York City following a disaster.
A total of 19 features were revealed today (April 11) that will play in Competition at the festival, set to run May 14-25.
Rarely a festival to veer far from familiar names, the Competition line-up is dominated by directors who have been selected multiple times for Cannes.
They include US filmmaker Coppola with sci-fi epic Megalopolis, which stars Adam Driver and is set in a future version of New York City following a disaster.
- 4/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSHard Truths.Mike Leigh’s forthcoming Hard Truths will reunite him with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, star of Secrets and Lies (1996). It will be the British director’s first film set in the present day since Another Year (2010).Jia Zhangke has divulged some details of We Shall Be All, now in the early stages of post-production. In production off and on since 2001, the film will be his first feature since Ash Is Purest White (2018). “I travelled with actors and a cameraman to shoot, without a script, without any obvious story,” the director told Variety. “This is a work of fiction, but I have applied many documentary methods.”Robert Bresson’s rarely seen Four Nights of a Dreamer is being restored by MK2 Films, set for a spring release.
- 2/28/2024
- MUBI
China’s Pingyao International Film Festival has confirmed Lin Xudong as its new artistic director and revealed seasoned film programmers Kamiya Naoki and Fukatsu Junko as its programmers for foreign-language films.
The festival, founded by leading independent filmmaker Jia Zhangke, already counts Wu Jueren as its programmer for Chinese language films and Song Jia, as programmer for short films.
The announcements were made in Berlin on Sunday. At the same event the executive committee of Wings International was introduced as Jia, Tang Yan (chairman and CEO of Chinese social media firm Hello Group), Japanese film producer Ichiyama Shozo, Hong Kong film programmer Jacob Wong, and Casper Liang, CEO of Pingyao International Film Festival. The fund aims to support five foreign film projects of finished script each year.
Lin is a chronicler of the New Chinese Documentary Film movement and has hosted documentary film events in Beijing in 1997 and 2004, as well...
The festival, founded by leading independent filmmaker Jia Zhangke, already counts Wu Jueren as its programmer for Chinese language films and Song Jia, as programmer for short films.
The announcements were made in Berlin on Sunday. At the same event the executive committee of Wings International was introduced as Jia, Tang Yan (chairman and CEO of Chinese social media firm Hello Group), Japanese film producer Ichiyama Shozo, Hong Kong film programmer Jacob Wong, and Casper Liang, CEO of Pingyao International Film Festival. The fund aims to support five foreign film projects of finished script each year.
Lin is a chronicler of the New Chinese Documentary Film movement and has hosted documentary film events in Beijing in 1997 and 2004, as well...
- 2/20/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, who “humanizes China’s modern history – and turns it into poetry,” according to one critic, will be the guest of honor at Visions du Réel. The documentary film festival’s 55th edition runs April 12-21 in Nyon, Switzerland.
Jia, a leading figure in independent Chinese cinema, will present a masterclass exploring his body of work, and a retrospective of his films will run throughout the edition. The tribute is made possible thanks to the collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and Ecal, the university of art and design in Lausanne.
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, I haven’t left China for almost four years,” Jia said. “I feel like embracing the world again, as excited as a child about to go on a long trip for the first time. I am heading to Nyon for cinema that reveals the world as it really is.”
Jia belongs to...
Jia, a leading figure in independent Chinese cinema, will present a masterclass exploring his body of work, and a retrospective of his films will run throughout the edition. The tribute is made possible thanks to the collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and Ecal, the university of art and design in Lausanne.
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, I haven’t left China for almost four years,” Jia said. “I feel like embracing the world again, as excited as a child about to go on a long trip for the first time. I am heading to Nyon for cinema that reveals the world as it really is.”
Jia belongs to...
- 1/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke is set to receive an honorary award at the 55th edition of documentary festival Visions du Reel, taking place in Nyon, Switzerland from April 12-21.
Jia will attend the festival in person, marking his first visit to Europe since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, and is set to present a masterclass exploring how his work explores the history of China and its people.
The festival will host a retrospective of Jia’s work, which has included Still Life, which won the Golden Lion at Venice in 2006, and A Touch Of Sin, which won best screenplay at...
Jia will attend the festival in person, marking his first visit to Europe since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, and is set to present a masterclass exploring how his work explores the history of China and its people.
The festival will host a retrospective of Jia’s work, which has included Still Life, which won the Golden Lion at Venice in 2006, and A Touch Of Sin, which won best screenplay at...
- 1/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chinese film sales company Parallax Films is poised to make a splash this week in Tokyo. The outfit has two titles in the Tokyo International Film Festival official selection and a host of festival-travelled Chinese films in the Tiffcom market.
Appearing in main competition is “A Long Shot,” a crime drama by first time feature director Gao Peng. The film is set in the 1980s when China’s modernization was only beginning to get under way. Nevertheless, in the rust belt of the North East, factories were already in decline and thefts were on the rise. The story follows a former sharpshooter who retires to become a factory security officer and who tries to steer away from crime the son of a woman he cares about. The picture stars Zu Feng, Qin Hailu and Zhou Zhengjie.
Florian Zinke, a German cinematographer who has other Asian film credits including “Nina Wu...
Appearing in main competition is “A Long Shot,” a crime drama by first time feature director Gao Peng. The film is set in the 1980s when China’s modernization was only beginning to get under way. Nevertheless, in the rust belt of the North East, factories were already in decline and thefts were on the rise. The story follows a former sharpshooter who retires to become a factory security officer and who tries to steer away from crime the son of a woman he cares about. The picture stars Zu Feng, Qin Hailu and Zhou Zhengjie.
Florian Zinke, a German cinematographer who has other Asian film credits including “Nina Wu...
- 10/23/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
All titles below begin streaming for free on October 1 unless otherwise noted:
Originals
Documentary
TMZ Presents:
Tragically Viral
– 10/11-
What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.
Scariest Monsters In The World
-10/18-
Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?
TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars
-10/25-
TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.
Horror
Dante’S Hotel
-10/13-
When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel
The Devil Comes To Kansas City
-...
Originals
Documentary
TMZ Presents:
Tragically Viral
– 10/11-
What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.
Scariest Monsters In The World
-10/18-
Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?
TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars
-10/25-
TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.
Horror
Dante’S Hotel
-10/13-
When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel
The Devil Comes To Kansas City
-...
- 9/28/2023
- by Stephen Nepa
- Age of the Nerd
In the five years since Ash Is Purest White, Jia Zhang-ke has directed one documentary, Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue, but we’ve heard many rumors of another narrative feature in the works. Earlier this year, word arrived of a new project filed with the China Film Administration and now the first substantial details are in.
According to Variety, the Chinese director has been working on We Shall Be All on and off for the past 22 years, with the initial shooting taking place in 2001. Co-written by Jia and Wan Jiahuan, and of course starring Zhao Tao, the rest of the film will be shot later this year. With the sweeping story taking place across the first two decades of the 21st century, the film will capture a “dismantling of dystopia” as we follow “how a Chinese woman lives to herself in silence, celebrating the prosperous Belle Epoque with songs and dance.
According to Variety, the Chinese director has been working on We Shall Be All on and off for the past 22 years, with the initial shooting taking place in 2001. Co-written by Jia and Wan Jiahuan, and of course starring Zhao Tao, the rest of the film will be shot later this year. With the sweeping story taking place across the first two decades of the 21st century, the film will capture a “dismantling of dystopia” as we follow “how a Chinese woman lives to herself in silence, celebrating the prosperous Belle Epoque with songs and dance.
- 6/6/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Acclaimed Chinese auteur filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke has set “We Shall Be All” as his next feature directing project. It is his first in the five years since his “Ash Is Purest White,” which premiered in Cannes in 2018.
Describing the project as a “dismantling of dystopia,” Jia says that the new film is set across the first two decades of the 21st century and tells the story of how a Chinese woman lives to herself in silence, celebrating the prosperous Belle Epoque with songs and dance.
Some 22 years in the making, the film’s first elements were shot as far back as 2001. The balance will be filmed later this year. No release schedule has been indicated.
The film is co-written by Jia and Wan Jiahuan, a pairing that previously worked together on Jia’s 2020 documentary film “Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue.”
It will star Zhao Tao, who is both...
Describing the project as a “dismantling of dystopia,” Jia says that the new film is set across the first two decades of the 21st century and tells the story of how a Chinese woman lives to herself in silence, celebrating the prosperous Belle Epoque with songs and dance.
Some 22 years in the making, the film’s first elements were shot as far back as 2001. The balance will be filmed later this year. No release schedule has been indicated.
The film is co-written by Jia and Wan Jiahuan, a pairing that previously worked together on Jia’s 2020 documentary film “Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue.”
It will star Zhao Tao, who is both...
- 6/6/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Joseph Koo, a leading music composer during Hong Kong cinema’s golden era, has died in Vancouver, Canada. He was 91.
Local media report his death as happening on Tuesday Jan. 3, 2023, but do not state a cause of death.
Born in Guangzhou, China on Feb. 23, 1931, Koo Ka-fai moved with his scholarly and musical family from mainland China to Hong Kong in 1948.
Koo spent much of his career in the Hong Kong film, TV and pop music industries. And, even after he emigrated to Canada in the 1990s, he maintained active links with the Hong Kong industry.
As a youngster, Koo learned the piano and composed songs for his sister Koo Mei, who was a major recording artist in her own right. Later he became a performer and band leader performing at venues including the Luk Kwok Hotel in Hong Kong.
His first composition for a film was “Dream,” a song performed...
Local media report his death as happening on Tuesday Jan. 3, 2023, but do not state a cause of death.
Born in Guangzhou, China on Feb. 23, 1931, Koo Ka-fai moved with his scholarly and musical family from mainland China to Hong Kong in 1948.
Koo spent much of his career in the Hong Kong film, TV and pop music industries. And, even after he emigrated to Canada in the 1990s, he maintained active links with the Hong Kong industry.
As a youngster, Koo learned the piano and composed songs for his sister Koo Mei, who was a major recording artist in her own right. Later he became a performer and band leader performing at venues including the Luk Kwok Hotel in Hong Kong.
His first composition for a film was “Dream,” a song performed...
- 1/4/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Matthieu Laclau is a French editor who has been working in China since 2008. He studied Film Theory in Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle and received his Master’s degree in 2008. He’s currently living in Taipei. In 2013, he won the Golden Horse Best Editing for ‘A Touch Of Sin’ directed by Jia Zhang-ke and in 2017, the American Chlotrudis Awards Best Editing for ‘Mountains May Depart’ directed by Jia Zhang-ke. Both films were selected in Cannes Film Festival (Competition) and ‘A Touch Of Sin’ won the Best Screenplay.
Since then, he edited ‘Ash Is Purest White’ by Jia Zhang-ke (Cannes Film Festival / Competition), “The Wild Goose Lake” directed by Diao Yinan (Cannes Film Festival / Competition), “Nina Wu” directed by Midi Z (Cannes Film Festival / Un Certain Regard), “The Best Is Yet to Come” directed by Wang Jing (Venice Film Festival / Orrizonti).
We speak with him about the path that led him to edit film in China,...
Since then, he edited ‘Ash Is Purest White’ by Jia Zhang-ke (Cannes Film Festival / Competition), “The Wild Goose Lake” directed by Diao Yinan (Cannes Film Festival / Competition), “Nina Wu” directed by Midi Z (Cannes Film Festival / Un Certain Regard), “The Best Is Yet to Come” directed by Wang Jing (Venice Film Festival / Orrizonti).
We speak with him about the path that led him to edit film in China,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The crime film is not exactly one known for its art-house aesthetics, as the frantic pace, the intense use of music, and the occasionally extreme violence are almost always, the traits that characterize the category. However, occasionally, and even more frequently during the latest years, we have seen a number of films that despite focusing on criminals and the whole concept of crime, implement mostly artistic aesthetics, with the focus being on them as much as on the story and characters, while the pace is most certainly slow. The quality, however, is by no means lower, as the titles we have winnowed here eloquently highlight.
Without further ado, here are 10 (and one more) great samples, in chronological order:
10. Breathless
The circle of violence started by domestic violence is the prominent focus of the film with nearly all of the characters going through such experiences. Sang-hoon’s abuse during his childhood...
Without further ado, here are 10 (and one more) great samples, in chronological order:
10. Breathless
The circle of violence started by domestic violence is the prominent focus of the film with nearly all of the characters going through such experiences. Sang-hoon’s abuse during his childhood...
- 4/3/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Prolific Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua and compatriot Nicole Midori Woodford were among the many filmmakers affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The duo were prepping “Last Shadow at First Light,” the debut feature from Woodford who had made several acclaimed shorts including Clermont Ferrand selection “Permanent Resident” and Busan selection “For We Are Strangers,” when the pandemic struck.
The film follows teenager Ami, who lives with her father in Singapore, struggling to cope with the chasm left behind by her mother, Satomi, who returned to Japan years ago. Ami, who has an ability to communicate with spirits, sees a premonition of disaster befalling Satomi’s coastal hometown, she journeys to warn her mother.
The project was developed at Seafic, Tokyo Talents and the Torino Film Lab over 2017-18 and found a mentor in veteran Japanese producer Shozo Ichiyama (“Ash Is Purest White”).
Woodford had locked the casting in Feb. 2020, with...
The duo were prepping “Last Shadow at First Light,” the debut feature from Woodford who had made several acclaimed shorts including Clermont Ferrand selection “Permanent Resident” and Busan selection “For We Are Strangers,” when the pandemic struck.
The film follows teenager Ami, who lives with her father in Singapore, struggling to cope with the chasm left behind by her mother, Satomi, who returned to Japan years ago. Ami, who has an ability to communicate with spirits, sees a premonition of disaster befalling Satomi’s coastal hometown, she journeys to warn her mother.
The project was developed at Seafic, Tokyo Talents and the Torino Film Lab over 2017-18 and found a mentor in veteran Japanese producer Shozo Ichiyama (“Ash Is Purest White”).
Woodford had locked the casting in Feb. 2020, with...
- 12/3/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The second of three blocks of the Asian Cinema Education International Journalism and Film Criticism Course focused on journalistic skills which are essential for film festivals organisers.
There are two ways to take part in the course:
in the full version, with registration, the participant gets the possibility of direct contact with tutors and consultation of own written work (registration ended on September 28);the webinars can also be watched without registration.
Participation in the course is free of charge. All webinars are conducted in English only – this is the working language of the whole course.
You can find the whole course here Festival skills – course info
Festivals play an important role in the life cycle of a film but are equally important for film critics. New talents find an audience there, like-minded people from different places meet. Not only is it a place for film critics and journalists to broaden their horizons,...
There are two ways to take part in the course:
in the full version, with registration, the participant gets the possibility of direct contact with tutors and consultation of own written work (registration ended on September 28);the webinars can also be watched without registration.
Participation in the course is free of charge. All webinars are conducted in English only – this is the working language of the whole course.
You can find the whole course here Festival skills – course info
Festivals play an important role in the life cycle of a film but are equally important for film critics. New talents find an audience there, like-minded people from different places meet. Not only is it a place for film critics and journalists to broaden their horizons,...
- 10/1/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Siff Young is jointly organised with the Cannes Marche.
Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff) announced the five directors who have been selected for Siff Young, a new talent support programme jointly organised by the Cannes Marche du Film, during the festival’s opening weekend.
Four of the filmmakers – Han Shuai, Liang Ming, Rao Xiaozhi and Wang Jing – attended the June 12 event in person, which was held as a forum with a live audience at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The fifth is Hong Kong-based Derek Tsang who was unable to come in person due to pandemic travel restrictions.
The directors were...
Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff) announced the five directors who have been selected for Siff Young, a new talent support programme jointly organised by the Cannes Marche du Film, during the festival’s opening weekend.
Four of the filmmakers – Han Shuai, Liang Ming, Rao Xiaozhi and Wang Jing – attended the June 12 event in person, which was held as a forum with a live audience at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The fifth is Hong Kong-based Derek Tsang who was unable to come in person due to pandemic travel restrictions.
The directors were...
- 6/14/2021
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Co-founder and former Venice director Marco Muller takes new role.
Acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke has returned to the Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff), following his surprise departure last year from the festival he co-founded.
At a press conference in the Chinese city of Taijuan today (June 1), Jia was present to announce a series of changes for the fifth edition of the festival, which will take place from October 12-19 in the ancient city of Pingyao in China’s Shanxi province.
Pyiff will now be co-organized by Shanxi Film Academy of Shanxi Communication University, which will see resources allocated to...
Acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke has returned to the Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff), following his surprise departure last year from the festival he co-founded.
At a press conference in the Chinese city of Taijuan today (June 1), Jia was present to announce a series of changes for the fifth edition of the festival, which will take place from October 12-19 in the ancient city of Pingyao in China’s Shanxi province.
Pyiff will now be co-organized by Shanxi Film Academy of Shanxi Communication University, which will see resources allocated to...
- 6/1/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
"The place you're born... is the place that half-buries you." The Cinema Guild has debuted a new official US trailer for the acclaimed Chinese documentary Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, made by the prolific director Jia Zhang-Ke (aka Jia Zhangke), of A Touch of Sin, Mountains May Depart, and Ash Is Purest White previously. This originally premiered at last year's Berlin Film Festival as one of the opening day films. Filmmaker Jia Zhangke chronicles his local literature festival in Shanxi, China which includes a multi-generational roster of the country's most esteemed writers. He speaks with three prominent authors from different eras, who discuss life growing up and the changes over time as the country (and their region) evolves and adapts to difficult times. Reviews describe the film as a "quietly moving" piece, paying "tribute to writers who connect modern urban culture to its provincial roots, and the current...
- 4/28/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Ten years after his last documentary, “I Wish I Knew” (screened in Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2011), acclaimed Chinese auteur Jia Zhang-Ke returns to non-fiction with “Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue,” the final panel in his trilogy about the arts in China. It follows Venice winners “Dong” (2006) and “Useless” (2007).
Continue reading ‘Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue’ Trailer: Chinese Auteur Jia Zhang-Ke’s Critically-Acclaimed New Doc Arrives In May at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Swimming Out Till The Sea Turns Blue’ Trailer: Chinese Auteur Jia Zhang-Ke’s Critically-Acclaimed New Doc Arrives In May at The Playlist.
- 4/28/2021
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Chinese director Jia Zhangke has formally launched his new venture: a filmmaking school in his native Shanxi staffed by some of China’s top industry talent, including helmers Ning Hao and Bi Gan.
Communist party officials presided over an inauguration ceremony for the Shanxi Film Academy that was attended by major firms seeking synergies between the school’s future graduates and their own thirst for new talent and content. The school is affiliated with the existing Communication University of Shanxi, which trains many graduates to enter top media regulatory bodies like the State Administration of Radio and Television.
Official support for the new academy was repeatedly highlighted in both speeches and news coverage of the event. Little can be achieved in China at scale without strong government buy-in.
“The comprehensive thinking and strategic arrangements of the Shanxi Province Party Committee and government for the economic transformation of Shanxi has inspired us,...
Communist party officials presided over an inauguration ceremony for the Shanxi Film Academy that was attended by major firms seeking synergies between the school’s future graduates and their own thirst for new talent and content. The school is affiliated with the existing Communication University of Shanxi, which trains many graduates to enter top media regulatory bodies like the State Administration of Radio and Television.
Official support for the new academy was repeatedly highlighted in both speeches and news coverage of the event. Little can be achieved in China at scale without strong government buy-in.
“The comprehensive thinking and strategic arrangements of the Shanxi Province Party Committee and government for the economic transformation of Shanxi has inspired us,...
- 4/21/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Films don’t get much more anticipated than those from Claire Denis. Perhaps the most consistent director working today, she was all set to follow High Life with another Robert Pattinson collaboration, The Stars at Noon, but the pandemic interrupted those plans and so she embarked with some of her most trusted collaborators for a smaller scale new film titled Fire.
Led by Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, Mati Diop, Grégoire Colin, Bulle Ogier, Issa Perica, and Binoche’s daughter Hana Magimel, the first image has now arrived, seen above courtesy of Le Inrockuptibles for the film that’s an adaptation of Christine Angot’s new novel Un tournant de la vie.
As Richard Brody translates, Claire Denis said, “Honestly, I knew, in real life, the protagonists of this story too well and I was afraid that it would be too hard for me. Christine told me we’d change things.
Led by Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, Mati Diop, Grégoire Colin, Bulle Ogier, Issa Perica, and Binoche’s daughter Hana Magimel, the first image has now arrived, seen above courtesy of Le Inrockuptibles for the film that’s an adaptation of Christine Angot’s new novel Un tournant de la vie.
As Richard Brody translates, Claire Denis said, “Honestly, I knew, in real life, the protagonists of this story too well and I was afraid that it would be too hard for me. Christine told me we’d change things.
- 3/18/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Cmc Pictures has released Chinese singer-songwriter Saji‘s soulful pop ballad “Kill My Lies,” a new English song launching in support of newly released fantasy action film A Writer’S Odyssey. Inspired by the fairytale phrase “once upon a time,” the song opens with a Middle-Age fairytale feeling that shifts into a darker, lovesick chorus that, like the film, ruminates on the harm that can come from being unable to give up the past and live truly in the present. “Kill My Lies” was produced by Tommee Profitt.
Of her inspiration behind the song, Saji shared, “Every fairytale starts with ‘once upon a time,’ a recollection of the past. But sometimes, what we need is in the present. ‘Kill My Lies’ asks each of us to unwrap the bandages of lies that hold us back. Always have hope, and always keep believing.”
A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian,...
Of her inspiration behind the song, Saji shared, “Every fairytale starts with ‘once upon a time,’ a recollection of the past. But sometimes, what we need is in the present. ‘Kill My Lies’ asks each of us to unwrap the bandages of lies that hold us back. Always have hope, and always keep believing.”
A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
High among our list of most-anticipated films of 2021 is Claire Denis’ Fire, which quickly went into production while her adaptation of The Stars at Noon got delayed. Reuniting with Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon, not much was known about the film outside of it being set in the world of French radio. Now, as filming concludes, many more details have arrived.
Also reuniting with Denis are Mati Diop and Grégoire Colin (pictured above in the incredible 35 Shots of Rum), who have been revealed as part of the cast alongside Bulle Ogier, Issa Perica, and Hana Magimelm. Cineuropa also reports novelist Christine Angot reteamed with Denis for the script, following their collaboration on Let the Sunshine In, while cinematography is from Eric Gautier. Check out a new synopsis below, which actually makes no mention of it being set in the radio world:
Fire tells the tale of a passionate love triangle.
Also reuniting with Denis are Mati Diop and Grégoire Colin (pictured above in the incredible 35 Shots of Rum), who have been revealed as part of the cast alongside Bulle Ogier, Issa Perica, and Hana Magimelm. Cineuropa also reports novelist Christine Angot reteamed with Denis for the script, following their collaboration on Let the Sunshine In, while cinematography is from Eric Gautier. Check out a new synopsis below, which actually makes no mention of it being set in the radio world:
Fire tells the tale of a passionate love triangle.
- 1/28/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Cmc Pictures has released the official English trailer and poster for fantasy action film A Writer’S Odyssey. A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian, Ash Is Purest White), the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager on a quest to end a demon’s tyrannical rule. Through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning, to accept a mission to kill the author.A Writer’S Odyssey is directed by Lu Yang (Brotherhood Of Blades) and also stars Yang Mi, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei and Tong Liya.
A Writer’S Odyssey
Release Date: February 12th, 2021
Director: Lu Yang
Executive Producer: Ning Hao
Cast: Lei Jiayin, Yang Mi, Dong Zijian, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei
Special Appearance: Tong Liya, Dong Jie
Synopsis
A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of...
A Writer’S Odyssey
Release Date: February 12th, 2021
Director: Lu Yang
Executive Producer: Ning Hao
Cast: Lei Jiayin, Yang Mi, Dong Zijian, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei
Special Appearance: Tong Liya, Dong Jie
Synopsis
A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of...
- 1/20/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Cmc Pictures has released the official English trailer and poster for fantasy action film A Writer’S Odyssey. A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian, Ash Is Purest White), the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager on a quest to end a demon’s tyrannical rule. Through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy …
The post A Writer’S Odyssey | Official Trailer and Poster Released! | In Theaters February 12, 2021 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post A Writer’S Odyssey | Official Trailer and Poster Released! | In Theaters February 12, 2021 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 1/19/2021
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Cmc Pictures has released the official English trailer and poster for fantasy action film A Writer’S Odyssey.
A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian, Ash Is Purest White), the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager on a quest to end a demon’s tyrannical rule. Through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning, to accept a mission to kill the author.
A Writer’S Odyssey is directed by Lu Yang (Brotherhood Of Blades) and also stars Yang Mi, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei and Tong Liya.
A Writer’S Odyssey will be released in theaters on February 12, 2021.
Watch the trailer
The post Official Trailer and Poster Released For A Writer’S Odyssey – Coming To Theaters February 12 appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
A Writer’S Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian, Ash Is Purest White), the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager on a quest to end a demon’s tyrannical rule. Through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning, to accept a mission to kill the author.
A Writer’S Odyssey is directed by Lu Yang (Brotherhood Of Blades) and also stars Yang Mi, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei and Tong Liya.
A Writer’S Odyssey will be released in theaters on February 12, 2021.
Watch the trailer
The post Official Trailer and Poster Released For A Writer’S Odyssey – Coming To Theaters February 12 appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
- 1/15/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"A mere mortal, dare to slay a god?" Cmc Pictures in China has revealed an official US trailer for a Chinese film titled A Writer's Odyssey, about an author of a fantasy novel. The film is set for a simultaneous release in February in both China and the US. A Writer's Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu, played by Dong Zijian (from Ash is Purest White), the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager on a quest to end a demon's tyrannical rule. Through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning, played by Lei Jiayin, to accept a mission to kill the author. The cast also includes Yang Mi, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei, and Tong Liya. This looks like one of those crazy concepts where the fantasy world bleeds into reality.
- 1/15/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Initial strategy focuses on Chinese, Korean and “hyper local” content.
Long before Covid-19 brought the world to a shuddering halt, Chinese streamer iQiyi had started plotting its international expansion. Those plans began with the launch of an international app in June 2019 and a partnership with Malaysian media giant Astro towards the end of the year.
Focusing initially on Southeast Asia, iQiyi picked up the pace this year by establishing five offices in key markets across the region and appointing former Netflix executive, Kuek Yu-Chuang, as vice president, international business. It also made its international service available through browsers (www.iq.
Long before Covid-19 brought the world to a shuddering halt, Chinese streamer iQiyi had started plotting its international expansion. Those plans began with the launch of an international app in June 2019 and a partnership with Malaysian media giant Astro towards the end of the year.
Focusing initially on Southeast Asia, iQiyi picked up the pace this year by establishing five offices in key markets across the region and appointing former Netflix executive, Kuek Yu-Chuang, as vice president, international business. It also made its international service available through browsers (www.iq.
- 12/8/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa and producer Ichiyama Shozo were the other speakers.
At the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today (November 7), Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke failed to show up for a scheduled hybrid on-and-offline Asia Lounge talk with Japanese filmmaker Kiyosho Kurosawa, moderated by producer and Tokyo Filmex head Ichiyama Shozo.
The two Japanese cineastes carried on in Jia’s absence, with Shozo, who has served as producer on the Chinese director’s films including Ash Is Purest White, Mountains May Depart and A Touch Of Sin, answering Kurosawa’s and later the online audience’s questions about the Chinese filmmaker’s methods and plans.
At the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today (November 7), Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke failed to show up for a scheduled hybrid on-and-offline Asia Lounge talk with Japanese filmmaker Kiyosho Kurosawa, moderated by producer and Tokyo Filmex head Ichiyama Shozo.
The two Japanese cineastes carried on in Jia’s absence, with Shozo, who has served as producer on the Chinese director’s films including Ash Is Purest White, Mountains May Depart and A Touch Of Sin, answering Kurosawa’s and later the online audience’s questions about the Chinese filmmaker’s methods and plans.
- 11/7/2020
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
More than 200 Cohen titles will be available through Kino Lorber and on its transactional VoD platform Kino Now.
Ash Is Purest White distributor Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have struck a deal for Kino to distribute all Cohen Media Group and Cohen Film Collection Blu-ray and DVD titles including the Merchant Ivory Collection.
More than 200 Cohen Media Group and Cohen Film Collection titles will be available through Kino Lorber and on its transactional VoD platform Kino Now.
The pact kicks off in December with Cohen Film Collection’s Buster Keaton Collection Vol 4: Go West and College.
Recent Cohen...
Ash Is Purest White distributor Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have struck a deal for Kino to distribute all Cohen Media Group and Cohen Film Collection Blu-ray and DVD titles including the Merchant Ivory Collection.
More than 200 Cohen Media Group and Cohen Film Collection titles will be available through Kino Lorber and on its transactional VoD platform Kino Now.
The pact kicks off in December with Cohen Film Collection’s Buster Keaton Collection Vol 4: Go West and College.
Recent Cohen...
- 10/27/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A batch of early Christmas presents will arrive on Sky Cinema in November! Time to look ahead at which movies are on the way…
Premieres
Ash is Purest White (2018) – 4th November
Cannes favourite Ash Is Purest White is a Chinese drama from Jia Zhangke, and the story is based on the leader of a gang from Zhangke’s childhood who he looked up to. It’s still holding steady at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, so we can confidently say it’s a winner.
Doctor Sleep (2019) – 6th November on Sky Cinema and the Sky Cinema Pass on Now TV
A Shining sequel? Hm, could that ever really be any good? Ah, but wait, a Shining sequel from Haunting of Hill House’s Mike Flanagan based on an actual Stephen King book? We can confirm: it’s certainly a lot better than we thought it might be. In Doctor Sleep, little Danny Torrance has gotten old.
Premieres
Ash is Purest White (2018) – 4th November
Cannes favourite Ash Is Purest White is a Chinese drama from Jia Zhangke, and the story is based on the leader of a gang from Zhangke’s childhood who he looked up to. It’s still holding steady at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, so we can confidently say it’s a winner.
Doctor Sleep (2019) – 6th November on Sky Cinema and the Sky Cinema Pass on Now TV
A Shining sequel? Hm, could that ever really be any good? Ah, but wait, a Shining sequel from Haunting of Hill House’s Mike Flanagan based on an actual Stephen King book? We can confirm: it’s certainly a lot better than we thought it might be. In Doctor Sleep, little Danny Torrance has gotten old.
- 10/23/2020
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Busan, Asia’s premier film festival, which kicks off Wednesday, has regularly reinvented itself in the face of literal and metaphorical storms.
Painfully, over a period of years, the Busan festival overcame the political storm that followed its 2014 screening of “Diving Bell” (aka “The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol”), a film about a ferry disaster with which the government of the time took issue.
The festival has also, literally, battled the weather, timed as it is during the typhoon season in the region. The grandeur of the opening ceremony has regularly been accompanied by ponchos and umbrellas, as gowned and dinner-jacketed celebrity guests from around the world kept a nervous eye on the weather.
The storm being endured in 2020 is that of an invisible assailant with visible consequences – the coronavirus pandemic. Though Korea has largely weathered this particular tempest, travel restrictions and closed borders means that this year’s...
Painfully, over a period of years, the Busan festival overcame the political storm that followed its 2014 screening of “Diving Bell” (aka “The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol”), a film about a ferry disaster with which the government of the time took issue.
The festival has also, literally, battled the weather, timed as it is during the typhoon season in the region. The grandeur of the opening ceremony has regularly been accompanied by ponchos and umbrellas, as gowned and dinner-jacketed celebrity guests from around the world kept a nervous eye on the weather.
The storm being endured in 2020 is that of an invisible assailant with visible consequences – the coronavirus pandemic. Though Korea has largely weathered this particular tempest, travel restrictions and closed borders means that this year’s...
- 10/21/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
A film about an infection and the upset, paranoia, and unease that follows is, well, tailor-made for right now. There is no better time, then, to see director Jin Wang’s The Best Is Yet to Come, a selection at both the 2020 Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. It is a complex study of the illegal blood trade that helped hepatitis B carriers circumvent the discrimination they faced when seeking jobs and applying for school in early-2000s Beijing. While there is not a direct correlation to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is impossible not to make connections between both the story itself and even its creation. As Wang explains in the film’s press notes, “Due to the pandemic, post-production took place online. The editor and I were 1300km apart. Distance sparks reflection.”
The Best Is Yet to Come is the feature directorial debut from Wang, who...
The Best Is Yet to Come is the feature directorial debut from Wang, who...
- 9/10/2020
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
First-time director Jing Wang sees the pain that his mentor Jia Zhangke has experienced on the movie set as motivation for his filmmaking journey. The perfection, precision and attention to details that he aspires to in his directorial debut “The Best Is Yet to Come” are the fruits born from being on the set with the Chinese auteur.
Wang, who has worked as assistant director on Jia’s “Ash Is Purest White,” “Mountains May Depart” and “Touch of Sin,” recalls that the director would sometimes get furious on the set over what was seen as something very minor, such as a prop letter without a stamp chop, or a tiny maltreatment of an actor’s costume.
“He blasted on the set, telling the crew that he did not want any irreversible mistakes to stay in this film should this film live and be revisited by people in the future. It...
Wang, who has worked as assistant director on Jia’s “Ash Is Purest White,” “Mountains May Depart” and “Touch of Sin,” recalls that the director would sometimes get furious on the set over what was seen as something very minor, such as a prop letter without a stamp chop, or a tiny maltreatment of an actor’s costume.
“He blasted on the set, telling the crew that he did not want any irreversible mistakes to stay in this film should this film live and be revisited by people in the future. It...
- 9/9/2020
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Al Pacino and Francis Ford Coppola on the set of The Godfather: Part III.A new edit and restoration of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part III will have a limited theatrical release in December. The film, entitled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, includes a "a new beginning and ending."New inclusion requirements for the Oscars will take full effect in 2024, requiring films to meet standards for on-screen representation (in cast or theme) and creative leadership in order to be eligible for Best Picture. This year's lineup for the London Film Festival includes Ben Sharrock's Limbo (which will be distributed in the U.K. and Ireland by Mubi!). The Fondation Cartier will be presenting the world premiere of Artavazd Peleshian's first film in 27 years, La nature.
- 9/9/2020
- MUBI
Produced by Jia Zhangke, the film follows an aspiring journalist facing a moral dilemma while investigating a story.
Beijing-based sales agent Rediance has picked up international rights to Wang Jing’s debut feature, The Best Is Yet To Come, which has been selected for the Orizzonti Competition of Venice Film Festival as well as Toronto International Film Festival.
Produced by Jia Zhangke, the film is set in Beijing 17 years ago and tells the story of an aspiring journalist who faces a huge career dilemma while investigating a story about carriers of Hepatitis B.
Wang was born in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province,...
Beijing-based sales agent Rediance has picked up international rights to Wang Jing’s debut feature, The Best Is Yet To Come, which has been selected for the Orizzonti Competition of Venice Film Festival as well as Toronto International Film Festival.
Produced by Jia Zhangke, the film is set in Beijing 17 years ago and tells the story of an aspiring journalist who faces a huge career dilemma while investigating a story about carriers of Hepatitis B.
Wang was born in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province,...
- 8/7/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Berlin’s Carlo Chatrian and Venice’s Alberto Barbera have also been invited.
Cannes Film Festival delegate general Thierry Frémaux, French actress and gender equality activist Adèle Haenel, and a number of the key cast and crew of Oscar-winning picture Parasite are among the some 400 international film industry professionals invited to join the Us’ Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Tuesday June 30.
With 49% of the 819 invitees hailing from 68 countries outside of the Us, the latest round of invitees was one of the most international selections ever.
Frémaux is among a number of festival chiefs to be invited...
Cannes Film Festival delegate general Thierry Frémaux, French actress and gender equality activist Adèle Haenel, and a number of the key cast and crew of Oscar-winning picture Parasite are among the some 400 international film industry professionals invited to join the Us’ Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on Tuesday June 30.
With 49% of the 819 invitees hailing from 68 countries outside of the Us, the latest round of invitees was one of the most international selections ever.
Frémaux is among a number of festival chiefs to be invited...
- 7/1/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
This year, the motion picture academy achieved its five-year goal of doubling the number of women among its membership. In all, 819 film professionals were invited to become part of the organization that hands out the Oscars. Compare this intake to the totals of the previous five years: 842 in 2019; a record 928 in 2018; 774 in 2017; 683 in 2016; 322 in 2015; and 271 in 2014.
While Academy Awards nominees are automatically eligible for consideration, the rest of the candidates must go through a fairly cumbersome process. A candidate must meet certain branch specific requirements before even being eligible.
For example, actors must “have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy.” For writers, directors and producers they need have just two of these credits.
While Academy Awards nominees are automatically eligible for consideration, the rest of the candidates must go through a fairly cumbersome process. A candidate must meet certain branch specific requirements before even being eligible.
For example, actors must “have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy.” For writers, directors and producers they need have just two of these credits.
- 7/1/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
China’s Cmc Pictures will bring a line-up of five titles to the Cannes virtual market this year, including “Assassin in Red,” a major blockbuster set to hit next Chinese New Year.
The firm will be selling global rights outside of China and Southeast Asia to the fantasy drama directed by Lu Yang and executive produced by Ning Hao (“Crazy Alien”).
The film, whose Mandarin title translates to “Assassinate the Novelist,” tells the story of a man who, in order to save his missing daughter, is tasked with killing a writer whose writing creates a parallel world that begins to interact with the real one.
The title reunites “Brotherhood of Blades II” stars Yang Mi (“Tiny Times”) and Lei Jiayin (“The Longest Day in Chang’an”), alongside Golden Horse Award winner Dong Zijiang (of Jia Zhangke’s “Mountains May Depart” and “Ash is Purest White”).
Cmc also brings two of its...
The firm will be selling global rights outside of China and Southeast Asia to the fantasy drama directed by Lu Yang and executive produced by Ning Hao (“Crazy Alien”).
The film, whose Mandarin title translates to “Assassinate the Novelist,” tells the story of a man who, in order to save his missing daughter, is tasked with killing a writer whose writing creates a parallel world that begins to interact with the real one.
The title reunites “Brotherhood of Blades II” stars Yang Mi (“Tiny Times”) and Lei Jiayin (“The Longest Day in Chang’an”), alongside Golden Horse Award winner Dong Zijiang (of Jia Zhangke’s “Mountains May Depart” and “Ash is Purest White”).
Cmc also brings two of its...
- 6/19/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Beijing, the sprawling capital of China, was just about to enter the U.S. equivalent of phase four of reopening amid the pandemic this coming Monday. But according to SupChina.com, plans to reopen movie theaters, sporting events, other indoor entertainment, and schools were swiftly canceled, as three new coronavirus cases appeared in the area this week. These mark the first new cases in the city in nearly two months. According to Chu Junwei, an official from the capital’s Fengtai district, Beijing is now in “wartime emergency mode,” with food markets shut down as well.
Theaters in Beijing won’t be opening just yet to get the summer movie season going in the capital, which makes up a significant number of China’s moviegoing public. The news of theaters shutting down once again comes just days after Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke took to social media to demand that the film industry,...
Theaters in Beijing won’t be opening just yet to get the summer movie season going in the capital, which makes up a significant number of China’s moviegoing public. The news of theaters shutting down once again comes just days after Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke took to social media to demand that the film industry,...
- 6/13/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Beijing, the sprawling capital of China, was just about to enter the U.S. equivalent of phase four of reopening amid the pandemic this coming Monday. But according to SupChina.com, plans to reopen movie theaters, sporting events, other indoor entertainment, and schools were swiftly canceled, as three new coronavirus cases appeared in the area this week. These mark the first new cases in the city in nearly two months. According to Chu Junwei, an official from the capital’s Fengtai district, Beijing is now in “wartime emergency mode,” with food markets shut down as well.
Theaters in Beijing won’t be opening just yet to get the summer movie season going in the capital, which makes up a significant number of China’s moviegoing public. The news of theaters shutting down once again comes just days after Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke took to social media to demand that the film industry,...
Theaters in Beijing won’t be opening just yet to get the summer movie season going in the capital, which makes up a significant number of China’s moviegoing public. The news of theaters shutting down once again comes just days after Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke took to social media to demand that the film industry,...
- 6/13/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
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