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Asia House in partnership with Curzon Cinemas launches the inaugural Asia House Festival of Asian Film beginning 22 August. It will premiere films from Singapore, South Korea, Iran, Indonesia and China, including 881, Seven Days and Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon. The festival celebrates the best in Asian cinema, showcasing films that have been critically acclaimed at recent film festivals and providing the first and possibly only opportunity to see these films in the UK.

All screenings take place at 6.30pm at the RENOIR Cinema, The Brunswick in London. See www.asiahouse.org for more details »

The UK release for Ong-Bak director Prachya Pinkaew’s latest have finally been officially announced. Following a couple of festival engagements during the next few weeks, the film will make its official London theatrical debut on 24th October, before being launched on DVD and Blu-Ray on 3rd November.

Chocolate introduces the latest female Muay Thai sensation, JeeJa Yanin, and is a non-stop martial arts action extravaganza about a young girl whose uncanny ability to mimic the combat skills of her heroes Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee has made her an unlikely but awesome fighting force.

You can read our review of Chocolate here »

Peter Chan’s The Warlords, which premieres at this years London Film Festival on Monday 20 October, will be released by Metrodome in UK cinemas on 7 November. The film stars Jet Li and Andy Lau.

The Film4 FrightFest begins at the Odeon West End in London today, including a midnight showing of Yoshihiro Nishimura’s Tokyo Gore Police on 23 August - described as ‘David Cronenberg body horror and insane RoboCop-style TV commercial inserts meet freaky Samurai bondage splat-stick starring Eiihi Shiina of Audition fame’.

Read more about Tokyo Gore Police at the Fright Fest »

John Woo’s new Chinese epic Red Cliff, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro, has been chosen to open the 21st Tokyo International Film Festival running from October 18 to 26.

Read more on the official Tokyo International Film Festival site »

The 21st Tokyo International Film Festival is to include a tribute screening to Japanese director Jun Ichikawa, who died last month, of his latest film Buy A Suit. His work included the adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s Tony Takitani, and easternKicks was fortunate enough to talk to him about the film. It’s sad news to hear about his passing, especially as the years had not lessened his pushing of creative methods, both in telling a story and technology. In person he was reserved but quite charming. You can read our interview here, and read more about the tribute at TIFF on their site.

An intelligent directorial debut from acclaimed actress Nandita Das… (more…)

The Brothers Grimm’s infamous fairytale gets a sinister update in Yim Phil-Sung’s second movie… (more…)

Fast and silly, Shashanka Ghosh’s Tamil Nadu western spoof is a whole lot of fun… (more…)

Sergio Leone meets The Wacky Races in Kim Jee-woon’s Asian Western – it’s a real blast!… (more…)

Peter Chan’s take on the historical wuxia drama is far grittier and more grounded than we’re used to, with a fine performance by Jet Li that will surprise his critics – but do we really need another film like this? (more…)

The programme for the 52nd London Film Festival has been released, and this years has plenty of Asian films on show from China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Philippines and India. In fact, only Hong Kong seems absent, even if you count Peter Chan’s epic The Warlords, starring Jet Li and Andy Lau.

Other highlights include Kim Jee-woon’s (Ji-woon) The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Jia Zhangke’s 24 City, Yim Phil-Sung’s take on fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, Li Hongqi’s Routine Holiday, Hong Sang-So’s Night And Day, Nandita Das’ Firaaq, the fun spoof Quick Gun Murugan by Shashank Ghosh, and of course the latest obligatory Takeshi Kitano film, Achilles And The Tortoise.

The festival runs from 15 – 30 October, with non-BFI members able to book from 27 September. For more information see the BFI’s site »

After leaving the set of Ong-Bak 2 in what appeared to be something of a meltdown, then appearing in tears on national Thai television, Tony Jaa has finally returned to complete the film. His mentor action choreographer Panna Rittikrai will be taking over direction duties from him. Read more about Tony Jaa’s return on Wise Kwai’s Thai Film Journal »

The 65th Venice International Film Festival is now well under way and runs until 6 September. New Asian films in competiton include: Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo On The Cliff, which you can see pictures of and read more about it here at Twitch; Takeshi Kitano’s Achilles and the Tortoise; and Yu Lik-wai’s Plastic City, which you can read more about on MonkeyPeaches.

Meanwhile, Wu-jing.org reports that the latest collaboration between actor/action choreographer Donnie Yen and director Wilson Yip, Ip Man, has been completed.

Shown as part of this years London Film Festival, you can read our review here »

From 6 November next week the Barbican Centre plays host to The London Korean Film Festival 08. As well as a preview showing of Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, The Bad, The Weird – with the director himself and lead Lee Byung-hun in attendance, their also be other new films like Seven Days – starring Lost’s Kim Yun-jin, May 18 and Forever The Moment, some classic movies from the 1960s, and a Lee Chang-dong Retrospective including Green Fish and his latest film Secret Sunshine.

For a full listing and information on how to book, click here.

From 6 November next week the Barbican Centre plays host to The London Korean Film Festival 08. As well as a preview showing of Kim Jee-woon’s The Good, The Bad, The Weird – with the director himself and lead Lee Byung-hun in attendance, their also be other new films like Seven Days – starring Lost’s Kim Yun-jin, May 18 and Forever The Moment, some classic movies from the 1960s, and a Lee Chang-dong Retrospective including Green Fish and his latest film Secret Sunshine.

For a full listing and information on how to book, click here.