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In the Filmmakers category...

‘I’m a complete coward’

Friday, March 28th, 2008

With the upcoming release of I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Okay on 4 April, director Park Chan-wook talks to the Guardian’s Ryan Gibley about how he can’t stand watching violence…

Read the article on the Guardian Online »

Posted in Directors, Filmmakers, News, South Korea | No Comments »

Ang Lee to head Venice festival

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Director of Lust, Caution and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee, is to head the jury this year’s Venice Film Festival, organisers have said. The festival takes place from 2 to 12 September.

Read more on this story on BBC News Online »

Posted in Festivals, Filmmakers, News, Taiwan | No Comments »

Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution breaks records in far east

Saturday, September 29th, 2007

Ang Lee’s highly charged period thriller Lust, Caution got off to a record-breaking start this week in the director’s native Taiwan as well as Hong Kong. Read more about Ang Lee’s latest hit on the Guardian online.

Posted in Filmmakers, News | No Comments »

Cannes Film Festival 2009 begins today

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

This year at Cannes sees the real heavy hitters come out to play, as the world’s greatest auteur directors gather to compete for the coverted Palme d’Or. As well as the latest films from Pedro Almodóvar, Ken Loach, Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola, Jane Campion, Lars von Trier, Michael Haneke, and Terry Gilliam, there’s a strong Asian presence. Highlights include Park Chan-wook’s new vampire flick Thirst; Lou Ye’s Tiananmen Square-themed Summer Palace, which has incensed authorities to the point of them slapping a five-year ban on him; Tsai Ming-Liang’s film within a film Face; Johnnie To’s Vengeance; and Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock. Other films screening include Kore-eda Hirokaz’s Air Doll; the latest from The Host and Memories Of Murder director Bong Joon-Ho, Mother; and Petiton by Zhao Liang.

See the Guardian’s gallery guide to directors vying for the Palme d’Or »

Posted in Festivals, Filmmakers, France, News, Premieres, Releases | No Comments »

Is there a future for Hong Kong filmmaking?

Monday, August 25th, 2008

That’s the question Time journalist Tim Youngs asks in his well-informed article The China Syndrome. A Tim points out, the Hong Kong film industry has been in decline for many years now, not helped piracy, internet and shrunken local markets.

Under a 2003 trade pact, Chinese co-productions are recognized in mainland market as Chinese films, not as imports subject to tight quotas, but what concessions are directors ready to make towards strict censorship in order for a slice of that market?

Read Tim Youngs article, The China Syndrome, in full »

Posted in China, Editorials, Filmmakers, Hong Kong, News | 1 Comment »

Jun Ichikawa tribute at 21st TIFF

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

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.

Posted in Actors, Distributors / companies, Festivals, Filmmakers, News | No Comments »

Jury prize for Park Chan-wook at Cannes

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Though he might not have walked away with the celebrated Palme d’Or, Park Chan-wook’s latest film Thrist, an erotic thriller about a priest who is turned into a vampire after a botched medical experiment, did get the Cannes Jury Prize, shared with UK’s Andrea Arnold for her second feature Fish Tank.

Read more about the Cannes winners on the Guardian website »

Posted in Festivals, Filmmakers, News, Premieres, UK | No Comments »

Lee slates China ‘ban’ on actress

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Director Ang Lee has criticised a reported Chinese media ban on the leading actress, Tang Wei, in his award-winning erotic spy thriller Lust, Caution.

Read more on this story on the BBC News Online »

Posted in Actors, Actors, China, Directors, Filmmakers, News, Taiwan | No Comments »

LFF: Firaaq

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

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

Posted in Drama, Festivals, Filmmakers, Films, India, News, Reviews | No Comments »

LFF: Quick Gun Murugan

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

‘I am Quick Gun Murugan. Mind it.’ Fast and silly, Shashanka Ghosh’s Tamil Nadu western spoof is a whole lot of fun… (more…)

Posted in Action / Thrillers, Comedy, Festivals, Filmmakers, Films, India, Japan, News, Releases, Reviews | 2 Comments »

London Film Festival programme released

Monday, September 15th, 2008

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 »

Posted in Festivals, Filmmakers, News, Premieres, Releases, UK | No Comments »

Rare appearance for Brigitte Lin at 3rd Hong Kong International Film Festival

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

The 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival is now in full swing, after a gala premiere of Ashes Of Time Redux (yes, I know – well after the rest of the world?). There was a rare public appearance from Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia, long retired from the film industry. Director Wong Kar-wai also attended, with Tony Leung and his wife Carina Lau, and Charlie Yueng.

Elsewhere, John Woo and Tsui Hark celebrated the 25th anniversary of the production company they set up, Film Workshop, best known for 80s classics A Better Tomorrow and Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain.

See the official 33rd HKIFF site »

Posted in Actors, Festivals, Filmmakers, Hong Kong, News, Premieres | No Comments »

Revealing vengeance: a Q & A with Park Chan-wook

Friday, February 10th, 2006

Vengeance has dominated the work of director Park Chan-wook’s last three films, but it seems his obsession with the subject which has kept audiences on the edge of their seats – with their stomachs churning – is at an end… (more…)

Posted in Directors, Events, Filmmakers, Filmmakers, South Korea | No Comments »
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