Chinese sales agent Parallax Films is bringing a trio of titles to the Cannes market, including Filipino director Petersen Vargas’ latest LGBTQ+ film Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, Zhu Xin’s All Quiet At Sunrise and Zhang Guoli’s Strangers When We Meet, both from China.
Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, which took part in the Cannes Atelier in 2020, follows a band of street hustlers who brave the dark corners of the Manila night into the outskirts, only to bring their friend’s body home.
It is a co-production between the Philippines, Singapore and Italy, with Alemberg Ang...
Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, which took part in the Cannes Atelier in 2020, follows a band of street hustlers who brave the dark corners of the Manila night into the outskirts, only to bring their friend’s body home.
It is a co-production between the Philippines, Singapore and Italy, with Alemberg Ang...
- 5/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou this week made his first-ever trip to the Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine, and appeared to fall in love with the theatrical and festival experience all over again.
At a masterclass on Thursday morning, Zhang spoke of his filmmaking techniques and priorities, his enduring quest for the human touch and why not all films need to be masterpieces.
“Nobody has pure talent. Success also comes from hard work and the kind of luck that pull together an optimal crew and a cast that gels. I don’t believe that all films can be masterpieces and I doubt that I’ve made my best possible film yet. I’m still on the way,” he told a packed audience at Udine’s Teatro Nuovo, most of which had moments earlier watched a screening of his sensational “Raise the Red Lantern,” which had been restored to 4K.
At a masterclass on Thursday morning, Zhang spoke of his filmmaking techniques and priorities, his enduring quest for the human touch and why not all films need to be masterpieces.
“Nobody has pure talent. Success also comes from hard work and the kind of luck that pull together an optimal crew and a cast that gels. I don’t believe that all films can be masterpieces and I doubt that I’ve made my best possible film yet. I’m still on the way,” he told a packed audience at Udine’s Teatro Nuovo, most of which had moments earlier watched a screening of his sensational “Raise the Red Lantern,” which had been restored to 4K.
- 5/2/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The changing landscape of the new media frontier is reckless, reactionary, and thrives on the manipulation of truth and the exploitation of unsuspecting individuals to maximize likes, shares, comments, and subscriptions. Discourses become fabricated, and the struggle to control the flow of information fragments an increasingly polarized world; here is a landscape where videos and photographs become spun to fit agendas, footage lifted out of context and prescribed a narrative designed for nefarious purposes. Now more than ever, society can no longer take what it sees at face value, and what is dispensed as fact can no longer exist outside the realm of scrutiny. This is nothing new of course, but within the opening twenty minutes of Xin Yukun's latest film ‘Trending Topic', a film he began crafting after realizing how long he was spending on social media apps, this world emerges from beyond the veil to expose the ugliness riddling inside this explosive industry.
- 5/2/2024
- by JC Cansdale-Cook
- AsianMoviePulse
After five long years, “Have a Nice Day” director Liu Jian returns to New York with his newest project, “Art College 1994.” This hotly-anticipated feature checks off all the boxes. It cements Liu Jian's stamp as a rising animation auteur in China; it marks the completed its world tour at Berlinale, Annecy, New York Asian Film Festival, and more; and, what's more, the film features a star-studded voice cast that spans intellectuals, musicians, and other movie directors, including Jia Zhangke and Bi Gan.
Here, we catch a glimpse of a group of students at the Chinese Southern Academy of the Arts. Like many students, they seem to be suspended in a daze of malaise, and of them, Zhang Xiaojun (Dong Zijian) is especially lost. His best friend, Rabbit (Shaoxing), encourages Xiaojun to expand his practice to conceptual art. His crush, the soft-spoken piano student Hao Lili (Zhou Dongyu), is swayed by...
Here, we catch a glimpse of a group of students at the Chinese Southern Academy of the Arts. Like many students, they seem to be suspended in a daze of malaise, and of them, Zhang Xiaojun (Dong Zijian) is especially lost. His best friend, Rabbit (Shaoxing), encourages Xiaojun to expand his practice to conceptual art. His crush, the soft-spoken piano student Hao Lili (Zhou Dongyu), is swayed by...
- 4/24/2024
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
College can be a time of great change in one's life: going it alone for the first time in training for the real world. The inclusion of the year in the title of Liu Jian's third feature “Art College 1994” is necessary in that it sets the scene for a changing time in China in terms of pop culture and, of course, art.
Art College 1994 is screening this Friday, April 26 in Metrograph, for an exclusive Week-Long NY Theatrical Run
Two roommates, Xiaojun (Dong Zijian) and Zhifei (Chizi) are art students who spend their days procrastinating, discussing the philosophy of art and the changing scene from classic to Western-influenced modern. Similarly, vocal student Hong (Papi) and piano student Lili (Zhou Dongyu) discuss their futures and possible marriages.
The two pairs mingle, with potential romantic liaisons hinted at, though their hypothetical, philosophical conversations play out in reality, as they come to...
Art College 1994 is screening this Friday, April 26 in Metrograph, for an exclusive Week-Long NY Theatrical Run
Two roommates, Xiaojun (Dong Zijian) and Zhifei (Chizi) are art students who spend their days procrastinating, discussing the philosophy of art and the changing scene from classic to Western-influenced modern. Similarly, vocal student Hong (Papi) and piano student Lili (Zhou Dongyu) discuss their futures and possible marriages.
The two pairs mingle, with potential romantic liaisons hinted at, though their hypothetical, philosophical conversations play out in reality, as they come to...
- 4/23/2024
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
"Who gets to decide what art is?" Dekanalog has revealed a new trailer for Art College 1994, an animated drama from Chinese filmmaker Jian Liu, also known for Have a Nice Day. This initially premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival more than a year ago, and it played on the festival circuit all of 2023. Beginning on April 26th, Art College 1994, Liu Jian's latest strikingly animated & affecting feature, opens for a week-long NYC exclusive theatrical run at Metrograph In Theater. Lao Wang works in a security department of a college in a big school town. Xiao Wang is a freshman. He has a conflict with his roommate and is taken to security by his counselor. In a room on this foggy winter day, Lao Wang and Xiao Li are tasting the life of their own, and something unexpected is about to happen... The town is waiting quietly for the next day as it always is.
- 4/21/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There’s a beautiful scene in Jia Zhangke’s 2004 film The World in which the protagonist, Tao, crosses paths with an industrial worker nicknamed Little Sister on the rooftop of an unfinished building. They chat aimlessly beneath towering spires of exposed rebar until a massive plane soars overhead, drowning out their voices. “Tao, who flies on those planes?” he asks, to which she responds, “Who knows…I don’t know anybody who’s ever been on a plane.”
It’s this precise contrast of stasis and flux, of the sublime and the quotidian, of simple personal dreams swallowed up by massive national ambitions, that characterizes Liu Jian’s newest feature, Art College 1994. Jia also lends his voice to one of its characters: Gu Yongqing, a “roving artist abroad” who speaks of “the mysterious power of art” during a visiting lecture at the titular art college. This is Liu’s third animated feature film,...
It’s this precise contrast of stasis and flux, of the sublime and the quotidian, of simple personal dreams swallowed up by massive national ambitions, that characterizes Liu Jian’s newest feature, Art College 1994. Jia also lends his voice to one of its characters: Gu Yongqing, a “roving artist abroad” who speaks of “the mysterious power of art” during a visiting lecture at the titular art college. This is Liu’s third animated feature film,...
- 4/21/2024
- by Ryan Coleman
- Slant Magazine
So many stars watched Louis Vuitton‘s latest designs walk the runway on Thursday (April 18) in Shanghai, China.
The likes of Cate Blanchett, Chloe Grace Moretz, Regina King and Paul Bettany were all in the audience at the Long Museum, West Bund for the iconic fashion house’s pre-fall 2024 show.
With so many stars in attendance, we pulled together photos so that you could easily scroll and see who was there and what they wore.
Head inside to see all of the photos…
Keep scrolling to see photos of all of the stars at the event…
Cate Blanchett
Liu Yifei
Zhou Dongyu
Jennifer Connelly
Paul Bettany
Jackson Wang
Regina King
Chloe Grace Moretz
Amber Liu
Victoria Song
If you missed it, you can check out the advice that Cate had for a young Oscar nominee ahead of the awards show this year.
We also recently got a first look at...
The likes of Cate Blanchett, Chloe Grace Moretz, Regina King and Paul Bettany were all in the audience at the Long Museum, West Bund for the iconic fashion house’s pre-fall 2024 show.
With so many stars in attendance, we pulled together photos so that you could easily scroll and see who was there and what they wore.
Head inside to see all of the photos…
Keep scrolling to see photos of all of the stars at the event…
Cate Blanchett
Liu Yifei
Zhou Dongyu
Jennifer Connelly
Paul Bettany
Jackson Wang
Regina King
Chloe Grace Moretz
Amber Liu
Victoria Song
If you missed it, you can check out the advice that Cate had for a young Oscar nominee ahead of the awards show this year.
We also recently got a first look at...
- 4/18/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s formalist arthouse drama Evil Does Not Exist won the best film prize Sunday night at the Asia Film Awards in Hong Kong.
The Japanese film industry had a big night overall at the 17th edition of the awards ceremony, which was hosted this year in Hong Kong’s gleaming new Xiqu Centre, part of the city’s $2.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District development. Japanese festival favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda won best director for his mystery drama Monster, while the great Koji Yakusho took best actor for Wim Wender’s moving minimalist drama Perfect Days. Hamaguchi’s chief collaborator on Evil Does Not Exist, Eiko Ishibashi, won best music and the Kaiju critical and commercial sensation Godzilla Minus One claimed both best visual effects and best sound.
In many ways, it was Zhang Yimou’s night, however. The venerated Chinese director took the stage twice, once to...
The Japanese film industry had a big night overall at the 17th edition of the awards ceremony, which was hosted this year in Hong Kong’s gleaming new Xiqu Centre, part of the city’s $2.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District development. Japanese festival favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda won best director for his mystery drama Monster, while the great Koji Yakusho took best actor for Wim Wender’s moving minimalist drama Perfect Days. Hamaguchi’s chief collaborator on Evil Does Not Exist, Eiko Ishibashi, won best music and the Kaiju critical and commercial sensation Godzilla Minus One claimed both best visual effects and best sound.
In many ways, it was Zhang Yimou’s night, however. The venerated Chinese director took the stage twice, once to...
- 3/10/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” was Sunday evening named as the best picture at the Asian Film Awards.
The 17th edition of the prizes was held at the Xiqu Centre, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
While “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” had dominated the nominations with six each, including those in the best film category, the prizes on Sunday were much more evenly distributed. No title collected more than two prizes.
Outside, crowds failed to be muted by the March drizzle, though VIP guests were given escorts with purple umbrellas.
Filmmaker and industry attendance was also robust. Those spotted on the red carpet and pre-event cocktails included: Lee Yong Kwan (former chair of the Busan film festival), Tom Yoda, Udine festival heads Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, Anthony Chen, Stanley Kwan, Rina Damayanti, Hong Kong distributor Winnie Tsang,...
The 17th edition of the prizes was held at the Xiqu Centre, part of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.
While “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” had dominated the nominations with six each, including those in the best film category, the prizes on Sunday were much more evenly distributed. No title collected more than two prizes.
Outside, crowds failed to be muted by the March drizzle, though VIP guests were given escorts with purple umbrellas.
Filmmaker and industry attendance was also robust. Those spotted on the red carpet and pre-event cocktails included: Lee Yong Kwan (former chair of the Busan film festival), Tom Yoda, Udine festival heads Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, Anthony Chen, Stanley Kwan, Rina Damayanti, Hong Kong distributor Winnie Tsang,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Neon is opening Origin on 130 screens and plans to expand the Ava DuVernay film, which premiered in Venice and had a excellent qualifying run in December.
Neon took global rights on Origin before its Venice premiere where it received an eight-minute standing ovation and DuVernay became the first Black American woman to have a selection there. Deadline reported the film tested well with audiences, landing a 91 total positive in the top two boxes, with an 81 definite recommend, the highest for both Neon and DuVernay. With the theatrical release, the distributor is looking to pull in the arthouse and “smarthouse” (mainstream crossover) audiences and Black audiences with targeted bookings including theaters in regional markets like Atlanta, Chicago and Baltimore. It’s a hard film to comp but it is everywhere that recent films The Color Purple and American Fiction have done well.
Origin is based on New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning...
Neon took global rights on Origin before its Venice premiere where it received an eight-minute standing ovation and DuVernay became the first Black American woman to have a selection there. Deadline reported the film tested well with audiences, landing a 91 total positive in the top two boxes, with an 81 definite recommend, the highest for both Neon and DuVernay. With the theatrical release, the distributor is looking to pull in the arthouse and “smarthouse” (mainstream crossover) audiences and Black audiences with targeted bookings including theaters in regional markets like Atlanta, Chicago and Baltimore. It’s a hard film to comp but it is everywhere that recent films The Color Purple and American Fiction have done well.
Origin is based on New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning...
- 1/19/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The clue to unlocking the delicate dynamics of Singaporean writer-director Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice is in its very title. Certainly, the film is too eager to underline how its characters’ sexual and emotional entanglements are symbolic of water in its various forms. But, in the end, Chen’s portrayal of three repressed twentysomethings whose lives converge in the sleepy Chinese northern border town of Yanji is unpredictable for being less focused on the freedom of catharsis than on the messiness of self-actualization.
The Breaking Ice is fixated on intense in-between states that work to separate people from each other and from themselves, as if to say self-acceptance and love aren’t destinations so much as journeys, at once formidable and worthwhile. But the film is also about how some of the barriers that hold us back are unnatural, political, and classed. As Yanji is a working-class city near...
The Breaking Ice is fixated on intense in-between states that work to separate people from each other and from themselves, as if to say self-acceptance and love aren’t destinations so much as journeys, at once formidable and worthwhile. But the film is also about how some of the barriers that hold us back are unnatural, political, and classed. As Yanji is a working-class city near...
- 1/14/2024
- by Greg Nussen
- Slant Magazine
A total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions have been shortlisted to compete for 16 awards at this year's Asian Film Awards.
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.
The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.
The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List
Best Film
12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Paradise
Perfect Days (Japan)
Snow Leopard (Mainland China)
Best Director
Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)
Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)
Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)
Kore-eda Hirokazu...
- 1/12/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Snow Leopard’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Goldfinger’ and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ also land multiple nods.
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.
Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...
- 1/12/2024
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” was cruelly defeated at the mainland Chinese box office, where it opened in only fifth place on its opening weekend.
Chinese crime thriller “Across the Furious Sea” headed the mainland China charts for a second weekend, earning $20.0 million (RMB142 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
“Napoleon” earned just $2.8 million ($19.6 million) in China, according to the firm whose figures are generally considered as final, not estimates.
The film earned generally mixed to positive reviews, but only a middling score of 6.6 out of 10 from users of the Douban movie fan site. But it appears that Chinese audiences found the travails of an ancient French emperor to be too much of a specialist topic. Ticketing firm and data provider, Maoyan showed that “Napoleon’s” viewers in China were two thirds male. It also forecasts that the film will end up with final revenues short of $5 million.
Chinese crime thriller “Across the Furious Sea” headed the mainland China charts for a second weekend, earning $20.0 million (RMB142 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
“Napoleon” earned just $2.8 million ($19.6 million) in China, according to the firm whose figures are generally considered as final, not estimates.
The film earned generally mixed to positive reviews, but only a middling score of 6.6 out of 10 from users of the Douban movie fan site. But it appears that Chinese audiences found the travails of an ancient French emperor to be too much of a specialist topic. Ticketing firm and data provider, Maoyan showed that “Napoleon’s” viewers in China were two thirds male. It also forecasts that the film will end up with final revenues short of $5 million.
- 12/4/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Through this partnership, ’Trending Topic’ will hit cinemas in Singapore and Malaysia on December 7, immediately after opening in mainland China.
China’s streaming platform iQiyi is collaborating with Malaysia’s Gsc Movies and Singapore’s Clover Films to expand the distribution networks for its Chinese-language films and expedite their theatrical release.
Through this partnership, Trending Topic, directed by Xin Yukun and starring Zhou Dongyu, Yuan Hong and Song Yang, will hit cinemas in Singapore and Malaysia on December 7, immediately after its opening on December 1 in mainland China.
Further iQiyi titles set for release in both Singapore and Malaysia are Chen Zhuo’s The Invisible Guest,...
China’s streaming platform iQiyi is collaborating with Malaysia’s Gsc Movies and Singapore’s Clover Films to expand the distribution networks for its Chinese-language films and expedite their theatrical release.
Through this partnership, Trending Topic, directed by Xin Yukun and starring Zhou Dongyu, Yuan Hong and Song Yang, will hit cinemas in Singapore and Malaysia on December 7, immediately after its opening on December 1 in mainland China.
Further iQiyi titles set for release in both Singapore and Malaysia are Chen Zhuo’s The Invisible Guest,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Chinese films “Trending Topic” and “The Invisible Guest” will be given theatrical releases in Malaysia and Singapore in the coming month.
This step follows agreements between Chinese streamer iQiyi and Malaysian cinema chain Gsc and Singaporean distributor Clover Films. Terms, structures and value of the deals were not disclosed.
“By partnering with Gsc Movies and Clover Films for theatrical distribution, we can seamlessly bring Chinese-language films to audiences in Singapore and Malaysia through effective resource integration. This collaboration not only enables us to cater to the local audience’s appetite for Chinese-language films but also ensures timely access to new releases,” said Yang Xianghua, iQiyi’s president of movie & overseas business group.
“China movie productions have made significant advancements, setting new standards in terms of production scale and storytelling. Gsc Movies is thrilled to collaborate with iQIYI in bringing high-quality content onto the silver screens for moviegoers in Malaysia,” said Esther Hau,...
This step follows agreements between Chinese streamer iQiyi and Malaysian cinema chain Gsc and Singaporean distributor Clover Films. Terms, structures and value of the deals were not disclosed.
“By partnering with Gsc Movies and Clover Films for theatrical distribution, we can seamlessly bring Chinese-language films to audiences in Singapore and Malaysia through effective resource integration. This collaboration not only enables us to cater to the local audience’s appetite for Chinese-language films but also ensures timely access to new releases,” said Yang Xianghua, iQiyi’s president of movie & overseas business group.
“China movie productions have made significant advancements, setting new standards in terms of production scale and storytelling. Gsc Movies is thrilled to collaborate with iQIYI in bringing high-quality content onto the silver screens for moviegoers in Malaysia,” said Esther Hau,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese streamer and producer iQiyi is joining forces with Malaysia’s Gsc Movies and Singapore-based Clover Films to handle theatrical distribution of its Chinese-language films in their respective territories.
As part of this partnership, the iQiyi-backed film Trending Topic, directed by Xin Yukun and starring Zhou Dongyu, Yuan Hong, and Song Yang, will be theatrically released in Singapore and Malaysia, following its release in mainland China on December 1.
Similarly, iQiyi’s The Invisible Guest, directed by Chen Zhuo and starring actors Greg Hsu, Janine Chang, Kara Wai and Zheng Yin, will also be in theatres in Singapore and Malaysia after it debuts in Chinese cinemas on December 8.
Yang Xianghua, iQiyi’s President of Movie & Overseas Business, said: “We have witnessed a growing demand since we started distributing Chinese-language content to overseas markets in 2017.
“By partnering with Gsc Movies and Clover Films for theatrical distribution, we can seamlessly bring Chinese-language...
As part of this partnership, the iQiyi-backed film Trending Topic, directed by Xin Yukun and starring Zhou Dongyu, Yuan Hong, and Song Yang, will be theatrically released in Singapore and Malaysia, following its release in mainland China on December 1.
Similarly, iQiyi’s The Invisible Guest, directed by Chen Zhuo and starring actors Greg Hsu, Janine Chang, Kara Wai and Zheng Yin, will also be in theatres in Singapore and Malaysia after it debuts in Chinese cinemas on December 8.
Yang Xianghua, iQiyi’s President of Movie & Overseas Business, said: “We have witnessed a growing demand since we started distributing Chinese-language content to overseas markets in 2017.
“By partnering with Gsc Movies and Clover Films for theatrical distribution, we can seamlessly bring Chinese-language...
- 11/27/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The second of the two movies Anthony Chen directed in 2023, “The Breaking Ice” has very little to do with the aesthetics of the ‘French' “Drift”, although elements of European cinema can also be found here. Also of note is the presence of Zhou Dongyu, probably the biggest star ever to appear in the director's filmography, while the film is the Singaporean entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
“The Breaking Ice“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
The story takes place in the frozen Yanji, a small Chinese town close to the North Korean border, where a large Korean community is also inhabiting. Nana, alienated from her family and scarred mentally and physically from an accident in the past, is currently working as a bus-tour guide, seemingly cheerful around her customers. One of the regular stops of her tour is at a local restaurant run by Xiao's family,...
“The Breaking Ice“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
The story takes place in the frozen Yanji, a small Chinese town close to the North Korean border, where a large Korean community is also inhabiting. Nana, alienated from her family and scarred mentally and physically from an accident in the past, is currently working as a bus-tour guide, seemingly cheerful around her customers. One of the regular stops of her tour is at a local restaurant run by Xiao's family,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan heads the nominations, followed by China.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist heads the nominations for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, with nods in four categories including best film, best director, best screenplay and best cinematography.
The Japanese feature premiered at Venice where it picked up both the jury and Fipresci prize, and centres on a father and daughter in a rural village, whose peaceful lives are disrupted by proposals to build a camping site in their area.
Hamaguchi’s latest film, following Oscar-winner Drive My Car, was just ahead of China’s Snow Leopard by the late Tibetan director Pema Tseden,...
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist heads the nominations for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, with nods in four categories including best film, best director, best screenplay and best cinematography.
The Japanese feature premiered at Venice where it picked up both the jury and Fipresci prize, and centres on a father and daughter in a rural village, whose peaceful lives are disrupted by proposals to build a camping site in their area.
Hamaguchi’s latest film, following Oscar-winner Drive My Car, was just ahead of China’s Snow Leopard by the late Tibetan director Pema Tseden,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, Evil Does Not Exist, leads this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) with four nods, including the gong for Best Film.
Hamaguchi’s nominations haul includes Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography for Yoshio Kitagawa. The film is Hamaguchi’s first film since his Oscar-winning Drive My Car and debuted at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The pic follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. A plan to construct a glamping site near Takumi’s house, offering city residents a comfortable “escape” to nature, threatens to endanger the ecological balance of the area and the local people’s way of life.
Also nominated in the Best Film category are Wim Wenders’s Perfect Days, Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden,...
Hamaguchi’s nominations haul includes Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography for Yoshio Kitagawa. The film is Hamaguchi’s first film since his Oscar-winning Drive My Car and debuted at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The pic follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. A plan to construct a glamping site near Takumi’s house, offering city residents a comfortable “escape” to nature, threatens to endanger the ecological balance of the area and the local people’s way of life.
Also nominated in the Best Film category are Wim Wenders’s Perfect Days, Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
A clutch of Chinese movies released for the end of September holiday season dominated the global box office over the latest weekend. Mainland Chinese-produced films took first, third and fifth places across the planet, according to U.S.-based data service Comscore.
Comscore shows “Under the Light,” which released only in mainland China, grossing an estimated $54 million between Friday and Sunday. That put it ahead of Paramount’s “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” which earned an estimated $23.0 million in the North America (aka ‘domestic’) market and a further $23.1 million in the rest of the world, for a weekend total of $46.1 million.
In third place globally was another Chinese film “The Ex-Files 4: The Marriage Plan,” which released in China and five other territories for a weekend total of $41.4 million. “The Creator” earned $32.3 million across the planet, comprising an $18.3 million international score and $14 million from North America. Fifth, planetwide, was Chinese...
Comscore shows “Under the Light,” which released only in mainland China, grossing an estimated $54 million between Friday and Sunday. That put it ahead of Paramount’s “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” which earned an estimated $23.0 million in the North America (aka ‘domestic’) market and a further $23.1 million in the rest of the world, for a weekend total of $46.1 million.
In third place globally was another Chinese film “The Ex-Files 4: The Marriage Plan,” which released in China and five other territories for a weekend total of $41.4 million. “The Creator” earned $32.3 million across the planet, comprising an $18.3 million international score and $14 million from North America. Fifth, planetwide, was Chinese...
- 10/2/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Singapore has picked Ilker Anthony Chen’s coming-of-age Chinese drama The Breaking Ice as its submission to the 2024 Oscars in the best international feature category. The film made its world premiere in May in Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, with The Hollywood Reporter‘s critics later selecting it as one of the 20 best films screened at the prestigious French festival this year.
Made with a mostly Chinese cast and crew, The Breaking Ice tells the story of an unlikely, fleeting friendship formed between three restless young people in China’s far northeastern border city of Yanji. It is headlined by a star-studded ensemble of young Chinese talent, including Zhou Dongyu (Oscar-nominated Better Days), Liu Haoran (Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth). Described as a Generation Z drama, the film’s story follows the blossoming friendship of its three main characters as they discover warmth...
Made with a mostly Chinese cast and crew, The Breaking Ice tells the story of an unlikely, fleeting friendship formed between three restless young people in China’s far northeastern border city of Yanji. It is headlined by a star-studded ensemble of young Chinese talent, including Zhou Dongyu (Oscar-nominated Better Days), Liu Haoran (Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth). Described as a Generation Z drama, the film’s story follows the blossoming friendship of its three main characters as they discover warmth...
- 9/29/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Expendables 4’ narrowly took top place at the mainland China box office on a quiet weekend preceding the National Day holiday season at the end of the month. “A Haunting in Venice” opened outside the top five.
Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway shows “Expendables 4” earning $10.9 million (RMB78.6 million) over its debut weekend. The latest instalment in the “Expendables” franchise lacks an above-the title Chinese star, but includes Jason Statham, who is also to be seen in China-u.S. co-production “Meg 2: The Trench.”
The new release title was fractionally ahead of Chinese crime thriller “Dust to Dust,” which picked up $10.6 million (RMB76.2 million) in its second week of release. “Dust” breathed in a 52% week-on-week decline, but advanced its total to $44.2 million after ten days on release.
“Oppenheimer” played on in third place with $4.3 million in its third week in China. After 17 days on release, it has accumulated $54.3 million in the Middle Kingdom.
Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway shows “Expendables 4” earning $10.9 million (RMB78.6 million) over its debut weekend. The latest instalment in the “Expendables” franchise lacks an above-the title Chinese star, but includes Jason Statham, who is also to be seen in China-u.S. co-production “Meg 2: The Trench.”
The new release title was fractionally ahead of Chinese crime thriller “Dust to Dust,” which picked up $10.6 million (RMB76.2 million) in its second week of release. “Dust” breathed in a 52% week-on-week decline, but advanced its total to $44.2 million after ten days on release.
“Oppenheimer” played on in third place with $4.3 million in its third week in China. After 17 days on release, it has accumulated $54.3 million in the Middle Kingdom.
- 9/18/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The much delayed “Under the Light” by Zhang Yimou, which has previously been described has previously as an “urban crime thriller”, first saw a trailer release all the way back in 2020, but kept getting pushed back for one unknown reason or the other. In the meantime, three more films by the prolific Mainland auteur saw release but it seems that now “Under the Light” may finally be greeting the audience with a new trailer that confirms a Mainland release date.
Synopsis
An urban crime drama film which will cover topics from anti-corruption to anti-crime. The story revolves around Su Jian Ming and Li Hui Lin jointly investigating an undercurrent criminal case involving a huge interest group. In order to investigate the case, Su Jian Ming ignores the persuasion of his powerful father Zheng Gang, and rushes to the “Hongmen Banquet”, hosted by rich businessman Li Zhi Tian. More and more clues gradually surface.
Synopsis
An urban crime drama film which will cover topics from anti-corruption to anti-crime. The story revolves around Su Jian Ming and Li Hui Lin jointly investigating an undercurrent criminal case involving a huge interest group. In order to investigate the case, Su Jian Ming ignores the persuasion of his powerful father Zheng Gang, and rushes to the “Hongmen Banquet”, hosted by rich businessman Li Zhi Tian. More and more clues gradually surface.
- 8/5/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
College can be a time of great change in one's life: going it alone for the first time in training for the real world. The inclusion of the year in the title of Liu Jian's third feature “Art College 1994” is necessary in that it sets the scene for a changing time in China in terms of pop culture and, of course, art.
Back Home is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Two roommates, Xiaojun (Dong Zijian) and Zhifei (Chizi) are art students who spend their days procrastinating, discussing the philosophy of art and the changing scene from classic to Western-influenced modern. Similarly, vocal student Hong (Papi) and piano student Lili (Zhou Dongyu) discuss their futures and possible marriages.
The two pairs mingle, with potential romantic liaisons hinted at, though their hypothetical, philosophical conversations play out in reality, as they come to terms with their relationship to art and each other.
Back Home is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Two roommates, Xiaojun (Dong Zijian) and Zhifei (Chizi) are art students who spend their days procrastinating, discussing the philosophy of art and the changing scene from classic to Western-influenced modern. Similarly, vocal student Hong (Papi) and piano student Lili (Zhou Dongyu) discuss their futures and possible marriages.
The two pairs mingle, with potential romantic liaisons hinted at, though their hypothetical, philosophical conversations play out in reality, as they come to terms with their relationship to art and each other.
- 8/3/2023
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Strand Releasing has snatched up North American distribution rights to Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen’s recent Cannes favorite The Breaking Ice. The film made its world premiere in May in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, with The Hollywood Reporter‘s critics later selecting it as one of the 20 best films screened at the festival this year.
The Breaking Ice tells the story of an unlikely, fleeting friendship formed between three restless young people in China’s far northeastern border city of Yanji. It is headlined by a star-studded ensemble of young Chinese talent, including Zhou Dongyu (Oscar-nominated Better Days), Liu Haoran (the Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth).
Chen previously won Cannes’ Caméra d’Or award with his debut feature Ilo Ilo (2013), which was later submitted by Singapore as its entry to the Oscars’ best international film race. His second feature Wet Season premiered in Toronto and his English-language debut,...
The Breaking Ice tells the story of an unlikely, fleeting friendship formed between three restless young people in China’s far northeastern border city of Yanji. It is headlined by a star-studded ensemble of young Chinese talent, including Zhou Dongyu (Oscar-nominated Better Days), Liu Haoran (the Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth).
Chen previously won Cannes’ Caméra d’Or award with his debut feature Ilo Ilo (2013), which was later submitted by Singapore as its entry to the Oscars’ best international film race. His second feature Wet Season premiered in Toronto and his English-language debut,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘The Breaking Ice’ Review: An Unusually Even-Sided Love Triangle Gently Thaws a Winter of Discontent
Over the course of his first three features — “Ilo Ilo,” “Wet Season” and this year’s “Drift” — Singaporean director Anthony Chen has developed a signature style. It is a graceful, lucid classicism, a mode that in its straightforward sincerity is not fashionable in our abrasive moment, but can yield significant satisfactions. That is certainly true of his second film of 2023, “The Breaking Ice,” which describes, in a trio of perfectly judged performances, the burgeoning, momentous and yet fleeting connection between three differently lonely people — a love triangle with rounded, snowdrift corners.
Yu Jing-Pin’s lovely photography contrasts wintry wides and warm close-ups, as writer-director Chen carves out three characters against the frozen landscapes of Yanji, a small Chinese town in shouting distance of the North Korean border. This is the current home of Nana an unfulfilled bus-tour guide who switches on her ready smile for her passengers — and switches it...
Yu Jing-Pin’s lovely photography contrasts wintry wides and warm close-ups, as writer-director Chen carves out three characters against the frozen landscapes of Yanji, a small Chinese town in shouting distance of the North Korean border. This is the current home of Nana an unfulfilled bus-tour guide who switches on her ready smile for her passengers — and switches it...
- 6/15/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
This year’s Cannes Film Festival was hardly a letdown from a U.S. distribution standpoint. From Netflix’s surprise acquisition of Todd Haynes’ “May December” to Neon nabbing the Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall” and Mubi picking up Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” there was no shortage of indications that several Cannes highlights will make their way to American audiences in the months ahead.
Nevertheless, this remains a tricky time for anyone in the acquisitions business, and some of the gems from this year’s lineup still need homes. Here are a few key ones for buyers to consider.
Ryan Lattanzio contributed to this story.
“The Breaking Ice” “The Breaking Ice”
A sweet and shimmeringly beautiful sad hot people film about how life can flow and then freeze and then thaw into something entirely new if you let it, Anthony Chen’s “The Breaking Ice” finds...
Nevertheless, this remains a tricky time for anyone in the acquisitions business, and some of the gems from this year’s lineup still need homes. Here are a few key ones for buyers to consider.
Ryan Lattanzio contributed to this story.
“The Breaking Ice” “The Breaking Ice”
A sweet and shimmeringly beautiful sad hot people film about how life can flow and then freeze and then thaw into something entirely new if you let it, Anthony Chen’s “The Breaking Ice” finds...
- 5/31/2023
- by Eric Kohn and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Anatomy of a Fall
Competition
Starring a sensational Sandra Hüller as a German novelist on trial for the murder of her husband, French director Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner is gripping and gratifyingly rich: part legal procedural, part portrait of a complicated woman, part snapshot of a marriage on the brink and part coming-of-age narrative. Above all, Anatomy of a Fall is about the essential unknowability of a person, of a relationship, and the perilous impossibility of trying to understand — whether it’s a child puzzling over his parents or a courtroom straining to make sense of an inscrutable suspect. — Jon Frosch
Anselm
Special Screenings
Wim Wenders’ latest 3D documentary offers a mesmerizing cinematic catalog of German painter-sculptor Anselm Kiefer’s deeply tactile, maximalist oeuvre. As in Pina, Wenders’ luminous 2011 tribute to the late dancer-choreographer Pina Bausch, the director makes the best possible case for art house theaters...
Competition
Starring a sensational Sandra Hüller as a German novelist on trial for the murder of her husband, French director Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner is gripping and gratifyingly rich: part legal procedural, part portrait of a complicated woman, part snapshot of a marriage on the brink and part coming-of-age narrative. Above all, Anatomy of a Fall is about the essential unknowability of a person, of a relationship, and the perilous impossibility of trying to understand — whether it’s a child puzzling over his parents or a courtroom straining to make sense of an inscrutable suspect. — Jon Frosch
Anselm
Special Screenings
Wim Wenders’ latest 3D documentary offers a mesmerizing cinematic catalog of German painter-sculptor Anselm Kiefer’s deeply tactile, maximalist oeuvre. As in Pina, Wenders’ luminous 2011 tribute to the late dancer-choreographer Pina Bausch, the director makes the best possible case for art house theaters...
- 5/28/2023
- by David Rooney, Jon Frosch, Sheri Linden, Lovia Gyarkye, Leslie Felperin and Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Khushi Jain
Anthony Chen's “The Breaking Ice” is a story of icy personal histories and hearts waiting to be melted. The film premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Three people, Nana (Zhou Dongyu), Xiao (Qu Chuxiao) and Haofeng (Liu Haoran) come together in the frozen landscapes of Yanji, a small town on China's North Korean border, and form such emotional, psychological, physical and existential bonds that their lives are completely changed forever. Khushi Jain met Anthony and Dongyu on Monday, May 22, a day after the premiere, to talk about the film.
The Breaking Ice is screening at Cannes Official poster – 76th edition © Photo © Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Scoop – Création graphique © Hartland Villa
The film opens with a very beautiful and sombre sequence of cutting ice, and there is ice skating and chewing ice, and the title itself is quite icy. Where does...
Anthony Chen's “The Breaking Ice” is a story of icy personal histories and hearts waiting to be melted. The film premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Three people, Nana (Zhou Dongyu), Xiao (Qu Chuxiao) and Haofeng (Liu Haoran) come together in the frozen landscapes of Yanji, a small town on China's North Korean border, and form such emotional, psychological, physical and existential bonds that their lives are completely changed forever. Khushi Jain met Anthony and Dongyu on Monday, May 22, a day after the premiere, to talk about the film.
The Breaking Ice is screening at Cannes Official poster – 76th edition © Photo © Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Scoop – Création graphique © Hartland Villa
The film opens with a very beautiful and sombre sequence of cutting ice, and there is ice skating and chewing ice, and the title itself is quite icy. Where does...
- 5/27/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Anthony Chen’s well-regarded Mainland China-set “The Breaking Ice” has found favor with multiple European and Asian buyers in the few days since its Sunday premiere as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard.
The film narrates a love triangle story among China’s lost youth generation and is set in the middle of winter in Yanji, a town that is heavily populated by ethnic Koreans. It is headlined by a star-studded Chinese cast of Zhou Dongyu (“Better Days”), Liu Haoran (“Detective Chinatown” franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (“The Wandering Earth”).
“The Breaking Ice” has been newly licensed to Challan for release in South Korea, Trigon-Film for Switzerland, One From the Heart for Greece, Tucker Film for Italy and Edko Films for Hong Kong.
Rights sales are handled by Rediance, Mainland China’s leading indie sales company, which reports that addition territory deals are currently being negotiated.
The film narrates a love triangle story among China’s lost youth generation and is set in the middle of winter in Yanji, a town that is heavily populated by ethnic Koreans. It is headlined by a star-studded Chinese cast of Zhou Dongyu (“Better Days”), Liu Haoran (“Detective Chinatown” franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (“The Wandering Earth”).
“The Breaking Ice” has been newly licensed to Challan for release in South Korea, Trigon-Film for Switzerland, One From the Heart for Greece, Tucker Film for Italy and Edko Films for Hong Kong.
Rights sales are handled by Rediance, Mainland China’s leading indie sales company, which reports that addition territory deals are currently being negotiated.
- 5/26/2023
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu, who is in Cannes with Anthony Chen’s Un Certain Regard title The Breaking Ice, has had a fairytale career trajectory.
Although she had no desire to act, she was plucked from obscurity by Zhang Yimou when still a high school student in 2010, and became one of China’s most respected young actresses, with a string of award-winning films.
She agreed to star in The Breaking Ice as soon as Chen called her and before he’d even written the script. She’d worked with him before on short film The Break Away, part of Neon-produced anthology The Year Of The Everlasting Storm, which Chen had directed remotely during the pandemic.
“He called and said he wanted to shoot a film in China, quite quickly over the winter, because he had a month free when another project was postponed,” Zhou tells Deadline. “I agreed immediately...
Although she had no desire to act, she was plucked from obscurity by Zhang Yimou when still a high school student in 2010, and became one of China’s most respected young actresses, with a string of award-winning films.
She agreed to star in The Breaking Ice as soon as Chen called her and before he’d even written the script. She’d worked with him before on short film The Break Away, part of Neon-produced anthology The Year Of The Everlasting Storm, which Chen had directed remotely during the pandemic.
“He called and said he wanted to shoot a film in China, quite quickly over the winter, because he had a month free when another project was postponed,” Zhou tells Deadline. “I agreed immediately...
- 5/26/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
You’d expect a movie called “The Breaking Ice” to be cold and Anthony Chen’s gentle drama about three isolated young people finding moments of connection definitely stays away from passionate and heated statements. But it’d be a mistake to think that Chen’s restraint comes at the expense of feeling, because “The Breaking Ice” is one of the most beautifully evocative films to screen during the first few days of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
A luminous “Jules and Jim” riff with a stunning visual design and a real purpose to its apparent aimlessness, “The Breaking Ice” screened on Sunday in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, bringing the Singaporean director back to the festival where he won the Camera d’Or for “Ilo Ilo” in 2013, and also appeared as part of the Covid-era anthology film “The Year of the Everlasting Storm” in 2021.
“The Breaking Ice...
A luminous “Jules and Jim” riff with a stunning visual design and a real purpose to its apparent aimlessness, “The Breaking Ice” screened on Sunday in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, bringing the Singaporean director back to the festival where he won the Camera d’Or for “Ilo Ilo” in 2013, and also appeared as part of the Covid-era anthology film “The Year of the Everlasting Storm” in 2021.
“The Breaking Ice...
- 5/21/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Strand Releasing releases the film in New York City theaters on Friday, January 19 and in Los Angeles theaters on Friday, January 26.
A sweet and shimmeringly beautiful film about how life can flow and then freeze and then thaw into something entirely new if you let it, Anthony Chen’s “The Breaking Ice” finds hope in the most frigid of places. In this case, that place is the small Chinese border city of Yanji during the depths of its endless winter, when people’s breath is as thick as the gray fumes that spew out of the factory smokestacks, and the snowy peak of Changbai Mountain looks closer to heaven than it does to Pyongyang. More than half a million people live there (many of them ethnic Koreans), but few of them seem to think of it as home.
A sweet and shimmeringly beautiful film about how life can flow and then freeze and then thaw into something entirely new if you let it, Anthony Chen’s “The Breaking Ice” finds hope in the most frigid of places. In this case, that place is the small Chinese border city of Yanji during the depths of its endless winter, when people’s breath is as thick as the gray fumes that spew out of the factory smokestacks, and the snowy peak of Changbai Mountain looks closer to heaven than it does to Pyongyang. More than half a million people live there (many of them ethnic Koreans), but few of them seem to think of it as home.
- 5/21/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
In June of 2021, Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, acclaimed for his intimate, realist dramas Ilo Ilo (2013) and Wet Season (2019), was invited to serve on the jury of the Shanghai International Film Festival. As part of his participation in the event, he was asked to give a round of interviews to local Chinese journalists and critics. During one of these sessions, a Chinese writer began by praising the director’s family dramas by describing them as uncommonly “mature and precise” for a filmmaker of his age — Chen is 39 today, but was just 29 when he became the first Singaporean to win Cannes’ Camera d’Or prize with Ilo Ilo in 2013 — but he also challenged Chen by asking, “What do you think your films would be like if you let go of control and worked with a freer spirit?”
As the filmmaker wrapped up his time in Shanghai and flew back to London, where...
As the filmmaker wrapped up his time in Shanghai and flew back to London, where...
- 5/20/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Despite its global box office dominance, “Top Gun: Maverick” never had a wide release in China due to its unreserved celebration of American military might. Ironically, that propagandistic streak is what would have probably made the Tom Cruise blockbuster a hit with Chinese audiences; it has many of the same elements that have defined the country's recent string of slick actioners designed first and foremost to stir up nationalism. So, it was no surprise when China's own answer to the jet pilot phenomenon, “Born to Fly”, wrapped production last May, the same month that “Top Gun” hit cineplexes. More unexpected was the announcement later in the year that the release had been postponed, with speculation being that the studio was worried about negative comparisons to its American equivalent. Now, more than half a year later, the finished product has finally been unveiled. Early box office numbers have been great, but...
- 5/7/2023
- by Henry McKeand
- AsianMoviePulse
CineAsia UK has debuted the UK trailer for ‘Born To Fly.’
Lei Yu and a group of elite aviators undergo rigorous training to be recognised as official test pilots. Led by the experienced Commander Zhang, they are tasked with testing the latest fighter jets. As they soar to new heights, the unexpected happens when the engine fails and catches fire, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control. Despite facing near-death situations repeatedly, they persevere and gather crucial data under extreme circumstances. However, with the deadline for delivery of the fighter jet quickly approaching, their
challenges become increasingly difficult. Will they be able to triumph over adversity and successfully complete their mission?
Directed by Liu Xiaoshi, the film stars Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Yu Shi with a special appearance from Zhou Dongyu.
Also in trailers – Rip-roaring trailer evolves for ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’
Trinity CineAsia presents Born to Fly...
Lei Yu and a group of elite aviators undergo rigorous training to be recognised as official test pilots. Led by the experienced Commander Zhang, they are tasked with testing the latest fighter jets. As they soar to new heights, the unexpected happens when the engine fails and catches fire, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control. Despite facing near-death situations repeatedly, they persevere and gather crucial data under extreme circumstances. However, with the deadline for delivery of the fighter jet quickly approaching, their
challenges become increasingly difficult. Will they be able to triumph over adversity and successfully complete their mission?
Directed by Liu Xiaoshi, the film stars Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Yu Shi with a special appearance from Zhou Dongyu.
Also in trailers – Rip-roaring trailer evolves for ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’
Trinity CineAsia presents Born to Fly...
- 5/2/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Beijing Basks In Festival Return
The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival.
Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for “The Punishment” and “Driving Madeleine,” respectively.
The best actor award went to Xin Baiqing for Chinese movie “The Shadowless Tower.” The film, which premiered in February in Berlin, was the numerical winner. With the best screenplay, music, cinematography and artistic contribution awards, it won a total of five prizes.
Chinese actor and director Tian Zhuangzhuang collected the best supporting actor award. Mexican, Montserrat Maranon earned the best supporting actress prize.
The ceremony wrapped up a festival at which organizers claimed to have played 1,488 films. International guests included Israel’s Nadav Lapid, Germany’s Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...
The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival.
Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for “The Punishment” and “Driving Madeleine,” respectively.
The best actor award went to Xin Baiqing for Chinese movie “The Shadowless Tower.” The film, which premiered in February in Berlin, was the numerical winner. With the best screenplay, music, cinematography and artistic contribution awards, it won a total of five prizes.
Chinese actor and director Tian Zhuangzhuang collected the best supporting actor award. Mexican, Montserrat Maranon earned the best supporting actress prize.
The ceremony wrapped up a festival at which organizers claimed to have played 1,488 films. International guests included Israel’s Nadav Lapid, Germany’s Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...
- 5/1/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Trinity CineAsia has acquired rights to Chinese tentpole action movie “Born to Fly,” and will release the film in cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland.
Nicknamed China’s response to Hollywood hit “Top Gun,” the Chinese film follows Lei Yu and a group of elite aviators who undergo rigorous training to be recognised as official test pilots. Led by the experienced Commander Zhang, they are tasked with testing the latest fighter jets. As they soar to new heights, the unexpected happens when the engine fails and catches fire, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control. Despite facing multiple near-death situations, they persevere and gather crucial data under extreme circumstances. But the deadline for delivery of the new plane is approaching.
The film is being released in mainland China on 28 April, in time for the May Day holiday that is one of the three most important seasons in the releasing calendar.
Nicknamed China’s response to Hollywood hit “Top Gun,” the Chinese film follows Lei Yu and a group of elite aviators who undergo rigorous training to be recognised as official test pilots. Led by the experienced Commander Zhang, they are tasked with testing the latest fighter jets. As they soar to new heights, the unexpected happens when the engine fails and catches fire, causing the aircraft to spiral out of control. Despite facing multiple near-death situations, they persevere and gather crucial data under extreme circumstances. But the deadline for delivery of the new plane is approaching.
The film is being released in mainland China on 28 April, in time for the May Day holiday that is one of the three most important seasons in the releasing calendar.
- 4/21/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
China’s Rediance Reveals First-Look Images For Cannes Un Certain Regard Selection ‘The Breaking Ice’
Beijing-based sales agent Rediance has revealed first look stills for Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice, which has been selected for the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Produced by China’s Canopy Pictures, the film is the first mainland Chinese production directed by Chen, a Singaporean filmmaker who won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2013 with his debut feature Ilo Ilo.
Set in Yanji, a border city in the north of China, The Breaking Ice follows the blossoming relationship among three young adults in their twenties over a short few days of heavy winter snowfall.
The cast is headed by Zhou Dongyu (Better Days), Liu Haoran (Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth). Zhou previously starred in Chen’s segment of omnibus film, The Year Of The Everlasting Storm, which premiered at Cannes in 2021.
The Breaking Ice
China’s Huace Pictures...
Produced by China’s Canopy Pictures, the film is the first mainland Chinese production directed by Chen, a Singaporean filmmaker who won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2013 with his debut feature Ilo Ilo.
Set in Yanji, a border city in the north of China, The Breaking Ice follows the blossoming relationship among three young adults in their twenties over a short few days of heavy winter snowfall.
The cast is headed by Zhou Dongyu (Better Days), Liu Haoran (Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth). Zhou previously starred in Chen’s segment of omnibus film, The Year Of The Everlasting Storm, which premiered at Cannes in 2021.
The Breaking Ice
China’s Huace Pictures...
- 4/13/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
"If you're afraid, it's not too late to leave." Well Go USA has revealed an official US trailer for the Chinese action movie titled Born to Fly, made by a first-time filmmaker named Liu Xiaoshi. The original Chinese title translates to King of the Sky, so this Born to Fly is the new US release title for it. The story of a special operations team headed by elite pilots, being ordered to test new fighter jets. Test flight after test flight, they continue to challenge the sky and the limits of themselves. After a threat arises mid-air, an elite test pilot is forced to test his own physical and psychological limits in order to survive. The film stars Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Yu Shi, and Zhou Dongyu. They don't say it but this is so clearly China's attempt at Top Gun, with so many similar shots and plot beats, though...
- 4/4/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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Justin Timberlake may be mum on new music, but the singer is stepping back in front of the cameras for a new campaign with Louis Vuitton.
Timberlake is one of six celebrities tapped by the fashion house for Drop 2 of its “Creating Infinity” campaign, which celebrates the brand’s exclusive collaboration with avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The collection plays up Kusama’s iconic infinity dots and spirited...
Justin Timberlake may be mum on new music, but the singer is stepping back in front of the cameras for a new campaign with Louis Vuitton.
Timberlake is one of six celebrities tapped by the fashion house for Drop 2 of its “Creating Infinity” campaign, which celebrates the brand’s exclusive collaboration with avant-garde Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The collection plays up Kusama’s iconic infinity dots and spirited...
- 4/2/2023
- by Tim Chan
- Rollingstone.com
Legendary Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou’s period thriller Full River Red — the world’s biggest blockbuster of 2023, so far, with $644 million and counting at China’s theatrical box office — is headed to the U.S.
Specialty distributor Niu Vision Media has acquired North American rights to the film and lined up a limited release March 17 in 150 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. Niu Vision picked up Full River Red from Bill Kong’s Edko Films, which is handling worldwide sales on the film and will continue offering it to buyers in select territories at next week’s Filmart industry confab in Hong Kong.
Produced by rising studio Huanxi Media, Full River Red was the big winner at China’s Lunar New Year box office race in late January. Frank Guo’s sci-fi sequel The Wander Earth 2 was the market favorite in the lead-up to the lucrative holiday release period,...
Specialty distributor Niu Vision Media has acquired North American rights to the film and lined up a limited release March 17 in 150 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. Niu Vision picked up Full River Red from Bill Kong’s Edko Films, which is handling worldwide sales on the film and will continue offering it to buyers in select territories at next week’s Filmart industry confab in Hong Kong.
Produced by rising studio Huanxi Media, Full River Red was the big winner at China’s Lunar New Year box office race in late January. Frank Guo’s sci-fi sequel The Wander Earth 2 was the market favorite in the lead-up to the lucrative holiday release period,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The quote that opens Chinese director Liu Jian’s shaggy but amiable new animated feature is instructive. “To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life” is a passage from James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” and indeed, Liu was himself at art college as a young man in the early ’90s, when and where “Art College 1994” is, unsurprisingly, set. The quasi-memoir feel to the movie does have its charm — it’s always a kick to see animation techniques applied not to extravagant flights of fancy but to slices of real, ordinary life — but it’s also its chief flaw. In re-creating life out of life, Liu is quite successful; whether he makes it into drama is another question. Like its characters, “Art College 1994” gives the impression of having just too much time on its hands.
Liu...
Liu...
- 2/25/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Art College 1994, a deadpan slice of comic-sad social realism from Chinese animator Liu Jian (Have a Nice Day), offers reassuring evidence that although cultural specificities can shape artistic traditions — and fashion and tastes fluctuate — art students are basically all the same and always have been: slovenly, idealistic, and prone to pretentious waffle, especially when lubricated with alcohol. But also, at least based on the evidence of the characters here, reasonably endearing with their guileless dreams of making meaningful work in a world where it sometimes feels like everything has been done. Mind you, others just want to meet romantic partners, make money somehow and maybe go abroad someday.
There’s a sense that this gently meandering, sketchbook-like work is aware of its own cinematic precedents. It certainly seems to suffer from an anxiety of influence as it tries to carve out a space for itself somewhere in the region of Eric Rohmer wistful romances,...
There’s a sense that this gently meandering, sketchbook-like work is aware of its own cinematic precedents. It certainly seems to suffer from an anxiety of influence as it tries to carve out a space for itself somewhere in the region of Eric Rohmer wistful romances,...
- 2/24/2023
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sales agency Memento Intl. has unveiled the first clip and poster from Liu Jian’s Berlin competition title “Art College 1994,” which world premieres on Feb. 24.
The film is a portrait of youth set on the campus of the Chinese Southern Academy of Arts in the early 1990s. Against the backdrop of reforms opening China to the Western world, a group of college students live in full swing as they take their first steps into adulthood, where love and friendships are intertwined with artistic pursuits, ideals and ambitions. Caught between tradition and modernity, they now have to choose who they want to become.
It is the director’s third animation feature after 2010’s “Piercing I” and “Have a Nice Day,” which premiered in competition at the Berlinale in 2017, and quickly built a cult following. “Have a Nice Day” was also honored with the best animated feature award at the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan.
The film is a portrait of youth set on the campus of the Chinese Southern Academy of Arts in the early 1990s. Against the backdrop of reforms opening China to the Western world, a group of college students live in full swing as they take their first steps into adulthood, where love and friendships are intertwined with artistic pursuits, ideals and ambitions. Caught between tradition and modernity, they now have to choose who they want to become.
It is the director’s third animation feature after 2010’s “Piercing I” and “Have a Nice Day,” which premiered in competition at the Berlinale in 2017, and quickly built a cult following. “Have a Nice Day” was also honored with the best animated feature award at the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan.
- 2/20/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Breaking Ice
His Camera d’Or winning Ilo Ilo (2013) and TIFF Platform section preemed Wet Season (2019) followed by his contribution with the Cannes preemed The Year of the Everlasting Storm have essentially turbo-boosted Anthony Chen‘s workload in 2022 which means….a hearty 2023 is upon us. With Drift set to premiere at Sundance (also featured in our list), the Singaporean filmmaker also has first Mainland Chinese production The Breaking Ice to be unveiled this year. Production took place North of China in Yanji last February with players Zhou Dongyu, Liu Haoran and Qu Chuxiao. Canopy Pictures’ Meng Xie and Chen produced the film.…...
His Camera d’Or winning Ilo Ilo (2013) and TIFF Platform section preemed Wet Season (2019) followed by his contribution with the Cannes preemed The Year of the Everlasting Storm have essentially turbo-boosted Anthony Chen‘s workload in 2022 which means….a hearty 2023 is upon us. With Drift set to premiere at Sundance (also featured in our list), the Singaporean filmmaker also has first Mainland Chinese production The Breaking Ice to be unveiled this year. Production took place North of China in Yanji last February with players Zhou Dongyu, Liu Haoran and Qu Chuxiao. Canopy Pictures’ Meng Xie and Chen produced the film.…...
- 1/5/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Patriotic action film “Homecoming” dominated cinemagoing in China over the weekend with a nearly 60 million haul. But the National Day holiday season is in a deep slump compared with recent years.
Directed by Rao Xiaozhi, the film is yet another tale of a heroic rescue of Chinese citizens in danger in foreign lands. In this instance, two Chinese diplomats must return to war-torn 2011 Libya to save 125 people who have been left behind.
The film opened on Friday and garnered an impressive 59.3 million (RMB421) according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. It accounted for a thumping 67 market share. Imax reported that the film had been shot with Imax-certified cameras and that 3 million of the total came from its screens in China.
While the Friday-Sunday nationwide aggregate of 88 million was an impressive leap from the theatrical doldrums of the previous two weekends, the numbers were in reality a continuation of the box...
Directed by Rao Xiaozhi, the film is yet another tale of a heroic rescue of Chinese citizens in danger in foreign lands. In this instance, two Chinese diplomats must return to war-torn 2011 Libya to save 125 people who have been left behind.
The film opened on Friday and garnered an impressive 59.3 million (RMB421) according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. It accounted for a thumping 67 market share. Imax reported that the film had been shot with Imax-certified cameras and that 3 million of the total came from its screens in China.
While the Friday-Sunday nationwide aggregate of 88 million was an impressive leap from the theatrical doldrums of the previous two weekends, the numbers were in reality a continuation of the box...
- 10/3/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
On January 23, 2020, Wuhan was put on lockdown in the face of the sudden epidemic. Xue Xiao-lu, director of “Finding Mr Right” focuses on what happened during the time, through four stories of people from all steps of the social ladder, through an approach, though, that is quite romanticized. Let us take things from the beginning though.
Embrace Again is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema
A Yong is a courier transferring goods for hospitals, and a volunteer who tries to organize the whole service against many odds, in the process neglecting his son, who still considers him a kind of a hero, and his wife, who is quite frustrated with his choice. Wu Ge delivers food through her motorcycle, which is what eventually gets her acquainted with piano teacher Ye Zi Yang, when she carries him in her motorcycle, and nurse-in-training Xia Xiao, both of which eventually become good friends with her.
Embrace Again is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema
A Yong is a courier transferring goods for hospitals, and a volunteer who tries to organize the whole service against many odds, in the process neglecting his son, who still considers him a kind of a hero, and his wife, who is quite frustrated with his choice. Wu Ge delivers food through her motorcycle, which is what eventually gets her acquainted with piano teacher Ye Zi Yang, when she carries him in her motorcycle, and nurse-in-training Xia Xiao, both of which eventually become good friends with her.
- 9/11/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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