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Asian Film Awards 2009

2009 Asian Film Awards
2009 Asian Film Award nominations: Jan. 21, 2009
2009 Asian Film Award winners: March 23, 2009
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

In Kyoshi Kurosawa’s best Asian Film Award winner Tokyo Sonata, a middle-class worker (Teruyuki Kagawa) loses his job (it’s outsourced to China), but can’t get himself to tell his family about his predicament. Slowly, however, both his ruse and the family itself begin to disintegrate.
 

Best Film
Forever Enthralled, China
The Good, the Bad, the Weird, South Korea
Ponyo on the Cliff, Japan
The Rainbow Troops, Indonesia
Red Cliff, China
* Tokyo Sonata, The Netherlands / Japan / Hong Kong
Best Director
FENG Xiao-gang, If You Are the One, China
KIM Jee-woon, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, South Korea
* KOREEDA Hirokazu, Still Walking, Japan
Brillante MENDOZA, Service, [...]

TOKYO SONATA, I LOVE YOU, MAN Buzz

At GreenCine Daily, Vadim Risov on Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata, which opened this weekend in New York (it’ll open in Los Angeles on March 27):
"Two-thirds of the way in, Tokyo Sonata is a nicely observed low-key drama just unnerving enough to keep you on edge: Kurosawa’s framing is always a bit cluttered and claustrophobic, and his willingness to sit and watch for a little too long makes it seem like violent disaster is always just on the verge of breaking out. And then suddenly it does and all hell breaks out."
***

At Cinematical, Eugene Novikov is enthusiastic about Paul Rudd’s star turn in the comedy I Love You, Man, directed by John Hamburg, written [...]

Japanese Academy Awards 2009

2009 Japanese Academy Awards
2009 Japanese Academy Award winners: Feb. 20, 2009
 

Yojiro Takita’s Departures, about an unemployed cellist who finds work as a professional corpse-beautician of sorts, was the big winner at the 2009 Japanese Academy Awards, bagging a total of 10 trophies (out of 13 nominations), including best film, best director, best actor (Masahiro Motoki), best supporting actor (Tsutomu Yamazaki), best supporting actress (Kimiko Yo) and best screenplay (Kundo Koyama), along with wins for cinematography, lighting, sound and editing.
In addition to winning this year’s best foreign-language film Oscar, Departures also took top prizes at the Montreal and Palm Springs film festivals, and, with a US$32 million gross, has turned out to be one of Japan’s [...]

Dubai Film Festival Awards 2008

2008 Dubai Film Festival Awards
2008 Dubai Film Festival: Dec. 11-18, 2008
 

In Lyes Salem’s Masquerades, an arrogant man (played by Salem) living with his family in an Algerian village has one dream: to be respected by those around him. The problem is that he has a sister whom everyone believes will end up a spinster. To resolve the issue, the man tells everyone that he has found a rich suitor for his sister so that preparations for the marriage can begin. But now there’s another problem: where’s the bridegroom? Masquerades is Algeria’s submission for the 2009 best foreign-language film Oscar.

 
MUHR ARABIC
Muhr Arabic Feature – Best Film
MASQUERADES
Director: Lyes Salem
Country: Algeria – France
Muhr Arabic [...]

DOSTANA, THROUGH THE EYES OF PAINTER: Censorship

Agence France-Presse reports that the radical nationalist Hindu groups Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Jananagruti have succeeded in getting the International Film Festival of India, held in the old Portuguese territory of Goa, to withdraw Maqbool Fida Husain’s 1967 documentary short Through the Eyes of Painter.
Husain, 93, who has been called India’s Picasso, became enmeshed in the mid-1990s in an ugly uproar over his paintings of nude Hindu goddesses, for which he was sued and received death threats from Hindu fanatics. He currently divides his time between London and Dubai.
The 39th Goa Film Festival — all the poorer for having caved in to censorship forces — comes to a close on December 2.
***
"A single bench [...]

RASHOMON: Monday Nights with Oscar

Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 classic Rashomon, which officially introduced Japanese cinema to the world at large, will be the next film presented as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ series “Monday Nights with Oscar.” The East Coast premiere of the new digitally restored print of Rashomon will take place on Monday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy Theater in New York City.
Though it revolves around the rape of a woman and the murder of her Samurai husband, Rashomon, co-adapted by Kurosawa and Shinobu Hashimoto from Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s stories "Rashomon" and "In a Grove," is less a crime drama than an examination of the mind-boggling nature of truth. [...]

ANTARCTICA: Q&A with Yair Hochner

In writer-director Yair Hochner’s intriguing, multi-layered, remarkably well-acted Antarctica, which Regent Releasing is opening tomorrow, November 14, at the Regent Showcase in Hollywood, several gay men and a couple of lesbians get enmeshed in a complex web of sexual/romantic entanglements set in the streets, clubs, and apartment houses of Tel Aviv.
There’s Omer (Tomer Ilan), a handsome, soft-spoken — and still single — librarian who’s about to turn thirty; his sister, Shirley (Lucy Dubinchik), who feels the need to get away from it all despite her love for club owner Michal (Liat Ekta), who also happens to be madly in love with the younger woman; the journalist Ronen (Guy Zo-Aretz), who has recently returned from London to Tel Aviv [...]

FIRE d: Deepa Mehta

Fire (1996)
Direction and screenplay: Deepa Mehta. Cast: Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Jaaved Jaaferi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ranjit Chowdhry, Kushal Rekhi, Alice Poon
 
By Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica:
I watched the 1996 Canadian film Fire by Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta after having long heard of its taboo nature based mainly on its depiction of lesbianism. And while not a silly film — such as the softcore When Night Is Falling or the horrid Hollywood ‘Hook’em’ Brokeback Mountain — Fire is nowhere near a great film, either.
As for the lesbianism, there is very little skin and the ‘love story’ is rather demure. On the other hand, there is far too much radical Feminist (capital F) ideology that lowers the intellectual argument of Mehta’s film — [...]

NO REGRET Playing in LA & NY

Leesong Hee-il’s Huhwihaji anha / No Regret, which has been billed as the "first gay film from South Korea" (I’m not sure if that’s true), focuses on Sumin (Lee Young-Hoon), a young man who leaves the orphanage where he grew up to study art design in Seoul. After losing his job at a factory due to cutbacks, Sumin tries to make ends meet by working as a prostitute at a gay bar. Not long thereafter, he meets Jaemin (Lee Han), who comes from a rich and reactionary family. Things start well, but problems begin to arise…
A Regent release, No Regret is currently playing in New York City (Cinema Village) and in West Hollywood (Sunset 5), and is scheduled to [...]

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)
Direction: Shoijiro Nishimi, Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yasuhiro Aoki, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Jong-Sik Nam. Screenplay: Brian Azzarello, Alan Burnett, Jordan Goldberg, David S. Goyer, Josh Olson, Greg Rucka; based on Bob Kane’s character. Voices: Kevin Conroy, David McCallum, Gary Dourdan, Corey Burton, Jason Marsden, Jim Meskimen, Kevin Michael Richardson, George Newbern
 

 
Batman: Gotham Knight is a direct-to-DVD animated film in six segments, each directed by a different East Asian filmmaker. The animation quality, both in terms of character and environment detail, exceeds that of the animation found in all the Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and all the other Batman animated films. The fore and backgrounds aren’t after thoughts; they have as much care [...]

Gays in Bollywood Films

"Disassociating queer from sleazy" — though the "aberrant" label remains — in the Times of India:
"Real people with an aberrant sexual orientation have also led to Bollywood tentatively moving away from its song-and-dance routine for fresh cinema. Deepa Mehta’s Fire, released in 1998, ventured into forbidden terrain by exploring the sensual relationship of a young bride with her sister-in-law. Mahesh Dattani, whose Mango Souffli [sic] ([photo,] 2002) breaks away from hackneyed romantic imagery with an erotic under-water gay kissing scene, believes that a number of Bollywood films caricature homosexuals. As a result, shopping for actors to perform a gay role becomes difficult. Onir, director of My Brother Nikhil, also decries the stigma against homosexuals: ‘A homophobic community must be fed [...]

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: Great To Be Nominated

Ang Lee’s thrilling 2000 Best Picture nominee Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — to date, the non-English-language film with the most Oscar nominations — will be the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ "Great To Be Nominated" series. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will be screened on Monday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Following the screening, visual effects supervisor Rob Hodgson will take part in a discussion about the film.
Considering that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is spoken in Mandarin, its ten Academy Award nominations were nothing short of miraculous. Well, almost. In any case, this Academy screening should not be missed for Lee’s mystical-adventure drama — filled with [...]

SISTERS OF THE GION d: Kenji Mizoguchi

Gion no shimai / Sisters of the Gion (1936)
Direction: Kenji Mizoguchi. Screenplay: Kenji Mizoguchi and Yoshikata Yoda; from Aleksandr Kuprin’s novel. Cast: Isuzu Yamada, Yôko Umemura, Benkei Shiganoya, Fumio Okura
 

Business is contingent upon profitable commercial transactions. Exchanges that removed from human instigation are cold but necessary for survival. Success, no matter strategy or plan, is propelled or hindered by fate, though this variable holds no emotional consequence. Of course, companies are usually created to make money and are not breathing, feeling entities. Yet humans are behind these enterprises, and with or without this extension also pursue financial success — but those entail emotional risks.
Individuals are likewise driven to establish personal security and this basic idea is a primary concern of [...]

SANSHO THE BAILIFF d: Kenji Mizoguchi

Sanshô Dayû / Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
Direction: Kenji Mizoguchi. Screenplay: Fuji Yahiro; from the old legend and Ogai Mori’s 1915 short story “Sansho the Steward.” Cast: Shindô Eitarô, Kyoko Kagawa, Yoshiaki Hanayagi
 
By Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica:
One of the nostra about Japanese film director Kenji Mizoguchi is that he is ‘the most Japanese of all filmmakers.’ Another is that, compared to his two titanic contemporaries, Yasujiro Ozu and Akira Kurosawa, Mizoguchi was the hardest to pin down in a style or genre. Having just watched Sanshô Dayû / Sansho the Bailiff (1954) I can agree with both of the above sentiments.
First, Mizoguchi excels at the jidai-geki (historical drama) genre. Second, whereas Ugetsu Monogatari (the only other Mizoguchi film I’ve seen) [...]

Asian Film Awards 2008

2007 Asian Film Awards
2007 Asian Film Award nominations: January 17, 2008.
2007 Asian Film Award winners: Grand Hall, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, March 17, 2008
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

 

Best Film
Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame (Iran)
I Just Didn’t Do It (Japan)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan / China / USA)
* Secret Sunshine (South Korea)
The Sun Also Rises (China / Hong Kong)
The Warlords (China / Hong Kong)
Best Director
Peter CHAN The Warlords (China / Hong Kong)
JIANG Wen The Sun Also Rises (China / Hong Kong)
Ang LEE Lust, Caution (Taiwan / China / USA)
* LEE Chang-Dong Secret Sunshine (South Korea)
SUO Masayuki I Just Didn’t Do It (Japan)
ZHANG Lu Desert Dream (South Korea / France)

Best Actor
Jack KAO God Man Dog (Taiwan)
KASE Ryo I [...]

Oldest Surviving Korean Film

In the Korea Times, Cathy Rose A. Garcia reports that the Korean Film Archive (KOFA) has screened the oldest surviving Korean film, the silent, black-and-white social drama Cheongchun’s Sipjaro.
Directed by An Jong-hwa, Cheongchun’s Sipjaro was first screened at Seoul’s Joseon Theater in September 1934.
As per Garcia’s article, there are two other Korean films known to be older than Cheongchun’s Sipjaro (Crossroads of Youth): Uilijeogguto (Fight for Justice), screened on October 27, 1919; and the first dramatic Korean film, Weolha-ui Mangseo (The Vow Made Below the Moon), directed by Yun Baek-nam and screened in 1923.
Garcia states that KOFA doesn’t have prints of those two films, but I couldn’t quite figure out — since Cheongchun’s Sipjaro is hailed as [...]

Blue Dragon Awards – 2007

28th Blue Dragon Awards – 2007
The 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards cover Korean films released between November 2006 and October 2007.
The 28th Blue Dragon Film Award winners were announced at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul, on November 23, 2007.
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

Han Jae-rim’s violent gangster comedy-drama-action flick The Show Must Go On took top honors at the 28th Blue Dragon Awards. The film stars best actor winner Song Kang-ho — who also starred in last year’s Blue Dragon winner, The Host — as a small-time gangster trying to land his first big deal. At home, however, the tough gangster is put in his place by his fed-up wife. As the story progresses, things take [...]

Golden Horse Awards 2007

44th Golden Horse Awards – 2007
The 44th Golden Horse Award nominees were announced on Oct. 27, 2007.
The 44th Golden Horse Award winners were announced on Dec. 8, 2007.
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

Lust, Caution has been nominated for 11 Golden Horse Awards, in addition to a nomination for director Ang Lee as Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year. Lee’s intriguing, beautifully made World War II drama about a resistance spy who tries to ensnare a collaborator in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, has already won top honors at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Lust, Caution stars Best New Performer nominee Tang Wei, excellent as the conflicted resistance spy, and Best Actor nominee Tony Leung Chiu Wei.
 
Best Feature Film
what on earth [...]

DONSOL Is the Philippines’ Entry for the 2007 Oscars

Writer-director Adolfo Alix Jr.’s drama Donsol has been chosen as the Philippines’ entry in the best foreign-language film category for the 80th Academy Awards. Veteran film director Eddie Romero headed the selection committee.
Set in the fishing town of Donsol, known as a good spot for whale shark-watching, the plot revolves around the relationship that develops between a disillusioned "whale shark interaction officer" (Sid Lucero) and an older woman (Angel Aquino) fighting breast cancer.
Donsol has won several awards in the festival circuit, including the Spirit of the Independent Award at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival and a best actress trophy for Angel Aquino at the Philippines’ Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
 
PERSEPOLIS Is France’s 2007 Oscar Entry
Jon Stewart to Host, Gil Cates [...]

LUST, CAUTION Controversy at Venice Film Festival 2007

Based on a semi-autobiographical short story by Eileen Chang, the two-and-half-hour Se, jie / Lust, Caution, Ang Lee’s first Chinese-language film since the 2000 martial-arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, stars Tony Leung as a powerful politician who is seduced by a young woman (newcomer Tang Wei) involved with a group of revolutionary students. The politician is a collaborator, assisting the Japanese occupiers in 1940s Shanghai.
Needless to say, the film’s politics and psychology have been all but ignored in favor of discussions about the (apparently quite explicit) sex scenes. Are they real? Is it all cgi? Do people actually do such things in real life?
The ratings board members at the Motion Picture Association of America apparently don’t, as they gave [...]

Shanghai Film Critics Association Awards 2007

During the 10th Shanghai International Film Festival, the Shanghai Film Critics Association announced their best of 2006 list. Here it is:
 
Top 10 Chinese films: Tokyo Trial, The Knot, Courthouse on the Horseback, Jia Zhang-ke’s Sanxia haoren / Still Life, The Old Summer Palace, Loach Is Fish Too, Zhang Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower, Patrick Tam’s After This Our Exile, Curiosity Kills the Cat, and The Aunt’s Postmodern Life.
Best Director: Yin Li, The Knot
Best Actor: Jay Chou, Curse of Golden Flower
Best Actress: Siqin Gaowa, The Aunt’s Postmodern Life
 
See below what the Shanghai film critics had to say about their top-ten choices:
Tokyo Trial: The film vividly depicts a historic event with fine details.
The Knot: The film [...]

Cannes 2007 Opens with MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS

About 300 journalists crammed into a 200-seat room to hear director Wong Kar Wai, actor Jude Law, and singer-turned-actress Norah Jones discuss their film, My Blueberry Nights, a romantic drama that opened the 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
"Sometimes the tangible distance between two persons," Wong explained, "can be quite small but the emotional one can be miles. My Blueberry Nights is a look at those distances, from various angles. I wanted to explore these expanses, both figuratively and literally, and the lengths it takes to overcome them."
My Blueberry Nights tells the story of a young woman (Norah Jones) who, following the departure of her boyfriend, spends her nights at a New York diner eating blueberry pie and [...]

Hong Kong Film Awards – 2007 Winners

Fu zi / After This Our Exile, Patrick Tam’s first directorial effort in 17 years, won the top prize at the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony held tonight at the harborfront Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui.
“Thank you for the judges’ support for me,” Tam said on the stage. “… I thank all the actors and crew members and also God, who gave me such a great gift.” Tam had stopped directing movies after Sha shou hu die meng / My Heart Is That Eternal Rose in 1989. Unhappy with the way his films were turning out, Tam would spend the next 17 years working as a professor and film editor.
After This Our Exile is the story of [...]

Hong Kong Film Awards – 2007 Nominations

The 2007 Hong Kong Film Award winners will be announced this coming Sunday, April 15.
A huge box-office hit in China, Zhang Yimou’s historical epic-cum-dysfunctional family drama Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia / Curse of the Golden Flower (top) leads the pack of nominees, with a total of 14 nods including best film, best director, best actor (Chow Yun Fat), and best actress (Gong Li). Curiously, Curse of the Golden Flower is conspicuously absent from the best screenplay category.
Earlier this year, the film received one Academy Award nomination — for best costume design (Yee Chung Man) — and won awards for costume design (period film) and art direction (period film, Huo Tingxiao) from, respectively, the U.S.-based Costume Designers Guild [...]

Hong Kong Film Awards 2007

2007 Hong Kong Film Awards
2007 Hong Kong Film Award nominations were announced on February 1, 2007.
2007 Hong Kong Film Award winners were announced at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Tsim Sha Tsui on April 15, 2007.
2007 Hong Kong Film Award Winners
2007 Hong Kong Film Award Nominations
("*" denotes the winner in each category)
 

Best Film
* Fu zi / After This Our Exile, Co-presented by Vision Film Workshop, Black & White Films Ltd, Executive Producer Chiu Li Kuang Fong juk / Exiled, Presented by Media Asia Films Ltd, Executive Producer Johnnie To Kei Fung
Hak se wui yi wo wai kwai / Election 2 / Triad Election, Co-presented by One Hundred Years of Film Co Ltd & Milkyway Image [...]

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