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Circle Of Atonement
Finecut shoots for Circle Of Atonement BY JEAN NOH
Korea’s Finecut has picked up Circle Of Atonement, the feature directorial debut of Park Eun-gyoung and Lee Dong-ha, whose credits as writers include The Terror, Live. Son Ho-jun (Death Bell) stars as a high school teacher whose fiancée was murdered while Sung Dong-il (Miss Granny, Mr Go) plays the detective who worked on the case. Kim Yoo-jung plays the detective’s daughter who grows close to the teacher, sharing intimate secrets. Produced by Film Dorothy and presented by Sansoo Ventures Inc in association with CGV Arthouse, the shoot wrapped last week. Finecut has also sold The Royal Tailor to Japan (Klockworx), China (Lemon Tree Media Company), Taiwan (AV Jet International Media), Malaysia and Brunei (Hwa Yea Multimedia) and worldwide in-flight rights (Emphasis). Klockworx and Hwa Yea Multimedia also picked up Fashion King for their respective territories. The Bong Joon Ho-produced Haemoo sold to Australia and New Zealand (Madman Entertainment) and Turkey (Fabula Medya).
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Enlight hits the road with stellar line-up BY LIZ SHACKLETON
Beijing-based Enlight Pictures has lined up a string of top Chinese film-makers for its 2015 slate including Xu Zheng, Zhang Yibai, Deng Chao and actress Zhou Xun. The ambitious studio is also expanding its partnership with Justin Lin, who recently produced Hollywood Adventures and is set to direct a 3D remake of Shaolin Temple for Enlight and Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Entertainment. Lin is already planning a UK-set sequel to Hollywood Adventures, which is expected to start shooting next year. Following the huge success of Lost In Thailand, Xu Zheng has directed a sequel, Lost In Hong Kong, in which he also stars with Zhao Wei and Bao Bei-er. In post-
Hollywood Adventures
production, the film is tentatively scheduled for an August release. Zhou Xun is making her first foray into producing for Enlight with two projects — Zhou Ke’s
legal thriller Black Mandara, in which she also stars with Francis Ng, and an as-yet-untitled drama starring male supermodel Liu Chang and directed by Janet Chun. In addition, Deng Chao is planning a follow-up to his 2014 hit The Breakup Guru, which is scheduled to start shooting in June; while Zhang Yibai is directing an adaptation of Zhang Jiajia’s novel Passing By Your World, to shoot this summer. Enlight’s Chinese slate also includes Alec Su You-peng’s youth drama My Left Ear, which is scheduled for release on April 30. Enlight had a 19.43% share of the Chinese-language film market last year with box office of $510m. Last month, Alibaba acquired an 8.8% stake in the company for $380m.
Third Window open to porn comedy BY JEAN NOH
Third Window Films has picked up porn comedy Make Room for UK distribution and international sales excluding Asia. Third Window is also handling the film for festivals worldwide following its Grand Prix win at Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival last month. CEO Adam Torel quickly sealed a deal for the Japanese comedy with Joint Entertainment for Taiwan, and has agreed with Ryohei
Distribution Workshop ups Leung Distribution Workshop sales chief Virginia Leung has been made a director of the company, now majority owned by co-founders Nansun Shi and Jeffrey Chan. Leung has been given a seat on the board with Shi and Chan, who increased their joint shareholding in the Hong Kong-based sales company to 60%, while previous majority shareholder, Beijing-based studio Bona Film Group, holds 40%.
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Leung started her sales career with Media Asia in 1995 and has also worked at Universe Films Distribution and Mandarin Films. She joined Distribution Workshop on its launch in 2008. Following its ownership changes, Distribution Workshop plans to move into production and financing with an eye on international markets and possibly English-language films. Liz Shackleton
Make Room
Masuoka, director of Japan’s Geta Films/Spirits Project, to handle other Asian territories. “It’s a funny and touching film
set in the make-up room of a porn set and based on director Kei Morikawa’s experiences in the adult film industry,” said Torel. “Starring a host of real-life porn stars alongside professional and amateur actors, it was the standout film of Yubari.” Directed by Kei Morikawa, the film stars Beni Ito, Aki Morita, Nanami Kawakami, Riri Kuribayashi. The actresses, aside from Morita (Metamorphosis), are from the adult film industry.
Universe launches Benny Chan epic BY LIZ SHACKLETON
Sean Lau Ching-wan, Louis Koo and Eddie Peng will head the cast of Benny Chan’s epic action film The Deadly Reclaim, which is being launched at Filmart by Universe Films Distribution. Set in 1914, following the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the $32m project tells the story of a group of villagers standing up to a cruel young warlord. Production is scheduled to start in April for delivery at the end of the year.
Universe has also added Oxide Pang’s comedy Detective Gui and Vincent Kok’s comedy House Of Wolves to its Filmart slate. Currently in production, Detective Gui — about a talented female investigator — stars Luodan Wang (The Continent), Vic Chou, Simon Yam and Nina Paw Hee-ching, while House Of Wolves, about three conmen who have a change of heart, stars Francis Ng, Ronald Cheng and Jiang Shuying.
TODAY
Meet The In-Laws 2
NEWS A family affair Lotte picks up Meet The In-Laws 2 » Page 4
REVIEW Lost And Love A tender-hearted ode to China’s missing children » Page 8
FEATURE Euro stars European sales companies out in force at Filmart » Page 16
Ode To My Father heads CJ sales BY JEAN NOH
Korea’s CJ Entertainment has secured a raft of sales, led by JK Youn’s hit Ode To My Father going to Latin America (Alebrije) and Spain (European Dream Factory). Taegukgi director Kang Je-kyu’s new romance Salut d’Amour, set for local release in April, sold to Australia (Mingyo), while Chang Youn-hyun’s mystery thriller The Peaceful Island sold to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei (Hwa Yea). Period action romance Empire Of Lust sold to Mongolia (Bloomsbury). Popcorn has picked up PanAsian pay TV rights to romantic comedy Love Forecast and 20, Once Again, Leste Chen’s hit Chineselanguage remake of Korean comedy Miss Granny.
Golden Network saves Mr. Wu Hong Kong-based Golden Network Asia has picked up international rights to Ding Sheng’s crime thriller Saving Mr. Wu, starring awardwinning actors Andy Lau, Liu Ye, Wang Qianyuan and Wu Ruofu. In post-production, the film revolves around the battle of wits between the police and the underworld following the abduction of a Hong Kong star in Beijing. The film is the first production of Ding’s Beijing Going Zoom Media Co and is co-financed by Shanghai New Media Group. Ding’s credits include Little Big Soldier and Police Story 2013, which both starred Jackie Chan. Liz Shackleton
News
Little Forest planted in Korea, Taiwan By Jean noh
Japan’s Shochiku has sold foodie film Little Forest to Korea and Taiwan. Directed by Junichi Mori (Laundry), it has sold to JinJin Pictures for Korea and Flash Forward Entertainment for Taiwan. Ai Hashimoto (Confessions) and Takahiro Miura (Chronicle Of My Mother) star in the film, which centres on a girl who cooks delicious dishes from food she gathers through the changing seasons. The Summer and Winter segments screened at the Berlinale. Little Forest: Winter & Spring will screen for the first time at Filmart.
Gaga launches Sono comedy By Jean noh
Japan’s Gaga Corporation is launching sales on a comedy from Tokyo Tribe director Sion Sono. Based on the manga Minna! Esper Dayo! by Kiminori Wakasugi (Detroit Metal City), the film is as-yet-untitled in English. Shota Sometani (Himizu) stars as a high school student who discovers he has psychic powers. The film is due for release in Japan in September.
WAF partners with Golden Network Asia Korea’s Writers Agency of Finecut (WAF) has struck a deal with Hong Kong’s Golden Network Asia to be its Chinese agency partner. Golden Network Asia director Clarence Tang said: “The China market is hungry for screenplays and has already recognised South Korea as its natural partner in the region.” WAF is launching 10 original stories at Filmart. The writers include Cho Sang-bum (Tazza — The Hidden Card ), Kwon Sung-hui (As One), and Oh Taekyung (Insadong Scandal ). Jean Noh
Clown all smiles for 9ers, Daemyung pact By Jean noh
Korea’s 9ers Entertainment has signed a deal with Daemyung Culture Factory to handle international sales of the investor/distributor’s titles. The first title to come under the agreement is Clown Of A Salesman, which 9ers will launch here at Filmart. Directed by Jo Chi-un, the film stars Kim In-kwon (C’est Si Bon), Park Cheol-min (No Breathing) and Lee Joo-sil (Roaring Currents). The story follows a down-andout father trying to pay his daughter’s hospital bills by working for a company that provides free entertainment to lonely old ladies in exchange for them buying health products. He strikes up a friend-
Clown of a Salesman
ship with a woman who lives alone in order not to burden her attorney son, but his debts keep mounting. Daemyung Culture Factory has two more films going into production in the first half of 2015. The company previously invested in and distributed record-breaking
documentary My Love, Don’t Cross That River, which clocked up 4.8 million admissions. The firm is involved in leisure, construction, lifestyle, distribution, culture and media businesses and also sponsors the Daemyung Culture Wave Award at Busan.
Lotte meets In-Laws sequel By Jean noh
Korea’s Lotte Entertainment has picked up Meet The In-Laws 2 (working title), directed by Kim Jin-young. Kim directed the first Meet The In-Laws, which recorded 2.5 million admissions locally in 2011. In the sequel, the only son of a
notorious crime family falls in love with a cop from a police family. He agrees to take the police exam so they can marry but both families work to sabotage the wedding. The leads are played by TV stars Hong Jong-hyun and Jin Seyeon, and the film is set for release on April 30.
ablaze tends Flower, a Fool By Liz ShaCkLeton
Taipei-based sales company Ablaze Image has picked up international rights to Tom Lin’s Zinnia Flower and mainland actor Chen Jianbin’s directorial debut A Fool. Starring Karena Lam and Shih Chin-hang, lead guitarist of Taiwanese rock band Mayday, Zinnia Flower revolves around the friendship between a man and woman whose partners were killed in the same accident. In post-production, the film is produced by Taiwan’s Atom Cinema. Lin previously directed award-winning dramas Winds Of September (2008) and Starry Starry Night (2011). A Fool, which also stars Chen Jianbin, is a comedy drama about a farmer who tries to bribe a local
4 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
a Fool
official to have his son released from prison. The film, which also stars Jiang Qinqin and Wang Xuebing, won the best new director and best actor prizes at last year’s Golden Horse Awards. Ablaze Image has also picked up Lee Chung’s action comedy The Laundryman, about a laundry shop that serves as a front for contract killers, which was produced by Lee Lieh and Roger Huang.
Lotte’s Filmart slate also includes Min Kyu-dong’s period drama The Treacherous, Lee Haeyoung’s mystery thriller The Silenced, Chun Sung-il’s war drama The Long Way Home, Park Heung-shik’s action drama Memories Of The Sword and Jang Woojin’s drama A Fresh Start.
IM Global has eyes for Only You IM Global will introduce Huayi Brothers’ romantic comedy Only You, starring Tang Wei and Liao Fan, to buyers at Filmart. Based on Sony’s 1994 film of the same name, which starred Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr, Only You follows a woman (Tang) who cancels her wedding plans to fly to Italy and meet the man who a fortune teller has suggested she is destined to marry. In post-production, the film is directed by Zhang Hao and produced by leading Chinese film-maker Feng Xiaogang. Liao’s credits include Black Coal, Thin Ice, which won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2014. IM Global, which has an output deal to handle international sales on Huayi Brothers’ Chinese titles, is also selling Wuershan’s The Ghouls, co-produced by Huayi, Wanda and Enlight Pictures. Liz Shackleton
edko scares up Master Fat By Liz ShaCkLeton
Toho brings Cats to Filmart Japan’s Toho Company is launching sales here on If Cats Disappeared From The World, directed by Akira Nagai (Judge! ). The film stars Takeru Sato (Ruroni Kenshin) and Aoi Miyazaki (The Great Passage). Screenwriter Yoshikazu Okada (Be With You) is adapting from Genki Kawamura’s novel. The story follows a postman with a cat who finds out he has a brain tumour and is told by a devil that he needs to eliminate a selection of things from the world if he wants to live longer. In production, the film is produced by Kei Haruna. Jean Noh
Hong Kong-based Edko Films is launching sales at Filmart on actor Nick Cheung’s second feature as director, horror film Master Fat, in which he also stars with Amber Kuo and Shi Xing Yu. Cheung made his feature directing debut last year with another horror film, Ghost Rituals, in which he starred with Annie Liu and Carrie Ng. His latest film tells the story of an exorcist who becomes famous when recordings of his work go viral, attracting unwanted attention from the media and the underworld. Edko is also launching sales on Ferris Lin’s Boundless, a documentary about Hong Kong director Johnnie To, and previously announced action title The Bodyguard, directed by Sammo Hung, which Edko is co-producing with David Linde’s Lava Bear.
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HKTDC RAYMOND YIP
Welcome A very warm welcome to this year’s Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), Asia’s largest entertainment market, which brings together exhibitors, buyers and service providers from around the world. We have a record number of more than 780 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions, with a particularly strong participation from Asia, including pavilions from the Chinese mainland provinces of Zhejiang (Hangzhou), Shandong and Sichuan, and the largest ever presence from both Japan and Korea. The return of renowned international pavilions from countries including France, the UK, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Canada and the US is an excellent indication of FILMART’s effectiveness as a trade global platform. Among the fairground highlights is the renowned TV World, presenting more than 360 exhibitors from different corners of the globe. The TV World International Forum adopts the theme: “The Rise of TV Streaming – Opportunities and Challenges”, with leading experts sharing their ideas on ways to capitalise on the proliferation of content streaming while also tackling the challenges of new media. Digital entertainment is another booming area for the industry, highlighted by the participation of more than 170 digital entertainment companies from countries including France, Italy, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand, among other places. The Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Pavilion features over 30 local companies involved in all sectors of the industry. An enhanced conference programme this year includes six thematic events that gather expert speakers from the realms of film, TV, digital entertainment and music. We are delighted to be engaging the Producers Guild of America to organise a panel discussion on “Making Asian Films in America”, featuring producers from Hollywood. Now in its 19th year, FILMART has become a highly effective platform for the industry to meet and trade right here in the heart of Asia. There will be more than 70 activities featuring high-profile award presentations, cocktail receptions and a variety of other networking events, where the biggest names in the entertainment world can connect with counterparts from the Chinese mainland and across Asia to explore new business opportunities. FILMART is also one of 10 spectacular events featured in the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong (23 March-19 April), which covers a global mix of film, television, digital entertainment and music. I wish all participants an enjoyable and fruitful FILMART 2015.
Raymond Yip Deputy Executive Director, Marketing Hong Kong Trade Development Council
6 Screen International March 23, 2015
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REVIEWS
HAF pRoFilEs, pAgE 10
Reviews edited by fionnuala Halligan finn.halligan@screendaily.com
Lost And Love
HkIff In bRIEf K
Dirs Darhad Erdenibulag, Emyr ap Richard. Chi. 2015. 88mins, Young Cinema Competition/market screening In a daring example of artistic risk, Inner Mongolian documentary maker Darhad Erdenibulag and Welsh translator-photographer Emyr ap Richard push to the limits the well-trod theme of Kafka’s unfinished work, The Castle: the alienation and dehumanisation of the individual in the face of incomprehensible, dysfunctional bureaucracy. The duo succeed, at the possible cost of turning off traditional arbiters of the Kafkaesque. K, a minimalist film with an intentionally grungy veneer, was completed with little regard for commercial prospects, although the imprimatur of producer-mentor Jia Zhangke could help secure limited distribution in a few select territories. The borderline narcoleptic K (first-timer Bayin, whose shaggy hair, unkempt beard, and piercing eyes serve him well as the archetypal alien) is a land surveyor mistakenly asked to work at a faraway location called The Castle. Lost at first in the vast, forbidding steppes, he arrives in the village nearest his destination — no establishing shot, here or anywhere else — where he is greeted with contempt by the locals, then ignored by minions of the overlords meant to be his bosses. Irritated, K goes through the motions associated with the role of a functionary, such as making appointments that are never kept, and prioritising “pressing concerns”. Initially defiant, he becomes increasingly blasé. Howard Feinstein
From Vegas To Macau II
Dir: Wong Jing. HK-Chi. 2015. 110mins. Market screening Chow Yun-fat returns for a second helping of comedic hijinks in the follow-up to Wong Jing’s 2014 holiday blockbuster From Vegas To Macau (released in mainland China as The Man From Macau). A bankable supporting cast and exotic locations proved an irresistible combination at home over Lunar New Year, taking $150m in China as of March 15), but beyond Chow’s perennial popularity, sloppy plotting and colloquial humour will likely see From Vegas To Macau II have limited international appeal. Nick Cheung and Carina Lau sign on for the sequel, with Shawn Yue joining the cast as Chow’s godson. While much of the action is transplanted from Macau to Thailand, this second outing lacks its predecessor’s winning combination of energy, wit and spectacle. Superstar gambler Ken (Chow) is approached by his godson Vincent (Yue), an Interpol agent, to help put an end to the criminal gang DOA once and for all. They soon find, however, that there is a DOA mole in Interpol. Logical plotting and narrative coherence come a distant second in From Vegas To Macau II, though, reducing it to a series of loosely strung together set-pieces. James Marsh
8 Screen International March 23, 2015
Reviewed by Fionnuala Halligan Lost And Love is a sad, tender-hearted ode to China’s missing children, trafficked in their thousands every year. More than 14 years after his toddler was snatched, Andy Lau’s heartbroken father still drives through China on his motorbike, flying flags bearing his son’s face, which flap hopelessly in the wind behind him. There are no official statistics regarding this epidemic, which is estimated to run to hundreds of thousands of cases every year and is only partly explained as an unintended consequence of China’s one-child policy. Directed and written by novelist Peng Sanyuan and shot beautifully by Mark Lee Ping-bin (Norwegian Wood), Lost And Love is a wistful elegy whose commercial prospects are boosted by superstar Lau playing against type as a Chinese peasant farmer. China Lion Distribution gave it a multi-city release in the US and Canada, timed day-and-date with its local opening last Friday. While at times she can veer towards the overwrought, Peng has a firm sense of the film’s tone. Bookended by slightly garish segments involving a mother at a traffic junction who searches desperately for her missing baby, the
MaRKeT Chi. 2015. 108mins Director/screenplay Peng sanyuan Production companies Huayi Brothers, Young and saint Films, Focus Films. International sales IM global, info@ imglobalfilm.com Producers wang Zhonglei, Chan Pui-wah, Zhang dajun Screenplay Peng sanyuan Cinematographer Mark lee Ping-bin Editor angie lam Music Zbigniew Preisner Main cast andy lau, Jing Boran, Ni Jingyang, Tony leung Ka-fai, sandra Ng
main thrust of Lost And Love is apparently based on a true story. The film covers territory from Quanzhou in Fujian Province to Sichuan, when anguished dad Lei Zekuan (Lau) meets up with an abducted boy named Zeng Shuai (promising young actor Jing Boran, from Rise Of The Legend), now working as a mechanic, and they start to search together. Sandra Ng and Tony Leung Ka-fai have cameo roles. Some social aspects of their plight are keenly felt: without identified parents, for example, Zeng cannot get his papers, meaning he is not permitted to even board a train. Lau reinvents himself here as a poor and desperate peasant. It is a strong performance, softened by Jing’s youthful confusion.
The Taking Of Tiger Mountain Reviewed by Fionnuala Halligan Tackling anthemic Chinese work The Taking Of Tiger Mountain in a typically epic style, Tsui Hark retains every ounce of the exuberance that propelled him through works such as Once Upon A Time In China more than 20 years ago. Tiger Mountain’s impressive 3D twists itself to accommodate the Hong Kong director’s vision and Tsui makes full use of its potential to invigorate a tale that is a fundamental part of the folklore/propaganda surrounding the foundation of modern China. Other audiences might want to brush up on their PLA/KMT general knowledge before diving into this (over-long) 142-minute tale, and, indeed, this story will not have the same resonance outside China. But this is a family film, a special occasion event, even at home (with $144m in box office takings as of March 1, it is China’s tenth highest grossing film of all time). Based loosely on a true story, Tiger Mountain is a ripping yarn. There is no trademark wire work, but a good deal of period gunplay, splattering bullet impact shots, over-the-top set pieces and, even, an emotional finale set in the present day. Long on action but short on characterisation, Tiger Mountain plays out in 1946, in the after-
HKIFF: awaRds gala Chi. 2014. 142mins Director Tsui Hark Production company Bona Film group International sales distribution workshop Producers Nansun shi, Huang Jianxin, Yu dong Screenplay Huang Xin, li Yang, wu Bing, dong Zhe, lin Chi an, Tsui Hark, dong Zhe, based on the novel Tracks In The Snowy Forest by Qu Bo Cinematographer Choi sung-fai Designer Yi Zhenzhou Editor Yu Baiyang Music wu wai lap Main cast Zhang Hanyu, Tony leung Ka-fai, lin gengxin, Tong liya, su Yueming, Yu Nan, Chen Xiao, gui Yiheng, Han geng
math of the Japanese withdrawal from Northeast China, where the Communist Party is consolidating its base and the KMT and local warlords are in a loose coalition to stop them. The starving people are subject to the whims of bandits, however, and PLA boss ‘203’ (Lin Gengxin) has been charged with taking Tiger Mountain from ruthless gangster Lord Hawk (Tony Leung Ka-fai). Detective agent Yang (Zhang Hanyu) and his assistant nurse (Tong Liya) are sent to help 203 and an opportunity arises for them to capture a valuable map held by a KMT gang, and use it to infiltrate Lord Hawk’s outfit. While Tiger Mountain stops short of adopting a jocular tone, it is a heightened action fable. Technically, the film pops and sparkles, with impressive 3D effects from Korea, and cinematographer Choi Sung-fai resists over-prettifying the arresting visuals.
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HAF ProFIleS
The A Women
Haf/fox award, page 14
Ghost In Mountain
The Bicycle Girl
Dir Hannah Moon
American Serial Killer In Manila
Dir Yang Heng
Dir Shivajee Chandrabhushan
Project’s country of origin
Dir Mikhail Red
Project’s country of origin China
Project’s country of origin India
Australia
Project’s country of origin
Philippines This feature-length documentary examines the growing number of educated 20-something Chinese women who are stepping away from tradition and putting life and work before marriage. The narrative will build towards Chinese New Year, when there is extraordinary pressure to bring home a boyfriend. “The subject interests me because I’m 31 and single,” says director Hannah Moon, who lives in port city Ningbo, where the film is set. “These women are at the centre of China’s fast-developing economy and Western feminism doesn’t apply. To them, life is about integrating their cultural identity into a changing world — holding on to what’s valuable.” Moon will use several protagonists to explore her themes, including how family remains so central in China. “Family is absolutely put first and it’s wonderful — grandparents raise kids and people genuinely want to look after their parents. There’s a stronger sense of connectedness than in the West,” she says. Her project contrasts starkly with how Western media likes to portray the “weirdness” of China, she adds. Screen Australia and Film Victoria have provided development funds for The A Women, which Melbourne-based producer Joanna Bence aims to finance as a co-production. Sandy George
Up-and-coming Filipino director Mikhail Red says his latest project puts a new spin on a popular genre by combining it with “a new, exotic and exciting environment”. He describes the film as a suspenseful serial killer/slasher story seen from the point of view of the mysterious US character. The perspective also shifts to the other main character of the story, a young girl forced into cybersex prostitution, who forms an unusual friendship with her reclusive neighbour. “From her point of view, we see what it is like to be a victim of a vicious society,” says Red. “As she struggles to free herself, we witness a dramatic, emotional escape plot.” Red, son of independent cinema pioneer Raymond Red, made his feature debut with crime thriller Rekorder (2013), which won Vancouver’s best new director award. In script development, American Serial Killer In Manila will have a US lead and most of the dialogue will be in English. PelikulaRED, founded by Red and his father, will produce. The project was one of the winners at last year’s Manila Film Financing Forum and received a script development grant from the Philippines’ National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Jean Noh
Chinese writer-director Yang Heng is revisiting Hunan province — his birthplace and the setting for his first three films — in Ghost In Mountain. The story focuses on a drifter who returns to his home town after being away for years. He is found stabbed to death as the story begins and his wayward journey will unfold in flashback. Yang aims to explore China’s displaced people, who find they cannot fit into urban cities and yet the villages have become unfamiliar to them. “They’re always on the road in search of something and live their lives as if in an absurd dream,” he says. Like Yang’s previous three films — Betelnut (2006), Sun Spots (2009) and Lake August (2014) — the new project will be made on an ultra-low budget with a small production team. In preproduction, the film will be shot in Hunan in the local dialect. He is collaborating for the first time with Yang Cheng, CEO of Beijing-based Heaven Pictures Culture & Media and a curator of China Independent Film Festival in Nanjing, where Yang Heng’s last film, Lake August, won the jury award last year. Yang Cheng has produced all his films through his production outfit Xiang Xi Yang Heng Film Studio. WY Wong
The Bicycle Girl revolves around a teenage girl, Meera, who has to convince her father to let her participate in the school cycling competition. Her father hates cycling as he lost his wife some 17 years ago after a treacherous cycle ride to a hospital. “Though cycling is quite popular in India, the country has never produced a world-class cyclist. This is the story of a teenage girl who aspires to be a champion cyclist. The scope for conflict in the story is immense, with a female character getting into a male-dominated sport in India,” says writer-director Shivajee Chandrabhushan. At script development stage, the film is set in the hill station of Coorg in the Indian state of Karnataka, where it will be shot. Chandrabhushan’s debut film Frozen premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2007 and went on to play at Rotterdam, Busan and Hong Kong, winning more than 20 awards. The film also had a limited theatrical release in India. His second title, One More, was also a sports-themed drama, revolving around an amateur ice hockey team in Ladakh. Chandrabhushan will produce The Bicycle Girl under his own banner, Shivajee Chandrabhushan Films. Nandita Dutta
The A Women
American Serial Killer In Manila
Ghost In Mountain
The Bicycle Girl
Producer Yang Cheng Production company Xiang Xi Yang Heng Film Studio Budget $400,000 Finance raised to date $50,000 Contact Yang Cheng
Producers Shivajee Chandrabhushan, Triparna Banerjee Production company Shivajee Chandrabhushan Films Budget $200,000 Finance raised to date
Producer Joanna Bence Production company Curb Denizen Budget $350,000 Finance raised to date $205,000 Contact Joanna Bence jo@curbdenizen.com
Prod Pamela L Reyes Prod co PelikulaRED Budget $880,000 Finance raised to date $92,000 (from Manila Film Financing Forum, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, PelikulaRED) Contact Pamela L Reyes pamlreyes@gmail.com
10 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
yc2046@outlook.com
$26,000 (Shivajee Chandrabhushan Films) Contact Triparna Banerjee mailtriparna@gmail.com
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HAF PROFILES
Breathing
The Memory Of Okinawa
Hell Is Other People
Dir Gilitte Leung
Dir Kazuo Hara
Dir Peng Tao
Project’s country of origin Hong Kong
Project’s country of origin Japan
Project’s country of origin China
Hong Kong director Gilitte Leung turns to Thai boxing for inspiration for her second feature Breathing, which is about a 30-year-old singleton who takes up Muay Thai to lose weight and find a husband. “There are so many pressures on young women today to look the way a man wants them to. On top of that, they also have to be successful career women and have a husband before society deems them too old. This film doesn’t attack that way of living, but shows that success and beauty can be more than skin deep,” says Leung. Inspired by her real-life experience, she came up with the story idea and wrote the script with new writer Anastasia Tsang. The film will be shot largely in Hong Kong with additional scenes in Thailand. The project marks a change in style for Leung, whose debut feature Love Me Not was a small-budget LGBT drama. It will be much more accessible and entertaining, while maintaining her visual style and personal attachment. Love Me Not enjoyed a theatrical run in Hong Kong in 2012 and the following year played at Terracotta Far East Film Festival in London, where Leung met Richard Geddes, who programmed the festival’s Chinese-language section. Geddes is now producing Breathing through Terracotta Media, which is making its first foray into film production. The London-based company is also a distributor of Asian films. Leung was a music composer for Hong Kong singers before turning to films. She still scores her own film projects. WY Wong
Japanese documentary film-maker Kazuo Hara, known for controversial films such as The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On, has been thinking about the situation in Okinawa for decades. Japan’s southernmost prefecture was invaded by the US during the Second World War and has housed military bases ever since. “I’ve wanted to focus on the issue of Okinawa since I was in my 20s. Now Japan is rocked by the issue of US military bases’ relocation to Henoko, and is inclined towards ‘the road to war’,” says Hara, referring to moves in Japan to reverse the renunciation of war in the country’s post-Second World War constitution. The director says he would like to shoot in Japan and the US. “There was a [US invasion] strategy called the Iceberg Plan, which was not carried out. It seems significant to simulate what would have happened to the relationship between Japan and the US if the plan had been carried out,” he says. Hara’s 1987 documentary The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On follows an angry Japanese Second World War veteran looking into the unexplained deaths of comrades. His credits also include documentary Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974, which follows his former lover to Okinawa, where she has a relationship with an African-American soldier. Having focused on “people who rebel against authorities”, Hara says he now wants to focus on these authorities from a historical point of view. Shisso Production, responsible for Hara’s previous works including The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On, is producing the project. Jean Noh
Chinese director Peng Tao tells the story of a perfect murder that goes badly wrong in his latest project Hell Is Other People. Based on true events, the psychological thriller is about a detective novelist who devises a detailed plan for a married man to make himself look like a murderer by committing a well-rehearsed crime, as a pretext for leaving his wife and running off with his lover. “I have a strong preference for real-life stories, which tend to be more dramatic and powerful. Hence all my previous works were realistic films,” says Peng, who has been working on the script for the past two years. “But unlike my previous films, which focused on niche subject matters and socially marginalised people, this project will be more mainstream, with elements of love and crime.” Peng’s first feature Little Moth, about a disabled girl forced to beg on the streets, won 15 international awards, including the silver award of Hong Kong International Film Festival’s Asian Digital Competition and the NETPAC award at Locarno. His new project will be produced by Wang Shaofeng, president of Light And Magic Of China, along with producer Lilly Austin. The latter is also working with Peng on crime thriller 2:30AM, a HAF 2013 project at script development stage. Light And Magic Of China is one of two production companies on Hell Is Other People, along with Heaven Pictures Culture & Media. Heaven Pictures collaborated with Peng on his last film, The Cremator, which had its world premiere at Toronto in 2012. WY Wong
Breathing
The Memory Of Okinawa
Hell Is Other People
Producer Richard Geddes Production company Terracotta Media Budget $800,000 Finance raised to date $250,000 (private equity) Contact Richard
Producers Daisuke Hirasawa, Maki Yokoi Production company Shisso Production Budget $150,000 Finance raised to date $20,000 (from Mels Club) Contact Maki Yokoi yokoimaki@gmail.com
Producers Wang Shaofeng, Lilly Austin Production companies Light And Magic Of China, Heaven Pictures Culture & Media Budget $5m Contact Peng Tao
Geddes
terracotadistribution.com
12 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
pengtaowind@aliyun.com
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Funding and Organising the UK FILM stand:
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ScreeningS, page 21
My Beauty Queen Mom
My Last Wish
Unexpected And Ambiguous
Dir Sen-I Yu
Dir Leon Liang Sun
Dir Zhou Hongbo
Project’s country of origin Taiwan
Project’s country of origin China
Project’s country of origin China
My Beauty Queen Mom, the only project selected for both HAF and the HAF/Fox Chinese Film Development Award this year, will be the debut feature of Taiwan-born, New York-based writer-director Sen-I Yu. Set in Taipei, the comedy drama follows the journey of a middle-aged housewife when she joins a beauty pageant to battle her acute anxiety disorder. “I will use a satirical and humorous tone to portray the inner feelings of the central character. She’s a naïve and passionate woman who gives an insight into what’s crazy versus what’s normal in her fight against mental illness,” says Yu. She received a screenplay development grant from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture last year, and is finishing the script while casting is under way. Taiwanese producer and talent agent Rachel Chen will produce through her production company We Share Entertainment. She is also the head of Touch Of Light Films, which co-produced Chang Jung-chi’s feature debut Touch Of Light. Chang won best new director at the 2012 Golden Horse Awards for the film. Yu graduated from New York University in 2004 with a Master of Fine Arts in directing and has written and directed short films, documentaries and commercials. In 2001, she launched Spring Bear Productions, which has produced her short films, including Acupuncture Girl, a Student Academy Awards regional finalist, and most recently Milk, which premiered at NewFilmmakers in New York. WY Wong
The debut feature of Chinese film-maker Leon Liang Sun, My Last Wish is based on a true story about a computing student at Beijing University whose promising future is cut short when he misses his graduation examination. His despair drives him to suicide, but his last wish is to rob a bank and repay the debt his parents ran up to pay his tuition fees. “We are often told about the success stories, but seldom about failure and how to deal with it. We are often told how to pursue our goals, but not how to face setbacks,” says Sun, adding that he would consider committing a crime like his protagonist if he knew he was going to die. Sun, who is also writing the project, has completed the script as well as location scouting in Beijing. The project will be produced by Li Feng, who is a director at Chinese media conglomerate Beauty Media and vice-president at Beauty Media subsidiary ICN International TV. ICN is a leading Chinese broadcaster with 16 English and Chinese channels in North America, ranging from drama and entertainment to news and education. It aims to launch three feature films and 20 microfilms within the next couple of years. Sun graduated from New York Film Academy in 2006. Two of his short films, Coin and X2, previously screened at Sundance Film Festival. He has worked with Li on several TV programmes in New York for ICN. WY Wong
Chinese director Zhou Hongbo’s latest project is about a married woman who travels from Shanghai to Yangzhou for her 10th anniversary college reunion, not knowing dark secrets involving her ex-boyfriend will come to haunt her. “Without any supernatural or overtly stylised elements, it’s a rare Chinese metropolitan thriller about the loss of innocence of the new middle class amid China’s rapid urbanisation,” says Zhou, who first conceived the story idea five years ago. “I will lead the audience into a familiar yet unknown psychological world set in an ordinary urban landscape.” Yangzhou will be the main location with additional scenes shot in Shanghai. Taiwanese cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bin will serve as DoP. Mei Feng, the regular writer for Chinese auteur Lou Ye, makes his first foray into producing with the project. A lecturer at Beijing Film Academy, he won the best screenplay prize for Spring Fever at Cannes in 2009 and for Mystery at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2013. Established in 2010, Shanghai Tanshang Film Works produced Zhou’s first two features, The Mirage and Winter Cicadas. Zhou is also known as a documentary director for Shanghai Media Group (formerly Shanghai TV Station). In 2013, he presented Departure at HAF, a documentary following a mortician practising at funerals in the villages around Suzhou. It is now awaiting funding from the Shanghai Cultural Fund. WY Wong
My Beauty Queen Mom
My Last Wish
Unexpected And Ambiguous
Producers Rachel Chen Production companies
Producers Li Feng Production company ICN International TV Budget $900,000 Contact Leon Liang Sun sunliang2001@hotmail.com
Producers Mei Feng, Wu Dan, Li Yuan Production companies Shanghai Tanshang Film Works Budget $1.5m Contact Zhou Hongbo daofilm@163.com
We Share Entertainment, Spring Bear Productions Budget $800,000 Finance raised to date $10,000 (development grant from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture) Contact Sen-I Yu seni.yu@gmail.com
14 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
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Feature europeans at Filmart
Greenery Will Bloom Again
Song Of the Sea
Pride
Europe spreads the word With sales companies out in force at Filmart, how much of an appetite do Asian audiences really have for European films? Melanie Goodfellow reports
E
uropean sales companies are at Hong Kong Filmart in record numbers this year. It is not hard to work out why: Asia Pacific beat North America as the world’s largest regional box office for the second year running in 2014, the theatrical marketplace is booming in China, Japan and South Korea, and over-thetop (OTT) and video-on-demand (VoD) consumption is surging across Asian territories. “Filmart is one of the best places to meet the Chinese, from the mainland and Hong Kong, as well as Korean and Japanese buyers,” says Nicolai Korsgaard, sales manager at TrustNordisk, who does point out he can meet the latter all year round at the festivals and markets. “We’ve been going to Filmart for the last eight years and it’s really taken off over the last three to four years. Busan is also a key date for us. We tried the market in Shanghai but it didn’t really work for us.” Hamburg-based European Film Promotion (EFP) is hosting an enlarged umbrella stand to support 19 sales companies and two EFP bodies. Further European stands at the market include the Unifrance and UK pavilions (see sidebars). Companies attending under the EFP banner include Germany’s Films Boutique and The Match Factory, Sweden’s The Yellow Affair, Denmark’s TrustNordisk, UK’s WestEnd Films, Spain’s Film Factory Entertainment and Italy’s Rai Com and Fandango.
16 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
In addition, 39 films are heading to the market with the support of EFP’s Film Sales Support scheme including Berlinale winners Body, The Pearl Button and My Skinny Sister. Some 54 applications were received in total. “There’s increasingly strong demand from our members to attend Filmart. The timing works well for European sales agents. It’s a good place to sew up deals that began in Berlin,” says Susanne Davis, director of the EFP’s Film Sales Support programme.
‘There is increasingly strong demand from our members to attend Filmart. The timing works well for European sales agents’ Susanne Davis, European Film Promotion
It is also a good platform for pitching films that have Cannes potential, which is always a big draw for Asian buyers although many like to wait until a film has actually premiered at the festival before signing on the dotted line. “Filmart is very useful, whether it is for establishing relations with new contacts or maintaining the ones we already have,” says Mercy Liao, who is in charge of sales in Asia at the UK’s WestEnd Films, and believes Filmart is the best place to meet Asian buyers. »
UK: ExPloring EvEry anglE A slew of leading UK companies, including Altitude Film Sales, Carnaby International, Celsius Entertainment, Content Media Corporation, HanWay Films, Jinga Films, Metrodome International, Parkland Pictures, Protagonist Pictures and The Works are working out of the UK umbrella pavilion. “Filmart is a very valuable market. It’s not just about exploring the evolving potential of China, it’s about the whole region,” says Charlie Bloye, chief executive of sales company trade body Film Export UK. The organisation co-ordinates the umbrella stand with the support of the BFI Lottery and UK Trade & Investment. “Escapist fare works best but UK films span the genre spectrum from thoughtful to kinetic,” says Bloye. “Countries with such large
‘It’s not just about the evolving potential of China, it’s about the whole region’ Charlie Bloye, Film Export UK populations begin to develop valuable niches that will fit all sorts of UK films.” Some 13 UK productions and co-productions will be screening at Hong Kong International Film Festival this year including ’71, The Duke Of Burgundy, The Last Emperor 3D, The Look Of Silence, The President and Pride.
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FEATURE EUROPEANS AT FILMART
Oriana
At Filmart, Liao is focusing on Jeremy Saulnier’s thriller Green Room, Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated animation Song Of The Sea, David Gordon Green’s Al Pacinostarrer Manglehorn, Kieran Darcy-Smith’s By Way Of Helena, starring Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson, and Michael Winterbottom’s The Face Of An Angel. WestEnd’s recent success stories include Green’s Joe and Yaron Zilberman’s A Late Quartet. Different genres work best in different territories. “Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong are always looking for good dramas with A-list cast,” says Liao. “Indonesia and the Philippines are very fond of genre films.” Action dramas with well-known talent work well across the region. Korsgaard, who has had sales success at Filmart in the past with Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt and Kristian Levring’s Western The Salvation, both starring Mads Mikkelsen, is in town to showcase the Norwegian tsunami disaster movie The Wave and Danish drama The Model, which is set in Paris. TrustNordisk launched The Wave with a promo reel at EFM and the film has already been picked up by Korea (Euro Communications Pictures), China (New View TV and Media Group) and Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam (Rain Film). “Disaster movies fit right into the Asian profile,” says Korsgaard. “They love these kinds of stories. The one major territory where it has not sold is Japan because of the tsunami four years ago. The only other Asian territories left are Singapore and Thailand, which is pretty amazing given we only started selling it three months ago and it’s not going to be completed before August.” Japan and Korea are the markets where titles are more likely to get a theatrical release, while China is “more for TV and digital”, says Korsgaard. However, he notes, China’s New View is mulling a theatrical release for The Wave, although Korsgaard is not holding his breath given the lack of official theatrical slots for international films in the country. “They’re very keen on pushing it into cin-
18 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
The Wave
emas but it’s been a few years since we managed to get a Nordic movie into theatres in China and it only lasted three weeks,” he says, referring to Kasper Barfoed’s The Candidate, which he sold to Lens Media in 2010. Korsgaard is also hoping to close deals on The Model and will be heading to Tokyo for three days ahead of Filmart with the aim of tying up a product placement deal with a potential Japanese distributor.
‘Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong are always looking for good dramas with A-list cast’ Mercy Liao, WestEnd Films
Theatrical boost Mattia Oddone, head of cinema and international TV sales at Italy’s Rai Com, focuses on selling TV and digital rights at Filmart. “It’s our most important date for meeting Asian clients,” says Oddone. “Sometimes we sell theatrical rights at the market but in general Berlin and Cannes are better for theatrical deals. Our key Asian territories are China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and, above all, Japan.” Rai Com titles to have sold well in the region include Maria Sole Tognazzi’s Five Star Life (Viaggio Sola), which was picked up by Japan’s Alciné Térran and Taiwan’s Swal-
low Wings Films for theatrical releases in both territories last year, and Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s Caesar Must Die, which sold to Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan. Swallow Wings has since acquired Cristina Comencini’s Latin Lover, about four stepsisters linked by a late screen legend, and Marco Turco’s biopic Oriana, capturing the life of journalist Oriana Fallaci. Oddone is aiming to seal a slew of Asian deals on these titles alongside Ermanno Olmi’s First World War drama Greenery Will Bloom Again. All three titles will make their Asian premiere at HKIFF as well as screen in the market — a festival slot is a big boost for a European film in Asia. The region’s box office may be thriving but that growth is still being driven by local Asian titles and US blockbusters. Korsgaard for one notes Asia accounts for a “surprisingly” small chunk of TrustNordisk’s turnover. But the company’s reasons for heading to Filmart extend beyond mere sales. “It’s not about the money,” he says. “It’s also about getting the movie out there and getting Asian audiences s to appreciate our movies.” ■
FRANCE: STRENGTH IN NUMBERS France has brought one of the biggest European delegations to Filmart this year. Some 21 French sales companies are attending under the auspices of the Unifrance umbrella stand. The territory’s strong presence makes sense: Asia was the second most important regional export destination for French cinema, after western Europe, generating 28.3 million entries in 2014. “It’s essential and strategic for us to be at Filmart to help maintain our position as the second most important cinema exporter in the world,” says Isabelle Giordano, general manager of Unifrance. “Filmart has a central position at the heart of the Asian markets.” French films also feature at Hong Kong International Film Festival, with 33 features and co-productions screening in the official line-up. They include gala presentations of Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis’s Camera d’Or winner Party Girl, Benoit Jacquot’s 3 Hearts and Francois Ozon’s The New Girlfriend.
French sales companies at Filmart include Films Distribution, which is handling Party Girl, genre specialist Reel Suspects, Urban Distribution International, Pyramide International and Futurikon, the Paris-based company representing the Césarwinning animation Miniscule: Valley Of The Lost Ants, which drew some 800,000 admissions in China last summer. 3 Hearts; (below) Miniscule: Valley Of The Lost Ants
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BHd BHd MARKET MARKET SCREENING SCREENING International International Premier Premier rd 10:00 am, Mon, 10:00 am, Mon, 23 23rd March March at N101A (HKCEC Meeting N101A at N101A (HKCEC Meeting Room) Room)
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MAY MAY 2015 2015
3 KITES AwARdS 3 KITES AwARdS (for Movie, Actor and Young Actor Of The Year) (for Movie, Actor and Young Actor Of The Year) 3 BlUE Bl STARS AwARdS dS 3 BlUE STARS AwARdS (for Movie, Actor and Young Actor Of The Year) (for Movie, Actor and Young Actor Of The Year) 1 HONOR AwARd BY 1 HONOR AwARd BY lGBT GBT community for Movie Of The Year lGBT community for Movie Of The Year
MARKET MARKET SCREENING SCREENING International International Premier Premier rd 7:00 pm, Mon, 7:00 pm, Mon, 23 23rd March March at HK Arts Center at HK Arts Center
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EVENTS 10:00 — 12:00 FIND YOUR OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MEDIA CONVERGENCE AGE
Venue The stage, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Organised by Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Supporting partner Screen International Conference moderator Liz Shackleton, Asia editor, Screen International Panel speakers Liz Rosenthal, founder and CEO, Power To The Pixel; Michael Murphy, president, Gravitas Ventures; Jason Rubin, brand manager of CONtv; Tom Ara, shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP Media convergence not only brings opportunity for
Liz Rosenthal
Michael Murphy
Jason Rubin
Tom Ara
consumers to access media through many more channels, it also generates new opportunities for companies to explore and market new and unique business models. Online media has great potential to address this vibrant shift in audience behaviour, perhaps most notably in the entertainment industry, with online channels offering a platform for consuming content as well as distribution, advertising and offering multimedia experiences for viewers and filmmakers alike. Leading experts will gather at this conference to explore ways the film industry can capitalise on the latest trends and technology to create new business opportunities.
10:30 — 11:30 NEW INCENTIVES TO BOOST INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS IN FRANCE
Venue Event room, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 11:00 — 13:00 SPL2 MOVIE PRESS CONFERENCE
Venue The studio, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 12:00 — 13:00
Venue The studio, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 15:00 — 16:00 WILD CITY PRESS CONFERENCE
13:30 — 14:30 EMPEROR MOTION PICTURES PRESS CONFERENCE
Venue The stage, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. By invitation only. 13:30 — 15:00 TAIWAN PAVILION PARTY
SUNDREAM & STAR ALLIANCE MOVIES — CO-PRODUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Venue Event room, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. By invitation only. 13:00 — 14:30 ONE COOL FILM PRESS CONFERENCE
Venue Event room, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. By invitation only. 14:30 — 16:30 HUACE FORUM: THE REACH OF CHINESE CULTURE IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Venue Meeting rooms S226-S227, Hong
Venue The studio, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 16:30 — 17:15 THE ENTERTAINMENT EXPO HONG KONG KICK-OFF CEREMONY
Venue The stage, Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 16:30 — 18:00 PRESS CONFERENCE: HUACE AND XIAOMI — MEDIA CO-OPERATION ANNOUNCEMENT
Venue Meeting rooms S226-S227, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
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ScreeningS
» Screening times and venues are correct at the time of going to press but subject to alteration
edited by Paul Lindsell paullindsell@gmail.com
09:45
Bus timetaBle
From HKCEC to agnEs b. CinEma 09:50, 12:05,
Mentai Piriri
(Japan) Comedy, drama, romance. 15mins. Television Nishinippon Corporation (TNC-Tv). Dir: Kan Eguchi. Key cast: Hakata Hanamaru, Yasuko Tomita. In Fukuoka, Toshiyuki runs his own grocery store. Known as a ‘nobosemon’ (a passionate person), he is enjoying family life but is still uneasy because he can’t seem to find his real motivation. While talking with Chiyoko, he remembers ‘mentai’, a taste that brings back good memories. Before they know it, his family and workers are dragged into Toshiyuki’s mentai-making madness. Meeting room n202-203, HKcec
15:20
From agnEs b. CinEma to HKCEC 11:50, 14:10, 17:20 From HKCEC to Ua CinE timEs (timEs sqUarE) 09:40, 11:20, 11:25, 13:35, 13:40, 15:35, 15:50, 17:50, 17:55
From Ua CinE timEs (timEs sqUarE) to HKCEC 11:44, 13:15, 14:05, 14:10, 16:05, 16:15 Filmart
a side of Japan she had never seen before. Meeting room n104-105, HKcec
10:00 atoMic Heart
Perez.
(Italy) Crime. 95mins. Intramovies. Dir: Edoardo De Angelis. Key cast: Luca Zingaretti, Marco D’Amore, Loredana Simioli. Perez could have become a great lawyer but he is imbued with fear. Fear to rise above mediocrity, a condition he equates with safety and so keeping unhappiness at bay. But when real danger enters his life, he realises he is no coward. He will face everything and everyone to defend his daughter. theatre 1, HKcec
toKyo Fiancee
(Belgium, France, Canada) 100mins. Films Distribution. Dir: Stefan Liberski. Key cast: Pauline Etienne, Taichi Inoue, Julie Le Breton, Alice De Lencquesaing. Her head filled with dreams, Amelie, 20, goes back to Japan, where she spent her childhood. To earn a living, she decides to give private classes in French and meets Rinri, a young Japanese man with whom she soon has an intimate relationship. Between surprises, happy times and the pitfalls of a culture shock, she discovers www.screendaily.com
(Iran) Drama. 97mins. DreamLab Films. Dir: Ali Ahmadzadeh. Key cast: Taraneh Alidoosti, Pegah Ahangarani, Mehrdad Sedighiyan, Mohammad Reza Golzar. On the way home from a well-oiled party, Arineh and Nobahar crash their car. A strange man offers to pay the expenses and refuses to be reimbursed. Instead he asks the girls to follow him into the unknown. While travelling through a night-time Tehran full of mysteries and surprises, Arineh and Nobahar discover a parallel world they had never imagined. agnes b. cineMa! Hong Kong arts centre
10:00 eva anD Leon
(France) Comedy, drama, romance. 85mins. Pyramide International. Dir: Emilie Cherpitel. Key cast: Clotilde Hesme, Clotilde Courau, Peter Coyote, Florian Lemaire. Thirty-five-year-old Eva is unpredictable, charmingly immature and has no children. destruction of all Altera. Decades of distrust have kept apart the humans and elves but an unlikely alliance is formed and a group of brave warriors take on a secret quest to the dark mountains. theatre 2, HKcec By invitation only
eva anD Leon See box, above
everytHing WiLL Be Dragon neSt: WarriorS DaWn 3D
(US, China) Action, adventure, animation, children’s, sci-fi, fantasy. 90mins. All Rights Entertainment. Dir: Song Yuefeng. Key cast: Chen Dawei, Hu Ge, Jing Tian. The land of Altera is inhabited by humans and elves. Freed from the dark mountains, beasts have begun to attack the peaceful towns. This signals the return of the black dragon and the
(Canada) Documentary. 86mins. Fire Horse Production. Dir: Julia Kwan. Key cast: Wan Ning Lai, Angelo Tosi, Bob Rennie. Vancouver’s Chinatown is in the midst of massive transformation. The community’s oldest and newest members discuss this shifting landscape. Meeting room n211-212, HKcec
FireS on tHe PLain
(Japan) Drama. 87mins.
Leon is 10, he’s got the seriousness and reasoning of an adult and has no parents. Eva is bored in her privileged life as well as in her love life. Leon has just run away from his reception centre to find his mother. They weren’t meant to meet but will spend five unforgettable days together. Meeting room n101B, HKcec no press
Coproduction Office. Dir: Shinya Tsukamoto. Key cast: Shinya Tsukamoto, Lily Franky, Tatsuya Nakamura, Yusaku Mori, Yuko Nakamura. In the final stages of the Second World War, the Japanese occupation army in the Philippines is rapidly losing ground, facing local resistance combined with an American offensive. The final few Japanese survivors, almost wiped out, have now crossed over the threshold into a realm where there are no friends, enemies or God. House 1, Ua cine times, times Square
HoW to Win at cHecKerS (every tiMe)
(Thailand) Drama. 80mins. Draft Day. Dir: Josh Kim. Key cast: Thira Chutikul, Ingarat Damrongsakkul, Iirah Wimonchailerk. After the loss of both parents, a boy faces an
uncertain future when his older brother must submit to Thailand’s annual military draft lottery. He takes matters into his own hands, resulting in unexpected consequences. House 2, Ua cine times, times Square K
(China) Drama. 85mins. Xstream Pictures. Dir: Emyr ap Richard, Darhad Erdenibulag. Key cast: Bayin, Jula, Yirgui. A charlatan arrives at a remote frontier village and has an affair with a woman who claims to be the mistress of a highranking official at the nearby castle. Meeting room n111-n112, HKcec
tHe LoSt Dragon
(vietnam) Action, adventure, comedy. 99mins. vietnam Cinema Association. Dir: Cuong Ngo. Key cast: Ngo Thanh van, Le Khanh, Petey Majik, Trang Quoc Dung. The time travel story of two fairies sent to Earth and assigned an important task. Experiencing human life, the two fairies come to understand that humanity, love and other things in this world are far different from where they live. Meeting room n101a, HKcec
tHe MiSPLaceD WorLD
(Germany) Drama.
101mins. Wild Bunch. Dir: Margarethe von Trotta. Key cast: Katja Riemann, Barbara Sukowa, Matthias Habich, Gunnar Moeller, Rudiger vogler, Karin Dor. Jazz singer Sophie receives a phone call from her father, Paul. He wants to show her a photo on a US newspaper website — a photo of a woman who bears an astonishing resemblance to his dead wife, Sophie’s mother. Paul asks his daughter to find the woman in the picture — a celebrated opera singer. Despite her misgivings, Sophie agrees. As she travels to New York, she cannot imagine the revelations that await her about her mother, her father and herself. Meeting room n206-207, HKcec
Money on tHe roaD
(China) Comedy. 94mins. Tianshan Film Studio. Dir: Aersilang Aabudukelimu, Mulati M, Zhou Jun. Key cast: Abudukelimu Abulizi, Dilixiati Balati. An ironic story about money, humanity, affection, love and friendship is told through three simple and honest farmers. Is a bag of old coins, found accidentally, the key to three people’s happiness or a stumbling block that will cause endless trouble? Meeting room n204-205, HKcec
March 23, 2015 Screen International at Filmart 21
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SCREENINGS
Lo-yuan, Chen Po-cheng, Su Ming-ming. Chinese mainlander Zhao goes to Taiwan to pursue the love of his life, ShinYe. However, due to the historical turmoil between Taiwan and mainland China, Shin-Ye’s family refuses to let Zhao marry her. As Shin-Ye’s pregnancy comes to light, Zhao’s parents travel to Taiwan to salvage the situation.
THE PEARL BuTToN
(Chile, France, Spain) Documentary. 82mins. Pyramide International. Dir: Patricio Guzman. The ocean contains the history of all humanity. The sea holds the voices of the Earth and those that come from space. Water receives impetus from the stars and transmits it to living creatures. Chile, the largest archipelago in the world, is a supernatural landscape of volcanoes, mountains and glaciers. These contain the voices of the indigenous people, of the first English sailors and those of its political prisoners. Some say water has memory; this film shows it also has a voice.
agnes b. CINEMA! Hong Kong Arts Centre
ZHou LAN-PING — HIS LIfE ANd MuSIC
Meeting room N102-103, HKCEC No press
Filmart
THANAToS, dRuNK
THANAToS, dRuNK
See box, right
(Taiwan) Drama. 107mins. Simple View Production Company. Dir: Chang Tso-chi. Key cast: Lee Hong-Chi,
11:45 THE GAMES MAKER
(Argentina, Canada) Children’s. 112mins. Cinema Management Group. Dir: Juan Pablo Buscarini. Key cast: Joseph Fiennes, David Mazouz, Ed Asner. An exciting family adventure about 10-yearold Ivan Drago, whose love of board games catapults him into a fantastical world of game invention and imagination. After entering the Games Maker competition, sponsored by the evil inventor Morodian, Ivan’s parents go missing in a freak balloon accident. When he is left with no choice but to find them or be an orphan at the decaying Possum Boarding School, Ivan sets off on a daring expedition. Theatre 2, HKCEC
THE GoLdEN HoRSE
(Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Denmark) Animation. 79mins. Rija Films. Dir: Reinis Kalnaellis. The old witch Black Mother seeks to control the world thorough sadness, by draining the tears of all who suffer loss. Her latest target is the princess, whose demise should prompt enough tears to grant her absolute power. Theatre 1, HKCEC
10:00
THE MoMENT — fIfTY YEARS of GoLdEN HoRSE
(Taiwan) Documentary. 112mins. Dir: Yang Li-chou. Key cast: Hou Hsiao-hsien, Li Hsing, Chen Kuo-fu, Sylvia Chang, Stanley Kwan, Peter Chan, Leon Dai, Gwei Lun-Mei. In 2013, the Golden Horse Film Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Ministry of Culture commissioned director Yang Li-chou to make a documentary about the history of Golden Horse. Meeting room N111-N112, HKCEC
HARuKo’S PARANoRMAL LABoRAToRY
(Japan) Sci-fi, fantasy. 76mins. SDP. Dir: Lisa Takeba. Key cast: Aoi Nakamura, Moeka Nozaki. Haruko lives alone and talks to the TV everyday. One day, the TV turns into a human and shows his feelings. House 2, uA CINE Times, Times Square
11:50 BEAuTIfuL 2015
(China, Hong Kong, Iran, Taiwan) Drama. 120mins.
22 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
(Taiwan) Documentary. 83mins. The Green Shoots AV. Dir: Mark Huang. Explores the musician’s life and music. Chen Jen-Shuo, Huang Shang-Ho. About an anguished punk, his gay brother and their gigolo friend. Meeting room N109-N110, HKCEC
in black liquid wandering lost in the forest after an experiment at a secret installation goes wrong. He has been working to develop a regenerative cell that he hopes can save his dying girlfriend. But events get out of control when the cell takes over her body.
Dir: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Tsai Ming-liang, Huang Jianxin, Yim Ho. Key cast: Amirali Khosrojerdi, Lee Kang-Sheng, Tong Li-ya Gigi Wong. Understanding ‘beauty’ in 2015 through a selection of stories from renowned directors… from Beijing, Huang Jianxin wonders whether it is nobler to sleep or not to sleep in ‘Insomniac Diary’. In London, Mohsen Makhmalbaf ’s ‘Tenant’ tells the misadventures of an Iranian boy trying to retain his bedsit. With ‘Three Days After My Death’, Yim Ho creates a parable: a woman who wants to die must save someone’s life before her death wish be granted. Tsai Ming-liang, returns with ‘No No Sleep’, where barefooted Li Kang-seng walks the Tokyo streets in the depths of winter.
Meeting room N209-210, HKCEC
House 1, uA CINE Times, Times Square
(Nepal) Drama. 85mins. Dragon Horse Films. Dir: Gurung Rudra Bahadur. Key cast: Manoj Kumar, Dipti Gurung, Roshni Karki. Love blossoms between a young man and woman as they journey to a remote village in Nepal’s
duSK 2
(Japan) Horror, suspense. 77mins. Elixir Entertainment. Dir: Meidai Takahashi. The police find an r&D medical researcher covered
12:00 THE MAGIC BRuSH
(China) Sci-fi, fantasy, children’s. 87mins. All Rights Entertainment. Dir: zhixing zhong. In the village of Baihua lives Ma Liang, a boy who loves to paint. He is given a brush with magical powers that transforms whatever he paints into reality. With this, Ma helps everyone in his village. This information reaches a greedy general who steals the brush but it loses all its power in his hands. Fighting to get the brush back, Ma is forced by the general to draw a golden mountain. Ma agrees, but has another plan. Meeting room N201A, HKCEC By invitation only
THE NECKLACE
spectacular Mustang region. Their relationship is tested after they cross paths with a poor farm girl who wears a valuable gemstone necklace. It soon becomes the centrepiece of an unfolding drama of love, greed and betrayal. Meeting room N102-103, HKCEC
REdEEMER
(Chile) Action, adventure. 88mins. XYz Films. Dir: Ernesto Diaz Espinoza. Key cast: Marko zaror, Jose Luis Mosca, Loreto Aravena, Mauricio Diocares. A former hitman for a drug cartel becomes a vigilante to pay for his sins and find redemption. Meeting room N101B, HKCEC No press
THE WEREWoLf GAME: THE VILLAGERS SIdE
Meeting room N109-N110, HKCEC
13:25 THE CoNNECTIoN (AKA LA fRENCH)
(France) Drama. 135mins. Gaumont. Dir: Cedric Jimenez. Key cast: Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Benoit Magimel, Celine Sallette, Melanie Doutey. Marseille, 1975. Pierre Michel, a young magistrate with a wife and children, has been transferred to help in the crackdown on organised crime. He decides to take on French Connection, a Mafia-run operation that exports heroin around the world. Paying no heed to warnings, he leads a one-man campaign against Mafia kingpin Gaetan Zampa, the most untouchable godfather of them all.
(Japan) Horror, suspense. 110mins. Nikkatsu Corporation. Dir: Izuru Kumasaka. Key cast: Nanami Sakuraba, Taiga, Saika Taketomi. Who will win, the werewolves or the villagers? Ten high school students are targeted for a deadly, strategic game — a nerve-fraying game where lives are at stake.
Theatre 1, HKCEC
Meeting room N201B, HKCEC
Meeting room N202-203, HKCEC
12:15 IT TAKES TWo To TANGo
(Taiwan) Drama. 102mins. Wan Jen Films Co. Dir: Wan Jen. Key cast: Lee Tsung-i, Wang
13:30 THE dREAM YouTH
(China) Drama. 10mins. Beijing Tianchao Yinghua Film And Television Communications Co. Dir: Li Yushan. Key cast: Liu Yue, Xiao Haoran. Seven future kings and queens go on a difficult, but fantastic, adventure.
14:00 fRANCESCA
(Japan) Animation. 30mins. Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting Co. »
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by Vera Glagoleva
Starring Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter, The English Patient) and Sylvie Testud (La Vie en Rose, Lourdes).
Market Screening: Tue 24th 10:00H (N109-110)
Based on the Ivan Turgenev’s classic play A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY.
by Beata Gardeler
Winner of the Crystal Bear at Berlinale 2015 (Generation 14Plus). Based on true stories!
Market Screening: Tue 24th 14:00H (N102-103)
by Marco Polo Constandse
Box Office hit in Mexico! - Third highestgrossing film of all time Starring Martha Higadera (Street Kings, Amar te duele), Luis Gerardo Méndez (Cantinflas) and Michel Brown (Pasión de Gavilanes – TV)
Market Screening: Tue 24th 16:10H (N102-103)
by Barney Cheng
From Oscar-winning producer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Eat Drink Man Woman and The Wedding Banquet by Ang Lee. Starring the award-winning actress Ah-Leh Gua (The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman).
Market Screening: Wed 25th 11:45H (N101A)
by Carlos Caridad Montero
Miss Venezuela. When obsession for beauty and cosmetic surgery is taken too far. Starring Diana Peñalver, Josette Vidal, Fabiola Arace & Fabián Moreno.
Visit us! www.medialuna.biz
Market Screening: Wed 25th 14:05H (N101A)
media luna new films @ FILMART – European Pavilion 1C-D13 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 38 • 6th floor • D-50672 Cologne Germany • Tel.: +49 221 510 91891 • info@medialuna.biz Ida Martins • Mobile: +49 170 966 7900
Dear Jean-Claude Van Damme,
We have loved your movies since we were young. You were our hero then and you still are. It has been a true privilege to work with you. Thank you for your many years of high kicks and epic splits. Your friends and fans,
VISIT US AT BOOTH 1C-B26
SCREENINGS
Dir: Hitoshi Kumagai. Key cast: Yui Makino, Asami Tano, Tomofumi Ikezoe, Jin Urayama, Kenji Hamada. Francesca travels around Hokkaido’s tourist spots, eats the area’s delicious food and encounters the local characters.
Niigata Network Co. Dir: Yoshiaki Tokita. Key cast: Tomomi Takahashi. Follow a little girl’s dream over 26 years. Meeting room N206-N207, HKCEC
SHOOT ME IN THE HEART
Meeting room N204-205, HKCEC
HALSER ACRE THE MOvIE: ACRES
(Japan) Action, adventure. 93mins. Ritz Productions. Dir: Tsukasa Kishimoto. Key cast: Akina, Moeko Fukuda, Tomoji Yamashiro, Shingo Chinen, Kenta Nakaza, Shinichiro Chinen, Benbee, Natsumi Ikema, Shinichi Tsuha, Kyohei Higa. “Something is wrong,” believes Satsuki, a girl with innocence in her eyes. Concerns for her village prompt her to visit Halser Acres. Meeting room N202-203, HKCEC
THE GALAxY ON EARTH
(China) Drama. 98mins. August 1st Film Studio. Dir: Ning Haiqiang, Shen Dong. Key cast: Li Youbin, Yu Feihong, Duan Yihong. Drama set around water conservation. Meeting room N211-212, HKCEC
GRANNY’S GOT TALENT
(South Korea) Comedy. 108mins. Contents Panda. Dir: Shin Hansol. Key cast: Kim Soomi, Jung Man-sik, Kim Jeong-tae. A grandmother is released from prison but her two sons are nowhere to be seen. She finds them through a private detective and realises they are both married but leading miserable lives. Dejected and feeling responsible for their miseries, she goes on a personal cursing rant at a nearby park. There she is picked up by a Tv producer who is in search of contestants for a Tv audition battle that sees people curse at each other until one is rendered speechless. Meeting room N111-112, HKCEC No press
Filmart 16:00 CAT FUNERAL
(South Korea) Drama, romance. 107mins. Indiestory. Dir: Lee Jong-hoon. Key cast: Kang In, Park Se-young. Aspiring musician Donghoon and prospective cartoonist Jae-hee first met at their friend’s wedding. Dong-hoon is a timid boy and Jae-hee
THE NUTCRACKER
(Japan) Action, adventure, romance, animation, children’s. 80mins. Crei. Dir: Sebastian Masuda. Key cast: Kasumi Arimura, Tori Matsuzaka, Ryoko Hirosue, Masachika Ichimura. In search of her stolen doll, a girl finds herself in a land of dolls cursed by the two-headed mouse queen. The key to breaking the curse lays with the young girl’s love. With a complete 3D conversion, the magical adventure is about to begin. Theatre 2, HKCEC
NATIONAL BASE FOR INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL TRADE HIT SHOWS
(China) 120mins. National Base For International Cultural Trade (Shanghai). Meeting room N209-210, HKCEC
SUMMER, KYOTO
(Japan) Drama. 88mins. Skeleton Films. Dir: Toda Hiroshi. Key cast: Hayashi Yoichi, Wakahara Hitomi,
26 Screen International at Filmart March 23, 2015
is a sassy, lively girl. It didn’t look like the perfect match but they fell in love and moved in together. However, their love didn’t survive their misunderstandings and differences and they broke up. One day Dong-hoon calls Jaehee because the cat they raised together has died. Meeting room N206-207, HKCEC
Yamada Shyoji. An elderly couple earn a living by making scented bags. One night, when the husband takes a walk alone, he finds an old man lying helpless in the street. Being kind by nature, he takes the old man to his house and offers him food and a night’s lodging. The next day the old man offers his help to show his thanks, so the goodnatured husband asks him to deliver their products to a customer. The old man leaves and doesn’t return, just as his wife expected. Meeting room N109-110, HKCEC
TAxI DRIvER GION TARO THE MOvIE — TO ALL YOU DESERTED DUDES
(Japan) Animation. 56mins. Yuba Motion Pictures. Dir: Munenori Nagano. Key cast: Chikara Honda, Shiori Doi, Gota Ishida. My name is Gion Taro. I’m just an ordinary taxi driver. Born and raised in Kyoto, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never left the area. But this is home
to beautiful scenery and nostalgic cityscapes. Who would want to abandon this sophisticated town and go elsewhere? I love this place from the bottom of my heart. One day, I became interested in the world. Seeing other places may help me learn more about Kyoto. Maybe my love for Kyoto will deepen.
112mins. Nikkatsu Corporation. Dir: Izuru Kumasaka. Key cast: Tao Tsuchiya, Aoi Morikawa, Misato Aoyama. Who will win, the werewolves or the villagers? Ten high school students are targeted for a deadly, strategic game. A nerve-fraying game where lives are at stake.
Meeting room N102-103, HKCEC
Meeting room N201A, HKCEC
THREE SISTERS
LEGEND OF RABBIT: MARTIAL OF FIRE 3D
(Japan) Comedy. 104mins. Three Sisters Head Office. Dir: Kiyoshi Sasabe. Key cast: Kazue Fukiishi, Eri Tokunaga, Yo Yoshida, Tuda Kanji, Seishirou Nishida. A touching comedy about three beautiful sisters. Meeting room N104-105, HKCEC
14:05
(China) Animation. 90mins. Arclight Films. Dir: Sun Lijun, Dong Dake. The rabbit is back in action in the third animated film ‘Legend Of A Rabbit’. Meeting room N101A, HKCEC
CHASUKE’S JOURNEY WAN CHAI BABY
(Hong Kong) Drama. 75mins. Dragon Horse Films. Dir: Craig Addison. Key cast: Chanel Latorre, Ines Laimins, Courtney Wu, Aaron Palermo. A young Filipina, Tess, arrives in Hong Kong a year before the 1997 handover to China to work as a housemaid. Although the work is menial it still pays more than she could earn in the Philippines in a more respectable job. When her employer dies unexpectedly, Tess’s life changes course in a way she never imagined. Meeting room N101B, HKCEC
THE WEREWOLF GAME: THE BEAST SIDE
(Japan) Horror, suspense.
(Japan) Drama, sci-fi, fantasy. 106mins. Films Boutique. Dir: Sabu. Key cast: Ken’ichi Matsuyama, Ito Ohno. In Heaven, scribes are busy writing scenarios for all of mankind, dictating everyone’s destiny. Celestial tea server Chasuke never misses a chance to catch up on the latest chapters, especially those of Yuri, for whom he has a secret crush. But when he discovers the writers accidentally kill her off, he decides to break the rules to save her. House 1, UA CINE Times, Times Square
14:10 A LITTLE GIRL’S DREAM
(Japan) Documentary. 86mins. Television
(Korea) Drama. 102mins. 9ers Entertainment. Dir: Mun Che-yong. Key cast: Lee Min-ki, Yeo Jin-goo. Soo-myung and Seungmin are locked away in a private mental hospital with abusive staff and noisy patients. Soo-myung has been in such institutions since his mother’s death when he was 19. Seung-min is a sane guy with prospects as a champion paraglider but was locked up by his halfbrother, who is chasing his inheritance. Soomyung accepts his fate but somehow becomes involved in Seung-min’s regular escape schemes. Meeting room N201B, HKCEC
15:00 DO NOT DISTURB
(France) Comedy. 79mins. Wild Bunch. Dir: Patrice Leconte. Key cast: Christian Clavier, Carole Bouquet, Valerie Bonneton, Rossy De Palma, Stephane De Groodt, Sebastien Castro. When passionate jazz fan Michel finds a rare album at a flea market, he can’t wait to listen to it — at home, on his own — but the whole world seems bent on preventing him from doing so. His wife picks this moment to make an unwelcome confession, his wayward son appears out of the blue, one of his friends drops by announced, and his mother won’t stop calling. Glib and manipulative, Michel will lie through his teeth to get what he wants: in this case, an hour’s peace. Meeting room N204-205, HKCEC
15:30 CONCRETE CLOUDS
(Hong Kong, Thailand) Drama, romance. 99mins. Far Sun Film Co. Dir: Lee Chatametikool. Key cast: Ananda Everingham, Apinya Sakulkaroensuk,
www.screendaily.com
Janesuda Parnto, Prawith Hansten. 1997. Mutt, a currency trader in New York, returns home to Bangkok after his father’s suicide. Having been to the funeral, he tracks down Sai, his high-school girlfriend. Meanwhile, his younger brother Nic is in love with Poupee, who lives in a low-income flat behind their townhouse. While the economic crisis looms over the city, both relationships face uncertainty. agnes b. CINEmA! Hong Kong Arts Centre
15:45 THE LIfE AND TImES of rANDEN ToWN
(Japan) Drama. 94mins. Ritsumeikan University College Of Image arts and Sciences. Dir: Sakura Yoshida, Jyun Nonaka, Susumu Sasaki. Key cast: Haruka Nakasako, Ryousuke Satake Kazuya Tsurui Taisuke Igaki, Susumu Morisaki, Yuuhei Miyamae, Kotomi Ikeda, Takashi Naitou. Three tales set in Kyoto. ‘Give And Take’ follows the struggles of two volunteers at a senior citizens home. ‘Oh! Brother’ tells the tale of three homeless men, who live under a bridge on the Kamo River but are ordered to leave. In ‘Song For A Scoundrel’ arts university students stumble on the lonely death of an old man and find a new meaning in life as they search for his family. meeting room N101b, HKCEC
15:55 DETECTIVE K: SECrET of THE LoST ISLAND
(South Korea) action, adventure. 125mins. Showbox/Mediaplex. Dir: Kim Sok-yun. Key cast: Kim Myung-min, Oh Dalsoo, Lee Yeon-hee. In 1795, the 19th year of King Jeongjo’s reign, a large amount of fake silver is slipped into circulation creating a threat to the economy. Detective Kim Min investigates the crime ring behind the scheme. meeting room N101A, HKCEC
16:00
EArLy SPrINg, KyoTo
(Japan) Drama. 90mins. Skeleton Films. Dir: Toda Hiroshi. Key cast: Hayashi Yoichi, arai Harumi, Yamada Shyoji. Kenichi Kusuda, who lost his wife six months ago, runs a café alone. He lives in her memory, without even trying to bury her ashes. One day he finally decides to place her remains in the family tomb. He drives to his home town where he meets an old friend. Finally his life begins to move on. meeting room N109-110
from VEgAS To mACAU II
(Hong Kong) action, adventure, comedy, drama. 110mins. MegaVision Project Workshop. Dir: Wong Jing. Key cast: Chow Yun Fat, Nick Cheung, Carina Lau. Now an Interpol agent, Vincent seeks Macau-based master gambler Ken’s help in busting the mastermind of an international crime syndicate. Theatre 2, HKCEC
gENUINE LoVE
(China) Drama. 105mins. Tianshan Film Studio. Dir: Gao Huanggang. Key cast: Kunduzai Tasi, Baihetiyaer Eziz. The story of a special family, composed of a Uyghur mother and 19 children from six ethnic groups. The story takes place in the Qinghe county of Altay in Xinjiang autonomous region. meeting room N202-203, HKCEC
LITTLE bIg mASTEr
(Hong Kong, China) Drama. 113mins. Universe Films Distribution Company Ltd. Dir: adrian Kwan. Key cast: Miriam Yeung, Louis Koo. Schools are being forced to close due to Hong Kong’s low birth rate. Based on a true story, a headmistress stands by her principles to run a kindergarten for underprivileged kids. Regardless of the low pay and difficulties, her sacrifice wins the respect of the public. Theatre 1, HKCEC
CAT fUNErAL
STUNg
See box, above left
(Germany) Horror,
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suspense. 85mins. XYz Films. Dir: Benni Diez. Key cast: Matt O’Leary, Jessica Cook, Clifton Collins Jr, Lance Henriksen. Mrs Perch, an elderly, wealthy lady in rural America, is throwing a fancy garden party at her remote country villa. However her illegally imported plant fertiliser has seeped into the ground and a species of killer wasp has mutated into 7ft tall predators. meeting room N102-103, HKCEC No press
16:15 bETEL NUT gIrL
(Hong Kong) Drama. 76mins. Dragon Horse Films Limited. Dir: Craig addison. Key cast: Frank Bren, Paul Sheehan, anne Shie. The Fate Of Three People — an ‘old China hand’, a Taiwanese girl from the wrong side of town and a US engineer — intersect in the days before a crossstraits political crisis threatens to engulf Taiwan. meeting room N111-112, HKCEC
THE DEAL
(South Korea) Horror, suspense. 102mins. 9ers Entertainment. Dir: Son Young-ho. Key cast: Kim Sang-kyoung, Kim Sungkyun, Park Sung-woong. Tae-soo, a veteran cop, goes after a hit-and-run case and succeeds in capturing the serial killer suspect, Gang-chun. Not long after his victory, Taesoo realises his sister, Sookyung, was the last victim. Gang-chun, sentenced to death, refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the victims’ bodies. Tae-soo and his brother-in-law Seunghyun’s lives are devastated. Three years later, Tae-soo handles a murder case of a gangster boss and finds evidence Seung-hyun is the prime suspect. meeting room N201b, HKCEC
gAmE oN: TImE To PULL THE STrINgS
(Hong Kong) Comedy. 104mins. Dragon Horse Films. Dir: aaron Palermo. Key cast: Jay Neville, Billy Buck, Jai Day, Danielle Chupak,
ailynn Murphy, Paul Sheehan, Ines Laimins. An online game has a high death count because people go insane chasing the money. But three fearless players join forces with a drama queen to steal the master player’s password so they can win. House 1, UA Cine Times, Times Square
Entertainment Group Company. Dir: Wilson Kwok-wai Chin. Key cast: Kelvin Kwan, Fama Luk Wing, Sharon Hsu, Barbie Xia. In order to marry May, Caprio goes to Taipei with his mother’s ring. Unfortunately, Taiwanese boy JinGua accidentally knocks the ring into a ditch. Theatre 2, HKCEC
LADygrEy
(France, Belgium, Southafrica) Drama. 104mins. The Bureau Sales. Dir: alain Choquart. Key cast: Peter Sarsgaard, Emily Mortimer, Jeremie Renier, Liam Cunningham. South Africa, 10 years after the end of apartheid. A mixed community at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains lives with the trauma of some unsolved killings. None of them has forgotten but they all choose to remain silent. A young woman, who has just arrived in the community, will shatter the fragile balance. meeting room N104-105
16:30 SAND PEbbLES
(Hong Kong) Drama. 95mins. Dragon Horse Films. Dir: Choi Kai Kwong. Key cast: Paw Hee Ching, Silkie Choi, Simc, Kitson Shum. This touching drama set during the Sars epidemic of 2003 tells the story of how a grandmother copes during the epidemic together with her three teenage granddaughters, who all come from different cultural backgrounds and speak different languages.
18:15 (SEX) APPEAL
(Taiwan). Drama. 107mins. Chinese Shadows. Wang Wei Ming. Key cast: Vivian Hsu, Kuo Tsai Chieh, Leon Dai. Pai arrives in the town of Taitung to take a music degree. For the first time in her life she is free from her mother and can pursue her love of music. House 1, UA CINE Times, Times Square
VIrgIN moUNTAIN
(Iceland, Denmark) Drama. 94mins. BaC Films Distribution. Dir: Dagur Kari. Key cast: Gunnar Jonsson, Ilmur Kristjansdottir. Fusi is in his 40s and yet to find the courage to enter the adult world. When a bubbly woman and an eight-year old girl arrive on the scene, he is forced to take the leap. meeting room N101A, HKCEC
19:00 PArADISE IN HEArT
oNE NIgHT IN TAIPEI
(Hong Kong) Drama. 100mins. Film asia
agnes b. CINEmA! Hong Kong Arts Centre
17:45 WoLf WArrIor
(China) action, adventure. 100mins. arclight Films. Dir: Wu Jing. Key cast: Wu Jing, Yu Nan, Scott adkins. A Chinese special forces soldier is confronted by deadly foreign mercenaries who are hired by a drug lord to assassinate him. meeting room N101, HKCEC
18:00
Editorial Tel +852 2582 8958 Asia editor Liz Shackleton, lizshackleton@gmail.com News editor Michael Rosser, michael.rosser@screendaily. com reviews editor Finn Halligan, finn.halligan@ screendaily.com reporter Jean Noh, hjnoh2007@gmail.com group head of production and art Mark Mowbray, mark.mowbray@screendaily. com Sub-editors Kim Harding, Paul Lindsell, Jon Lysons, Adam Richmond, Richard Young Screen editor Matt Mueller
18:20
(Vietnam) Drama. 99mins. Vietnam Cinema association. Dir: Phi Tien Son. Key cast: Mai Thu Huyen, Trung Dung, Binh an, Thanh Loc, Vu Tuan Viet. Trung is a prisoner who steals a gun in order to escape. During a police chase he jumps into Kim’s car. She is a nurse who lives in an isolated farm and is responsible for taking care of Hai, who suffers from an illness. Kim drives to the farm, unknowingly carrying Trung… and then, the relationship between three people begins. Both Kim and Hai fall in love with Trung.
meeting room N209-210, HKCEC
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March 23, 2015 Screen International at Filmart 27