Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
The Annihilation of Fish (Charles Burnett)
Essentially a lost film, legendary director Charles Burnett’s 1999 feature The Annihilation of Fish mostly lived on the festival circuit (and in bootlegs) for a quarter-century until a recent miraculous restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation. Despite featuring recognizable leads in James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave, one bad review from an influential critic (who seemed strangely wary of the film’s tonal risk-taking) was enough to sink its commercial prospects for potential distributors. A mental-illness romantic comedy of sorts, the film has a strangeness that may be potentially alienating to some, but it seems inexplicable, years later, that a work which so movingly wears its heart on its sleeve...
The Annihilation of Fish (Charles Burnett)
Essentially a lost film, legendary director Charles Burnett’s 1999 feature The Annihilation of Fish mostly lived on the festival circuit (and in bootlegs) for a quarter-century until a recent miraculous restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation. Despite featuring recognizable leads in James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave, one bad review from an influential critic (who seemed strangely wary of the film’s tonal risk-taking) was enough to sink its commercial prospects for potential distributors. A mental-illness romantic comedy of sorts, the film has a strangeness that may be potentially alienating to some, but it seems inexplicable, years later, that a work which so movingly wears its heart on its sleeve...
- 6/20/2025
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Shot in secret in order to circumvent the Sarft’s five-year ban in effect since his previous feature, in “Spring Fever” director Lou Ye attempts shedding light on the queer and gay subcultures in China, as well as on the inherent loneliness of the human condition. He does so by means of an unusual, toxic love triangle, whose fluctuations mirror the insecurities of an entire generation.
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Forced to end his affair with a married man, Jiang Chen (Qin Hao) starts dating Luo Haitao (Chen Sicheng), an unemployed photographer he randomly meets in a bar. Little does he know that Luo is the one behind the end of his previous relationship, and that he has a girlfriend, Li Jing (Tan Zhuo), who ignores his sexual orientation. However, when planning to leave Nanjing for Suqian together, Luo comes clean and asks for Li to join the trip,...
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Forced to end his affair with a married man, Jiang Chen (Qin Hao) starts dating Luo Haitao (Chen Sicheng), an unemployed photographer he randomly meets in a bar. Little does he know that Luo is the one behind the end of his previous relationship, and that he has a girlfriend, Li Jing (Tan Zhuo), who ignores his sexual orientation. However, when planning to leave Nanjing for Suqian together, Luo comes clean and asks for Li to join the trip,...
- 6/20/2025
- by Giovanni Stigliano
- AsianMoviePulse
Welcomed by international film festivals but opposed by Prc’s censors, “Summer Palace” is arguably the most artistically accomplished work by Sixth Generation’s master Lou Ye. Stylistically defiant, and with an unprecedentedly explicit depiction of 1980s China’s youth, “Summer Palace” is one of those rare instances where a personal story translates to national history, becoming a catalyst for collective memory.
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Upon receiving notice of admission to the prestigious Beiqing University, Yu Hong (Hao Lei) is set to leave her hometown in Tumen, on the North Korean border, for the capital. Here she befriends Lin Ti (Hu Ling), who introduces her to the student movement. Among them is also Zhou Wei (Guo Xiaodong), whom Yu Hong quickly falls in love with, initiating a stormy relationship that will be terminated abruptly, together with her decision to quit her studies. However, after ten years,...
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Upon receiving notice of admission to the prestigious Beiqing University, Yu Hong (Hao Lei) is set to leave her hometown in Tumen, on the North Korean border, for the capital. Here she befriends Lin Ti (Hu Ling), who introduces her to the student movement. Among them is also Zhou Wei (Guo Xiaodong), whom Yu Hong quickly falls in love with, initiating a stormy relationship that will be terminated abruptly, together with her decision to quit her studies. However, after ten years,...
- 6/19/2025
- by Giovanni Stigliano
- AsianMoviePulse
Shanghai—The 27th Shanghai International Film Festival opened on 13 June with jury president Giuseppe Tornatore hailing the gathering as “a powerful message of peace and coexistence” amid global strife.
The Oscar-winning Italian raised a toast—“To Shanghai! To peace! And to the eternal power of cinema!”—at the Gala Night on 14 June, cheered by a red-carpet crowd that included Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi and more than 200 other luminaries.
Marking 130 years of world cinema and 120 years of Chinese film, this edition received a record 3,900 submissions from 119 nations; 410 titles are screening in 43 theatres across the city until 22 June.
Twelve features—eleven world premieres and one international—are vying for the Golden Goblet, to be judged by a seven-member panel that pairs Tornatore with artists from China, India, Argentina, Greece and others.
“There is no pre-established rule,” Tornatore told reporters, pledging that the jury will “devote ourselves to the experience” rather than formulas.
The Oscar-winning Italian raised a toast—“To Shanghai! To peace! And to the eternal power of cinema!”—at the Gala Night on 14 June, cheered by a red-carpet crowd that included Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi and more than 200 other luminaries.
Marking 130 years of world cinema and 120 years of Chinese film, this edition received a record 3,900 submissions from 119 nations; 410 titles are screening in 43 theatres across the city until 22 June.
Twelve features—eleven world premieres and one international—are vying for the Golden Goblet, to be judged by a seven-member panel that pairs Tornatore with artists from China, India, Argentina, Greece and others.
“There is no pre-established rule,” Tornatore told reporters, pledging that the jury will “devote ourselves to the experience” rather than formulas.
- 6/15/2025
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely
IFFR’s vast selection of films this year, particularly in the Harbour section, presents a blend of various genres that evoke the magic of contemporary cinema at its finest. “The Youth Trilogy” by Wang Bing has set a significant benchmark for Asian cinema while “An Unfinished Film” by Lou Ye captivated audiences at Festival de Cannes. Moreover, “Grand Tour” by Miguel Gomes, which won the Best Director award at Cannes 2024, has also joined the Harbour section of IFFR. Also featured is Bhargav Saikia’s feature directorial debut, “Bokshi,” a modern interpretation of supernatural horror with a cult element that warrants a following.
Teen girl Anahita has numerous questions swirling in her mind. She’s constantly troubled by everything that surrounds her on the outside— extreme teasing and bullying, blame and rejection, family pressure, and suppression. However, her troubles extend beyond external factors. She is continuously troubled by what occurs on the inside,...
Teen girl Anahita has numerous questions swirling in her mind. She’s constantly troubled by everything that surrounds her on the outside— extreme teasing and bullying, blame and rejection, family pressure, and suppression. However, her troubles extend beyond external factors. She is continuously troubled by what occurs on the inside,...
- 5/5/2025
- by Niikhiil Akhiil
- High on Films
Film Movement has acquired North America rights to “Peaches Goes Bananas,” Marie Losier’s documentary about the trailblazing feminist queer icon, musician and producer known as Peaches.
The movie is represented internationally by Best Friend Forever and world premiered at the Venice Days sidebar which runs alongside the film festival.
Film Movement will be releasing the movie theatrically, followed by a roll-out on digital platforms and home entertainment.
The documentary portrays Peaches, whose real name is Merrill Nisker, and showcases her concerts, as well as her bond with her sister Suri and her creative process.
Losier is best known for directing critically lauded documentaries including “The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye,” which won the Teddy Award at the Berlinale in 2011; “Cassandro El Exotico!,” winner of the Cannes Acid section in 2018; and “Felix in Wonderland,” which had its world premiere in Locarno in 2019. Losier’s work has also been celebrated...
The movie is represented internationally by Best Friend Forever and world premiered at the Venice Days sidebar which runs alongside the film festival.
Film Movement will be releasing the movie theatrically, followed by a roll-out on digital platforms and home entertainment.
The documentary portrays Peaches, whose real name is Merrill Nisker, and showcases her concerts, as well as her bond with her sister Suri and her creative process.
Losier is best known for directing critically lauded documentaries including “The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye,” which won the Teddy Award at the Berlinale in 2011; “Cassandro El Exotico!,” winner of the Cannes Acid section in 2018; and “Felix in Wonderland,” which had its world premiere in Locarno in 2019. Losier’s work has also been celebrated...
- 4/7/2025
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Vienna is without any doubt a cultural powerhouse, known for music, theater, and visual arts. However, the city’s film culture has struggled to gain the same recognition. Despite being the backdrop for film classics like “The Third Man”, cinema has not always been a priority here. Still, new initiatives keep emerging to support a diverse film scene. The city hosts several film festivals, including the major Viennale in October.
Among them, Red Lotus Asian Film Festival has filled a long-standing gap. Until 2022, Vienna lacked a dedicated Asian film festival. After overcoming funding challenges, Red Lotus launched its first edition which was still heavily impacted by the pandemic, but ever since 2023, the festival has been growing.
The fourth edition takes place from April 24 to 27, 2025, at Stadtkino, one of Vienna’s top arthouse cinemas. Two screenings will also be held at the iconic Gartenbau Kino (750 seats). The festival’s aim is...
Among them, Red Lotus Asian Film Festival has filled a long-standing gap. Until 2022, Vienna lacked a dedicated Asian film festival. After overcoming funding challenges, Red Lotus launched its first edition which was still heavily impacted by the pandemic, but ever since 2023, the festival has been growing.
The fourth edition takes place from April 24 to 27, 2025, at Stadtkino, one of Vienna’s top arthouse cinemas. Two screenings will also be held at the iconic Gartenbau Kino (750 seats). The festival’s aim is...
- 4/4/2025
- by Andreas Ungerbock
- AsianMoviePulse
Among Lou Ye‘s illustrious filmography, “Blind Massage” stands out as a peculiarly soulful, touching – if disturbing – account of the kind of marginalized characters the Chinese director likes to depict. Although the disempowered men and women here happen to be totally or partially blind, they otherwise have a lot in common with the characters who inhabit the fringes of society in his films. Once more, the sixth-generation filmmaker offers a humanist, impressionistic, but unsentimental account of life on the margins, one which was rewarded with the Golden Horse for Best Picture in 2014.
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Situated in a massage center in Nanjing, the movie is an ensemble drama that looks at the lives of its characters for the brief period of time they work and live together there. You quickly feel these are real-life men and women, with realistic behavior and believable reactions to...
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Situated in a massage center in Nanjing, the movie is an ensemble drama that looks at the lives of its characters for the brief period of time they work and live together there. You quickly feel these are real-life men and women, with realistic behavior and believable reactions to...
- 3/31/2025
- by Mehdi Achouche
- AsianMoviePulse
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Roxy Cinema
Martin Scorsese has programmed Living, Breathing New York, which starts with Shadows and a 35mm print of Heaven Knows What on Sunday; The Rubber Gun (watch our exclusive trailer debut) plays Saturday with a Stephen Lack Q&a; Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and Wild at Heart screen.
Anthology Film Archives
Robina Rose’s Nightshift (watch our exclusive trailer debut) begins playing in a new restoration; Matías Piñeiro-curated series offers Antonioni, Hollis Frampton, and Straub-Huillet.
Film Forum
Luis Buñuel’s Él begins screening in a 4K restoration; Lou Ye’s Suzhou River and Spring Fever screen; Play It As It Lays and Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman continue; Space Jam screens on Sunday.
IFC Center
Hideaki Anno’s Love & Pop plays in a new restoration; eXistenZ, Mulholland Dr., Paprika, Best in Show, Palindromes, and Pink Flamingos show late.
Roxy Cinema
Martin Scorsese has programmed Living, Breathing New York, which starts with Shadows and a 35mm print of Heaven Knows What on Sunday; The Rubber Gun (watch our exclusive trailer debut) plays Saturday with a Stephen Lack Q&a; Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and Wild at Heart screen.
Anthology Film Archives
Robina Rose’s Nightshift (watch our exclusive trailer debut) begins playing in a new restoration; Matías Piñeiro-curated series offers Antonioni, Hollis Frampton, and Straub-Huillet.
Film Forum
Luis Buñuel’s Él begins screening in a 4K restoration; Lou Ye’s Suzhou River and Spring Fever screen; Play It As It Lays and Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman continue; Space Jam screens on Sunday.
IFC Center
Hideaki Anno’s Love & Pop plays in a new restoration; eXistenZ, Mulholland Dr., Paprika, Best in Show, Palindromes, and Pink Flamingos show late.
- 3/13/2025
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The Act of Watching: Lou Ye Mixes Picture Lock Dreams & Lock Down Nightmares
Does a film exist if it was never completed? It’s a reality that no working filmmaker ever wants to entertain, and yet we find sixth-generation Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye take the plunge (possibly exorcise some personal and professional demons) for what is a riveting, highly inventive mid-career oeuvre masterstroke. Part documentary yet part faux documentary, part fiction (with thriller genre elements) and part critical essay, An Unfinished Film seeks to contextualize the past by reframing the present.
Set just a couple of months before the global standstill of January 2020, this revolves around a film crew reuniting to revive a feature that didn’t make it to the finish line.…...
Does a film exist if it was never completed? It’s a reality that no working filmmaker ever wants to entertain, and yet we find sixth-generation Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye take the plunge (possibly exorcise some personal and professional demons) for what is a riveting, highly inventive mid-career oeuvre masterstroke. Part documentary yet part faux documentary, part fiction (with thriller genre elements) and part critical essay, An Unfinished Film seeks to contextualize the past by reframing the present.
Set just a couple of months before the global standstill of January 2020, this revolves around a film crew reuniting to revive a feature that didn’t make it to the finish line.…...
- 3/11/2025
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
In films like Suzhou River and Saturday Fiction, Lou Ye nests his political criticisms within the protective comfort of self-reflexive narrative structures. The films’ meta-cinematic qualities—say, an old theater as both an espionage headquarters and a place of political spectacle—offer a manageable distance from reality while also creating a mesh netting for the real world to seep in. Lou’s scathing critiques—of political corruption and personal complicity—emerge through the gradual corrosion of the artificiality of his narrative frameworks.
An Unfinished Film provides no such buffer from reality, nor does it employ stylized fiction as a conduit to real life, as Lou just aims dead on for it. The Covid-19 pandemic is still recent history, and, to some degree, Lou employing his own history in the form of outtakes from films like Spring Fever and Mystery for Xiaorui’s (Mao Xiaorui) movie within the movie is relatively...
An Unfinished Film provides no such buffer from reality, nor does it employ stylized fiction as a conduit to real life, as Lou just aims dead on for it. The Covid-19 pandemic is still recent history, and, to some degree, Lou employing his own history in the form of outtakes from films like Spring Fever and Mystery for Xiaorui’s (Mao Xiaorui) movie within the movie is relatively...
- 3/9/2025
- by Kyle Turner
- Slant Magazine
Ruben Östlund’s highly anticipated “The Entertainment System Is Down” has added New York and Tokyo-based Cinema Inutile as executive producer, continuing the company’s strategic expansion into larger-scale international projects. The film, starring Kirsten Dunst, Keanu Reeves, Daniel Brühl, Nicholas Braun and Samantha Morton, follows passengers on a long-haul flight forced to confront the horror of boredom when the entertainment system fails.
“I’m very, very excited for the film. It’s going to be a very special one,” Cinema Inutile founder Alex C. Lo tells Variety. Lo, a self-described “long-time admirer” of Östlund’s work, is a frequent collaborator of “The Entertainment System Is Down” producer Philippe Bober, including on Lou Ye’s Cannes-debuting “An Unfinished Film” and Jessica Hausner’s Sitges winner “Club Zero.” “The Entertainment System Is Down” is currently shooting and aims for a 2026 release.
Lo established Cinema Inutile just before the pandemic in late...
“I’m very, very excited for the film. It’s going to be a very special one,” Cinema Inutile founder Alex C. Lo tells Variety. Lo, a self-described “long-time admirer” of Östlund’s work, is a frequent collaborator of “The Entertainment System Is Down” producer Philippe Bober, including on Lou Ye’s Cannes-debuting “An Unfinished Film” and Jessica Hausner’s Sitges winner “Club Zero.” “The Entertainment System Is Down” is currently shooting and aims for a 2026 release.
Lo established Cinema Inutile just before the pandemic in late...
- 2/11/2025
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Sexually Charged Indie Comedy ‘Paying for It’ Lands U.S. Distribution With Film Movement (Exclusive)
Indie distributor Film Movement has acquired U.S. rights to “Paying for It,” an indie comedy about an introverted cartoonist who starts sleeping with sex workers that premiered positively in Toronto.
Set in the late ’90s, “Paying for It” is a live-action adaptation of Canadian alternative-cartoonist Chester Brown’s bestselling graphic novel. In the partly autobiographical film, when Chester’s girlfriend announces she wants to explore other romantic options, Brown opts to sleep with sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy.
“Paying for It” is directed by multidisciplinary artist Sook-Yin Lee, who was Chester Brown’s real romantic partner when the real-life story took place.
The film – which is executive produced by John Cameron Mitchell and Dan Beirne – stars Beirne, emerging actor Emily Lê (“Riceboy Sleeps”) and acclaimed activist, author and performer Andrea Werhun.
“Paying for It” launched from Toronto’s Platform section in 2024 and was named by...
Set in the late ’90s, “Paying for It” is a live-action adaptation of Canadian alternative-cartoonist Chester Brown’s bestselling graphic novel. In the partly autobiographical film, when Chester’s girlfriend announces she wants to explore other romantic options, Brown opts to sleep with sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy.
“Paying for It” is directed by multidisciplinary artist Sook-Yin Lee, who was Chester Brown’s real romantic partner when the real-life story took place.
The film – which is executive produced by John Cameron Mitchell and Dan Beirne – stars Beirne, emerging actor Emily Lê (“Riceboy Sleeps”) and acclaimed activist, author and performer Andrea Werhun.
“Paying for It” launched from Toronto’s Platform section in 2024 and was named by...
- 2/11/2025
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Director Lou Ye has sparked the ire of the Chinese government for capturing niche stories onscreen; perhaps the biggest backlash came from his docu-fiction feature “An Unfinished Film.”
The aptly-titled film follows a director as he tries to resume shooting of a film he had abandoned 10 years earlier. The only catch? The filmmaker Xiaorui is trying to go into production in Wuhan, China during the January 2020 lockdown. It wasn’t a great place to be.
Qin Hao, Qi Xi, Huang Xuan, Liang Ming, and Zhang Songwen also star.
“Suzhou River” and “Summer Palace” director Lou helms the feature that blends fact with a fictional narrative. The real footage uses images that were banned or blocked by the government, creating a hybrid docudrama that captured the early days of the Chinese lockdown. Lou and Ma Yingli cowrote the script.
The official synopsis reads: “Set in January 2020, the film follows director Xiaorui...
The aptly-titled film follows a director as he tries to resume shooting of a film he had abandoned 10 years earlier. The only catch? The filmmaker Xiaorui is trying to go into production in Wuhan, China during the January 2020 lockdown. It wasn’t a great place to be.
Qin Hao, Qi Xi, Huang Xuan, Liang Ming, and Zhang Songwen also star.
“Suzhou River” and “Summer Palace” director Lou helms the feature that blends fact with a fictional narrative. The real footage uses images that were banned or blocked by the government, creating a hybrid docudrama that captured the early days of the Chinese lockdown. Lou and Ma Yingli cowrote the script.
The official synopsis reads: “Set in January 2020, the film follows director Xiaorui...
- 2/10/2025
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Sinister Stories
India’s pioneering horror film festival Wench is set to unleash its fifth edition at Mumbai venues with British psychological thriller “The Eye,” toplining Shruti Haasan, who will participate in a post-screening Q&a. Running Feb. 27-March 2, the fest continues its mission to spotlight female voices in genre cinema, with women helmers accounting for 35 of the 42 selected films.
Festival founder Sapna Bhavnani is expanding the event’s footprint with a Kolkata edition while also launching Terror Talkies, billed as India’s first horror portal. The lineup boasts partnerships with genre heavyweights Fantasia and Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, including Oscar-nominated short “I’m Not a Robot” as part of the Fantasia collaboration.
Closing night honors go to Ishan Shukla’s IFFR winner “Schirkoa – In Lies We Trust.” The fest will also present masterclasses by Riksundar Banerjee and Vishal Furia, plus an art installation titled “Silent Skies” spotlighting avian conservation,...
India’s pioneering horror film festival Wench is set to unleash its fifth edition at Mumbai venues with British psychological thriller “The Eye,” toplining Shruti Haasan, who will participate in a post-screening Q&a. Running Feb. 27-March 2, the fest continues its mission to spotlight female voices in genre cinema, with women helmers accounting for 35 of the 42 selected films.
Festival founder Sapna Bhavnani is expanding the event’s footprint with a Kolkata edition while also launching Terror Talkies, billed as India’s first horror portal. The lineup boasts partnerships with genre heavyweights Fantasia and Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, including Oscar-nominated short “I’m Not a Robot” as part of the Fantasia collaboration.
Closing night honors go to Ishan Shukla’s IFFR winner “Schirkoa – In Lies We Trust.” The fest will also present masterclasses by Riksundar Banerjee and Vishal Furia, plus an art installation titled “Silent Skies” spotlighting avian conservation,...
- 2/6/2025
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Film Movement have acquired North American rights for Oscar-nominated Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s timely movie Happy Holidays, which has been enjoying a prize-winning run on the festival circuit following its Venice debut last year.
The portrait of a contemporary Palestinian family and the complexities of its life in Israel premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti sidebar last September, clinching its Best Screenplay award.
Since then, it has played at a dozen festivals, clinching top awards at the Thessaloniki and Marrakech film festivals among others along the way.
The acquisition announcement was made by Film Movement President Michael Rosenberg and Nicolas Eschbach, CEO of French company Indie Sales.
“Though he’s just at the beginning of his filmmaking career, Scandar has shown an ability to create characters that portray Israeli and Palestinian life in an authentic and unforgettable manner,” says Rosenberg.
“At a time when all eyes are on the region,...
The portrait of a contemporary Palestinian family and the complexities of its life in Israel premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti sidebar last September, clinching its Best Screenplay award.
Since then, it has played at a dozen festivals, clinching top awards at the Thessaloniki and Marrakech film festivals among others along the way.
The acquisition announcement was made by Film Movement President Michael Rosenberg and Nicolas Eschbach, CEO of French company Indie Sales.
“Though he’s just at the beginning of his filmmaking career, Scandar has shown an ability to create characters that portray Israeli and Palestinian life in an authentic and unforgettable manner,” says Rosenberg.
“At a time when all eyes are on the region,...
- 1/27/2025
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
IFFR always had the most significant selection of Asian films among European film festivals, both in terms of quantity and quality. It seems this year, however, the programmers truly outdid themselves, with what seems to be one of the biggest selection of Asian films ever in the festival. India and Indonesia seem to lead the way, but the selection from Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Iran is also intense. Among the highlights is definitely Miike’s latest, “Blazing Fists”, with the director also attending, as much as the works of Toyoda, Lou Ye and Jia Zhangke, while the return of some of the festival’s favorites, like Perumal and Ertanto are also rather anticipated. Without further ado, here is a rundown of the Asian films in this year’s IFFR.
*all the descriptions were taken from IFFR’s official website
Tiger Competition Tears in Kuala Lumpur
Inspired by...
*all the descriptions were taken from IFFR’s official website
Tiger Competition Tears in Kuala Lumpur
Inspired by...
- 1/23/2025
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Greek-French filmmaker Costa Gavras, Japanese director Miike Takashi and Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, whose latest film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is Oscar shortlisted, have joined the roster of speakers at International Film Festival Rotterdam for the upcoming 54th edition, running from Jan. 30 – Feb. 9.
IFFR will present two strands of conversations: Big Talks, featuring dialogues between world-renowned figures from diverse disciplines, and Tiger Talks, offering explorations of film-related themes and addressing various issues including feminism, the legacy of colonialism, and cinema’s sociopolitical role.
Additional talks will take place during the Rtm Day, IFFR’s program dedicated to Rotterdam on Jan. 31.
Furthermore, the IFFR Pro Dialogues program of industry-focused discussions will be held during the IFFR Pro Days, running between Jan. 31 – Feb. 5.
Also during the festival, IFFR will welcome further special guests to present their titles in selection, including Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine as Light”), Jan-Willem van Ewijk (“Alpha.
IFFR will present two strands of conversations: Big Talks, featuring dialogues between world-renowned figures from diverse disciplines, and Tiger Talks, offering explorations of film-related themes and addressing various issues including feminism, the legacy of colonialism, and cinema’s sociopolitical role.
Additional talks will take place during the Rtm Day, IFFR’s program dedicated to Rotterdam on Jan. 31.
Furthermore, the IFFR Pro Dialogues program of industry-focused discussions will be held during the IFFR Pro Days, running between Jan. 31 – Feb. 5.
Also during the festival, IFFR will welcome further special guests to present their titles in selection, including Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine as Light”), Jan-Willem van Ewijk (“Alpha.
- 1/15/2025
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2024, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
Perhaps in a year where wars are raging, the planet is burning, and the cruelest people are elected to the highest offices, we don’t deserve the best movies. You can find plenty of films that bring joy over the past twelve months, for sure. But if we’re talking about the overall level of awesome-ness of the cinematic offerings, about works that feel undeniable, it seems to me that 2024 did not deliver the way, say, 2023 did.
Then again, maybe that’s just me being grumpy and anxious from all the ways the world offscreen is going wrong, because who can deny the electrifying energy and humanist glow of Sean Baker’s Anora? Or the funny, phantasmagoric family portrait that is Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point?...
Perhaps in a year where wars are raging, the planet is burning, and the cruelest people are elected to the highest offices, we don’t deserve the best movies. You can find plenty of films that bring joy over the past twelve months, for sure. But if we’re talking about the overall level of awesome-ness of the cinematic offerings, about works that feel undeniable, it seems to me that 2024 did not deliver the way, say, 2023 did.
Then again, maybe that’s just me being grumpy and anxious from all the ways the world offscreen is going wrong, because who can deny the electrifying energy and humanist glow of Sean Baker’s Anora? Or the funny, phantasmagoric family portrait that is Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point?...
- 12/30/2024
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
Singapore director Chiang Wei Liang and co-director Yin You Qiao’s “Mongrel,” a portrayal of disenfranchised migrant workers in Taiwan, won Best Asian Feature Film at the 35th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff).
The jury praised the film’s “dense, shadowy and violent world” and its innovative approach to depicting contemporary issues of forced migration. The film has previously won awards at the Cannes and the Golden Horse festivals and at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Lou Ye’s “An Unfinished Film” won the newly-revised Audience Choice Award. The docufiction drama follows a director attempting to complete a decade-old project during the Covid-19 pandemic, blending footage from Lou’s previous films with new material. The film previously won Golden Horse and Tokyo FILMeX awards.
In the Asian Feature Film Competition, Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy received Best Director for “Viet and Nam,” a queer love story about two coal miners facing separation.
The jury praised the film’s “dense, shadowy and violent world” and its innovative approach to depicting contemporary issues of forced migration. The film has previously won awards at the Cannes and the Golden Horse festivals and at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Lou Ye’s “An Unfinished Film” won the newly-revised Audience Choice Award. The docufiction drama follows a director attempting to complete a decade-old project during the Covid-19 pandemic, blending footage from Lou’s previous films with new material. The film previously won Golden Horse and Tokyo FILMeX awards.
In the Asian Feature Film Competition, Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy received Best Director for “Viet and Nam,” a queer love story about two coal miners facing separation.
- 12/10/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The 35th edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) concluded with its highest-ever box office earnings. Total ticket sales saw a 10% increase from last year’s edition, with attendance numbers also surpassing the previous edition’s record.
At the festival’s Silver Screen Awards, Mongrel, directed by Singapore’s Chiang Wei Liang and Yin You Qiao, clinched the award for Best Asian Feature Film, for its “stark portrayal of disenfranchised migrant workers in Taiwan.”
The Audience Choice Award went to Lou Ye’s Covid docufiction drama An Unfinished Film.
The Southeast Asian Short Film award went to Thai director Thaweechok Phasom’s Spirits of the Black Leaves, for its “poetic exploration of how an individual’s life is connected to the roots of nature and history.”
Singaporean filmmaker Calleen Koh won the Best Singapore Short Film award for animated short My Wonderful Life, which follows a burnt-out mum who...
At the festival’s Silver Screen Awards, Mongrel, directed by Singapore’s Chiang Wei Liang and Yin You Qiao, clinched the award for Best Asian Feature Film, for its “stark portrayal of disenfranchised migrant workers in Taiwan.”
The Audience Choice Award went to Lou Ye’s Covid docufiction drama An Unfinished Film.
The Southeast Asian Short Film award went to Thai director Thaweechok Phasom’s Spirits of the Black Leaves, for its “poetic exploration of how an individual’s life is connected to the roots of nature and history.”
Singaporean filmmaker Calleen Koh won the Best Singapore Short Film award for animated short My Wonderful Life, which follows a burnt-out mum who...
- 12/9/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Mongrel was named best film at the 35th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff), with Viet And Nam taking the best director prize for Truong Minh Quy.
The former marks the feature debut directed by Singapore’s Chiang Wei Liang and Taiwan’s Yin You Qiao and stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad. It explores the struggles faced by migrant workers in Taiwan as they are caught between the need to earn overdue wages and to retain their integrity and humanity.
Mongrelhas previously wonmajor awards including the Camera d’Or special distinction award at Cannes and best new director at the Golden Horse Awards.
The former marks the feature debut directed by Singapore’s Chiang Wei Liang and Taiwan’s Yin You Qiao and stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad. It explores the struggles faced by migrant workers in Taiwan as they are caught between the need to earn overdue wages and to retain their integrity and humanity.
Mongrelhas previously wonmajor awards including the Camera d’Or special distinction award at Cannes and best new director at the Golden Horse Awards.
- 12/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Lou Ye’s Wuhan-set Covid drama An Unfinished Film took top honours at the 61st Golden Horse Awards, winning both best film and best director, while fellow mainland Chinese director Geng Jun’s LGBTQ+ black comedy Bel Ami won a hat-trick of prizes including best actor.
John Hsu’s Taiwanese supernatural comedy Dead Talents Society snatched the most prizes, walking away with five awards mostly in the technical categories.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The best narrative feature award for An Unfinished Film was presented by Golden Horse Awards chairman, renowned DoP Mark Lee Ping-bing and Hong Kong New Wave director Patrick Tam.
John Hsu’s Taiwanese supernatural comedy Dead Talents Society snatched the most prizes, walking away with five awards mostly in the technical categories.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The best narrative feature award for An Unfinished Film was presented by Golden Horse Awards chairman, renowned DoP Mark Lee Ping-bing and Hong Kong New Wave director Patrick Tam.
- 11/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chinese independent cinema made a forceful message at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, with Lou Ye’s “An Unfinished Film” taking top awards in an event that celebrates filmmakers who work outside of official boundaries.
The documentary-style drama won Best Picture and Best Director, a notable accomplishment for mainland Chinese filmmakers working outside the government’s established film system. Lou’s film delves into the difficult experiences of a film crew during Wuhan’s Covid-19 lockdown, addressing a sensitive issue that makes mainstream dissemination impossible.
“It was the most special directing job I have ever done,” Lou remarked in a statement read aloud by his wife, Ma Yingli, during the event. Despite being unable to attend, Lou’s film was well received by critics and judges alike.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council announced nearly 200 Chinese film submissions, setting a record for the prizes. This is the largest participation in recent years,...
The documentary-style drama won Best Picture and Best Director, a notable accomplishment for mainland Chinese filmmakers working outside the government’s established film system. Lou’s film delves into the difficult experiences of a film crew during Wuhan’s Covid-19 lockdown, addressing a sensitive issue that makes mainstream dissemination impossible.
“It was the most special directing job I have ever done,” Lou remarked in a statement read aloud by his wife, Ma Yingli, during the event. Despite being unable to attend, Lou’s film was well received by critics and judges alike.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council announced nearly 200 Chinese film submissions, setting a record for the prizes. This is the largest participation in recent years,...
- 11/24/2024
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely
Mainland Chinese director Lou Ye claimed the two top honors – best narrative feature film and best director – at the Golden Horse Film Awards on Saturday in Taiwan with his indie title “An Unfinished Film.”
The prizes for Lou, and others awarded on the night, represent a defiant gesture towards mainland Chinese authorities which operate a restrictive system of controls over its film industry.
The long-running Golden Horse awards had for many years been regarded as the pinnacle awards event for Chinese-language cinema. But, after a speech advocating Taiwan’s independence was given from the stage by a 2018 awards winner, China sought to ban its filmmakers from attending the event and instead promoted its own prize race.
The People’s Republic of China (mainland China) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) are at loggerheads over legitimacy in many international institutions. China claims democratically-run Taiwan as its own territory with which it will be united,...
The prizes for Lou, and others awarded on the night, represent a defiant gesture towards mainland Chinese authorities which operate a restrictive system of controls over its film industry.
The long-running Golden Horse awards had for many years been regarded as the pinnacle awards event for Chinese-language cinema. But, after a speech advocating Taiwan’s independence was given from the stage by a 2018 awards winner, China sought to ban its filmmakers from attending the event and instead promoted its own prize race.
The People’s Republic of China (mainland China) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) are at loggerheads over legitimacy in many international institutions. China claims democratically-run Taiwan as its own territory with which it will be united,...
- 11/24/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
1. Film Review: Abiding Nowhere (2024) by Tsai Ming-liang
If art is putting an emotion into something you create to transfer that feeling on to its audience, then Tsai certainly achieves something with “Abiding Nowhere” (and the Walker series in general). Beyond slow cinema, this is positively static, as the camera, and indeed the cast, barely move. The slowness, the silence – apart from the background noise – the time allowed to fully contemplate, create a relaxing series of shots to absorb yourself into, feeling your heart rate slow and eyes sigh in a natural progression to sleep.
2. Film Review: Victory (2024) by Park Beom-su
The production also makes the most of its leading ladies’ dancing abilities, choreographing largely pleasing cheerleading sequences, even if more acrobatic sequences, whose absence is fairly explained within the script, could have been welcome. Park Jeong-hoon’s cinematography shies away from being flashy, instead satisfied in capturing the pastel colours...
If art is putting an emotion into something you create to transfer that feeling on to its audience, then Tsai certainly achieves something with “Abiding Nowhere” (and the Walker series in general). Beyond slow cinema, this is positively static, as the camera, and indeed the cast, barely move. The slowness, the silence – apart from the background noise – the time allowed to fully contemplate, create a relaxing series of shots to absorb yourself into, feeling your heart rate slow and eyes sigh in a natural progression to sleep.
2. Film Review: Victory (2024) by Park Beom-su
The production also makes the most of its leading ladies’ dancing abilities, choreographing largely pleasing cheerleading sequences, even if more acrobatic sequences, whose absence is fairly explained within the script, could have been welcome. Park Jeong-hoon’s cinematography shies away from being flashy, instead satisfied in capturing the pastel colours...
- 11/20/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
You can always count on Chinese director Lou Ye to propose a film with a complex meta narrative which blurs the boundary between fiction and reality, dreams, fantasies and facts (the way his celebrated “Suzhou River” did). “An Unfinished Film”, his latest, follows the same path, also tackling the kind of topical issues that have landed Ye in hot water with censorship in the past.
An Unfinished Film is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The story starts simply enough: a film director wants to complete a gay romance movie he begun 10 years before but left unfinished. He manages to convince the cast and crew to reunite, and the shooting starts. Unfortunately, the time is January 2020, and the place is Wuhan, China. Soon, as the Covid 19 outbreak starts in earnest, the shooting is suspended and the hotel where the crew is staying is put under immediate lockdown.
The rest...
An Unfinished Film is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
The story starts simply enough: a film director wants to complete a gay romance movie he begun 10 years before but left unfinished. He manages to convince the cast and crew to reunite, and the shooting starts. Unfortunately, the time is January 2020, and the place is Wuhan, China. Soon, as the Covid 19 outbreak starts in earnest, the shooting is suspended and the hotel where the crew is staying is put under immediate lockdown.
The rest...
- 11/12/2024
- by Mehdi Achouche
- AsianMoviePulse
Film Movement has acquired North American rights toKazuya Shiraishi’s period samurai drama and Udine Far East Film Festival winner Bushido.
The film also played in official selection at New York Asian Film Festival and will open theatrically in 2025 followed by digital roll-out.
Based on a classic story from the rakugo style of Japanese verbal entertainment, Bushido stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as Kakunoshin Yanagida, a down-on-his-luck samurai and master player of the board game Go who seeks revenge on the man who destroyed his life. Kaya Kiyohara, Jun Kunimura, and Takumi Saitoh also star.
Shiraishi’s roster of contemporary action credits...
The film also played in official selection at New York Asian Film Festival and will open theatrically in 2025 followed by digital roll-out.
Based on a classic story from the rakugo style of Japanese verbal entertainment, Bushido stars Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as Kakunoshin Yanagida, a down-on-his-luck samurai and master player of the board game Go who seeks revenge on the man who destroyed his life. Kaya Kiyohara, Jun Kunimura, and Takumi Saitoh also star.
Shiraishi’s roster of contemporary action credits...
- 10/28/2024
- ScreenDaily
Madrid-based distributor Atalante is ramping up its heritage cinema titles in Spain, where it’s set to release Vera Chytilová’s 1966 Czechoslovakian dark comedy “Daisies” and Kavery Kaul’s 1988 calypso music documentary “One Hand Don’t Clap.”
“Daises,” which Atalante is releasing in November, “is maybe one of the most iconic modern European films that we are very proud to put in theaters,” Atalante CEO Ramiro Ledo Cordeiro told Variety at the Lumière Film Festival’s International Classic Film Market (Mifc) in Lyon, France.
While the company had previously released one or two heritage films a year, 2024 saw an extraordinary number of releases, Ledo added.
Indeed, Atalante’s releases this year included the 4K restoration by Toho of Yasujiro Ozu’s 1950 Japanese drama “The Munekata Sisters,” which premiered last year in Cannes; the new restoration of Martha Coolidge’s 1975 U.S. drama “Not a Pretty Picture,” a reconstruction of sexual...
“Daises,” which Atalante is releasing in November, “is maybe one of the most iconic modern European films that we are very proud to put in theaters,” Atalante CEO Ramiro Ledo Cordeiro told Variety at the Lumière Film Festival’s International Classic Film Market (Mifc) in Lyon, France.
While the company had previously released one or two heritage films a year, 2024 saw an extraordinary number of releases, Ledo added.
Indeed, Atalante’s releases this year included the 4K restoration by Toho of Yasujiro Ozu’s 1950 Japanese drama “The Munekata Sisters,” which premiered last year in Cannes; the new restoration of Martha Coolidge’s 1975 U.S. drama “Not a Pretty Picture,” a reconstruction of sexual...
- 10/19/2024
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Japan’s leading indie film festival, Tokyo Filmex (November 23-December 1) has unveiled the line-up for its competition, opening and closing films, and other sections.
The festival, which marks its 25th year in 2024, will open with Jia Zhang-Ke’s Caught By The Tides, which played in competition at this year’s Cannes, and close with Hong Sang-soo’s By the Stream, for which actor Kim Min-hee won the Pardo for best performance at Locarno.
The 10 competition titles include the Georgian film April, directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili, which won the special jury prize at Venice this year; Girls Will Be Girls, the...
The festival, which marks its 25th year in 2024, will open with Jia Zhang-Ke’s Caught By The Tides, which played in competition at this year’s Cannes, and close with Hong Sang-soo’s By the Stream, for which actor Kim Min-hee won the Pardo for best performance at Locarno.
The 10 competition titles include the Georgian film April, directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili, which won the special jury prize at Venice this year; Girls Will Be Girls, the...
- 10/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Film Movement has bought North American rights to Belgium Oscar entry “Julie Keeps Quiet” which is executive produced by tennis champion Naomi Osaka, and world premiered at Cannes’ Critics Week.
A feature debut directed by Leonardo Van Dijl, “Julie Keeps Quiet” went on to play Karlovy Vary and Toronto, and will next screen at the BFI London Film Festival following its Cannes bow. The movie will have its U.S. premiere at the Hamptons Film Festival.
The drama stars newcomer Tessa Van den Broeck as Julie, a young and promising tennis player who faces a dilemma when her prominent coach is suspended after the suicide of a former prodigy. Suspicions of inappropriate conduct arise and pressure starts mounting for Julie to speak up. As she refrains from sharing her experiences, her silence leaves the investigation and the coach’s future in limbo.
“Julie Keeps Quiet” is slated for a theatrical...
A feature debut directed by Leonardo Van Dijl, “Julie Keeps Quiet” went on to play Karlovy Vary and Toronto, and will next screen at the BFI London Film Festival following its Cannes bow. The movie will have its U.S. premiere at the Hamptons Film Festival.
The drama stars newcomer Tessa Van den Broeck as Julie, a young and promising tennis player who faces a dilemma when her prominent coach is suspended after the suicide of a former prodigy. Suspicions of inappropriate conduct arise and pressure starts mounting for Julie to speak up. As she refrains from sharing her experiences, her silence leaves the investigation and the coach’s future in limbo.
“Julie Keeps Quiet” is slated for a theatrical...
- 10/7/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The nominations for the 61st Golden Horse Awards were announced last week. Considered the “Chinese-language Oscars,” the awards showcase films made in Mandarin, Cantonese, or other Chinese dialects. This year’s nominations included a diverse range of movies from Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Singapore.
John Hsu’s supernatural comedy “Dead Talents Society” topped the nominations with eleven total nods. The film tells the story of ghosts competing to haunt humans in an imagined afterlife. It received nominations for Best Feature Film, Best Director for John Hsu, and Best Original Screenplay. “Dead Talents Society” has already won audience awards at festivals like Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the runner-up in the Midnight Madness category.
Two other films, Tom Lin’s “Yen And Ai-Lee” and Geng Jun’s “Bel Ami,” followed closely behind with eight nominations each. These movies, along with Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well...
John Hsu’s supernatural comedy “Dead Talents Society” topped the nominations with eleven total nods. The film tells the story of ghosts competing to haunt humans in an imagined afterlife. It received nominations for Best Feature Film, Best Director for John Hsu, and Best Original Screenplay. “Dead Talents Society” has already won audience awards at festivals like Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the runner-up in the Midnight Madness category.
Two other films, Tom Lin’s “Yen And Ai-Lee” and Geng Jun’s “Bel Ami,” followed closely behind with eight nominations each. These movies, along with Ray Yeung’s “All Shall Be Well...
- 10/3/2024
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely
John Hsu’s Taiwanese supernatural comedy Dead Talents Society has scored 11 nominations for the 61st Golden Horse Awards, followed by Tom Lin’s Yen And Ai-Lee and Geng Jun’s Bel Ami, with eight nods each.
Dead Talents Society and Bel Ami are among the five films competing in the best film category, along with Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, Yeo Siew Hua’s Stranger Eyes and Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film. The same five films are also running in the best director category.
They reflect the overall representation at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, with the participation of Hong Kong,...
Dead Talents Society and Bel Ami are among the five films competing in the best film category, along with Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, Yeo Siew Hua’s Stranger Eyes and Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film. The same five films are also running in the best director category.
They reflect the overall representation at this year’s Golden Horse Awards, with the participation of Hong Kong,...
- 10/3/2024
- ScreenDaily
Indie distributor Film Movement has snapped up North American rights to Swiss director Ramon Zürcher’s “The Sparrow in the Chimney” following its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.
Described by Variety’s Guy Lodge as a “darkly engrossing psychodrama of pent-up domestic tensions,” the film explores the tumultuous relationship between two sisters, Karen and Jule, whose reunion at a family gathering reignites old conflicts and deep-seated emotional turmoil.
Zürcher, thrilled by its pending North American release, explained: “This film is an exploration of the invisible forces that shape us, particularly within the family structure.”
Sold worldwide by Cercamon, the family drama “should be an arthouse breakthrough” per Variety‘s review.
“This film offers a beautifully crafted, intimate story that will resonate with audiences who appreciate cinema that is both emotionally authentic and visually captivating,” said Sebastien Chesneau of Cercamon, who negotiated the deal with Film Movement.
“What drew...
Described by Variety’s Guy Lodge as a “darkly engrossing psychodrama of pent-up domestic tensions,” the film explores the tumultuous relationship between two sisters, Karen and Jule, whose reunion at a family gathering reignites old conflicts and deep-seated emotional turmoil.
Zürcher, thrilled by its pending North American release, explained: “This film is an exploration of the invisible forces that shape us, particularly within the family structure.”
Sold worldwide by Cercamon, the family drama “should be an arthouse breakthrough” per Variety‘s review.
“This film offers a beautifully crafted, intimate story that will resonate with audiences who appreciate cinema that is both emotionally authentic and visually captivating,” said Sebastien Chesneau of Cercamon, who negotiated the deal with Film Movement.
“What drew...
- 9/6/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The 44th running of the Hawaii International Film Festival presented by Halekulani will open with “Tinā,” an uplifting drama film that marks the feature directorial debut of Miki Magasiva, and close with Sori Fumihiko’s “Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality.”
In between, the festival will pack in 92 features and 114 short films, major awards for guests including Jimmy O Yang, Hong Kong’s Sandra Ng and documentary filmmaking star Stanley Nelson.
“This year, we have the largest selection of Hawai`i films in competition in the festival’s history, are presenting multiple films that explore Indigenous perspectives, narrative sovereignty, and the nurturing of cultural identity, and additionally, we are launching a new spotlight showcasing the best in television,” said Beckie Stochetti, Hiff executive director.
Hailing from New Zealand, with dialog in English and Samoan, “Tinā” sees Anapela Polata’ivao (“Our Flag Means Death”) portray a well-respected and gifted vocal coach endure family tragedy...
In between, the festival will pack in 92 features and 114 short films, major awards for guests including Jimmy O Yang, Hong Kong’s Sandra Ng and documentary filmmaking star Stanley Nelson.
“This year, we have the largest selection of Hawai`i films in competition in the festival’s history, are presenting multiple films that explore Indigenous perspectives, narrative sovereignty, and the nurturing of cultural identity, and additionally, we are launching a new spotlight showcasing the best in television,” said Beckie Stochetti, Hiff executive director.
Hailing from New Zealand, with dialog in English and Samoan, “Tinā” sees Anapela Polata’ivao (“Our Flag Means Death”) portray a well-respected and gifted vocal coach endure family tragedy...
- 9/6/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Lou Ye’s docudrama An Unfinished Film, which debuted as a Special Screening in Cannes, has sold widely for Coproduction Office on the eve of its North American premiere in Toronto’s Centrepiece.
The film about the early days of lockdown in China has sealed deals to Alamode Film in Germany and Austria, September Films in Benelux, Elastica in Spain, Alambique in Portugal, Gutek in Poland, Aerofilms in the Czech Republic, Filmtopia in Slovakia, Bad Unicorn in Romania, Mozinet in Hungary, McF in the former Yugoslavia, Fivia in Slovenia, Bio Paradis in Iceland, and Filmstop in the Baltics.
Beyond Europe...
The film about the early days of lockdown in China has sealed deals to Alamode Film in Germany and Austria, September Films in Benelux, Elastica in Spain, Alambique in Portugal, Gutek in Poland, Aerofilms in the Czech Republic, Filmtopia in Slovakia, Bad Unicorn in Romania, Mozinet in Hungary, McF in the former Yugoslavia, Fivia in Slovenia, Bio Paradis in Iceland, and Filmstop in the Baltics.
Beyond Europe...
- 9/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
Fall festival season picked up this last week with Venice and Telluride, and now Toronto is just around the corner, from 5-15 September 2024. This year, we’re seeing an exciting number of festival-favorite auteurs return, including Jia Zhang-ke (“Caught with the Wind”), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (“Cloud”), Mohammad Rassoulof (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”), and Hong Sang-soo (“By the Stream”). For those who are in Toronto and are interested in the older classics, TIFF Classics offers some delectable 4k restorations of South Asian and Iranian selects this year, including Raj Kapoor‘s classic “Awara” (1951) and Sohrab Shahid Saless‘ “Time of Maturity” (1976).
In addition to these, genre films seem to make up a healthy number of Asian selections this year. Korean blockbuster star Hyun-bin returns in Woo Min-ho’s latest historical spy movie, “Harbin,” and Tumpbal Tampubolon‘s “Crocodile Tears” promises a “slow-burning suspense thriller.” Three of the infamously-campy Midnight Madness screenings...
In addition to these, genre films seem to make up a healthy number of Asian selections this year. Korean blockbuster star Hyun-bin returns in Woo Min-ho’s latest historical spy movie, “Harbin,” and Tumpbal Tampubolon‘s “Crocodile Tears” promises a “slow-burning suspense thriller.” Three of the infamously-campy Midnight Madness screenings...
- 9/3/2024
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Anyone familiar with the filmography of Jia Zhangke will easily recognize “Caught by the Tides” as one of the celebrated director’s features. Such familiarity may well create interest and pleasure at seeing Jia revisit the characters, locales and subjects that made him famous. But this atmospheric film, in which mood and visuals prevail over plot, might also disorient and bemuse viewers who are not already intimate with his work.
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The film has been described as a career retrospective for the director, and with good reason. Stuck at home during the Covid 19 pandemic, Jia decided to review the enormous amount of footage he had shot since 2001. The images could be documentary-style footage capturing slices of life that had caught Jia’s ever-alert attention: singing crowds, swirling dancers, young people going to their favorite places, in Datong, Zhuhai, or many other places across China.
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The film has been described as a career retrospective for the director, and with good reason. Stuck at home during the Covid 19 pandemic, Jia decided to review the enormous amount of footage he had shot since 2001. The images could be documentary-style footage capturing slices of life that had caught Jia’s ever-alert attention: singing crowds, swirling dancers, young people going to their favorite places, in Datong, Zhuhai, or many other places across China.
- 8/26/2024
- by Mehdi Achouche
- AsianMoviePulse
You can always count on Chinese director Lou Ye to propose a film with a complex meta narrative which blurs the boundary between fiction and reality, dreams, fantasies and facts (the way his celebrated “Suzhou River” did). “An Unfinished Film”, his latest, follows the same path, also tackling the kind of topical issues that have landed Ye in hot water with censorship in the past.
The story starts simply enough: a film director wants to complete a gay romance movie he begun 10 years before but left unfinished. He manages to convince the cast and crew to reunite, and the shooting starts. Unfortunately, the time is January 2020, and the place is Wuhan, China. Soon, as the Covid 19 outbreak starts in earnest, the shooting is suspended and the hotel where the crew is staying is put under immediate lockdown.
The rest of the film follows the daily experiences of the crew as...
The story starts simply enough: a film director wants to complete a gay romance movie he begun 10 years before but left unfinished. He manages to convince the cast and crew to reunite, and the shooting starts. Unfortunately, the time is January 2020, and the place is Wuhan, China. Soon, as the Covid 19 outbreak starts in earnest, the shooting is suspended and the hotel where the crew is staying is put under immediate lockdown.
The rest of the film follows the daily experiences of the crew as...
- 8/17/2024
- by Mehdi Achouche
- AsianMoviePulse
It’s year two for the Toronto Intl. Film Festival’s Centrepiece programme – the place where we find films from the film festival circuit as old as this year’s Sundance and as fresh as the future film premieres to be found in Locarno and Venice. Oh and there are indeed some world premieres in the mix as well. From Sundance, Steven Soderbergh‘s Presence receives a showcase and from the Berlinale, Kazik Radwanski receives a hometown showcase with Matt and Mara (The Cinema Guild folks are releasing it in September). From the Cannes competition Mohammad Rasoulof‘s The Seed of the Sacred Fig will receive the spotlight and Lou Ye‘s masterwork An Unfinished Film also gets some love.…...
- 8/6/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
A drama about an Iranian human rights activist and a documentary about the hacking of queer indie pop duo Tegan and Sara are among the films that have been added to the lineup of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which unveiled its Centrepiece section on Tuesday to kick off a second week of programming announcements.
The 43 films come from filmmakers representing 41 countries, with 18 of the titles receiving their world premieres at TIFF. Those premieres include “Seven Days,” a film about an imprisoned Iranian activist directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and written by Mohammad Rasoulof, a filmmaker who was himself sentenced to flogging and prison by Iranian authorities; “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” a romantic comedy from French writer-director Laura Piani; “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos,” a debut from the Nigerian filmmaking group known as the Agbajowo Collective; and Erin Lee Carr’s “Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara,...
The 43 films come from filmmakers representing 41 countries, with 18 of the titles receiving their world premieres at TIFF. Those premieres include “Seven Days,” a film about an imprisoned Iranian activist directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and written by Mohammad Rasoulof, a filmmaker who was himself sentenced to flogging and prison by Iranian authorities; “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” a romantic comedy from French writer-director Laura Piani; “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos,” a debut from the Nigerian filmmaking group known as the Agbajowo Collective; and Erin Lee Carr’s “Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara,...
- 8/6/2024
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival has revealed its Centrepiece program lineup, with 43 films from 41 countries. The selections include 18 world premieres plus an array of festival favorites and winners from Cannes (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig“), Sundance (“Presence“), and more recently the 2024 Venice Film Festival (“April”). This year’s festival runs Thursday, September 5 through Sunday, September 15.
Per TIFF, Centrepiece honors “and celebrates global cinematic achievements, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a dynamic array of contemporary films. The programme is a reflection of TIFF’s commitment to providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
The 2024 Centrepiece selection has been programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Jason Ryle, and Norm Wilner.
Per the festival, “Notable world premieres include ‘Front Row,...
Per TIFF, Centrepiece honors “and celebrates global cinematic achievements, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in a dynamic array of contemporary films. The programme is a reflection of TIFF’s commitment to providing an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
The 2024 Centrepiece selection has been programmed by Jason Anderson, Kelly Boutsalis, Diana Cadavid, Robyn Citizen, Giovanna Fulvi, Nataleah Hunter-Young, June Kim, Dorota Lech, Jason Ryle, and Norm Wilner.
Per the festival, “Notable world premieres include ‘Front Row,...
- 8/6/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Steven Soderbergh’s spooky ghost story Presence — starring Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and newcomer Callina Liang — will receive its international premiere as part of the Centerpiece sidebar at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival.
Soderbergh first screened Presence at Sundance earlier this year, some 35 years after the debut of his breakout film, Sex, Lies and Videotape, in Park City. In all, TIFF’s Centerpiece section, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, unveiled 43 films from 41 countries on Tuesday.
There’s world premieres for Marcelle Lunam’s rom com Addition, starring Teresa Palmer and Joe Dempsie; Erin Lee Carr’s documentary Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, a Hulu title about the Canadian pop duo falling victim to identity theft; French director Laura Piani’s Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, with a Frederick Wiseman cameo; Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Measures for a Funeral, written by actor Derah Campbell; and Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s Front Row,...
Soderbergh first screened Presence at Sundance earlier this year, some 35 years after the debut of his breakout film, Sex, Lies and Videotape, in Park City. In all, TIFF’s Centerpiece section, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, unveiled 43 films from 41 countries on Tuesday.
There’s world premieres for Marcelle Lunam’s rom com Addition, starring Teresa Palmer and Joe Dempsie; Erin Lee Carr’s documentary Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, a Hulu title about the Canadian pop duo falling victim to identity theft; French director Laura Piani’s Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, with a Frederick Wiseman cameo; Sofia Bohdanowicz’s Measures for a Funeral, written by actor Derah Campbell; and Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s Front Row,...
- 8/6/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The First International Film Festival, held annually high up on the plains of Tibet, prides itself as a discovery festival and has been described as a Chinese equivalent of Sundance.
But noted Chinese filmmaker Guan Hu dealt First organizers a blow on Sunday, when as head of the main competition jury, he refused to announce a best film winner.
“It is not that we didn’t see any good films, but the selection overall was not bold enough,” Guan said from the stage. In other comments, Guan suggested that the festival, aged 18 years old, should by now have reached the age of maturity, but in fact still needs to grow up.
Fortunately, the jury did decide on a slew of other prizes. These included “Sailing Song of June” as the Grand Jury prize winner and “Chengzi 1” as winner of the Spirit of Innovation award.
In recent editions, First has selected...
But noted Chinese filmmaker Guan Hu dealt First organizers a blow on Sunday, when as head of the main competition jury, he refused to announce a best film winner.
“It is not that we didn’t see any good films, but the selection overall was not bold enough,” Guan said from the stage. In other comments, Guan suggested that the festival, aged 18 years old, should by now have reached the age of maturity, but in fact still needs to grow up.
Fortunately, the jury did decide on a slew of other prizes. These included “Sailing Song of June” as the Grand Jury prize winner and “Chengzi 1” as winner of the Spirit of Innovation award.
In recent editions, First has selected...
- 7/28/2024
- by Jenny S. Li
- Variety Film + TV
The Melbourne International Film Festival has set ten features to play in its Bright Horizons competition section.
They include: India Donaldson’s “Good One”; Luna Carmoon’s “Hoard”; Annie Baker’s “Janet Planet”; Leonardo Van Dijl’s “Julie Keeps Quiet”; Ena Sendijarević’s “Sweet Dreams”; Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language”; Mo Harawe’s “The Village Next to Paradise”; Gints Zabalodis’ animated “Flow”; Rungano Nyoni’s “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”; and Australian director Charles Williams’ debut feature “Inside.”
The non-competitive Headliners section, which showcases films that have premiered at other festivals, includes: Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis”; Mumbai-based director Payal Kapadia was recently the first Indian director for 30 years with a film in competition in Cannes presents “All We Imagine as Light”; Coralie Fargeat’s Demi Moore-starring “The Substance”; Jia Zhangke’s “Caught by the Tides”; Sebastian Stan in Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man”; Cannes best director-winning Asian odyssey,...
They include: India Donaldson’s “Good One”; Luna Carmoon’s “Hoard”; Annie Baker’s “Janet Planet”; Leonardo Van Dijl’s “Julie Keeps Quiet”; Ena Sendijarević’s “Sweet Dreams”; Matthew Rankin’s “Universal Language”; Mo Harawe’s “The Village Next to Paradise”; Gints Zabalodis’ animated “Flow”; Rungano Nyoni’s “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”; and Australian director Charles Williams’ debut feature “Inside.”
The non-competitive Headliners section, which showcases films that have premiered at other festivals, includes: Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis”; Mumbai-based director Payal Kapadia was recently the first Indian director for 30 years with a film in competition in Cannes presents “All We Imagine as Light”; Coralie Fargeat’s Demi Moore-starring “The Substance”; Jia Zhangke’s “Caught by the Tides”; Sebastian Stan in Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man”; Cannes best director-winning Asian odyssey,...
- 7/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
It has been commonplace in academic circles to divide up and label Chinese filmmakers into generations that reflect socio-political currents as much as cinematic style.
Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, who were educated at the end of the Cultural Revolution, are considered the leading lights of the “fifth generation.” The rebellious cluster that followed them, Zhang Yuan, Wang Xioashuai, Jia Zhangke and Lou Ye are among those labelled as “sixth generation.”
But with substantial bodies of work under their belts and international reputations already established, the sixth generation are no longer quite so new, nor so angry.
The four Chinese films selected for the main competition – all world premieres – at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival represent a showcase of directors who are also known-quantities, but who are worthy of higher profiles. (The festival’s Asian Talent selection has a further selection of six more directors seeking to break through.
Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, who were educated at the end of the Cultural Revolution, are considered the leading lights of the “fifth generation.” The rebellious cluster that followed them, Zhang Yuan, Wang Xioashuai, Jia Zhangke and Lou Ye are among those labelled as “sixth generation.”
But with substantial bodies of work under their belts and international reputations already established, the sixth generation are no longer quite so new, nor so angry.
The four Chinese films selected for the main competition – all world premieres – at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival represent a showcase of directors who are also known-quantities, but who are worthy of higher profiles. (The festival’s Asian Talent selection has a further selection of six more directors seeking to break through.
- 6/15/2024
- by Jenny S. Li and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Nostalgic docufiction that morphs into a lockdown thriller, Lou Ye’s “An Unfinished Film” is the second work at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (alongside Jia Zhangke’s “Caught by the Tides”) in which a “Sixth Generation” Chinese filmmaker has repurposed their old films to create something new. The line between reality and drama blurs as Lou genuinely re-discovers years-old footage, and proceeds to follow a fictitious film crew completing an abandoned project, only for China’s severe Covid-19 lockdowns to interrupt their work, as well as life in all its rhythms.
Few films have so skillfully captured the way Covid caused such traumatic temporal disruptions in its early days, wherein sudden changes in physical and emotional routine caused time to both stretch and collapse. The foundation for this dissonance is laid when Lou, by way of director character Xiaorui — played by Mao Xiaorui, Lou’s assistant director on...
Few films have so skillfully captured the way Covid caused such traumatic temporal disruptions in its early days, wherein sudden changes in physical and emotional routine caused time to both stretch and collapse. The foundation for this dissonance is laid when Lou, by way of director character Xiaorui — played by Mao Xiaorui, Lou’s assistant director on...
- 5/23/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
Lou Ye's docufiction hybrid “Unfinished Film” is one of the best films made about life during pandemic, even though it wasn't originally planned to be that. It was the new circumstances that forced Ye to change his plans, when he and his crew were caught in the lockdown in a place near Wuhan to make a completely different kind of movie. What came out of it is a captivating act of genius which captures the exact moment when normality got squashed by the unpredictable chain of events: first the pandemic, and then a complete lockdown. Shot by multiple cameras, “Unfinished Film” is a movie within a movie, showing people in front and behind the camera, each absorbed in their own line of duty. But the actors and crew members are also caught off-guard, and at one point even Ye himself uexpectedly appears on screen, doing his directing job. In the movie,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Hong Kong action thriller Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, which screened at Cannes this week, is set to become a trilogy, reuniting director Soi Cheang and producers John Chong and Wilson Yip.
Like the first film, the two new instalments will be based on the novel City Of Darkness by Yuyi. Both are expected to go into production around the same time next year on newly built extensive sets, according to Angus Chan of Entertaining Power, who owns the film rights to the novel.
The second instalment, Twilight Of The Warriors: Dragon Throne will be set in the 1950s and 1960s,...
Like the first film, the two new instalments will be based on the novel City Of Darkness by Yuyi. Both are expected to go into production around the same time next year on newly built extensive sets, according to Angus Chan of Entertaining Power, who owns the film rights to the novel.
The second instalment, Twilight Of The Warriors: Dragon Throne will be set in the 1950s and 1960s,...
- 5/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chinese auteur Lou Ye is on a mission to finish An Unfinished Film, which he is presenting as a Cannes Special Screenings, in a way that he set out to make before the Covid pandemic changed its course. It will exist as a separate film.
He describes the new untitled project as “organic, made in a casual and personal way on a modest budget”. It exists as a separate project to the Cannes title and will contain old and mostly unseen footage from his previous films including Spring Fever, which won best screenplay in Cannes in 2009; Mystery, which premiered in...
He describes the new untitled project as “organic, made in a casual and personal way on a modest budget”. It exists as a separate project to the Cannes title and will contain old and mostly unseen footage from his previous films including Spring Fever, which won best screenplay in Cannes in 2009; Mystery, which premiered in...
- 5/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
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