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Within the filmography of perhaps Hong Kong’s most prolific directors, Johnnie To, the year 2011 proved once again his ability to switch between genres and tones effortlessly. The romantic comedy “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, co-directed by Wai Ka-Fai, was followed by “Punished”, a crime thriller in a similar vein like the ones To had directed just a few years prior, and finally, “Life Without Principle”, a crime drama which would take a closer look at the effects of economic destabilization. In an interview with the French press, To states he perceives the people working in finance, most specifically those higher up in the food chain, as even worse than the infamous Chinese triads, abusing their power and exploiting, with no one in sight to end their doings. Even though it was something of a diversion from his other works, “Life Without Principle” would win big at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival,...

‘The Heroic Mission’ is named and inspired by two titles of To’s films during the 90s: The Heroic Trio (1992) and The Mission (1998). The imagery of ‘hero’ created by To in most of his films represents a fated statement: ‘We all came with a mission’. Influenced by the film directors King Hu, Sam Peckinpah and Akira Kurosawa, To enjoyed his international breakthrough with a film noir signature and gangster films. To specialises in angling at different characters in daily life and portraying their inner struggles and conflicts between desire and making choices. To once said, ‘I can see two to three faces of a person.’ Three films have been selected in this programme and each tells a different story about heroism.

Presented jointly by UK-China Film Collab and Trinity CineAsia, this programme provides a wider context of the societal changes in Hong Kong in recent decades. It wishes to...

A popular Hong Kong singer and pro-democracy activist will not be allowed to perform at one of the city’s top theaters later this month, stoking concerns that the Chinese authorities’ crackdown on dissent is reaching into the entertainment and cultural scene.

The Hong Kong Arts Centre cited a public safety clause in canceling Denise Ho’s venue reservations for her concerts, according to a statement posted Wednesday by the singer’s company Goomusic on Facebook.

The cancellation came days after pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao accused Ho of being “anti-China” due to her involvement in the 2019 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong....

A popular Hong Kong singer and pro-democracy activist will not be allowed to perform at one of the city’s top theaters later this month, stoking concerns that the Chinese authorities’ crackdown on dissent is reaching into the entertainment and cultural scene.

The Hong Kong Arts Centre cited a public safety clause in canceling Denise Ho’s venue reservations for her concerts, according to a statement posted Wednesday by the singer’s company Goomusic on Facebook.

The cancellation came days after pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao accused Ho of being “anti-China” due to her involvement in the 2019 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong....

CineCina Film Festival is currently collaborating with Kino Lorber’s virtual cinema for some repertory screenings. This week two documentaries are coming online: “Denise Ho: Becoming Song” and “Hooligan Sparrow”. This double-bill is CineCina’s answer for Disney’s controversial “Mulan”.

By purchasing a ticket to watch at home one of the films in Kino Lorber’s virtual cinema, you’ll be supporting CineCina just as if you were attending a screening at our physical location.

For additional details, please refer to the Faq at the bottom of Kino Lorber’s webpage.

Denise Ho – Becoming The Song (2020) by Sue Williams

The documentary profiles the openly gay Hong Kong singer and human rights activist Denise Ho. Drawing on unprecedented, years-long access, the film explores her remarkable journey from commercial Cantopop superstar to outspoken political activist, an artist who has put her life and career on the line to support the determined...

A boycott is an organized campaign to starve a business of revenue in an attempt to influence how the business operates. As people in the U.S. recently learned (or were reminded) during the NBA strike in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a boycott is different from a strike, which is a refusal to work by employees as a strategy to pressure employers to meet certain demands. Both boycotts and strikes are important forms of organized political action. So what does this all have to do with Mulan, Disney’s new live-action adaptation of the Chinese legend? #BoycottMulan is an online campaign to, well, boycott Mulan. It started out as a response to social media comments Mulan star Liu Yifei made in support of the Hong Kong police in their (sometimes violent) suppression of pro-democracy protestors, and has grown into something even larger.

The Hong Kong Protests...

When popular Hong Kong democracy activist Agnes Chow was arrested earlier this week in an attack on free speech by the Chinese government, she quickly inspired a “Mulan” meme by fans on Twitter. The social media blitz surrounding Chow and “Mulan” coincides with the upcoming Disney+ release of Disney’s live-action remake of the 1998 animated film and a reimagining of Chinese folklore. The character of Mulan has long been emblematic of female heroism in China, a claim that many of Chow’s supporters now say belongs to her.

The arrest, which was part of a crackdown on pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong as part of China’s controversial new security law, also resurfaced comments made last August by live-action “Mulan” star Liu Yifei. She was quoted as saying “I support the Hong Kong police, you all can beat me up now” in response to Hong Kong’s excessive force in handling protesters.

Not all heroes wear capes — some wear tuxedos and white leather bodysuits. Though she may be a new name to anyone not familiar with Chinese pop music, Denise Ho is an international icon for Chinese people around the world. First for her chart-topping Cantopop singing career, then as a trailblazing LGBTQ icon after coming out in 2012, and now as a pro-democracy activist and leader of the Umbrella Movement. An entertaining and informative new documentary, “Denise Ho: Becoming the Song,”

Directed by Sue Williams, “Denise Ho: Becoming the Song” shrewdly draws parallels between Ho’s own political awakening with Hong Kong’s evolving battle over democratic freedoms. The film charts the rise of her career, from a transformative adolescence in Canada that helped her find her creative voice to a meaningful (but at times restrictive) mentorship with original Cantopop diva Anita Mui. Williams weaves into the film recent footage from Hong Kong protests,...

"Every movement needs a voice." Kino Lorber has unveiled the first official trailer for a documentary film titled Denise Ho: Becoming the Song, which is premiering at the Frameline Film Festival this month. The film is a profile of the Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho, who achieved famed as a commercial Cantopop superstar. But when she joined Hk's Umbrella Movement of 2014, supporting the students and protestors, she was arrested and then blacklisted by China. Under pressure, sponsors dropped Denise and venues refused to let her perform. The film follows Denise on the road as she tours the U.S., Canada and UK and prepares to release a new hit song, attempting to rebuild her career. But it soon became clear she is also reflecting on her life's trajectory. This looks like a compelling documentary about the striking realization your life is more important dedicated to activism than to popstar fame,...

In the midst of one revolution, it can be energizing to look to others for inspiration. As Black Lives Matter protests continue to thrive across the globe, organizers and activists have been sharing images and resistance tactics used in Hong Kong protests, whether it’s tips on dismantling a tear gas canister to protecting your identity from government surveillance. In the middle of Pride month, there couldn’t be a better time for a documentary about a queer activist who risked a successful music career to speak truth to a very intimidating power.

Directed by veteran documentary producer Sue Williams, “Denise Ho: Becoming the Song” follows the lesbian Cantopop icon on her journey from artist to activist, illuminating the ways her journey aligns with Hong Kong’s relationship to China. The exclusive first trailer for the Kino Lorber release promises Ho will serve as a magnetic and inspiring guide...

In the midst of one revolution, it can be energizing to look to others for inspiration. As Black Lives Matter protests continue to thrive across the globe, organizers and activists have been sharing images and resistance tactics used in Hong Kong protests, whether it’s tips on dismantling a tear gas canister to protecting your identity from government surveillance. In the middle of Pride month, there couldn’t be a better time for a documentary about a queer activist who risked a successful music career to speak truth to a very intimidating power.

Directed by veteran documentary producer Sue Williams, “Denise Ho: Becoming the Song” follows the lesbian Cantopop icon on her journey from artist to activist, illuminating the ways her journey aligns with Hong Kong’s relationship to China. The exclusive first trailer for the Kino Lorber release promises Ho will serve as a magnetic and inspiring guide...

After a busy FilMart in March, at which Hong Kong’s film industry leaders promised to lobby for greater access to mainland audiences, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam was able, only a month later, to announce that the lobbying had succeeded. But the past months of political protests in Hong Kong have increasingly impacted the film business.

Back in April, fees and conditions attached to mainland-Hong Kong co-productions were waived, as part of a five-point plan to treat the Special Administrative Area’s once mighty film industry as welcome in the mainland, where the local industry has grown big and arrogant, but not yet mature.

Dropping the rules that required all mainland-Hong Kong co-productions to have mainland stories, and other regulations that put ceilings on the number of Hong Kong crew on each production, seemed set to help Hong Kong filmmakers tell their own stories and yet still to...

As pro-democracy, anti-police-brutality protests in Hong Kong enter their 10th week, the political unrest has begun to make itself felt in the entertainment world, with actors and other performers caught up in an increasingly vituperative battle between those who support the demonstrators and those who back the local government and mainland China’s tough stance.

One popular singer-actress blacklisted by Beijing has live-streamed and live-tweeted herself attending protests and being tear-gassed. Another veteran actor took part in a pro-police rally – and promptly landed a release date in mainland China for his directorial debut film. Worldwide star Jackie Chan has thrown his lot in with the Beijing regime, putting out a video interview in which he expressed his patriotism in terms that echo mainland propaganda.

The protests – the biggest in Hong Kong’s history – have raged since early June, at their peak drawing nearly 2 million out of the territory’s 7.4 million people to the streets,...

At the beginning of October, Hong Kong actor and international star Chow Yun-fat became one of the few high-profile local celebrities to speak out on the pro-democracy protests in his native country. Over the past week, a backlash has started to brew against Chow and others who have lent their support to the demonstrators. The stars, of whom Chow is arguably the most famous outside Asia, are the latest this year to take potentially risky positions on global political issues. This summer, Spanish and Korean filmmakers including Pedro Almodovar and Park Chan-wook, denounced Israel’s involvement in the violence in Gaza, sparking ire from onlookers around the world, but no visible impact on their careers. In this case, the Hong Kong bold-faced names are speaking out about a situation that is right in their own backyard — and that backyard belongs to an increasingly disgruntled China where much of their money is made.

Subtitled fare always seems to consume me in September and early October as the Foreign Language Submission List for Oscar takes shape (it's not quite official yet but the submission deadline has passed). This is also the time of year when The Golden Horse, the preeminent Chinese/Taiwanese film awards, announce their nominations. Rather than a huge Academy vote, the Golden Horse is determined by a jury. Andy Lau who starred in Hong Kong’s Oscar submission A Simple Life last year and is best known internationally for two hits from the Aughts (The House of Flying Daggers and Infernal Affairs which was later remade into The Departed) is the president of this year’s jury.

Caught in the Web, China's Oscar submission, was apparently not eligible.

Best Picture Nominees

Beijing Blues -a police procedural Mystery - is the leader with 8 nominations. It's a thriller from Lou Ye, who is...

By Allen Gardner

Harold And Maude (Criterion) Hal Ashby’s masterpiece of black humor centers on a wealthy young man (Bud Cort) who’s obsessed with death and the septuagenarian (Ruth Gordon) with whom he finds true love. As unabashedly romantic as it is quirky, with Cat Stevens supplying one of the great film scores of all-time. Fine support from Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, Charles Tyner, and Ellen Geer. Fine screenplay by Colin Higgins. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson, producer Charles Mulvehill; Illustrated audio excerpts from seminars by Ashby and Higgins; Interview with Cat Stevens. Widescreen. Dolby 2.0 stereo.

In Darkness (Sony) Agnieszka Holland’s Ww II epic tells the true story of a sewer worker and petty thief in Nazi-occupied Poland who single-handedly helped hide a group of Jews in the city’s labyrinthine sewer system for the duration of the war.

Winner! Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards

(Including Film of Merit, Best Actor: Ching Wan Lau and Best Screenplay)

Winner! Hong Kong Film Awards

(Including Best Support Actor: Hoi-pang Lo and Best Supporting Actress: Hang-shuen So

Life Without Principle

Director Johnny To’s Critically-Lauded Thriller

Debuts on DVD, Digital and Video on Demand May 29th

Synopsis

An ordinary bank teller turned financial analyst is forced to sell high-risk securities to her customers in order to meet her sales target. A small-time thug delves into the futures index hoping to earn easy money to post bail for a buddy in trouble with the law. A straight-arrow Police inspector who has always enjoyed his middle income lifestyle is suddenly desperate for money when his wife puts a down payment on a luxury flat she can’t afford and his dying father wants him to look after a young half-sister he never knew he had.