After sweeping the Best Actor and Jury awards at China’s Pingyao International Film Festival, writer-director Xu Lei’s quirky comedy-drama Green Wave arrived as the opening film at the Far East Film Festival (Feff) on Thursday in Udine, Italy.
Drawing laughter from the crowd of more than 1,200 people at the film’s international premiere in the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni, Xu tells Deadline that he did not intend to write a comedy at first, but humor gradually found its way into the story.
“At the beginning, it wasn’t meant to be a comedy, it was just meant to be a family drama about the father and son,” says Xu. “However, as the story evolved during the production, it gradually turned into a comedy. As a filmmaker, I always appreciate the opportunity to grow in making your own movie. You find out more about yourself while making a film.”
Xu...
Drawing laughter from the crowd of more than 1,200 people at the film’s international premiere in the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni, Xu tells Deadline that he did not intend to write a comedy at first, but humor gradually found its way into the story.
“At the beginning, it wasn’t meant to be a comedy, it was just meant to be a family drama about the father and son,” says Xu. “However, as the story evolved during the production, it gradually turned into a comedy. As a filmmaker, I always appreciate the opportunity to grow in making your own movie. You find out more about yourself while making a film.”
Xu...
- 4/25/2025
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Du Jie, a seasoned Chinese cinematographer who has shot more than 20 films for directors including Chen Sicheng, Guan Ha, Ning Hao and Pema Tseden, has turned his hand to directing.
Japanese drama The Height Of The Coconut Trees marks his feature directorial debut and is premiering in Busan’s New Currents competition
You’ve been living in Japan since early 2020 and chose to direct a Japanese film there with a local cast and crew. How did it come about?
As a DoP, I got to travel to visit New York, Thailand and Japan to shoot the three Detective Chinatown films...
Japanese drama The Height Of The Coconut Trees marks his feature directorial debut and is premiering in Busan’s New Currents competition
You’ve been living in Japan since early 2020 and chose to direct a Japanese film there with a local cast and crew. How did it come about?
As a DoP, I got to travel to visit New York, Thailand and Japan to shoot the three Detective Chinatown films...
- 10/6/2024
- ScreenDaily
“Transformers One” took top spot at the China box office over its debut weekend. It was the only major title to release on an atypical Friday that precedes next week’s National Day holiday season. That also made the latest Friday-to-Sunday session the lowest-grossing weekend of the year for mainland Chinese cinemas.
Released only a week after its North American debut, “Transformers One,” an animated spin-off from the “Transformers” franchise which has been enormously popular in the Middle Kingdom, earned $4.9 million, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. Including its previews, the film finished Sunday with a running total of $8.0 million in China.
In second place, “Like a Rolling Stone,” a drama film about a 50-year-old woman who decides to take charge of her own life and embarks on a driving tour, earned RMB15.2 million ($2.3 million). That lifts it to an 15-day cumulative of $15.6 million.
“Stand by Me,” the...
Released only a week after its North American debut, “Transformers One,” an animated spin-off from the “Transformers” franchise which has been enormously popular in the Middle Kingdom, earned $4.9 million, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. Including its previews, the film finished Sunday with a running total of $8.0 million in China.
In second place, “Like a Rolling Stone,” a drama film about a 50-year-old woman who decides to take charge of her own life and embarks on a driving tour, earned RMB15.2 million ($2.3 million). That lifts it to an 15-day cumulative of $15.6 million.
“Stand by Me,” the...
- 9/30/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese-produced drama film “Stand by Me” held on to top spot at the mainland China box office. Dreamworks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” enjoyed a modest third-place debut.
After an almost imperceptible uplift provided a week earlier by the Mid Autumn Festival, mainland China’s theatrical business extended the slump that it has been in since the second quarter.
Weekend box office, in the country with a population of 1.3 billion, and some 90,000 cinema screens in commercial operation, amounted to just $25.1 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That was the third lowest weekend figure this year.
The Mid-Autumn Festival box office totaled RMB389 million ($55.2 million) between Sept. 14 -17, according to the National Film Administration. That was less than half of the RMB803 million recorded at the same time of year in 2019. Chinese films accounted for an 85% market share. The slump came despite an all-time record number of screening sessions,...
After an almost imperceptible uplift provided a week earlier by the Mid Autumn Festival, mainland China’s theatrical business extended the slump that it has been in since the second quarter.
Weekend box office, in the country with a population of 1.3 billion, and some 90,000 cinema screens in commercial operation, amounted to just $25.1 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That was the third lowest weekend figure this year.
The Mid-Autumn Festival box office totaled RMB389 million ($55.2 million) between Sept. 14 -17, according to the National Film Administration. That was less than half of the RMB803 million recorded at the same time of year in 2019. Chinese films accounted for an 85% market share. The slump came despite an all-time record number of screening sessions,...
- 9/23/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese family comedy-drama, “Successor” held on to its place at the top of the mainland China box office for the fifth week as “Deadpool & Wolverine” slipped out of the Chinese top five in its third weekend of release.
“Successor” earned RMB179 million ($25.2 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That gives it a total of $420 million since releasing on July 16. It is by far the biggest film of the summer season and has now become the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in China. Its latest weekend victory, however, was a narrow one.
In second place, Ruyi Films’ “Upstream” earned $23.4 million over its opening weekend (and even took top spot on Friday’s daily chart). With previews, the filmt has a cumulative of $25.8 million. The drama is directed by Xu Zheng and Tong Zhi-jian and tells the uplifting story of a former tech...
“Successor” earned RMB179 million ($25.2 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That gives it a total of $420 million since releasing on July 16. It is by far the biggest film of the summer season and has now become the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in China. Its latest weekend victory, however, was a narrow one.
In second place, Ruyi Films’ “Upstream” earned $23.4 million over its opening weekend (and even took top spot on Friday’s daily chart). With previews, the filmt has a cumulative of $25.8 million. The drama is directed by Xu Zheng and Tong Zhi-jian and tells the uplifting story of a former tech...
- 8/12/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s “The Wrestler” and Mori Tatsutya’s “September 1923” were announced joint winners of the New Currents competition at the Busan International Film Festival.
“The Wrester” “was like a single round match, magically depicting an exciting narrative,” the jury said. “We support the bravery to face the history that had been forgotten,” the jury said of “September 1923.”
In the separate Jiseok competition, open to more experienced Asian filmmakers, the joint winners were Prasanna Vithanage’s “Paradise” and Mirlan Abdykalykov’s “Bride Kidnapping.”
“Vithanage exposes how a corrupt regime ruins this beautiful country by obstructing peace, depriving its citizens of humanity as they corner them into oppression,” said the separate Jiseok jury. Calling “Bride Kidnapping” a “powerful film,” the Jiseok jury said, “This film vividly depicts the prevalent shocking customs in Kyrgyzstan with unforgettable characters and a straightforward narrative.”
The prizes were presented on Friday at a closing...
“The Wrester” “was like a single round match, magically depicting an exciting narrative,” the jury said. “We support the bravery to face the history that had been forgotten,” the jury said of “September 1923.”
In the separate Jiseok competition, open to more experienced Asian filmmakers, the joint winners were Prasanna Vithanage’s “Paradise” and Mirlan Abdykalykov’s “Bride Kidnapping.”
“Vithanage exposes how a corrupt regime ruins this beautiful country by obstructing peace, depriving its citizens of humanity as they corner them into oppression,” said the separate Jiseok jury. Calling “Bride Kidnapping” a “powerful film,” the Jiseok jury said, “This film vividly depicts the prevalent shocking customs in Kyrgyzstan with unforgettable characters and a straightforward narrative.”
The prizes were presented on Friday at a closing...
- 10/13/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Chuxiao Qu, Jing Wu, Guangjie Li, Man-Tat Ng, Jin Mai Jaho, Mike Kai Sui, Hongchen Li, Jingjing Qu, Yichi Zhang, Haoyu Yang, Zhigang Jiang, Huan Zhang, Jiayin Lei, Arkadiy Sharogradskiy, Hao Ning | Written by Gong Geer, Junce Ye, Yan Dongxu, Frant Gwo, Yang Zhixue | Directed by Frant Gwo
The sun was dying out, people all around the world built giant planet thrusters to move Earth out of its orbit and to sail Earth to a new star system. Yet the 2500 years journey came with unexpected dangers, and in order to save humanity, a group of young people in this age of a wandering Earth came out boldly and fought hard for everyone’s survival.
The Wandering Earth (Liu Lang Di Qiu), directed by Frant Gwo, is based on award-winning novelist Cixin Liu’s novel of the same name and at this moment in time stands as the largest scale...
The sun was dying out, people all around the world built giant planet thrusters to move Earth out of its orbit and to sail Earth to a new star system. Yet the 2500 years journey came with unexpected dangers, and in order to save humanity, a group of young people in this age of a wandering Earth came out boldly and fought hard for everyone’s survival.
The Wandering Earth (Liu Lang Di Qiu), directed by Frant Gwo, is based on award-winning novelist Cixin Liu’s novel of the same name and at this moment in time stands as the largest scale...
- 2/25/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
A new Chinese science fiction movie starring Glee actor Matthew Morrison is facing allegations of animal abuse.
According to PETA, a whistleblower on set of Crazy Alien sent the animal rights group a video purporting to show a German shepherd being mistreated during a stunt sequence.
“On November 28th, 2017, I witnessed first hand one of the worst animal cruelty acts I have ever seen,” the whistleblower wrote in a log of the alleged incident, PETA reports.
On Friday, Morrison, 39, responded to the claims on Twitter, saying “my heart is broken to see any animal treated this way.”
“Had I been...
According to PETA, a whistleblower on set of Crazy Alien sent the animal rights group a video purporting to show a German shepherd being mistreated during a stunt sequence.
“On November 28th, 2017, I witnessed first hand one of the worst animal cruelty acts I have ever seen,” the whistleblower wrote in a log of the alleged incident, PETA reports.
On Friday, Morrison, 39, responded to the claims on Twitter, saying “my heart is broken to see any animal treated this way.”
“Had I been...
- 3/16/2018
- by Mike Miller
- PEOPLE.com
Matthew Morrison, the star of "Crazy Alien," is outraged and disgusted by the abuse of a dog on the film's set ... and says if he was there, he would've made every effort to stop it. TMZ obtained a clip of a German Shepherd locked in a cage that was suspended high above the ground. The cage was then violently spun around and hurled into a freezing bed of water. We're told the scene was shot several times.
- 3/16/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
New information has emerged about Hao Ning’s upcoming film, Crazy Alien, in the form of an incredibly upsetting video of the abuse that an animal endured on set. The footage clearly shows a German Shepherd suspended in a cage and being violently spun around before it was plunged into freezing cold water. A whistleblower sent the video to PETA, as well as a log from the set that stated, “I witnessed first hand one of the worst animal cruelty acts I have ever seen.”...
- 3/16/2018
- ScreenRant
Joining the titles already announced—including films by Alain Resnais and Dominik Graf—the following films complete the lineup for the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival's Competition section.
Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice)
People’s Republic of China
By Yinan Diao (Night Train, Uniform)
With Fan Liao, Lun Mei Gwei, Xuebing Wang
World premiere
Boyhood
USA
By Richard Linklater (Before Midnight, Me & Orson Welles)
With Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater
International premiere
Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House)
Japan
By Yoji Yamada (Tokyo Family, About Her Brother)
With Takako Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho
International premiere
Historia del miedo (History of Fear)
Argentina / Uruguay / Germany / France
By Benjamin Naishtat - feature debut
With Jonathan Da Rosa, Claudia Cantero, Mirella Pascual, Cesar Bordon, Tatiana Gimenez
World premiere
Jack
Germany
By Edward Berger
With Ivo Pietzcker, Georg Arms, Luise Heyer, Vincent Redetzki, Jacob Matschenz,...
Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice)
People’s Republic of China
By Yinan Diao (Night Train, Uniform)
With Fan Liao, Lun Mei Gwei, Xuebing Wang
World premiere
Boyhood
USA
By Richard Linklater (Before Midnight, Me & Orson Welles)
With Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater
International premiere
Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House)
Japan
By Yoji Yamada (Tokyo Family, About Her Brother)
With Takako Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho
International premiere
Historia del miedo (History of Fear)
Argentina / Uruguay / Germany / France
By Benjamin Naishtat - feature debut
With Jonathan Da Rosa, Claudia Cantero, Mirella Pascual, Cesar Bordon, Tatiana Gimenez
World premiere
Jack
Germany
By Edward Berger
With Ivo Pietzcker, Georg Arms, Luise Heyer, Vincent Redetzki, Jacob Matschenz,...
- 1/15/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Richard Linklater’s Boyhood to compete for the Golden Bear; Beauty and the Beast, starring Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux, to play out of competition.
The 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has added 15 titles to its Competition programme, completing the line-up of 23 films - of which 20 will vye for the Golden Bear and Silver Bears.
The programme includes 18 world premieres and three feature debuts.
The line-up includes the international premiere of Boyhood, from Before Midnight director Richard Linklater. The film, which will premiere at Sundance, was shot over short periods from 2002 to 2013 and covers 12 years in the life of a family, featuring Mason and his sister Samantha. Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater star.
World premieres include In Order of Disappearance, directed by Hans Petter Moland, which stars Stellan Skarsgård as a snow plough driver whose son’s sudden death puts him in the middle of a drug war between theNorwegian mafia and the...
The 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has added 15 titles to its Competition programme, completing the line-up of 23 films - of which 20 will vye for the Golden Bear and Silver Bears.
The programme includes 18 world premieres and three feature debuts.
The line-up includes the international premiere of Boyhood, from Before Midnight director Richard Linklater. The film, which will premiere at Sundance, was shot over short periods from 2002 to 2013 and covers 12 years in the life of a family, featuring Mason and his sister Samantha. Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater star.
World premieres include In Order of Disappearance, directed by Hans Petter Moland, which stars Stellan Skarsgård as a snow plough driver whose son’s sudden death puts him in the middle of a drug war between theNorwegian mafia and the...
- 1/15/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
We're just two weeks away from Fantastic Fest and the lineup looks nothing short of "fantastic".. pun intended as I'm on the Jury for this section. What's been added you ask?
The Us premier of Lars von Trier's incredible Antichrist (review)
The Us premier of Spanish zombie sequel [Rec 2]
A sneak preview of Ninja Assassin
A sneak preview of supposed realistic horror Paranormal Activity which has been finally loosed after being hidden by Hollywood for a year or so.
Full list after the break includes shorts!
Antichrist Us Premiere
(dir. Lars Von Trier, 2009, Denmark)
Lars Von Trier rocked the Croisette at Cannes this year with his latest beautiful, visceral opus with themes on depression, insanity and arrogance. It's also got talking animals and some truly inspired horror moments.
The Bare Breasted Countess
(dir. Jesus Franco, 1973, France/Belgium)
Jess Franco directs his muse Lina Romay in this surreal story of a...
The Us premier of Lars von Trier's incredible Antichrist (review)
The Us premier of Spanish zombie sequel [Rec 2]
A sneak preview of Ninja Assassin
A sneak preview of supposed realistic horror Paranormal Activity which has been finally loosed after being hidden by Hollywood for a year or so.
Full list after the break includes shorts!
Antichrist Us Premiere
(dir. Lars Von Trier, 2009, Denmark)
Lars Von Trier rocked the Croisette at Cannes this year with his latest beautiful, visceral opus with themes on depression, insanity and arrogance. It's also got talking animals and some truly inspired horror moments.
The Bare Breasted Countess
(dir. Jesus Franco, 1973, France/Belgium)
Jess Franco directs his muse Lina Romay in this surreal story of a...
- 9/7/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Pusan festival scaling back, sets 245 films
SEOUL, South Korea -- The Pusan International Film Festival announced its full lineup Tuesday, bringing 245 movies from around the world and more special programs than ever. Opening the 11th edition of Asia's biggest film festival will be the world premiere of Kim Dae-sung's Traces of Love, the story of a man retracing the travel diary of his former girlfriend 10 years after her death. Closing will be the Chinese hit Crazy Stone, directed by Hao Ning. For this year's festival, which runs Oct. 12-20, programrs said they are scaling back the number of selections in order to concentrate on quality. Last year's edition featured 307 films.
- 9/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pusan festival scaling back, sets 245 films
SEOUL, South Korea -- The Pusan International Film Festival announced its full lineup Tuesday, bringing 245 movies from around the world and more special programs than ever. Opening the 11th edition of Asia's biggest film festival will be the world premiere of Kim Dae-sung's Traces of Love, the story of a man retracing the travel diary of his former girlfriend 10 years after her death. Closing will be the Chinese hit Crazy Stone, directed by Hao Ning. For this year's festival, which runs Oct. 12-20, programrs said they are scaling back the number of selections in order to concentrate on quality. Last year's edition featured 307 films.
- 9/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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