In a twist as predictable as a Hollywood sequel, conservative media and alt-right commentators have made it their mission to ridicule the entertainment industry’s awards circuit. It’s an annual ritual from the Oscars to the Emmys and the Grammys: commentators use YouTube, podcasts and op-eds to denounce Hollywood as a “cesspool of liberalism” and a “bubble of elite self-congratulation.” Yet here’s the irony — many of these same voices, who openly deride the industry, quickly seek its validation when they enter its arena.
Case in point: conservative media company The Daily Wire recently submitted the satirical documentary “Am I Racist?” featuring Matt Walsh, an anti-transgender commentator, for Oscar consideration (Oh my God! Can you imagine “Emilia Perez” star Karla Sofía Gascón being forced to share the same air as him?). While some observers see this as a “troll” move, Walsh insists otherwise. On X (formerly Twitter), he stated,...
Case in point: conservative media company The Daily Wire recently submitted the satirical documentary “Am I Racist?” featuring Matt Walsh, an anti-transgender commentator, for Oscar consideration (Oh my God! Can you imagine “Emilia Perez” star Karla Sofía Gascón being forced to share the same air as him?). While some observers see this as a “troll” move, Walsh insists otherwise. On X (formerly Twitter), he stated,...
- 11/15/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“749 Ju” is a new live-action, science fiction feature, written and directed by Chuan Lu, starring Karry Wang, Miao Miao and Ryan Zheng, releasing internationally October 1, 2024 in theaters:
“…in the near future, the appearance of unknown mysterious creatures has led to an unprecedented crisis for the entire city.
“But a secret plan hidden for years suddenly surfaces. A teenager is brought into ‘Bureau 749’ and enters the layers of labyrinths, starting a journey of adventure…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
“…in the near future, the appearance of unknown mysterious creatures has led to an unprecedented crisis for the entire city.
“But a secret plan hidden for years suddenly surfaces. A teenager is brought into ‘Bureau 749’ and enters the layers of labyrinths, starting a journey of adventure…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
- 9/30/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
“Beijing 2022,” the official documentary about the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, has been set as the opening film of the revived Beijing International Film Festival.
It is directed by noted narrative and documentary film maker Lu Chuan and will have its world premiere at the festival.
The festival will run April 22-29 and be based in the Huairou district which has become an out of town hub for the film industry, as well as other venues in the Chinese capital. For the past three editions the Bjiff has been held online due to disruptions caused by China’s strict anti-covid measures.
Organizers said that the festival will operate in nine sections including a feature competition and include some 160 film titles. A jury headed by Zhang Yimou will determine the section’s Tiantan prizes. State media reported that the competition will include between ten and 15 titles, with titles announced so far including “Adios Buenos Aires,...
It is directed by noted narrative and documentary film maker Lu Chuan and will have its world premiere at the festival.
The festival will run April 22-29 and be based in the Huairou district which has become an out of town hub for the film industry, as well as other venues in the Chinese capital. For the past three editions the Bjiff has been held online due to disruptions caused by China’s strict anti-covid measures.
Organizers said that the festival will operate in nine sections including a feature competition and include some 160 film titles. A jury headed by Zhang Yimou will determine the section’s Tiantan prizes. State media reported that the competition will include between ten and 15 titles, with titles announced so far including “Adios Buenos Aires,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese director reveals the challenges of making the Winter Games documentary.
Amsterdam and Beijing-based Fortissimo Films has scored international rights to Lu Chuan’s Olympics documentary Beijing 2022 and is launching sales at the European Film Market.
Shot over more than two years, the official film of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing goes behind the scenes to share the stories of international and Chinese athletes, volunteers, medical personnel and officials – against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
An international team extended coverage to the US, France, Belgium, Austria and beyond to record the preparation of athletes. More than 1,200 hours...
Amsterdam and Beijing-based Fortissimo Films has scored international rights to Lu Chuan’s Olympics documentary Beijing 2022 and is launching sales at the European Film Market.
Shot over more than two years, the official film of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing goes behind the scenes to share the stories of international and Chinese athletes, volunteers, medical personnel and officials – against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
An international team extended coverage to the US, France, Belgium, Austria and beyond to record the preparation of athletes. More than 1,200 hours...
- 2/18/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Cannes 2022 AmPav’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase: ‘Mother in the Mist’ Interview with Kay Niuyue ZhangCalled by Indie Shorts Mag, “tale of tenderness and perseverance” the 20-minute short entitled Mother in the Mist is by a young award-winning director Kay Niuyue Zhang who is Chinese by birth and living in Los Angeles.
The film screened at the American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase during Cannes where it won for Best Student Film, and it stayed in my mind even after I had left Cannes. It is sweet and verges on the sentimental but is saved by the inherent pathos of the story and then again by the story twist at the end which makes you say, “Yes, I understand”. And you do; you feel the pain of the two characters as they join forces to avoid curfew and protocols during the first ever lockdown due to Covid in order to be with their loved ones. The story follows Zhao (Shen Shi Yu), a rural single new mother who has yet to see the preemie daughter she gave birth to, and Snowie (Wang Xi Wen), a mysterious eight-year-old girl who fights her way to the heart of the disaster in the hope of seeing her mother. Together the two embark on a dangerous journey in the midst of the Covid chaos.
There was much to discuss when I met Kay at the American Pavilion to discuss the film. But I started with the basics:
Are you from China?
Yes I was born and raised in Wuhan.
Are you an only child? (I knew of the one-child policy was a program in China that limited most Chinese families to one child each. It was implemented nationwide by the Chinese government in 1980, and it ended in 2016.)
Yes and my parents are very supportive of me.
Do you plan to stay in US or return to China?
I would like to stay in the US. I originally came to do my undergraduate work at Duke in International Comparative Studies, thinking to go on and study law. I also worked as a bilingual production coordinator for a year. I decided to pursue my long-standing love for films and filmmaking and attended USC School of Cinematic Arts for an Mfa in Film Production.
It is pretty amazing to see a film made in Wuhan, ground zero for Covid, dealing with a story that might or might not be true.
I heard about this story — it’s about an extended family cousin — and was so moved when I first heard it that I thought I really had to make it into a film. And I was also at the time doing my thesis film for my graduate studies, so I decided that would be the story that was going to be told.
I won’t give the ending away but it made all the difference in the story you were telling.How did you compose the story to tell on film?
I thought a lot about the most effective way to tell the story. It is so dramatic in itself. And doing anything could undermine how truthfully touching it actually was. I thought about doing a documentary, but then shooting reenactments feels kind of staged. So, I was thinking about how to make it an effective story that has an arc. And then it came to me — the idea of the film came to me that the two protagonists in fact meet on the trip, but the trip is not really a trip. It happens in our consciousness and in our dreams. And I added a little bit of melodramatic spice.
It must have been dramatic enough just shooting it in Wuha.
It was shot one year after the lockdown in Wuhan. My own family was from Wuhan, so I knew people and found the shooting very smooth with lots of support. My crew was made of five or six USC alumni and students, all Chinese who happened to be in China at the same time.
Post-production was completely virtual and took place in five different countries simultaneously. Editing took place in a foreign hotel in Beijing, sound and design in L.A., music composing in Lima, the post coordinator was in Taiwan and I myself was in Wuhan.
I noticed that the film won the Gold Medal of the 47th Student Academy Award, the 27th DGA Student Film Award for Best Woman Filmmaker, Best Student Film of the 52nd USA Film Festival and Special Jury Prize at the BAFTA Student Film Awards. You must be very conscious of how you place the film into festivals that will help move the film and your own career forward.
As a director and producer, I have produced several short films and features that have screened at Oscar qualifying film festivals internationally such as Flickers’ Rhode Island Iff, St. Louis Iff, USA Film Festival, and Beijing Iff.
Gratefully, my projects were funded twice by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Fox Fellowship Endowment Fund, Moustapha and Malek Akkad Endowed Fund, Lisa Lu Foundation, Jack Larson and James Bridges Merit Fund and several other generous funds. I also worked as a Key Pa in renowned TV and feature films such as Spongebob Squarepants seasons 9–12, Bureau 749 by Chinese director Lu Chuan, and Normal Heros from Alibaba Studios.
What influences your creativity?
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, surrealism, Charlie Kaufman, the lamb as an animal and memory.
Films that reflect nuanced emotions and struggles of diverse children and women evoke my deepest empathy. Thus I surround my creative world with the subtle and sensitive experiences of marginalized and diasporic children and women.
I learned French in college and I like languages. I need to tell stories about people crossing boundaries, people finding selves in new situations.
My creativity is inspired by my experience as an international citizen who constantly crosses borders both physically and culturally.
What are you working on now?
I had intended to shoot a fiction feature for my thesis film but Covid struck down that idea so now I am working on that. It is about an international student in the US who accidently takes on a gig for a Chinatown hooker. It has a poetic tone, is atmospheric and goes beyond the story itself in the cinematographic angles and landscape.
America could use some poetics. In film school it is always story, deciding on it, adhering to it.
I am also producing Better Than a Shovel, a comedic horror feature written and to be directed by a fellow USC student, Alex Kamb who was a Sundance Ignite Fellow and to be shot by fellow USC student Quincy Huanxi Li who was also a Student Academy Award Gold Medalist. We want it to go to SXSW and Fantasia Film Festivals.
Thank you Kay. I know we will be hearing more about you soon!
I recommend for my readers further reading about you as the new young talent in the in-depth interview in Script Magazine here. Enjoy!
The trailer can be viewed Here.
Kay Niuyue Zhan
Mother in the Mist
2021 Narrative Short, 20 min, Color
Director| Writer | Produce by Kay Niuyue Zhang
Film Link: https://vimeo.com/557072346 Password Upon request
Film Review: Indie Shorts Mag: Mother in the Mist: The Sting of Sorrow amidst disaster
The 27th Annual DGA Student Film Awards Best Women Student Filmmaker Grand Prize Award Winner
Award Winner Best Student Film 52th Annual USA Film Festival 2022 (Canadian Screen Award Qualifying)
Jury Award Winner American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at 75th Cannes Film Festival Village International
World Premiere: San Diego International Film Festival Official Selection 2021 (Canadian Screen Award Qualifying)
South East Premiere: Scad Savannah Film Festival 2021
International Premiere: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2021 (Fiapf Accreditation)
The 58th Golden Horse Awards Live Action Short Film — Semi-Finalist (Academy Award Qualifying)
6th New Era Film Festival (Beijing, China) — Official Selection
Mao International Film Week (Guangzhou, China) — Best director Award Winner
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival 2021 — Semi-Finalist (Academy Award Qualifying)
Ufva Carole Fielding Grant Semi-Finalist
Moustapha and Malek Akkad Endowed Fund funded & Fox Fellowship Endowment Fund
The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase 2022 Official Selection of Films
Since 1989, The American Pavilion has offered unparalleled experiences in Cannes to film students and emerging filmmakers from around the world. AmPav’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase provides an opportunity for filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees. Finalist Films from 2020 and 2021 will also be screened at The American Pavilion this year. Each of our four categories of exceptional and diverse 2022 films (Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, LGBTQ+ Showcase, Student showcase and High School Film Showcase) will be showcased to our American Pavilion audiences followed by a live filmmaker Q&A.
Below are the 2022 Jury Award winners
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Films
Best Short Film — Noisy
directed by Cedric Hill
Best Documentary — The Show Must Go On
directed by Paul Grant & Nathan Crane Cohen
Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ+ Showcase
Best LGBTQ+ Film — All The Young Dudes
directed by William Stead
Emerging Filmmaker Student Showcase
Best Student Film — Mother In The Mist
directed by Kay Niuyue Zhang (USC)
Best Student Documentary —
Bad Hombrewood
directed by Guillermo Casarin (USC)
Emerging Filmmaker High School Showcase
Best High School Film — A Prayer For My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story
directed by Ruben Barrett, Raisa Effress, Sophia Evans, Lauren Fuchs, Katie Hadsock-Longarzo, Ian Kim, Eve Levy, Timothy Lim, Asher Meron, Marlon Ochoa, Bella Rahi, Hank Schoen, Olivia Uzielli
Emerging Filmmaker Documentaries & Short Films
Instagram
The Show Must Go On
2021, 17:39 min., USA, Documentary
Producer/Writer/Director: Paul Grant, Nathan Crane Cohen
Cast: Jeff Whiting, Robin McGee, Sarah Timberlake, Bruce Barish
At the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic and in the midst of a PPE crisis, Broadway’s resilient community comes together to create the infrastructure to supply frontline medical workers with desperately needed hospital gowns.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stoneheart: An Undying Gift
2021, 6:20 min., USA, Documentary
Director: Nicholas Markart
Producer: Stephen Hilfiker, Nicholas Markart
Cast: Stephen Hilfiker
Steve Hilfiker, a heart transplant survivor and father of four, describes his experience facing death, and how his perspective on life has forever changed following the fateful operation.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
7 Lbs 8 Oz
2021, 7:08 min., USA, Animation/Comedy/Drama
Writer/Director: Yoo Lee
Producer: Xin Li, Evelyn Angelica Martinez
Cast: Frank Thon, Michelle Sohn, Robin Daniels
When a young mother moves into 8th street, Jersey City, NJ, she learns about the value of the community and how her own perception determines her own experiences.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Charlie And The Hunt
2022, 14:31 min., USA, Family/Drama/Coming-of-Age
Writer/Director: Jenn Shaw
Producer: Dannielle Dormer, Anita M Cal, Yj Meira, Tema L Staig, Allison Vanore
Cast: Lauren Ridloff, Nifeoluwa Ramroop, Robert Artz
Charlie and the Hunt is the fantastical journey of Charlie Miles, a little Black-American girl with a taste for adventure. One day, Charlie is playfully spinning in her front yard, experiencing her world from her point of view. As a Coda (Child Of Deaf Adult) kid, she uses American Sign Language while communicating with her deaf mother and sometimes playing with Shirley, her mischievous dog. After seeing her mom frantically search for a meaningful bracelet, Charlie hides that she is responsible. So, on a journey to recover the lost item, Charlie takes off into the wild. She follows her homemade treasure map and disappears into a lush forest filled with breathtaking landscapes and towering waterfalls. While admiring the beauty of nature, she must avoid danger and overcome her biggest fear to find her way to a treasure more priceless than she could ever imagine.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
The Errand
2022, 11:23 min., USA, Drama
Director: Amanda Renee Knox
Writer: Mira Olsson
Producer: Lara Aslanian, Amanda Renee Knox
Cast: Naya Johnson, Ezekiel Bridges, Toni Robison-May, Sean Gallagher
When a young girl hitchhiking is picked up by a stranger, who ends up taking whom for a ride?
Trailer | Facebook
My Gift
2021, 13:25 min., Australia, Drama
Writer/Director: Michael Raso
Producer: Michael Raso, Jd Cohen
Cast: Luke Hoogendyk, Ridhi Prasad, Joshua Fisk, Catherine Ross, Jyotsna Sharma, Susan Ling Young
A young boy is admitted to a hospital for lifesaving treatment. He befriends a young Indian girl who hopes a cure is found to save him before it’s too late.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin
2021, 4:29 min., USA, Animation
Writer/Director: Kyra Peters
“If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin” brings to life the story of a teenage boy who craves a life where his skin no longer affects his daily life or how others perceive him. Using 2D animation, the film follows him through the streets of the Bronx, trying to unite his community’s voice through music to rally against the divisive hate against color.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Noisy
2020, 10:04 min., USA, Drama
Writer/Director: Cedric Hill
Producer: Cedric Hill, Pandora Scooter, Daniel Phillips
Executive Producer: Dany Bouchedid Dp: Valentina Caniglia
Cast: Max Lamadrid, Gabi Faye
Sam gets on the subway to get home. He catches the eye of April. The two of them discover they have way more in common than where they’re heading. Sometimes you need a noisy place to have a quiet conversation.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Shutter The Doors
2021, 13:23 min., USA, Drama
Writer/Director: Sheri Sussman
Producer: Antonio Cortese, Adam Rex
Cast: Ian Buchanan, Billy Wirth
“Shutter the Doors”, starring Ian Buchanan and Billy Wirth, is a short film that captures a moment in time of a man struggling to deal with an unexpected loss in his life.
Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ+ Films
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Cans Can’T Stand
2022, 18:42 min., USA, Documentary/Social Justice/LGBTQ+, Yale University
Director: Matt Nadel, Megan Plotka
Producer: Matt Nadel, Wendi Cooper
Cast: Wendi Cooper, Milan Nicole Sherry, CANScan’tSTAND Activists
Since 1982, police have weaponized Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (Cans) law to terrorize queer/trans Louisianians. Cans Can’t Stand follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans who are fighting to repeal that law — and advance trans liberation statewide.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
All The Young Dudes
2020, 8:39 min., USA, Drama/Historical/Music/LGBTQ+, Florida State University
Writer/Director: William Stead
Producer: Cameron Greco
Cast: Blake Lafita, Richie Gambardella
Georgia, USA, 1973. Glam rocker Billy rebels against his conservative high school, inspiring admiration from an unlikely ally with a desire to walk on the wild side…
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Carino
2021, 3:46 min., USA, Animation/LGBTQ+, School of Visual Arts
Writer/Director: Carlos Taborda, Roshel Amuruz, Ashley Williams
In the streets of Cartagena, a young boy embarks on an adventure to find a flower for his crush and win his affection.
Instagram
Cupids
2021, 10 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+
Director: Zoey Martinson
Writer: Zoey Martinson, Julie Sharbutt
Producer: Korey Jackson and Devin E. Haqq
Cast: Melanie Nicholls-King, Toryn Isabella Coote, Julius Sampson, Scarlett London Diviney
In this playful comedy, three kids worry that their beloved school bus driver will be lonely this summer without them. They set out to find her a partner and imagine the perfect matches.
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Don’T Let Go
2021, 9:33 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ+, University of Southern California
Writer/Director: Mel Orpen
Producer: Mehmet Gungoren
Cast: Tessa Hope Slovis, Joyce Lee, Lauren Lynn King, Susan Harmon
When Sam and Reggie get engaged, their future seems bright–until a terrible car accident leaves Reggie in a coma. And Sam must confront Reggie’s homophobic mother to fight for a place at her hospital bedside before it’s too late.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Dotting The “I”
2022, 11:14 min., USA, Romance/Drama/Comedy/LGBTQ+
Writer/Director: Doug Tompos
Producer: Doug Tompos, Risa Bramon Garcia, Steve Braun
Cast: Jeff Lorch, Miguel Perez
In the shadows of an empty office, the poetry of an unlikely kiss helps two men discover a love lost and a love never found.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Imperfectly Complete
2021, 14:46 min., USA (Subtitles), Drama/Romance/LGBTQ+, University of Southern California
Writer/Director: Bruce Chiu
Producer: Victor Tsao, Chrissy Aung
Cast: Chrissy Aung, Zaw Myo Htet
Lucy has been taking care of Owen, a blind guitarist she has admired for years. When Owen is about to get his vision back, Lucy faces the struggle of whether to reveal her true identity to Owen.
Website | Instagram
Noah’S Song
2021, 2:57 min., USA, Animation/Romance/LGBTQ+, Vassar College
Producer/Writer/Director: Damián Bonito Zapien
Noah’s Song is an animation about a transgender man coming out to his partner.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Second Team
2020, 10:27 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+
Director: Ria Pavia
Writer: Anni Weisband
Producer: Mayon Denton, Julia Armine, Robert E. Arnold, Anni Weisband
Cast: Francia Raisa, Danielle Savre, Gigi Zumbado, Greer Grammar, Phill Lewis, Chester Lockhart, Sally Brooks, Akil Jackson, Alexander True Snyder, Catfish Jean, Melissa Greenspan
A scorned stand-in actor for a hit TV show distorts the script to publicly undress her costar.
Trailer | Website | Twitter | Twitter | Instagram
The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night
2021, 11 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+
Director: Fawzia Mirza
Writer: Kausar Mohammed
Producer: Amalia Mesa-Gustin, Kausar Mohamed
Cast: Kausar Mohammed, Vico Ortiz, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Pia Shah, D’Lo Srijaerajah
All cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time on the family’s annual game night.
Student Documentaries & Student Short Films
Trailer | Instagram
Bad Hombrewood
2021, 23:45 min., USA, Documentary, University of Southern California
Director: Guillermo Casarin
Producer: Marian Cook, Santos Herrera
Cast: Phil Lord, Lee Unkrich, Guillermo Del Toro, Melissa Fumero, Ben Lopez, Dr. Laura Isabel Serna, Leslie Arcos, Osiris Pichardo, Jenniffer González Martinez, Anabel Iñigo, Santos Herrera, Guillermo Casarín
For decades, the film industry has confined minorities to stereotypical characters. Now, filmmakers fight to change the Latinx role in Hollywood. Guillermo Casarín, an aspiring young filmmaker, came to the United States from Mexico to pursue his dreams of becoming a film director. Now, he is on the verge of graduating from one of the best film schools in the world, but after experiencing racism in the country and film industry, he finds himself questioning his place in Hollywood. Through compelling interviews–such as Academy Award-winning directors Phil Lord, Lee Unkrich, and Guillermo Del Toro, and Melissa Fumero from the Golden Globe-winning show Brooklyn Nine-Nine–and archival footage, Bad Hombrewood reveals the dark side of Hollywood’s history and the challenges Latinx filmmakers face while trying to succeed in the entertainment industry.
Trailer | Facebook
Spokespeople
2020, 23:30 min., USA, Documentary, University of Southern California
Director: Ryan Mekenian
Producer: Daniel Sheahan, Stephen Tonti
Cast: Jeremy Sisto (Narration)
For Los Angeles natives living in the early 1900’s, bicycles and streetcars shared the road as our primary modes of transportation. But the arrival of the freeway effectively wiped them out. Today, a collective of cycling communities fight for protected bike lanes and road safety; determined to bring a new era of mobility justice to the city..
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Message Sent
2021, 4:13 min., USA, Animation/Comedy, Cal State University Northridge
Producer/Writer/Director: Ryan C. Lopez
Cast: Ryan C. Lopez, Danielle Della Porta
When Steven struggles to make his feelings for Liza clear, his Cell Phone comes to life and encourages him to make the most important decision of his young adult life, to trust himself, and take a leap of faith.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Mother In The Mist
2021, 20:51 min., China, Drama, University of Southern California
Writer/Director: Kay Niuyue Zhang
Producer: Robin Zhongyu Wang, Kay Niuyue Zhang
Co-Producer: Eris Zhao, Jiayun Li Cinematographer: Jiang Du
Cast: Shen Shiyu, Wang Xiwen
Following Wuhan’s Coronavirus lockdown, a rural single mother embarks on a dangerous journey in search of her preemie newborn baby stranded in Wuhan City Hospital. Against a harsh, grim winter night, she trudges through trials and tribulations, fighting a way around checkpoints. Joining her path is a mysterious eight-year-old girl, who shares the same determination to reunite with her mother in the city. When She finally almost gets to Wuhan, we realize things are not as it seems…
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Over My Dead Body
2020, 25 min., USA (subtitles), Drama/Comedy/Family, New York Film Academy
Producer/Writer/Director: Meital Cohen Navarro
Cast: Mary Apick, Nakta Pahlevan, Bahram Vatanparast, Afshin Katanchi, Mahsa Shamsa
When a young Jewish Persian-American woman tells her parents that her fiancé is Muslim, they make her choose between him and them.
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram
The War Within
2021, 25 min., USA (subtitles), Drama, Santa Monica College
Writer/Director: Marta D’Ocon
Producer: Marina Coutinho, Catharine Dada
Cast: Sabrina Hartmann, Alan Corvaia, Laura Urgelles, Damián Delgado
Somewhere in Latin America, a young woman joins a guerrilla army when her entire family is massacred by government troops. She initially thrives, finding strength and independence as a deadly sniper. But her newfound sense of purpose and self-respect come with a high price.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Wuhan Driver
2021, 14:14 min., USA, Drama, New York University
Writer/Director: Tiger Ji
Producer: Alena Svyatova, Jonathan Sanger
Cast: Wayne Chang
At the beginning of the pandemic, a Chinese driver in New York struggles to make ends meet as he picks up passengers on a long and dreary night.
High School Films
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
A Prayer For My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story
2022, 9:58 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, The Righteous Conversations Project
Director: Ruben Barrett, Raisa Effress, Sophia Evans, Lauren Fuchs, Katie Hadsock-Longarzo, Ian Kim, Eve Levy, Timothy Lim, Asher Meron, Marlon Ochoa, Bella Rahi, Hank Schoen, Olivia Uzielli
Producer: C. Lily Ericsson, Carter Beardmore, Sophie Kim
Exec Producer: Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman
Cast: Eva Brettler
A Prayer For My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story is an animated film that chronicles the extraordinary saga of Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler — a child facing brutality and profound loss who finds sustenance in faith and her own dreams for the future. From the loss of her parents to a forced death march across Europe, young Eva survives Ravensbruck and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camps, the destruction of her family, and the near destruction of European Jewry to emerge, with a tender heart and faith intact, crediting the goodness and decency of helpers and caretakers she encountered along the way.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Devil Bean
2021, 10:36 min., Australia, Comedy, St. Matthews Catholic School
Director: Jessica Nipperess
Writer: Sam Paine
Cast: Sam Paine, Stella Morgan, Reneé French, Charlie French
After gifting a coffee machine to their father on Christmas, this picture-perfect family is thrown into the jaws of a horror-come-anti-drug flick as their dad’s addiction tears the family apart.
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram
Greta
2021, 7:49 min., USA, Drama/Coming of Age, Glendale High School
Writer/Director: Sofie Verweyen
Cast: Lilah Hayes, Erinn Hayes, Victoria Atkin, Jack Hayes, Maggie Hayes, Eva Langsdorff
A personal, subjective journey into the mind of Greta Thunberg, before realizing her calling as a climate activist. While struggling with mental health issues and bullying because of her Aspergers, she also grapples with a sense of impending doom due to the climate crisis. These same struggles and fears drive her to make change and become the person she is today.
Trailer | Instagram | Instagram
Hotline
2021, 13:21 min., USA, Drama, Pacifica Christian High School
Writer/Director: Andreas Mickelopoulos, Garrett Seabold
Cast: Isai Palomares, Charlotte Shays, Robert Pitts, Nicolas Kolesnikow
Three high school boys’ night of prank calls quickly develops into a matter of life and death when an unsuspecting classmate answers the phone.
Trailer
Pho
2021, 11:51 min., USA, Drama, Orange County School of the Arts
Writer/Director: Ethan Chu
Producer: Ava Encinas
Cast: Khoi Le, Julie Tong, Antone Axten
After building a seemingly successful life, a man must come to terms with the melancholic truth that he has detached from his Vietnamese culture and subsequently his grandmother, both of which he once held a close relationship with. His grief pushes him through a journey of reflection which reveals to him the perfect recipe to restore the once lost connection.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Sydney 2078
2021, 9:36 min., Australia, Sci-Fi/Drama, Balgowlah Boys Campus
Producer/Writer/Director: Brady O’Sullivan
Cast: Gordon Carroll
A teenage boy from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with a fascination for science fiction movies and novels has a vision during the night, leading him on an inter-dimensional endeavour into the future.
Trailer | Website | Instagram | Twitter
Think Like A Filmmaker
2021, 6:20 min, USA, Documentary, Saint Ann’s School
Producer/Director: Eli Berliner
Cast: Alan Berliner
Eli Berliner turns the camera on his father, Alan, a personal documentary filmmaker, whose new body of work approaches sculpture through the eyes of a filmmaker.
The film screened at the American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase during Cannes where it won for Best Student Film, and it stayed in my mind even after I had left Cannes. It is sweet and verges on the sentimental but is saved by the inherent pathos of the story and then again by the story twist at the end which makes you say, “Yes, I understand”. And you do; you feel the pain of the two characters as they join forces to avoid curfew and protocols during the first ever lockdown due to Covid in order to be with their loved ones. The story follows Zhao (Shen Shi Yu), a rural single new mother who has yet to see the preemie daughter she gave birth to, and Snowie (Wang Xi Wen), a mysterious eight-year-old girl who fights her way to the heart of the disaster in the hope of seeing her mother. Together the two embark on a dangerous journey in the midst of the Covid chaos.
There was much to discuss when I met Kay at the American Pavilion to discuss the film. But I started with the basics:
Are you from China?
Yes I was born and raised in Wuhan.
Are you an only child? (I knew of the one-child policy was a program in China that limited most Chinese families to one child each. It was implemented nationwide by the Chinese government in 1980, and it ended in 2016.)
Yes and my parents are very supportive of me.
Do you plan to stay in US or return to China?
I would like to stay in the US. I originally came to do my undergraduate work at Duke in International Comparative Studies, thinking to go on and study law. I also worked as a bilingual production coordinator for a year. I decided to pursue my long-standing love for films and filmmaking and attended USC School of Cinematic Arts for an Mfa in Film Production.
It is pretty amazing to see a film made in Wuhan, ground zero for Covid, dealing with a story that might or might not be true.
I heard about this story — it’s about an extended family cousin — and was so moved when I first heard it that I thought I really had to make it into a film. And I was also at the time doing my thesis film for my graduate studies, so I decided that would be the story that was going to be told.
I won’t give the ending away but it made all the difference in the story you were telling.How did you compose the story to tell on film?
I thought a lot about the most effective way to tell the story. It is so dramatic in itself. And doing anything could undermine how truthfully touching it actually was. I thought about doing a documentary, but then shooting reenactments feels kind of staged. So, I was thinking about how to make it an effective story that has an arc. And then it came to me — the idea of the film came to me that the two protagonists in fact meet on the trip, but the trip is not really a trip. It happens in our consciousness and in our dreams. And I added a little bit of melodramatic spice.
It must have been dramatic enough just shooting it in Wuha.
It was shot one year after the lockdown in Wuhan. My own family was from Wuhan, so I knew people and found the shooting very smooth with lots of support. My crew was made of five or six USC alumni and students, all Chinese who happened to be in China at the same time.
Post-production was completely virtual and took place in five different countries simultaneously. Editing took place in a foreign hotel in Beijing, sound and design in L.A., music composing in Lima, the post coordinator was in Taiwan and I myself was in Wuhan.
I noticed that the film won the Gold Medal of the 47th Student Academy Award, the 27th DGA Student Film Award for Best Woman Filmmaker, Best Student Film of the 52nd USA Film Festival and Special Jury Prize at the BAFTA Student Film Awards. You must be very conscious of how you place the film into festivals that will help move the film and your own career forward.
As a director and producer, I have produced several short films and features that have screened at Oscar qualifying film festivals internationally such as Flickers’ Rhode Island Iff, St. Louis Iff, USA Film Festival, and Beijing Iff.
Gratefully, my projects were funded twice by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Fox Fellowship Endowment Fund, Moustapha and Malek Akkad Endowed Fund, Lisa Lu Foundation, Jack Larson and James Bridges Merit Fund and several other generous funds. I also worked as a Key Pa in renowned TV and feature films such as Spongebob Squarepants seasons 9–12, Bureau 749 by Chinese director Lu Chuan, and Normal Heros from Alibaba Studios.
What influences your creativity?
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, surrealism, Charlie Kaufman, the lamb as an animal and memory.
Films that reflect nuanced emotions and struggles of diverse children and women evoke my deepest empathy. Thus I surround my creative world with the subtle and sensitive experiences of marginalized and diasporic children and women.
I learned French in college and I like languages. I need to tell stories about people crossing boundaries, people finding selves in new situations.
My creativity is inspired by my experience as an international citizen who constantly crosses borders both physically and culturally.
What are you working on now?
I had intended to shoot a fiction feature for my thesis film but Covid struck down that idea so now I am working on that. It is about an international student in the US who accidently takes on a gig for a Chinatown hooker. It has a poetic tone, is atmospheric and goes beyond the story itself in the cinematographic angles and landscape.
America could use some poetics. In film school it is always story, deciding on it, adhering to it.
I am also producing Better Than a Shovel, a comedic horror feature written and to be directed by a fellow USC student, Alex Kamb who was a Sundance Ignite Fellow and to be shot by fellow USC student Quincy Huanxi Li who was also a Student Academy Award Gold Medalist. We want it to go to SXSW and Fantasia Film Festivals.
Thank you Kay. I know we will be hearing more about you soon!
I recommend for my readers further reading about you as the new young talent in the in-depth interview in Script Magazine here. Enjoy!
The trailer can be viewed Here.
Kay Niuyue Zhan
Mother in the Mist
2021 Narrative Short, 20 min, Color
Director| Writer | Produce by Kay Niuyue Zhang
Film Link: https://vimeo.com/557072346 Password Upon request
Film Review: Indie Shorts Mag: Mother in the Mist: The Sting of Sorrow amidst disaster
The 27th Annual DGA Student Film Awards Best Women Student Filmmaker Grand Prize Award Winner
Award Winner Best Student Film 52th Annual USA Film Festival 2022 (Canadian Screen Award Qualifying)
Jury Award Winner American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at 75th Cannes Film Festival Village International
World Premiere: San Diego International Film Festival Official Selection 2021 (Canadian Screen Award Qualifying)
South East Premiere: Scad Savannah Film Festival 2021
International Premiere: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2021 (Fiapf Accreditation)
The 58th Golden Horse Awards Live Action Short Film — Semi-Finalist (Academy Award Qualifying)
6th New Era Film Festival (Beijing, China) — Official Selection
Mao International Film Week (Guangzhou, China) — Best director Award Winner
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival 2021 — Semi-Finalist (Academy Award Qualifying)
Ufva Carole Fielding Grant Semi-Finalist
Moustapha and Malek Akkad Endowed Fund funded & Fox Fellowship Endowment Fund
The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase 2022 Official Selection of Films
Since 1989, The American Pavilion has offered unparalleled experiences in Cannes to film students and emerging filmmakers from around the world. AmPav’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase provides an opportunity for filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees. Finalist Films from 2020 and 2021 will also be screened at The American Pavilion this year. Each of our four categories of exceptional and diverse 2022 films (Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, LGBTQ+ Showcase, Student showcase and High School Film Showcase) will be showcased to our American Pavilion audiences followed by a live filmmaker Q&A.
Below are the 2022 Jury Award winners
Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Films
Best Short Film — Noisy
directed by Cedric Hill
Best Documentary — The Show Must Go On
directed by Paul Grant & Nathan Crane Cohen
Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ+ Showcase
Best LGBTQ+ Film — All The Young Dudes
directed by William Stead
Emerging Filmmaker Student Showcase
Best Student Film — Mother In The Mist
directed by Kay Niuyue Zhang (USC)
Best Student Documentary —
Bad Hombrewood
directed by Guillermo Casarin (USC)
Emerging Filmmaker High School Showcase
Best High School Film — A Prayer For My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story
directed by Ruben Barrett, Raisa Effress, Sophia Evans, Lauren Fuchs, Katie Hadsock-Longarzo, Ian Kim, Eve Levy, Timothy Lim, Asher Meron, Marlon Ochoa, Bella Rahi, Hank Schoen, Olivia Uzielli
Emerging Filmmaker Documentaries & Short Films
The Show Must Go On
2021, 17:39 min., USA, Documentary
Producer/Writer/Director: Paul Grant, Nathan Crane Cohen
Cast: Jeff Whiting, Robin McGee, Sarah Timberlake, Bruce Barish
At the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic and in the midst of a PPE crisis, Broadway’s resilient community comes together to create the infrastructure to supply frontline medical workers with desperately needed hospital gowns.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stoneheart: An Undying Gift
2021, 6:20 min., USA, Documentary
Director: Nicholas Markart
Producer: Stephen Hilfiker, Nicholas Markart
Cast: Stephen Hilfiker
Steve Hilfiker, a heart transplant survivor and father of four, describes his experience facing death, and how his perspective on life has forever changed following the fateful operation.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
7 Lbs 8 Oz
2021, 7:08 min., USA, Animation/Comedy/Drama
Writer/Director: Yoo Lee
Producer: Xin Li, Evelyn Angelica Martinez
Cast: Frank Thon, Michelle Sohn, Robin Daniels
When a young mother moves into 8th street, Jersey City, NJ, she learns about the value of the community and how her own perception determines her own experiences.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Charlie And The Hunt
2022, 14:31 min., USA, Family/Drama/Coming-of-Age
Writer/Director: Jenn Shaw
Producer: Dannielle Dormer, Anita M Cal, Yj Meira, Tema L Staig, Allison Vanore
Cast: Lauren Ridloff, Nifeoluwa Ramroop, Robert Artz
Charlie and the Hunt is the fantastical journey of Charlie Miles, a little Black-American girl with a taste for adventure. One day, Charlie is playfully spinning in her front yard, experiencing her world from her point of view. As a Coda (Child Of Deaf Adult) kid, she uses American Sign Language while communicating with her deaf mother and sometimes playing with Shirley, her mischievous dog. After seeing her mom frantically search for a meaningful bracelet, Charlie hides that she is responsible. So, on a journey to recover the lost item, Charlie takes off into the wild. She follows her homemade treasure map and disappears into a lush forest filled with breathtaking landscapes and towering waterfalls. While admiring the beauty of nature, she must avoid danger and overcome her biggest fear to find her way to a treasure more priceless than she could ever imagine.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
The Errand
2022, 11:23 min., USA, Drama
Director: Amanda Renee Knox
Writer: Mira Olsson
Producer: Lara Aslanian, Amanda Renee Knox
Cast: Naya Johnson, Ezekiel Bridges, Toni Robison-May, Sean Gallagher
When a young girl hitchhiking is picked up by a stranger, who ends up taking whom for a ride?
Trailer | Facebook
My Gift
2021, 13:25 min., Australia, Drama
Writer/Director: Michael Raso
Producer: Michael Raso, Jd Cohen
Cast: Luke Hoogendyk, Ridhi Prasad, Joshua Fisk, Catherine Ross, Jyotsna Sharma, Susan Ling Young
A young boy is admitted to a hospital for lifesaving treatment. He befriends a young Indian girl who hopes a cure is found to save him before it’s too late.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin
2021, 4:29 min., USA, Animation
Writer/Director: Kyra Peters
“If My Voice Rang Louder Than My Skin” brings to life the story of a teenage boy who craves a life where his skin no longer affects his daily life or how others perceive him. Using 2D animation, the film follows him through the streets of the Bronx, trying to unite his community’s voice through music to rally against the divisive hate against color.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Noisy
2020, 10:04 min., USA, Drama
Writer/Director: Cedric Hill
Producer: Cedric Hill, Pandora Scooter, Daniel Phillips
Executive Producer: Dany Bouchedid Dp: Valentina Caniglia
Cast: Max Lamadrid, Gabi Faye
Sam gets on the subway to get home. He catches the eye of April. The two of them discover they have way more in common than where they’re heading. Sometimes you need a noisy place to have a quiet conversation.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Shutter The Doors
2021, 13:23 min., USA, Drama
Writer/Director: Sheri Sussman
Producer: Antonio Cortese, Adam Rex
Cast: Ian Buchanan, Billy Wirth
“Shutter the Doors”, starring Ian Buchanan and Billy Wirth, is a short film that captures a moment in time of a man struggling to deal with an unexpected loss in his life.
Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ+ Films
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Cans Can’T Stand
2022, 18:42 min., USA, Documentary/Social Justice/LGBTQ+, Yale University
Director: Matt Nadel, Megan Plotka
Producer: Matt Nadel, Wendi Cooper
Cast: Wendi Cooper, Milan Nicole Sherry, CANScan’tSTAND Activists
Since 1982, police have weaponized Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (Cans) law to terrorize queer/trans Louisianians. Cans Can’t Stand follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans who are fighting to repeal that law — and advance trans liberation statewide.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
All The Young Dudes
2020, 8:39 min., USA, Drama/Historical/Music/LGBTQ+, Florida State University
Writer/Director: William Stead
Producer: Cameron Greco
Cast: Blake Lafita, Richie Gambardella
Georgia, USA, 1973. Glam rocker Billy rebels against his conservative high school, inspiring admiration from an unlikely ally with a desire to walk on the wild side…
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Carino
2021, 3:46 min., USA, Animation/LGBTQ+, School of Visual Arts
Writer/Director: Carlos Taborda, Roshel Amuruz, Ashley Williams
In the streets of Cartagena, a young boy embarks on an adventure to find a flower for his crush and win his affection.
Cupids
2021, 10 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+
Director: Zoey Martinson
Writer: Zoey Martinson, Julie Sharbutt
Producer: Korey Jackson and Devin E. Haqq
Cast: Melanie Nicholls-King, Toryn Isabella Coote, Julius Sampson, Scarlett London Diviney
In this playful comedy, three kids worry that their beloved school bus driver will be lonely this summer without them. They set out to find her a partner and imagine the perfect matches.
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Don’T Let Go
2021, 9:33 min., USA, Drama/LGBTQ+, University of Southern California
Writer/Director: Mel Orpen
Producer: Mehmet Gungoren
Cast: Tessa Hope Slovis, Joyce Lee, Lauren Lynn King, Susan Harmon
When Sam and Reggie get engaged, their future seems bright–until a terrible car accident leaves Reggie in a coma. And Sam must confront Reggie’s homophobic mother to fight for a place at her hospital bedside before it’s too late.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Dotting The “I”
2022, 11:14 min., USA, Romance/Drama/Comedy/LGBTQ+
Writer/Director: Doug Tompos
Producer: Doug Tompos, Risa Bramon Garcia, Steve Braun
Cast: Jeff Lorch, Miguel Perez
In the shadows of an empty office, the poetry of an unlikely kiss helps two men discover a love lost and a love never found.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Imperfectly Complete
2021, 14:46 min., USA (Subtitles), Drama/Romance/LGBTQ+, University of Southern California
Writer/Director: Bruce Chiu
Producer: Victor Tsao, Chrissy Aung
Cast: Chrissy Aung, Zaw Myo Htet
Lucy has been taking care of Owen, a blind guitarist she has admired for years. When Owen is about to get his vision back, Lucy faces the struggle of whether to reveal her true identity to Owen.
Website | Instagram
Noah’S Song
2021, 2:57 min., USA, Animation/Romance/LGBTQ+, Vassar College
Producer/Writer/Director: Damián Bonito Zapien
Noah’s Song is an animation about a transgender man coming out to his partner.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Second Team
2020, 10:27 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+
Director: Ria Pavia
Writer: Anni Weisband
Producer: Mayon Denton, Julia Armine, Robert E. Arnold, Anni Weisband
Cast: Francia Raisa, Danielle Savre, Gigi Zumbado, Greer Grammar, Phill Lewis, Chester Lockhart, Sally Brooks, Akil Jackson, Alexander True Snyder, Catfish Jean, Melissa Greenspan
A scorned stand-in actor for a hit TV show distorts the script to publicly undress her costar.
Trailer | Website | Twitter | Twitter | Instagram
The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night
2021, 11 min., USA, Comedy/LGBTQ+
Director: Fawzia Mirza
Writer: Kausar Mohammed
Producer: Amalia Mesa-Gustin, Kausar Mohamed
Cast: Kausar Mohammed, Vico Ortiz, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Pia Shah, D’Lo Srijaerajah
All cards are on the table when a queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time on the family’s annual game night.
Student Documentaries & Student Short Films
Trailer | Instagram
Bad Hombrewood
2021, 23:45 min., USA, Documentary, University of Southern California
Director: Guillermo Casarin
Producer: Marian Cook, Santos Herrera
Cast: Phil Lord, Lee Unkrich, Guillermo Del Toro, Melissa Fumero, Ben Lopez, Dr. Laura Isabel Serna, Leslie Arcos, Osiris Pichardo, Jenniffer González Martinez, Anabel Iñigo, Santos Herrera, Guillermo Casarín
For decades, the film industry has confined minorities to stereotypical characters. Now, filmmakers fight to change the Latinx role in Hollywood. Guillermo Casarín, an aspiring young filmmaker, came to the United States from Mexico to pursue his dreams of becoming a film director. Now, he is on the verge of graduating from one of the best film schools in the world, but after experiencing racism in the country and film industry, he finds himself questioning his place in Hollywood. Through compelling interviews–such as Academy Award-winning directors Phil Lord, Lee Unkrich, and Guillermo Del Toro, and Melissa Fumero from the Golden Globe-winning show Brooklyn Nine-Nine–and archival footage, Bad Hombrewood reveals the dark side of Hollywood’s history and the challenges Latinx filmmakers face while trying to succeed in the entertainment industry.
Trailer | Facebook
Spokespeople
2020, 23:30 min., USA, Documentary, University of Southern California
Director: Ryan Mekenian
Producer: Daniel Sheahan, Stephen Tonti
Cast: Jeremy Sisto (Narration)
For Los Angeles natives living in the early 1900’s, bicycles and streetcars shared the road as our primary modes of transportation. But the arrival of the freeway effectively wiped them out. Today, a collective of cycling communities fight for protected bike lanes and road safety; determined to bring a new era of mobility justice to the city..
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Message Sent
2021, 4:13 min., USA, Animation/Comedy, Cal State University Northridge
Producer/Writer/Director: Ryan C. Lopez
Cast: Ryan C. Lopez, Danielle Della Porta
When Steven struggles to make his feelings for Liza clear, his Cell Phone comes to life and encourages him to make the most important decision of his young adult life, to trust himself, and take a leap of faith.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Mother In The Mist
2021, 20:51 min., China, Drama, University of Southern California
Writer/Director: Kay Niuyue Zhang
Producer: Robin Zhongyu Wang, Kay Niuyue Zhang
Co-Producer: Eris Zhao, Jiayun Li Cinematographer: Jiang Du
Cast: Shen Shiyu, Wang Xiwen
Following Wuhan’s Coronavirus lockdown, a rural single mother embarks on a dangerous journey in search of her preemie newborn baby stranded in Wuhan City Hospital. Against a harsh, grim winter night, she trudges through trials and tribulations, fighting a way around checkpoints. Joining her path is a mysterious eight-year-old girl, who shares the same determination to reunite with her mother in the city. When She finally almost gets to Wuhan, we realize things are not as it seems…
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Over My Dead Body
2020, 25 min., USA (subtitles), Drama/Comedy/Family, New York Film Academy
Producer/Writer/Director: Meital Cohen Navarro
Cast: Mary Apick, Nakta Pahlevan, Bahram Vatanparast, Afshin Katanchi, Mahsa Shamsa
When a young Jewish Persian-American woman tells her parents that her fiancé is Muslim, they make her choose between him and them.
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram
The War Within
2021, 25 min., USA (subtitles), Drama, Santa Monica College
Writer/Director: Marta D’Ocon
Producer: Marina Coutinho, Catharine Dada
Cast: Sabrina Hartmann, Alan Corvaia, Laura Urgelles, Damián Delgado
Somewhere in Latin America, a young woman joins a guerrilla army when her entire family is massacred by government troops. She initially thrives, finding strength and independence as a deadly sniper. But her newfound sense of purpose and self-respect come with a high price.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Wuhan Driver
2021, 14:14 min., USA, Drama, New York University
Writer/Director: Tiger Ji
Producer: Alena Svyatova, Jonathan Sanger
Cast: Wayne Chang
At the beginning of the pandemic, a Chinese driver in New York struggles to make ends meet as he picks up passengers on a long and dreary night.
High School Films
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
A Prayer For My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story
2022, 9:58 min., USA, Animation/Documentary, The Righteous Conversations Project
Director: Ruben Barrett, Raisa Effress, Sophia Evans, Lauren Fuchs, Katie Hadsock-Longarzo, Ian Kim, Eve Levy, Timothy Lim, Asher Meron, Marlon Ochoa, Bella Rahi, Hank Schoen, Olivia Uzielli
Producer: C. Lily Ericsson, Carter Beardmore, Sophie Kim
Exec Producer: Cheri Gaulke, Samara Hutman
Cast: Eva Brettler
A Prayer For My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story is an animated film that chronicles the extraordinary saga of Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler — a child facing brutality and profound loss who finds sustenance in faith and her own dreams for the future. From the loss of her parents to a forced death march across Europe, young Eva survives Ravensbruck and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camps, the destruction of her family, and the near destruction of European Jewry to emerge, with a tender heart and faith intact, crediting the goodness and decency of helpers and caretakers she encountered along the way.
Trailer | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Devil Bean
2021, 10:36 min., Australia, Comedy, St. Matthews Catholic School
Director: Jessica Nipperess
Writer: Sam Paine
Cast: Sam Paine, Stella Morgan, Reneé French, Charlie French
After gifting a coffee machine to their father on Christmas, this picture-perfect family is thrown into the jaws of a horror-come-anti-drug flick as their dad’s addiction tears the family apart.
Trailer | Facebook | Instagram
Greta
2021, 7:49 min., USA, Drama/Coming of Age, Glendale High School
Writer/Director: Sofie Verweyen
Cast: Lilah Hayes, Erinn Hayes, Victoria Atkin, Jack Hayes, Maggie Hayes, Eva Langsdorff
A personal, subjective journey into the mind of Greta Thunberg, before realizing her calling as a climate activist. While struggling with mental health issues and bullying because of her Aspergers, she also grapples with a sense of impending doom due to the climate crisis. These same struggles and fears drive her to make change and become the person she is today.
Trailer | Instagram | Instagram
Hotline
2021, 13:21 min., USA, Drama, Pacifica Christian High School
Writer/Director: Andreas Mickelopoulos, Garrett Seabold
Cast: Isai Palomares, Charlotte Shays, Robert Pitts, Nicolas Kolesnikow
Three high school boys’ night of prank calls quickly develops into a matter of life and death when an unsuspecting classmate answers the phone.
Trailer
Pho
2021, 11:51 min., USA, Drama, Orange County School of the Arts
Writer/Director: Ethan Chu
Producer: Ava Encinas
Cast: Khoi Le, Julie Tong, Antone Axten
After building a seemingly successful life, a man must come to terms with the melancholic truth that he has detached from his Vietnamese culture and subsequently his grandmother, both of which he once held a close relationship with. His grief pushes him through a journey of reflection which reveals to him the perfect recipe to restore the once lost connection.
Trailer | Website | Instagram
Sydney 2078
2021, 9:36 min., Australia, Sci-Fi/Drama, Balgowlah Boys Campus
Producer/Writer/Director: Brady O’Sullivan
Cast: Gordon Carroll
A teenage boy from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with a fascination for science fiction movies and novels has a vision during the night, leading him on an inter-dimensional endeavour into the future.
Trailer | Website | Instagram | Twitter
Think Like A Filmmaker
2021, 6:20 min, USA, Documentary, Saint Ann’s School
Producer/Director: Eli Berliner
Cast: Alan Berliner
Eli Berliner turns the camera on his father, Alan, a personal documentary filmmaker, whose new body of work approaches sculpture through the eyes of a filmmaker.
- 12/18/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
The black-and-white film never actually died, with a plethora of filmmakers from all around the world occasionally choosing this format, sometimes due to financial reasons, sometimes as an artistic choice. The tendency has become more frequent during the latest years in Asia, through a number of movies that could only perceived as great.
With a focus on diversity on themes, directors and country of origin, here are 20 great films in black-and-white from Asia
1. A Quiet Dream
Zhang Lu directs and pens a distinct art-house film, whose aesthetics are eloquently described in its title, since there is almost no music, and there are a number of scenes that could pass as dreams, particularly the surrealistic ending sequence. Apart from this last aspect, though, the movie emits realism from every frame, since the circumstances of the neighborhood and the three characters that live in the borders of society definitely move towards this direction.
With a focus on diversity on themes, directors and country of origin, here are 20 great films in black-and-white from Asia
1. A Quiet Dream
Zhang Lu directs and pens a distinct art-house film, whose aesthetics are eloquently described in its title, since there is almost no music, and there are a number of scenes that could pass as dreams, particularly the surrealistic ending sequence. Apart from this last aspect, though, the movie emits realism from every frame, since the circumstances of the neighborhood and the three characters that live in the borders of society definitely move towards this direction.
- 10/25/2020
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
In a category that is mostly dominated by Hollywood productions, particularly since epic films demand a rather significant budget, it is also interesting to highlight that Asia has also had its share of epics, most of which are of significant quality, even considered masterpieces. Samurais, historic events, wuxia, fantasy are all elements included in the movies of the list, which, once more, aims at diversity.
Most of these films are co-productions from companies from many countries. “Mongol” for example is a co-production between Russia, Germany, Kazakhstan and China. Instead of filling the titles with countries, we chose to just mention the country that the main story is based. Thus, in the case of “Mongol”, Mongolia is mentioned as the country of origin.
Without further ado, here are 20 excellent Asian epic movies, in alphabetic order
1. 13 Assassins
Miike took the former film and added violence, blood, and slapstick humor (the scene...
Most of these films are co-productions from companies from many countries. “Mongol” for example is a co-production between Russia, Germany, Kazakhstan and China. Instead of filling the titles with countries, we chose to just mention the country that the main story is based. Thus, in the case of “Mongol”, Mongolia is mentioned as the country of origin.
Without further ado, here are 20 excellent Asian epic movies, in alphabetic order
1. 13 Assassins
Miike took the former film and added violence, blood, and slapstick humor (the scene...
- 4/1/2020
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Thirty four Asian films will be screen during the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival here is the complete list.
Created in 1983 the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifff) focus on horror, thriller, and science fiction films. This year the festival will take place from March 29th until April 10th in the city of Brussels (Belgium). This year thirty four Asian movies will be presented during the festival. This year South Korean movies are predominant as there will be thirteen Korean films. Some of the highlights are Baahubali: The Beginning (S.S. Rajamouli), Veteran (Seung-wan Ryoo), Memories of the Sword (Park Heung-sik), Tag (Sion Sono), The Deal (Son Yong-Ho) and The Priests (Jae-hyun Jang).
Asian Movies
Arahan by Ryoo Seung-Wan – South Korea | 2004
Assassination Classroom by Eiichiro Hasumi – Japan | 2015
Assassination Classroom: The Graduation by Eiichiro Hasumi – Japan | 2016
Attack on the Lederhosen Zombies by Dominik Hartl – Australia | 2016
Baahubali: The Beginning by S.S. Rajamouli – India...
Created in 1983 the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifff) focus on horror, thriller, and science fiction films. This year the festival will take place from March 29th until April 10th in the city of Brussels (Belgium). This year thirty four Asian movies will be presented during the festival. This year South Korean movies are predominant as there will be thirteen Korean films. Some of the highlights are Baahubali: The Beginning (S.S. Rajamouli), Veteran (Seung-wan Ryoo), Memories of the Sword (Park Heung-sik), Tag (Sion Sono), The Deal (Son Yong-Ho) and The Priests (Jae-hyun Jang).
Asian Movies
Arahan by Ryoo Seung-Wan – South Korea | 2004
Assassination Classroom by Eiichiro Hasumi – Japan | 2015
Assassination Classroom: The Graduation by Eiichiro Hasumi – Japan | 2016
Attack on the Lederhosen Zombies by Dominik Hartl – Australia | 2016
Baahubali: The Beginning by S.S. Rajamouli – India...
- 3/20/2016
- by Sebastian Nadilo
- AsianMoviePulse
Thanks to their wide availability and extensive catalogs, the VOD model of distribution and exhibition has become the prime source for audience to access content. Leading the field are services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, which carry enormous amount of films and TV shows; however, for those who look for the fully "indie" experience Fandor is the best alternative. The service launched in the U.S in March 2011 will now be available for Canadian audiences.
The Fandor service combines discovery features, expert curation and social collaboration so audiences can explore the world of independent film and find cinematic gems they didn’t even know existed. Furthermore, one of the most interesting facts about the company is their particular revenue strategy, which designates half of its subscription fees to support independent filmmakers, ensuring like this the future creation of new independent content.
Fandor’s Canadian service features over 2,200 independent releases, with more added every day, and includes award-winning narrative and documentary features, quality shorts and film festival favorites from across the globe, including:
• City of Life and Death directed by Chuan Lu (courtesy of Kino Lorber)—Toronto International Film Festival, 2009
• Smithereens directed by Susan Seidelman (courtesy of FilmBuff)— Toronto International Film Festival, 1982
• Carcasses directed by Denis Côté (courtesy of Vanguard Cinema) — Toronto International Film Festival, 2009
• Local Color directed by Mark Rappaport (courtesy of the filmmaker)1977
With a monthly or an annual subscription, Canadian audiences can stream unlimited films from an extensive cinema library that spans nearly 400 genres, directly to their TVs, computers, mobile devices or tablets.
"Fandor provides a unique library of films to people wherever they are, on whatever device they prefer for media consumption,” said Dan Aronson, co-founder and CEO of Fandor. “Launching in Canada allows us to bring our collection of films to a broader audience hungry to discover great content they may not otherwise find.”
Features of the new service include:
A recommendation engine that considers a user’s stated tastes and ongoing activity to provide refined, personalized recommendations. The ability to filter films by cast, crew and film festivals. Access to daily news, interviews and multi-media features from Fandor’s Keyframe digital magazine. Regular contributors include industry notables B. Ruby Rich ( Film Quarterly , Uc Santa Cruz, Sight & Sound ), Dennis Harvey ( Variety) and Michael Atkinson ( Village Voice, In These Times ). Spotlight, a special selection of themed films curated by Fandor twice monthly. Social sharing via email and multiple social networks allowing viewers to spread buzz about the films they love.
About Fandor
Launched in 2011, Fandor is the leading on-demand movie service providing access to a curated global library of high-quality, smart independent films. By leveraging online distribution, technology and social media, Fandor takes the hard work out of finding great movies. Fandor’s subscription-based service allows audiences to discover cinema through its comprehensive library of thousands of film festival favorites, world cinema, award-winning documentaries and quality shorts. Fandor uses the latest streaming technology to allow viewing anywhere, from home theaters to computers, mobile devices and tablets. For more information, visit www.fandor.com .
The Fandor service combines discovery features, expert curation and social collaboration so audiences can explore the world of independent film and find cinematic gems they didn’t even know existed. Furthermore, one of the most interesting facts about the company is their particular revenue strategy, which designates half of its subscription fees to support independent filmmakers, ensuring like this the future creation of new independent content.
Fandor’s Canadian service features over 2,200 independent releases, with more added every day, and includes award-winning narrative and documentary features, quality shorts and film festival favorites from across the globe, including:
• City of Life and Death directed by Chuan Lu (courtesy of Kino Lorber)—Toronto International Film Festival, 2009
• Smithereens directed by Susan Seidelman (courtesy of FilmBuff)— Toronto International Film Festival, 1982
• Carcasses directed by Denis Côté (courtesy of Vanguard Cinema) — Toronto International Film Festival, 2009
• Local Color directed by Mark Rappaport (courtesy of the filmmaker)1977
With a monthly or an annual subscription, Canadian audiences can stream unlimited films from an extensive cinema library that spans nearly 400 genres, directly to their TVs, computers, mobile devices or tablets.
"Fandor provides a unique library of films to people wherever they are, on whatever device they prefer for media consumption,” said Dan Aronson, co-founder and CEO of Fandor. “Launching in Canada allows us to bring our collection of films to a broader audience hungry to discover great content they may not otherwise find.”
Features of the new service include:
A recommendation engine that considers a user’s stated tastes and ongoing activity to provide refined, personalized recommendations. The ability to filter films by cast, crew and film festivals. Access to daily news, interviews and multi-media features from Fandor’s Keyframe digital magazine. Regular contributors include industry notables B. Ruby Rich ( Film Quarterly , Uc Santa Cruz, Sight & Sound ), Dennis Harvey ( Variety) and Michael Atkinson ( Village Voice, In These Times ). Spotlight, a special selection of themed films curated by Fandor twice monthly. Social sharing via email and multiple social networks allowing viewers to spread buzz about the films they love.
About Fandor
Launched in 2011, Fandor is the leading on-demand movie service providing access to a curated global library of high-quality, smart independent films. By leveraging online distribution, technology and social media, Fandor takes the hard work out of finding great movies. Fandor’s subscription-based service allows audiences to discover cinema through its comprehensive library of thousands of film festival favorites, world cinema, award-winning documentaries and quality shorts. Fandor uses the latest streaming technology to allow viewing anywhere, from home theaters to computers, mobile devices and tablets. For more information, visit www.fandor.com .
- 10/7/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The fifth edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival will hold retrospectives of Girish Kasaravalli and Jahnu Barua among others. Five of Kasaravalli’s films: Tabarana Kathe (1986), Kraurya (1996), Thaayi Saheba (1997), Dweepa (2003) and Hasina (2004)will be screened. While Barua’s Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (1987), Banani (1990), Firingoti (1992) and Hkhagoroloi Bohu Door(1995) will be screened.
Besides, three other sections are dedicated to Indian cinema. Chitrabharathi – Indian Cinema Competition, Kannada Cinema (competition and screening of films in other dialects in Karnataka) and 100 years of Indian Cinema (screening of 14 films).
Complete line up:
Retrospective
Chan-Wook Park (South Korea)
1. J.S.A.: Joint Security Area (Chan-Wook Park/110/2000/South Korea)
2. Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park/129/2002/South Korea)
3. Old boy (Chan-Wook Park/120/2003/South Korea)
4. Lady Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park/112/2005/South Korea)
5. Thirst (Chan-Wook Park/133/2009/South Korea)
Fatih Akin (Germany)
1. Short Sharp Shock (Fatih Akin/100/1998/Germany)
2. In July (Fatih Akin/99/2000/Germany)
3. Solino (Fatih Akin/124/2002/Germany)
4. Head On (Fatih Akin/121/2004/Germany/Turkey...
Besides, three other sections are dedicated to Indian cinema. Chitrabharathi – Indian Cinema Competition, Kannada Cinema (competition and screening of films in other dialects in Karnataka) and 100 years of Indian Cinema (screening of 14 films).
Complete line up:
Retrospective
Chan-Wook Park (South Korea)
1. J.S.A.: Joint Security Area (Chan-Wook Park/110/2000/South Korea)
2. Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park/129/2002/South Korea)
3. Old boy (Chan-Wook Park/120/2003/South Korea)
4. Lady Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park/112/2005/South Korea)
5. Thirst (Chan-Wook Park/133/2009/South Korea)
Fatih Akin (Germany)
1. Short Sharp Shock (Fatih Akin/100/1998/Germany)
2. In July (Fatih Akin/99/2000/Germany)
3. Solino (Fatih Akin/124/2002/Germany)
4. Head On (Fatih Akin/121/2004/Germany/Turkey...
- 12/7/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The 37th Toronto International Film Festival® will roll out the red carpet for hundreds of guests from the four corners of the globe in September. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Rian Johnson, Noah Baumbach, Deepa Mehta, Derek Cianfrance, Sion Sono, Joss Whedon, Neil Jordan, Lu Chuan, Shola Lynch, Barry Levinson, Yvan Attal, Ben Affleck, Marina Zenovich, Costa-Gavras, Laurent Cantet, Sally Potter, Dustin Hoffman, Francois Ozon, David O. Russell, David Ayer, Pelin Esmer, Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Andrew Adamson, Michael McGowan, Bahman Ghobadi, Ziad Doueiri, Alex Gibney, Stephen Chbosky, Eran Riklis, Edward Burns, Bernard Émond, Zhang Yuan, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Newell, Miwa Nishikawa, Margarethe Von Trotta, David Siegel, Scott McGehee, Gauri Shinde, Goran Paskaljevic, Baltasar Kormákur, J.A. Bayona, Rob Zombie, Peaches and Paul Andrew Williams.
Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford,...
Actors expected to attend include: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Chan, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Bill Murray, Robert Redford,...
- 8/21/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In this isle of Britain we seem to be obsessed with regional dialects. We construct opinions based on the sounds and cadences they form. Stereotypes can be derived from even a simple “hullo”. A Liverpudlian accent makes you a thief, a Birmingham accent means you are dull/dim witted, a London accent makes you a geezer! The region and strength of the enunciation can make your brain subconsciously decide whether the accused speaker is friend or foe. This makes delivery of vocabulary in these alternate timbres very powerful. As such, we prize these intonations in language very dearly.
So, it was no surprise to me when the people of the United Kingdom were so vehemently offended about a story regarding an American actress trying and failing to replicate the intricate tones of a much cherished regional drawl, made it on to BBC national news, -far beyond the vales and boundaries...
So, it was no surprise to me when the people of the United Kingdom were so vehemently offended about a story regarding an American actress trying and failing to replicate the intricate tones of a much cherished regional drawl, made it on to BBC national news, -far beyond the vales and boundaries...
- 9/12/2011
- by Neill Burton
- Obsessed with Film
Chinese filmmaker Chuan Lu has tackled a vast and ambitious subject in City of Life and Death. I knew very little about the siege on Nanjing (or Nanking, as Westerners have long referred to it) in 1937; I feel as if I understand it now, in all of its grim reality. A documentary might provide facts and figures, but Lu has used the dramatic form to personalize this story and fashion a powerful, multilayered film that shows what ordinary human beings are capable of in extreme circumstances. Using widescreen, black & white imagery and a hand-held camera, he and his…...
- 6/17/2011
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
'City of Life and Death' is about the Forgotten Holocaust
Cast: Hideo Nakaizumi, Ye Liu, and Yuanyuan Gao
Directed by: Chuan Lu
Rated Nr
City of Life and Death takes place in 1937, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Imperial Japanese Army has just captured the then-capital of the Republic of China, Nanjing. What followed was known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, a period of 6 weeks wherein tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed with a total of 13 million Chinese dead. The film tells the story of several figures, both historical and fictional, including a Chinese soldier, a schoolteacher, a Japanese soldier, a foreign missionary, and John Rabe, a Nazi businessman who would ultimately save over 200,000 Chinese civilians.
Depending on your beliefs of what really happened you'll have different reactions when watching this movie. The Japanese government has refused to apologize...
Cast: Hideo Nakaizumi, Ye Liu, and Yuanyuan Gao
Directed by: Chuan Lu
Rated Nr
City of Life and Death takes place in 1937, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Imperial Japanese Army has just captured the then-capital of the Republic of China, Nanjing. What followed was known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, a period of 6 weeks wherein tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed with a total of 13 million Chinese dead. The film tells the story of several figures, both historical and fictional, including a Chinese soldier, a schoolteacher, a Japanese soldier, a foreign missionary, and John Rabe, a Nazi businessman who would ultimately save over 200,000 Chinese civilians.
Depending on your beliefs of what really happened you'll have different reactions when watching this movie. The Japanese government has refused to apologize...
- 5/21/2011
- by Jack Thompson
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Action and ultimate tragedy shot in spectacular black and white. One of the great war films. At some forty years of age, emerging director/writer Chuan Lu is still in the early stage of his career. However, if this gripping epic of the rape of Nanking is any indication, Lu has an earthshaking future ahead. After graduating from Beijing Film Academy in 1998, he became co-writer for the .Black Hole. TV series which went on to become a smash hit TV series in China. His directorial debut came in 2001 with .The Missing Gun. which garnered invitations to Cannes and Sundance festivals in 2002. The tragedy of Nanking has been the subject of numerous films, especially as claims for...
- 5/18/2011
- by Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
At the beginning of every month, Ioncinema.com's "Tracking Shot" features a handful of projects that we feel are worth signaling out and that are moments away from lensing. This October we find the very last batch of titles that could be potentially ready for next May (I see a pair of films mentioned below that are possible Cannes birth qualifiers) and we find our usual mix of items: from mid-range indie budget flicks (4 million to 8 million range) to the pricey popcorn films. In the batch of seven, we have a pair of first time helmer Shawn Lawrence Otto. Otto wrote House of Sand and Fog (liked the themes, not the execution) and gets to work with a solid pairing in Brolin and Swank - what emotional depths will Dreams of a Dying Heart attain in the home from war storyline is my biggest concern. Speaking of home from war,...
- 10/1/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Director: Chuan Lu. Review: Adam Wing. I found myself in an unusual position as I sat down to watch City of Life and Death. On any other day I would probably avoid watching award winning films, especially award winning films that drown themselves in murder, rape and misery. Award winning films that not only drown themselves in murder, rape and misery - but also come with the tagline ‘based on true events’. That’s usually enough to send me running for the hills. City of Life and Death has already won Best Cinematography Awards aplenty, not to mention a Best Director achievement at the Asian Film Awards for director Chuan Lu. Not my usual cup of tea then, but just occasionally you have to dunk your biscuit in unfamiliar flavours and City of Life and Death can’t be considered anything less. The third film from director Chuan Lu, City...
- 8/26/2010
- 24framespersecond.net
October 2010 will see production commence on the set of 'Shanghai, I Love You'. Following on from similar projects centring around New York and Paris, the film will comprise of several short films one of which will be written and directed by Irish helmer Jim Sheridan. Ifta winning Dublin born director Jim Sheridan (Brothers) has come on board with British production company, West End Films to write and direct a segment of upcoming feature 'Shanghai, I Love You'. The film will be made up of several short films which will each have a different writer and director. Chuan Lu (City of Life and Death) and Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness) will also contribute to the project which starts shooting in October of this year.
- 5/14/2010
- IFTN
Visceral dramatisation Chinese film about the Japanese attack on Nanking. By Cath Clarke
Almost unbearable to watch, this dramatisation of the terror wrought on Nanking by the Japanese army in 1937 is the second in a month, following the German film City of War. Director Chuan Lu is concerned with the victims and their aggressors. In shocking but masterly black-and-white images Chuan suggests a smouldering unreal city unhinged by horror. Somehow, it is rated 15.
Rating: 3/5
DramaPeriod and historicalWorld cinemaCath Clarke
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
Almost unbearable to watch, this dramatisation of the terror wrought on Nanking by the Japanese army in 1937 is the second in a month, following the German film City of War. Director Chuan Lu is concerned with the victims and their aggressors. In shocking but masterly black-and-white images Chuan suggests a smouldering unreal city unhinged by horror. Somehow, it is rated 15.
Rating: 3/5
DramaPeriod and historicalWorld cinemaCath Clarke
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 4/15/2010
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
Much praise has already been sung on this site about "City of Life and Death" , Chuan Lu's film about the Nanjing massacre. I'm going to add a little to that, but the biggest news I have is that the English-friendly regionfree BluRay release by MegaStar is damn good. I'll elaborate later...
Also, last month I happened to see Florian Gallenberger's "John Rabe" , the Other big film released last year about the Nanjing massacre. And while the consensus seems to be that the Chinese effort is the best of the two, it is worthy of note that at the start of this year both movies had the same score (7.3) on IMDb...
So how do they truly compare?...
Also, last month I happened to see Florian Gallenberger's "John Rabe" , the Other big film released last year about the Nanjing massacre. And while the consensus seems to be that the Chinese effort is the best of the two, it is worthy of note that at the start of this year both movies had the same score (7.3) on IMDb...
So how do they truly compare?...
- 1/29/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Have Joel and Ethan Coen followed up No Country for Old Men with another Oscar winner? A clear favorite (I've got my hand up) among the film critics and bloggers polled by IndieWIRE, A Serious Man might have a big and bright future ahead of it and as Eugene points out, "the Coens latest took top honors as Toronto’s best narrative film, finding a place on nearly every single ballot. - Have Joel and Ethan Coen followed up No Country for Old Men with another Oscar winner? A clear favorite (I've got my hand up) among the film critics and bloggers polled by IndieWIRE, A Serious Man might have a big and bright future ahead of it and as Eugene points out, "the Coens latest took top honors as Toronto’s best narrative film, finding a place on nearly every single ballot. Other category winners include: Erik Gandini...
- 12/13/2009
- by Ioncinema.com Staff
- IONCINEMA.com
National Geographic Entertainment has acquired North American rights to "City of Life and Death," produced, written and directed by Lu Chuan.
Set during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, China, in 1937, "City" will screen at September's Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in April in China, where it has grossed nearly $26 million.
The film's cast includes Liu Ye, Fan Wei, Hideo Nakaizumi, Gao Yuanyuan, Qin Lan and Jiang Yiyan, and co-stars Ryuichi Kohata, Yao Di, Zhao Yisui and Yuko Miyamoto.
The acquisition reunites Lu with National Geographic, which co-distributed his "Moutain Patrol: Kekexili" with Samuel Goldwyn Films in 2006.
Nge will coordinate marketing of "City" with Idg China Media Fund, part of International Data Group, a U.S. venture capital company. The film will be released late this year or in early 2010.
"City" was produced by Han Sanping, Qin Hong, Zhou Li, John Chong and Andy Zhang, with Lu serving as exec producer.
Set during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, China, in 1937, "City" will screen at September's Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in April in China, where it has grossed nearly $26 million.
The film's cast includes Liu Ye, Fan Wei, Hideo Nakaizumi, Gao Yuanyuan, Qin Lan and Jiang Yiyan, and co-stars Ryuichi Kohata, Yao Di, Zhao Yisui and Yuko Miyamoto.
The acquisition reunites Lu with National Geographic, which co-distributed his "Moutain Patrol: Kekexili" with Samuel Goldwyn Films in 2006.
Nge will coordinate marketing of "City" with Idg China Media Fund, part of International Data Group, a U.S. venture capital company. The film will be released late this year or in early 2010.
"City" was produced by Han Sanping, Qin Hong, Zhou Li, John Chong and Andy Zhang, with Lu serving as exec producer.
- 8/14/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
H.K. film forum sets 28 projects
HONG KONG -- The second Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum has announced 28 projects, including some from a number of established directors from around the Asian region, as part of the Entertainment Expo to take place March 22-April 6. Among the directors who will be presenting projects at HAF, which will be held concurrently with the FILMART programming trade show (March 22-26), are Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Last Life in the Universe), Hong Kong's Ann Hui (Summer Snow) and Lo Chi-leung (Inner Senses), and Mainland Chinese directors Lu Chuan, who recently won Taiwan's Golden Horse Award for Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, and Jiang Wen (Devil at My Doorstep).
- 1/21/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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