News

San Sebastian – “Bound in Heaven,” the directorial debut of experienced screenwriter Xin Huo, best known for “Kung Fu Hustle,” is the sole Chinese production in the Official Selection at San Sebastián, following its world premiere in Toronto’s Centrepiece section. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Li Xiuwen, a Huading Award winner as part of the writing team for “Medal of the Republic.”

The story turns on Xia You (NiNi), a successful but emotionally drained woman trapped in a violently abusive relationship with her fiancé, played by Liao Fan, who won a Berlin Silver Bear for “Black Coal, Thin Ice.” In a harrowing early scene, Xia You defies her abuser, uttering the chilling and foreboding line, “Don’t smudge my makeup, the guests are still here,” a reflection of the fragile facade she is forced to uphold.

“The theme of domestic violence against women,...

(February 9th, 2021, New York, NY) New York-based distributor Cheng Cheng releases new US poster and trailer for A First Farewell by Wang Lina. The winner of the Best Film award at Berlinale’s Generation Kplus will start playing in virtual cinemas in select cities on February 19th and roll to more locations in the following weeks. The filmmaker Wnag Lina spent four years documenting the protagonist’s life in her hometown Xinjiang, delivering an awe-inspiring debut about the joys of growing up as Uyghurs on the picturesque land and the emotional costs of assimilating into the prosperous mainstream.

Aside from newcomer Wang Lina’s true-to-life writing and direction, top-notch technical works from cinematographer Li Yong, editor Matthieu Laclau (A Touch of Sin), and sound designer Li Danfeng (Long Day’s Journey into Night) solidify the gem praised by press as “another sign of independent cinema revival in China”. Since premiering at Berlinale,...

New York-based distributor Cheng Cheng Films has bought the North American rights to “My Prince Edward,” the first feature written and directed by Hong Kong screenwriter Norris Wong Yee-Lam, from Hong Kong sales agent Golden Scene.

The news come as Wong announced Monday that filmmaking duo Mabel Cheung and Alex Law, the husband and wife behind films such as “An Autumn’s Tale,” will executive produce her second feature. Wong will make that film with assistance from a new $12.9 million local government fund intended to boost Hong Kong’s film industry.

Wong said on Facebook that she took Cheung’s class during her sophomore year at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2010, and was “so happy” the director still remembered her early work. Cheung said that Wong “has been looking to work with me throughout the years, but our availabilities never matched.” She praised Wong’s “potential,” saying, “I remember among...

Director Teng Congcong’s blend of comedy and drama “Send Me to the Clouds” has been called one of the “most socially conscious, bravest, most original and most cinephilic movies of the year” as well as a “very mature. entertaining and important film” by critics.

Released by Cheng Cheng Films the movie is now streaming on various platforms in North America such as Amazon Prime, Vimeo and Vimeo on Demand.

Synopsis:

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer, iron-willed journalist Sheng Nan (“Surpass Men” in Chinese) is pressured to make a towards fortune and find mind-blowing sex before the costly surgery numbs her senses. Taking on a businessman’s biography writing job, she hikes into the misty mountains, where a chain of outbursts with her dysfunctional family, grumpy client, misogynistic co-worker and dreamlike romantic interest hilariously unfold. As deeply moving as it is luminously witty, writer-director Teng Congcong’s debut...

Refreshed for the 30th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff), this year’s Cinema Icon Award will be conferred to distinguished Chinese actress, Yao Chen, for her outstanding achievements in bringing Asia’s story to life on screen. The Award will be presented to the actress on 30 November during the Sgiff’s Silver Screen Awards held at the National Museum of Singapore.

Best known for her phenomenal performances in Feng Xiaogang’s If You Are the One II (2010), Chen Kaige’s Caught in the Web (2012), and the action blockbuster Firestorm – of which she won the Outstanding Actress Award at the 14th Chinese Film Media Awards – Yao has been a role model to the younger generation of actors. Her professional conduct has also garnered long-standing support from many around the world. Earlier this year, Yao received the Golden Mulberry Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 21st Far East Film Festival, and was...

Director Teng Congcong studied filmmaking at the Beijing Film Academy under the likes of legendary director Xie Fie, eventually getting her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Directing from the prestigious institute. Winning a number of awards for her short films, she makes her feature film debut with “Send Me to the Clouds“, a film which examines the current position of educated independent women born in the era of China’s “One Child Policy” through the story of a journalist suffering from ovarian cancer.

The film is making waves since its release, not least for its chief theme of the female desire for sex in China’s conservative society. After screening in quite a few domestic film festivals and having had a limited release in North America last month, the film is now ready for a wider Festival run, with director Teng Congcong making an appearance to talk about...

China’s decades-long One Child Policy gave birth to a generation of females lost in their identity, girls raised as the boys that their parents hoped for, who had to compete with their counterpart males at every step of the way. Director Teng Congcong’s debut film “Send Me to the Clouds” takes a look at the st’ory of one such woman in an effectively subtle yet humorous manner.

“Send me to the Clouds” is released in cinemas all over the Us, by Cheng Cheng Films

A chance visit to the doctor reveals that carefree yet strong-willed journalist Sheng Nan (a name that literally means “surpass men”) has ovarian cancer. Thoughts of raising the vast sum of money required for the treatment fill her mind when she receives an offer to ghost-write the autobiography of Mr. Li, a prominent artist and calligrapher in his day, through her colleague Si Mao.

Leaff is back this year on the 24th of October until the 3rd of November, with a rich and articulated programme, including more than 60 titles from 11 countries East and Southeast Asia! Check out the titles now.

Opening Gala

Exit

Exit | Lee Sang Geun | Korea | 2019 | 103 mins

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Leaff Official Selection

Nina Wu

A Girl Missing | Koji Fukada | Japan | 2019 | 111 mins

The Wild Goose Lake | Diao Yinan | China | 2019 | 113 mins

Europe Raiders | Jingle Ma | Hong Kong | 2018 | 100 mins

To the Ends of the Earth | Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Japan | 2019 | 120 mins

Balloon | Pema Tseden | China | 2019 | 102 mins

Rainbow’s Sunset | Joel Lamangan | Philippines | 2019 | 105 mins

Cities of Last Things | Ho Wi-ding | Taiwan | 2019 | 107 mins

Nina Wu | Midi Z | Taiwan | 2019 | 103 mins

The Pool | Ping Lumphapleng | Thailand | 2018 | 91 mins

Long Live the King | Kang Yun-sung | Korea | 2019 | 118 mins

The Science of Fictions | Yosep Anggi Noen | Indonesia, Malaysia | 2019 | 106 mins

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Competition

Summer of Changsha

All About Ing | Huang Zi | China | 2019 | 110 mins

Another Child | Kim Yoon-seok | Korea | 2019 | 118 min

Deep...

The social and economic pressures felt by China’s “leftover women” — referring to those older than 26 and unmarried — are examined in “Send Me to the Clouds,” a rewarding dramedy about a 30-ish journalist seeking financial reward and sexual fulfillment after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Bold by mainland standards for presenting a positive portrayal of a woman who’s chosen neither motherhood nor marriage, “Clouds” marks an impressive feature debut for female writer-director Teng Congcong, whose editing credits include “Reign of Assassins.” Starring and co-produced by popular actress Yao Chen (“Journey to the West: The Demon Strikes Back”), this timely pro-feminist tale grossed a respectable $4 million in limited domestic release in August, and has the warm heart and wry humor to attract art-house audiences when it opens theatrically in North America on Sept. 20.

Following similarly themed documentaries such as “Leftover Women” and 2019 Sundance prize winner “One Child Nation,” From the...

New York-based distributor Cheng Cheng has picked up North American all rights to first-time filmmaker Teng Congcong’s comedy-drama Send Me to the Clouds. The film starring Yao Chen, who’s also its producer, follows an ovarian cancer patient’s desperate quest for an unforgettable sexual experience before her surgery. The picture opened in Chinese theaters last weekend after bowing at Shanghai International Film Festival and First International Film Festival. Its humorous touch on struggles faced by a generation of women born under China’s One-Child policy won it a 100% score in verified influencers’ recommendations on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter. The distributor behind Chinese language films including The Great Buddha+, Crosscurrent and SoulMate is planning a theatrical release in fall 2019.

“Cheng Cheng has always championed films with strong female leads. Now we’d also like to show how Chinese women have contributed to Chinese language cinema from leading roles behind the scene.

New York-based distributor Cheng Cheng Films has acquired North American rights to first-time Chinese director Teng Congcong’s comedy drama “Send Me to the Clouds,” starring and produced by A-list actress Yao Chen. The company is planning a theatrical release for fall 2019.

“Cheng Cheng has always championed films with strong female leads,” the firm said in a statement. “We need to focus our resources and efforts on releasing women-directed films until its number is equal to that of men-directed films in our catalog. We make that commitment to ourselves and our audience. ‘Send Me to the Clouds’ is a perfect start.”

The film examines the societal pressures facing women born under China’s One Child Policy through the misadventures of a young journalist who, after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, goes in search of sex and money before she must face an expensive surgery that will physically numb her.

The...

The Shanghai International Film Festival unveiled a competition lineup Tuesday that features entries from countries ranging from Indonesia to Estonia – but not the U.S., which is engaged in an increasingly bitter trade war with China.

The government-affiliated festival, which runs June 15-24, will open with the premieres of two Chinese films: Huayi Bros.’ patriotic World War II epic “The Eight Hundred,” directed by Guan Hu, and “Chuanyue Shikong de Huhuan” by Zhang Jiarui, according to Chinese website Mtime. Actor Wu Jing – whose “Wolf Warrior II” and “Wandering Earth” are the top two earning films in Chinese film history – will be the festival’s ambassador.

Fifteen films from around the world will vie for the Golden Goblet Award in the main competition. Notable among them are “Many Happy Returns,” a new title directed by Germany-based Uruguayan filmmaker Carlos Morelli and produced by Germany’s Weydemann Brothers, and “Chicuarotes,” Gael Garcia...

The emerging art house film sector in China is to get a further boost from the launch of a $16 million (RMB100 million) specialized acquisition fund. The initiative is backed by five companies already operational in the sector.

The A.R.T. Project fund is intended to invest in 15 films by Chinese directorial talent over a period of five years. All are to be guaranteed Chinese theatrical release, international festival representation and overseas sales.

The backers include: Perfect Village Entertainment, the merged production operations of Perfect World and Village Roadshow in China; Hong Kong and Chinese-based distributor and exhibitor, Edko Films; Hong Kong producer Irresistible Films; Chinese marketing firm and website operator Maoyan Media, and state-owned distributor, Huaxia Film Distribution.

“The A.R.T. Project partners all agree that there is nothing more important than nurturing the new generation of Chinese filmmaking talent. We are up and running at full speed,...

Perfect Village, Edko, Huaxia, Irresistible Films and Maoyan join forces for A.R.T. Project.

Five Chinese industry heavyweights, including Perfect Village Entertainment, Edko Films and Huaxia Film Distribution, are joining forces in an alliance to finance and distribute local Chinese arthouse films.

The new alliance, A.R.T. Project, also involves production and investment outfit Irresistible Films and leading online ticketing platform Maoyan Media.

The five partners will jointly invest $16m (RMB100m) in 15 Chinese film projects over the next five years, with a focus on high-quality, low-budget films from rising Chinese directorial talents. The projects will be provided with support including development,...