ACF 1231: Three Asian films screening at MoMA tomorrow, November 12th

Three more Asian films will be playing in the series In Focus: Fortissimo Films at MoMA on Saturday. (For today's lineup, see ACF 1228.)

Devils on the Doorstep / Guizi lai le

Directed by Jiang Wen

Screenplay by You Fengwei, Shi Jianquan, Shu Ping, Jiang Wen.

With Jiang Wen, Jiang Hongbo, Kagawa Teruyuki, Yuan Ding

China, 2000, 140 minutes

In Mandarin, Japanese; English subtitles

Saturday, November 12, 2011, 2:00 p.m., Theater 1, T1 

To the average Chinese peasant, foreigners have long been “devils”—potentially dangerous outsiders who arrive with dubious motives and nefarious intent. That was especially true of the Japanese soldiers who invaded China in the 1930s. Despite having to give a percentage of the grain harvest to the Japanese, Ma Dasan and his neighbors in a small northern Chinese village coexist with them peacefully—until the night two prisoners are dumped on Ma Dasan’s doorstep, one a Japanese soldier, the other a Chinese collaborator. Director Jiang Wen, the most famous actor of his generation thanks to the TV series A Beijinger in New York, brings great emotional weight to the role of Ma Dasan. Courtesy Fortissimo Films.

Last Life in the Universe

Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Screenplay by Prabda Yoon, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Cinematography by Chris Doyle

With Asano Tadanobu, Sinitta Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka

Thailand, 2003, 112 minutes

In Thai, Japanese, English; English subtitles

Saturday, November 12, 2011, 5:00 p.m., Theater 1, T1 

This beautifully photographed film—one of several in this exhibition photographed by Doyle— illustrates Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s profound understanding of the aimless spirit and cautious dreams of Asia’s youth. The fortunes of Kenji, a suicide-obsessed Japanese man living in Bangkok, take a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills a Yakuza gang member. That same night, Noi, a Thai barmaid in the burnt- out beach town of Pattaya, accidentally kills her sister. Thrown together by this common twist of fate, Kenji and Noi find their lives inextricably linked as they hide out together, hoping to find love and redemption. Courtesy Palm Pictures.

Beijing Bastards / Beijing Zazhong

Directed by Zhang Yuan

With Cui Jian, Li Wei, Bian Jing, Wu Lala. 

1992. China/Hong Kong, 1992, 95 minutes

In Mandarin; English subtitles

Saturday, November 12, 2011, 8:00 p.m., Theater 1, T1 

Beijing Bastards, regarded as China’s first independent film, has been officially banned, widely boycotted, and constantly hunted down. Zhang Yuan, a leading figure of China’s so-called Sixth Generation Filmmakers, bravely took on the taboo subject of Beijing’s disaffected youth, brilliantly combining reality and fantasy in the tale of a rock idol who attempts to organize a concert and is prevented from doing so, and a young woman whose failed suicide attempt brings her into contact with different cultures within and on the edges of the city and society. Courtesy Fortissimo Films.

ACF 1225: Two screenings of Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale at MoMA

 Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale

Written and directed by Wei Te-sheng

With Lin Ching-tai, Umin Boya, Ando Masanobu, Vivian Hsu Ando

Taiwan, 2011, 150 minutes

In Japanese; English subtitles.

When: Thursday, November 10, 2011 @ 7:00 PM

and Sunday November 20, 2011 @ 5:00 PM
Where: The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY

MoMA will present two sneak previews of Wei Te-sheng’s historical epic, fresh from its recent world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The film offers a unique retelling of a little-known episode from 20th-century history: between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a Japanese colony inhabited by both Han Chinese immigrants and the remnants of the aboriginal tribes who first settled the land.

In 1930 Mouna Rudo, the leader of one of these Seediq tribes, forged a coalition with other Seediq tribal heads and plotted a rebellion against their Japanese colonial masters. Wei Tesheng’s previous film, Cape No. 7, became Taiwan’s highest-grossing film ever, thus allowing him to realize this ambitious passion project, which has been in the planning stages for a decade. The film will be introduced by director Wei.

These two screenings of Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale is part of the series In Focus: Fortissimo Films,  which runs November 10–21, 2011.

ACF 760: Southeast Asia on Screen film festival in Honolulu, Nov 27 - Dec 30, 2010

Image from Drupadi

Southeast Asia on Screen
Films from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
November 27 - December 30, 2010

Honolulu Academy of Arts

Honolulu, Hawaii

It's a long way from my New York City stomping grounds, but here's some info about an upcoming film festival in Honolulu. (Hmmmm, might be a good excuse for me to take an extended "working vacation.") In any case, here's the basic info and related links:

See the best new releases and award winners from six distinctly different countries and cultures in Southeast Asia.Organized in conjunction with the exhibition Four Thousand Years of Southeast Asian Art, the festival encompasses a wide variety of cinematic genres, from box-office favorites to films that are internationally acclaimed for their artistryincluding this years Palme dOr winner at the Cannes Film Festival. Special thanks to Abigail Algar, whose help was invaluable in organizing and curating this festival. Additional thanks to Honorary Thai Consul-General of the Royal Thai Consulate, Anongnart S. Carriker, Assistant to the Honorary Consul-General of Royal Thai Consulate; Dr. Mark Silliman at the Cambodian Community of Hawaii; Mano Nguyen and Annie Koh.

Image from Woman on Fire

SAVE when you buy a festival pass to Southeast Asia on Screen! Passes allow you to mix and match any 10 screenings of your choice during the festival and are available online at http://honoluluacademy.tix.com/ or at the theater box office. (Passes exclude entry to the opening night reception and screening of Dear Galileo on November 27 at 7:30 p.m.)

Members screening pass: $40
General screening pass: $55

OPENING NIGHT, NOVEMBER 27: The delicious Thai cuisine and exotic signature cocktails of local favorite Phuket Thai will be available for purchase from 6 p.m. onwards. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for general public and can be purchased in advance online at http://honoluluacademy.tix.com/.

ACF 747: South Asian International Film Festival starts tomorrow in New York

THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS
Directed by Anurag Kashyap
India, 2010, 101 minutes
Opening Night Film
U.S. Premiere
Show Time: 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

The 6th Annual South Asian International Film Festival will take place from October 27 - November 2, 2010 in New York City. It will showcase over twenty feature films and shorts.

The South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) is the largest film premiere destination for South Asian/Indian filmmakers in the United States. SAIFF was founded in New York City due to the lack of support for many emerging filmmakers and the overall under-representation of Indian cinema in a capital that is recognized by the world as the birthplace of independent film making! The Festival is committed to exhibiting films from South Asia (i.e India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal) and within the Indian Diaspora. With a focus on dynamic, visionary cinema, SAIFF annually creates unprecedented exposure for filmmakers and unparalleled experiences for its attendees.

I Am 24
Directed by Saurabh Shukla
India, 2010, 113 minutes
World Premiere
Showtime: Oct 30 Saturday, 10:00 PM

Films will be shown at two venues:

The Paris Theatre
4 West 58th Street, (between 5th and 6th Avenue)
New York NY 10019
(212) 688-3800
www.theparistheatre.com

Nearby Subway Stops: F at 57th Street and N,R,W at 5th Avenue

and at the

SVA Theater
333 West 23rd Street (between 8th and 9th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011 (212) 592-2980
www.schoolofvisualarts.edu

Nearby Subway Stops: C, E at 23rd Street

For complete information about the festival, including films, events and ordering tickets, click here.

ACF 702: ContemporAsian continues at MoMA beginning October 6th, 2010

Image from Make Yourself at Home
Pictured: Hye-Kyo Song and Athena Currey
Courtesy of MoMA

MoMA ANNOUNCES THE CONTINUING FALL LINE-UP
FOR THE CONTEMPORASIAN FILM SERIES

MoMA Presents: ContemporAsian
October 6–11, 2010
November 22–29, 2010
December 13–19, 2010

MoMA has announced the fall line-up for its ongoing ContemporAsian series, which is screened in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. (For MoMA's website for the ongoing ContemporAsian series, click here.)

The series showcases films that get little exposure outside of their home countries or on the international festival circuit, but which engage the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. Presented in special weeklong engagements, the films in the series include recent independent gems by both new and established filmmakers whose work represent the rapidly transforming visual culture of the region. ContemporAsian is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, with William Phuan, independent curator.

The 2010 fall season continues with Soopum Sohn’s cleverly wrought super-natural thriller Make Yourself at Home (aka Fetish) (2008, US/Korea) in October; followed by Vimukthi Jayasundara’s second feature Ahasin wetei (Between Two Worlds) (2009, Sri Lanka/ France) in November, which mythically explores Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war; and in December the season finishes with Anocha Suwichakornpong’s Jao Nok Krajok (Mundane History) (2009, Thailand), a simple story of a male nurse caring for a young man with partial paralysis, that tackles grand and profound concepts.

SCREENING SCHEDULES:

October 6–11, 2010

Make Yourself at Home (aka Fetish) (2008)
Directed by Soopum Sohn
Written by Sohn and Margaret Monaghan
With Song Hye-kye, Arno Frisch, Athena Currey.

Peter, a Korean-American returns home from a trip overseas with his beautiful and mysterious new wife, Sookhy, a marriage brokered in a brief visit to the homeland with help from his mother. When a terrible accident occurs, Sookhy is left a widow. After a series of bizarre outbursts, it becomes increasingly clear that the grieving Sookhy may not be as innocent as she appears. Rumored to be a shaman, Sookhy begins to assert herself, not only at home, but with the neighbors, as she fights to keep a piece of the American dream. In English and Korean; English subtitles. 90 min.

Wednesday, October 6, 6:00
Thursday, October 7, 7:00
Friday, October 8, 4:00
Saturday, October 9, 1:00
Sunday, October 10, 5:00
Monday, October 11, 4:00

November 22–29, 2010

Ahasin wetei (Between Two Worlds) (2009, Sri Lanka/ France)
Written and directed by Vimukthi Jayasundara
With Thusitha Laknath, Kaushalya Fernando, Huang Lu.

With his second feature, Jayasundara boldly continues the allegorical exploration of Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war that began with his Caméra d’Or–winning The Forsaken Land.

A man who apparently fell from the sky picks up a young woman and flees with her from a burning city into the countryside. From there, his travels through a mythic landscape full of astonishing sights and people become exceedingly menacing—and fraught with symbolic meaning. The tableau-like, episodic tale moves confidently between realism and ritual in scenes of stunning beauty: for example, a gorgeous musical number with strapping farm workers, a scene that wouldn’t be out of place in a Soviet agitprop film. Print courtesy Memento Films. In Sinhalese; English subtitles. 85 min

Monday, November 22, 7:00
Wednesday, November 24, 4:00
Friday, November 26, 4:00
Saturday, November 27, 2:00
Sunday, November 28, 5:30
Monday, November 29, 4:00

December 13–19, 2009

Jao Nok Krajok (Mundane History) (2009, Thailand)
Written and directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong

Under the guise of a simple story of a male nurse looking after a young man with partial paralysis, Jao Nok Krajok takes on big themes like life, birth and the universe. At times hallucinogenic, meditative and mysterious, but never ponderous, the film drifts through the mundane, almost insignificant moments of everyday life, boldly suggesting that they all add up to something grand and profound yet. In Thai; English subtitles. 82 min.

Monday, December 13, 7:00
Wednesday, December 15, 7:00
Thursday, December 16, 7:00
Friday, December 17, 4:00
Saturday, December 18, 1:30
Sunday, December 19, 5:00

ACF 668: ContemporAsian film series @ MoMA for one week

Lost in the Mountains

MoMA Presents: ContemporAsian
September 10–15, 2010
The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters

Here's the skinny on an upcoming series of recent shorts from several Asian countries that will be screening at MoMA:

Asian cinema is fast becoming a cinema without borders. ContemporAsian showcases films that get little exposure outside of their home countries or on the international festival circuit, but which engage the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. Presented in special weeklong engagements, the films in the series include recent independent gems by both new and established filmmakers whose work represents the rapidly transforming visual culture of the region. ContemporAsian is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, and William Phuan, independent curator. Special thanks to the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

This season’s opening program features a rare selection of recent shorts made by four of Asian cinema’s most renowned directors, all of whom have received only limited visibility in the U.S., despite worldwide critical acclaim. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s A Letter to Uncle Boonmee (2009, Thailand/Great Britain/Germany), Tsai Ming-Liang’s Madam Butterfly (2008, Italy/Taiwan/France), Jia Zhangke’s Heshang aiqing (Cry Me a River) (2008, China/Spain/France), and Lost in the Mountains (2009, South Korea), directed by Hong Sang-soo. These short films distill the particular styles and personal expression of their directors’ feature films, while using the short form to exemplary effect.

Featured Films:

A Letter to Uncle Boonmee
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thailand/Great Britain/Germany, 2009, 17 min.

Made prior to the director’s 2010 Palme D’or–winning feature Loong Boonmee raleuk chat (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives), this short evokes the phantom history of Nabua, a city in northeastern Thailand, via a letter to a beloved uncle. In Thai; English subtitles.

Madam Butterfly
Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang.
With Pearlly Chua
Italy/Taiwan/France 2008, 36 min.

Created as part of the international Twenty Puccini Project, Tsai’s largely improvised piece follows Madam Butterfly into a chaotic Kuala Lumpur bus terminal. In Malay; English subtitles.

Heshang aiqing (Cry Me a River).
Directed by Jia Zhangke.
With Zhao Tao, Hao Lei, Guo Xiaodong, Wang Hongwei.
China/Spain/France, 2008, 19 min.

This perfect gem, shot in the city of Suzhou, is Jia’s homage to the Chinese classic Springtime in a Small Town (1948). When four former classmates (two ex-couples) meet to celebrate an old professor’s birthday, youthful dreams and attractions are met by the reality of grown up responsibilities and tradition. In Mandarin; English subtitles. 19 min.

Lost in the Mountains
Directed by Hong Sang-soo
South Korea, 2009, 30 min.

Hong rarely works in the short format, but this story of a writer visiting a friend and former lover is a treasure trove of the director’s trademark wry humor and brutal honesty. In Korean; English subtitles. 30 min.

Screening Schedule:
Friday, September 10, 8:00
Saturday, September 11, 7:30
Sunday, September 12, 5:00
Monday, September 13, 7:00
Wednesday, September 14, 4:00
Thursday, September 15, 8:00

For more information, go to the MoMA home page, then select the "Explore" tab and select "Film."

Also note that starting later in September, MoMA will be showing another Asian film series, Yeonghwa : Korean Film Today. That exhibition will be presented in collaboration with The Korea Society, and I'll have info about it in the near future.

ACF 643: Several Asian films to be at Venice Film Festival in September

Just read that the line-up of the 67th Venice Film Festival includes quite a few Asian films. Read about them yourself at Wildgrounds. The festival will run from September 1-11, 2010.

ACF 612: NYAFF schedule for Monday, July 5th, 2010

Above still is from Mutant Girl Squad

New York City is having a heat wave with high humidity.

Just one more good reason to get yourself over to the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater to catch one or more of tomorrow's New York Asian Film Festival screenings:

1:30 Kung Fu Chefs (91 minutes)

3:40 Actresses (104 minutes) - intro by director E J-Yong

6:00 Mutant Girls Squad (85 minutes) - intro and Q&A by directors Noboru Iguchi and Yoshihiro Nishimura

8:30 Doman Seman (124 minutes) - intro and Q&A with director Go Shibata and actor Monchi

For info about the films showing Monday, and the entire festival schedule, click here.

ACF 610: Red Cliff (original uncut international version) at NYAFF

Red Cliff (Uncut Original Version)
Directed by John Woo
China/Hong Kong, 2008/2009
In Mandarin with English subtitles
288 minutes (one 10-15 minute intermission is planned)

At the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater:
- Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at 5:45 PM.

Red Cliff is an epic tale set about a major battle just prior to China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.). It's also a personal triumph for director John Woo. It was released in two parts for the Asian market and in a condensed version in the United States. NYAFF is screening the original, full-length Asian version with an intermission between the two parts.

Tony Leung as Zhou Yu

In the name of the Han Dynasty Emperor, Prime Minister Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang) sets out with a huge army to "subdue" two kingdoms in the south. His motives actually may be more along the lines of ultimately uniting all the kingdoms under his personal rule. After being defeated by Cao Cao, Liu Bei (Yong You), the leader of one of the southern kingdoms, sends his his emissary and chief strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) to convince Sun Quan (Chen Chang), the ruler of the second southern kingdom, to join him in an alliance against Cao.

While many of his advisers urge surrender, Sun Quan ultimately accedes to the advice of Zhou Yu (Tony Leung), his chief military commander and others to join in the fight against Cao Cao, despite his overwhelmingly larger forces. The decisive Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as the Battle of Chibi, took place in the winter of 2008/2009 A.D.

Takeshi Kaneshiro as Zhuge Liang

Obviously there are a considerable number of significant characters involved, but overall it's fairly easy to follow who's who and which side they're on. (I confess I might have had a slight advantage because I've played - and still own -- the PlayStation 1 fighting game Dynasty Warriors, which features and describes many of the main characters.) So while the story of the battle of Red Cliff may be a familiar one to almost all Chinese, even the unfamiliar viewer should be able to follow the story without any significant difficulty.

This uncut version of Red Cliff gets an unqualified ACF rating of 4 out of 4 stars; highest recommendation. It's a magnificent film with great acting, fantastic battle scenes, and top drawer special effects. You simply must see it.

Director John Woo

This screening of Red Cliff is presented in association with Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York.

And here's some useful info for those of you who can't make it to today's screening:

Red Cliff was presented theatrically in the United States as a Magnet Release. The U.S. theatrical (shortened) version is available from Magnet on a single DVD. The original, full-length version, as is being presented at NYAFF, also is available from Magnet either as two separately packaged DVDs or in a single package containing both DVDs.

I own the single package with both DVDs and highly recommend it, if you can't see it on the big screen with a live audience of fellow Asian film fanatics. Both DVDs include worthwhile extras, especially those pointing out the difficulties this production faced, mainly from the vagaries of nature.

(All photos courtesy of Magnet Releasing)

ACF 593: New York Asian Film Festival 2010 starts in one week!

Sammo Hung (left) and Donnie Yen go at it in Ip Man 2

That's right, just seven more days until the latest -- and I'm bettin' the greatest -- New York Asian Film Festival arrives. It'll run from June 25th to July 8th, 2010. There'll be a huge number of films shown at several great locations, including the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater! Talk about going big time!

There will also be several special events and appearances by such Asian film luminaries as Sammo Hung and Simon Yam, both of whom are to receive awards.

Tickets for some screenings are already sold out, so get yourself over to subwaycinema.com, check out the schedule, and start makin' your plans.

And don't forget about this year's JAPAN CUTS Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema. It'll run from July 1-16, 2010. Some of the initial offerings will be cosponsored with NYAFF. Click here for info about JAPAN CUTS, another terrific annual film series.

Damn, do I love livin' in New York!!!!!

ACF 576: New York Asian Film Festival 2010 is coming sooner than you think!

Begin making your plans to attend every possible screening that you can of what promises to be the best New York Asian Film Festival thus far. And that's saying a helluva lot!!!

Links for further info:

Subway Cinema:
http://subwaycinema.com/

Subway Cinema Blog:
http://subwaycinemanews.com/

Subway Cinema Mailing List:
http://subwaycinemanews.com/join-subway-cinema-news-mailing-list

Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/NYAFF

Twitter Feed:
http://twitter.com/subwaycinema

Japan Society JAPAN CUTS: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema
http://www.japansociety.org/japancuts

Film Society of Lincoln Center:
http://filmlinc.com/wrt/wrt.html#ca
- At this time the only info that seems to be available is the announcement of the NYAFF from June 25-July 8. The announcement includes a paragraph describing the festival and an indication the tickets go on sale Thursday, June 10th. I suggest you check back periodically.

ACF 559: MoMA presents special weeklong showing of Yasmin Ahmad's final film Talentime

MoMA Presents: ContemporAsian May 6–12

Asian cinema is fast becoming a cinema without borders. In the monthly exhibition ContemporAsian, MoMA showcases films that get little exposure outside of their home countries or on the international festival circuit, but which engage the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. This month, in conjunction with Filmmaker in Focus: Yasmin Ahmad, MoMA is presenting a special weeklong engagement of Malaysian director Yasmin Ahmad’s final film, Talentime, a multicharacter, multithread story that explores the rich tapestry of Malaysia’s diverse peoples, cultures, and religions.

Talentime
Directed by Yasmin Ahmad
Malaysia, 2009, 120 min.
With Pamela Chong, Mahesh Jugal Kishor, Mohd Syafie Naswip.

In Malay, Tamil; English subtitles
U.S. premiere. Thursday, May 6, 6:00 (T1); Friday, May 7, 4:00 (T2); Saturday, May 8, 1:30 (T2); Sunday, May 9, 5:00 (T2);
Monday, May 10, 4:00 (T2); Wednesday, May 12, 7:00 (T2)

ACF 363: Contemporasian Film Series at MoMA from September thru December

From Babi buta yang ingin terbang (Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly). 2008. Indonesia.
Directed by Edwin. Image courtesy of BABIBUTAFILM.

MoMA ANNOUNCES FALL LINE-UP FOR
CONTEMPORASIAN FILM SERIES

Highlighting the Richness and Diversity of Asian Cinema,
One Contemporary Asian Film Is Featured
Each Month in a Weeklong Engagement

MoMA Presents: ContemporAsian
September 11–17, 2009
October 14–19, 2009
November 20–27, 2009
December 10–16, 2009
The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters

MoMA has announced the fall line-up for its ongoing ContemporAsian series in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. MoMA showcases one contemporary Asian film per month with a weeklong engagement, allowing audiences the rare chance to enjoy films not in wide distribution and to experience the diversity and richness of Asian cinema in its many forms.

ContemporAsian is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, and William Phuan, independent curator.

In the monthly exhibition ContemporAsian, MoMA showcases films that get little exposure outside of their home countries or on the international festival circuit, but which engage the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. The films in the series include recent independent films and little-seen classics.

From September’s opening feature, a stylistically flamboyant series of surreal urban vignettes of social and racial strife offset by characters who break into song Stevie Wonder-style (Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly, 2008, Indonesia), to October’s intimate portrait of a resilient octogenarian, featuring venerated actress Anita Linda in a tour de force performance (Adela, 2008, Philippines), the films showcased encompass a variety of styles and themes. In November, a South Korean film explores the aftermath of a romantic breakup, in which a sticky financial situation gives rise to a revealing roadtrip (My Dear Enemy, 2009), while in December, a Taiwanese film depicts the struggles of two illegal migrant workers trying to build a relationship in a culture alien to both of them, even as they live in fear of deportation (Sincerely Yours, 2009.)

SCREENING SCHEDULES

MoMA Presents: ContemporAsian

September through December 2009

September 11–17, 2009

Dajang Soembi, perempoean jang dikawini andjing (Dajang Soembi, the Woman Who Was Married to a Dog). 2004. Indonesia. Directed by Edwin.

Following the examples of silent cinema, Indonesian filmmaker Edwin uses expressionistic sets reminiscent of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and plot overtones of Oedipus Rex to retell an Indonesian folk tale about a beautiful but dull-witted princess who marries a dog. 7 min.

Babi buta yang ingin terbang (Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly). 2008. Indonesia. Directed by Edwin. With Ladya Cheryl, Pong Harjatmo, Carlo Genta.

In a departure from the short films for which he is celebrated, Edwin brings his prodigious talent for episodic, kaleidoscopic storytelling to this compelling feature film. In a series of minimal, slightly surreal tales, characters loosely linked by their minority status as Chinese-Indonesians are set within a contemporary urban Indonesia beset by social and racial tension. Past and present are jumbled, and events are vaguely symbolic and doubtlessly—albeit obscurely—connected to the violent political events playing out on TV. In this expertly crafted universe, the one constant, bizarrely enough, is Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You”—sung by each of the characters at different points in the film. In Indonesian; English subtitles. 77 min.

Screening Schedule:
Friday, September 11, 7:00; Saturday, September 12, 1:30 ; Sunday, September 13, 5:00; Monday, September 14, 7:00; Wednesday, September 16, 8:00; Thursday, September 17, 7:00

October 14–19, 2009

Adela. 2008. The Philippines. Directed and cowritten by Adolfo Alix Jr. With Anita Linda, Jason Abalos, Joem Bascon.

To celebrate her 80th birthday, Adela wants nothing more than a meal with her children and family. Yet as the widow goes about her day preparing and shopping, often stopping to help out her fellow slum-dwellers, the wait for the celebration is long and futile. In a stylistic break from the energetic, fast-moving contemporary cinema we have come to expect from the Philippines, Alix trains his camera on veteran Filipino actress Anita Linda throughout the film, to great effect and with moving results. Adela is as much a tribute to the quiet dignity and indomitable spirit of the titular character as it is to the actress whose compelling, poignant performance inflects every scene. In Tagalog; English subtitles. 88 min.

Screening Schedule:
Wednesday, October 14, 7:00; Thursday, October 15, 4:00; Friday, October 16, 7:00; Saturday, October 17, 7:30; Sunday, October 18, 5:00; Monday October 19, 4:30

November 20–27, 2009

Meitjin haru (My Dear Enemy). 2009. South Korea. Directed and cowritten by Lee Yoon-ki. With Jeon Do-yeon and Ha Jeong-woo.

Heui-Su shows up unexpectedly at the betting haunt of her former boyfriend and demands that he pay up the 3.5 million won (about $2,600) that he owes her from more than a year ago. This beautifully crafted film teases out the intricacies of modern relationships as it follows the ex-lovers on an unlikely road trip to borrow money from his contacts to pay her back. The natural chemistry between the two leads makes credible a partnership that is by turns prickly and inscrutable, yet surprisingly tender. In Korean; English subtitles. 123 min.

Screening Schedule:
Friday, November 20, 4:30; Saturday, November 21, 1:30; Sunday, November 22, 12:30; Monday, November 23, 7:00; Wednesday, November 25, 4:00; Friday, November 27, 8:15.

December 10–16, 2009
Qilu tiantang (Sincerely Yours). 2009. Taiwan. Directed by Rich Lee. With Lola Amaria, Banlop Lomnoi, May Kuei-Mei Yang.

Setia and Supayong are both illegal workers in Taiwan. Setia works as domestic help to support her child and family in Indonesia, while Supayong, from Thailand, takes on odd jobs to scrape together a living. Even as they develop a tentative love affair while forging a new life, the constant fear of deportation threatens to overwhelm them. Lee's finely tuned first film acutely captures the precarious plight of migrant workers who are often nameless and invisible in big cities; in spite of their halting Mandarin, the characters’ yearning for connection and for a better life is as unmistakable as the contradictions that divide the city. In Mandarin; English subtitles. 96 min.

Screening Schedule:
Thursday, December 10, 7:00; Friday, December 11, 4:00; Saturday, December 12, 8:00; Sunday, December 13, 5:30; Monday, December 14, 4:00; Wednesday, December 16, 7:00

ACF 312 : Trailer for NYAFF 2009!

Only two weeks and two days remain until the start of this year's New York Asian Film Festival!

And now the festival trailer for it is online. Check out the brain-cell-vaporizing madness we've come to love, expect, and, yeah, even demand each year from the NYAFF, by clicking here.

ACF 276: 8th annual NYAFF in 2 months!

This year's festival is certain to feature many terrific films. Find out about it by checking back here at AsianCineFest and at subwaycinema.com.

ACF 263: NY Asian FIlm Festival 2009 - 1st films announced

You can get the finger from watching Love Exposure

Exciting news about the best showcase in the U.S. of new and recent films from the FarEast - talkin' 'bout the New York Asian FIlm Festival. The good folks at Subway Cinema have just released info about several of the films that will be showing in New York as spring turns to summer.

Ten to twenty additional films are expected to be added to the roster, and there'll also be many special guests.

The festival will run from June 19 - July 2 at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Ave, at West 4th Street)and at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues) from July 1 to 5, 2009.

Descriptions of each film and links to trailers for some can be found at Subway Cinema News.

Here's the list of films (and the countires of origin) that have been announced so far:

China:
The Equation Of Love And Death
If You Are The One
Old Fish

Indonesia:
The Forbidden Door

Japan
20th Century Boys
20th Century Boys: Chapter Two - The Last Hope
All Around Us
Children Of The Dark
Climber's High
The CLone Returns Home
K-20: Legend Of The Mask
Love Exposure
Monster X Strikes Back: Attack The G8 Summit
- preceeded by Gehara: The Long-Haired GIant Monster
Snakes And Earrings

Malaysia
When The Full Moon Rises

South Korea
Breathless
Dachimawa Lee
Dream
Rough Cut

Taiwan
Cape No. 7

And again, in case you missed it, descriptions of each film and links to trailers for some can be found at Subway Cinema News.

ACF 254: 8th Annual NYAFF in 3 months!

The 8th annual New York Asian Film Festival will be upon us in three months! Two whole weeks of cinematic mayhem and madness!

Even if you're not in New York, you should rejoice because you can at least learn about many of the latest and greatest films that are coming out of Asia, films that may later screen near you or be available on DVD.

I'll be covering the festival here at AsianCineFest as I have since I wrote about Oh! My Zombie Mermaid way back in ACF 002 on July 4, 2006.

I don't have specifics about this years festival (other than the planned dates), but will pass them on as they become available. In the meanwhile, I suggest you check out:

The Subway Cinema website and Subway Cinema News (their blog)

ACF 054: "Dog Bite Dog" DVD Out 10.23.07

Dog Bite Dog / Gau ngao gau

Directed by Cheang- Pou-Soi
Hong Kong, 2006, 109 minutes

Asian action film fans, the time to rejoice is almost upon you! The two-disc DVD of Dog Bite Dog is due to arrive on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007. I was amazed by this film when I saw it at its New York Premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival early this past summer. I mentioned that the DVD was coming out in a previous ACF posting, and was lucky enough - as I'd hoped to be - to score an advance screening copy of the DVD. So I've had time to watch the film again and to check out the DVD extras.

And I'll tell you this: Dog Bite Dog is a fantastic action film that has been magnificently packaged and presented by Dragon Dynasty.

Edison Chen, in a remarkable breakthrough performance, stars as Pang, a brutal, savage and conscienceless Cambodian hit man. He's sent to Hong Kong to kill a lawyer. After he completes his mission, his escape is initially thwarted by Ti Wai, a police inspector played by Sam Lee, in a breakthrough performance of his own. Aided by a sweet, but mentally limited and abused young woman, (mainlander Weiying Pei, billed as Pei Pei in this, her first film!), Pang eventually is able to return to Cambodia, bringing her along. But Wai, who has seen all his colleagues, as well as some innocent civilians, viciously murdered by Pang, must avenge their deaths and goes to incredible extremes to do so.

Wai takes Pang's wife hostage

This brief synopsis doesn't begin to convey the extreme and realistic violence that is portrayed in this film. It's no standard Hong Kong actioner with carefully choreographed fight scenes. It's down and dirty, in your face, gut-wrenching, bone-crushing, unforgiving, visceral violence. Sam Peckinpah would have been proud to have made this film.

Instead, it's director Cheang Pou-Soi to whom all praise is due for what he's done with a screenplay by Matt, Chow, Melvin Li, and Szeto Kam-yuen.

At the same time, it would be a mistake to think of his film only in terms of its graphic depiction of violence. At it's heart, Dog Bite Dog is a meditation on survival. And the performances of the two male leads are each tour de forces. Edison Chen's is perhaps the more remarkable in that he manages, using only expressions, gestures and body language, to convey the emergence of the human being that lurks inside a seeming automated killing machine.

The two disc set offers the film on one disc with Cantonese Dolby 5.1 or DTS soundtracks, an English-dubbed Dolby 5.1 soundtrack, and a feature length commentary soundtrack with star Edison Chen and Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan. I've only had a chance to listen to some of the commentary soundtrack, but what I heard was very interesting, and I'm looking forward to watching the film yet another time with this on.

Disc two is chock full of terrific extras. There are separate interviews with director Cheang, Edison Chen, Sam Lee, and co-star Lam Suet. These are not what I call MAS extras (MAS = Mutual Admiration Society). You know, actors and directors babbling about how working with one another was the greatest thing in their career. (At least since their last DVD interview and until their next one.) Little or nothing of substance.

The four Dog Bite Dog interviews are really solid, worthwhile watches. Director Cheang's is noteworthy for his describing his initial reluctance to cast Edison, but becoming convinced that he'd be right for the role, which certainly turned out to be the case. He's also pretty much on the mark when he talks about others being correct that the film could have ended when Pang and the girl escape from Hong Kong, but that if it had, no one would remember Dog Bite Dog. That's perhaps a bit of an overstatement, since the nature of the violence would have made it at least somewhat memorable. But Cheang is absolutely right that the final twenty minutes or so, which take place in Cambodia, take the film to a whole other level.

Edison's interview is the only one in English (the others are subtitled). It's amazing to listen to him: he's more articulate in English than many actors are for whom it's their primary language. He talks about the challenge of working outside his comfort range and having to "speak without speaking" since his character has almost no dialog until the last twenty minutes or so, and very little even then. In addition, whatever dialog he has is in Cambodian!

Sam Lee talks about making his first film in 1997, having worked with Dog Bites Dog's director on two earlier projects, and having previously done mainly silly comedies. As Wai, he gets to play a troubled cop who's been living with a horrible family secret for about a year, since his cop father was shot and went into a coma. Able to inflict violence on his own terms, his character is temporarily shocked by what he sees Pang do to others. Lee's cop goes through a truly amazing transformation over the course of the film.

Lam Suet, probably Hong Kong's best character actor, plays inspector "Fat" Lam, a cop who serves as an uncle figure to Wai. His interview is notable for his description of working on film production years ago and finally talking a director into giving him an opportunity to act. He also talks about how this film was such a breakthrough for Edison, whom he describes as previously being cast as "handsome, gentlemanly and romantic" characters.

There's also a separate behind-the scenes look at the making of the film. One segment of this includes a brief interview with actress Weiying Pei. To top things off, there's the U.S. promotional tailer.

Dog Bite Dog is a must see film and the two disc DVD set is a must have. The film gets a 4 out of 4 star ACF rating (highest recommendation). The packaging of so many worthwhile extras by Dragon Dynasty also warrants a 4 out f 4 star rating, the first time I've been moved to give a separate rating for DVD extras.

So get out on Tuesday and buy Dog Bite Dog, or at least rent it as soon as you can.