Tag Archives: Oscars

Hong Kong’s ‘Port of Call’ Selected as Foreign-Language Oscar Entry

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Aaron Kwok in a scene from ‘Port of Call.’
PHOTO: The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society

Hong Kong’s Motion Picture Industry Association has submitted “Port of Call” by director Philip Yung to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as it entry in the foreign-language film category.

The gritty psychological thriller – inspired by a grisly real-life murder in Hong Kong of a teenage girl from mainland China – premiered at the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival in 2015 as the closing film and has since been showered with awards.

At the Hong Kong Film Awards in April, it won best actor for Aaron Kwok, best actress for Jessie Li, best supporting actor and best new performer for Michael Ning, best supporting actress for Elaine Jin, best cinematography for Christopher Doyle and best screenplay for Mr. Yung. The Hong Kong Film Critics Society named “Port of Call” as best film of 2015, and it also picked up additional honors at the Asian Film Awards, the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan and South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.

The Academy’s foreign-language film nominees are decided in two phases, eginning with a shortlist of nine films selected by a committee. That list is later narrowed to five nominated films, which are voted on by all Academy members who have screened them.

The Oscar ceremony will be held in Hollywood on Feb. 26.

Singapore Submits ‘Apprentice’ for Foreign-Language Film Oscar

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A scene from Singapore director Boo Junfeng’s “Apprentice.”
PHOTO: Festival de Cannes

The Singapore Film Commission has selected director Boo Junfeng’s film “Apprentice” as the country’s official submission to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the best foreign-language film category.

Mr. Boo’s film is a psychological drama about a young correctional officer who is transferred to Singapore’s top prison, where he develops a friendship with the chief executioner.

“It’s a huge honor, and I am very thankful that the Singapore Film Commission has selected “Apprentice” as Singapore’s entry to the Oscars,” Mr. Boo said in a statement. “We have been very encouraged by the response to the film in Singapore and around the world, and this news comes as another big boost for us,” he said.

“Apprentice” received strong reviews at its premiere in May in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. The film had a successful run this summer in Singapore, where it played for more than eight weeks. The film currently is screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it will have its Asian festival premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in October.

The Singapore Film Commission’s director, Joachim Ng, praised the film. “Apprentice” was selected because “it explores complex and sensitive themes while preserving an honest insight to the characters’ internal conflict and emotions,” Mr. Ng said in the same statement. “We believe the film will resonate with international audiences,” he added. “Films like ‘Apprentice’ continue to showcase the quality works by Singaporean filmmakers.”

“Apprentice” is the second feature film by Mr. Boo, following “Sandcastle,” which held its premiere at the International Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.

The Academy’s foreign-language film nominees are decided in two phases, beginning with a shortlist of nine films selected by a committee. That list is later narrowed to five nominated films, which are voted on by all Academy members who have screened them.

A Singaporean film has never been nominated for an Academy Award in the foreign-language film category. The Oscar ceremony will be held in Hollywood on Feb. 26.

Taiwan Names ‘The Assassin’ as Its Oscar Entry

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A scene from Hou Hsiao-hsien's 'The Assasin." PHOTO: Well Go USA

A scene from Hou Hsiao-hsien’s ‘The Assassin.’
PHOTO: Well Go USA

Taiwan selected “The Assassin” as its official foreign-language entry for the 2016 Academy Awards.

Director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s art-house martial-arts film stars actress Shu Qi as an expert assassin in 9th-century China. Mr. Hou won the best-director award for the film at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

“‘The Assassin’ was selected because the film’s technical aspect has reached a pinnacle,” Taiwan’s ministry of culture said in a statement. “The film conveys a classical atmosphere and humanity through its cinematography, lighting, art direction and character modeling. Director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film techniques have remained the same, but the film shows Hou’s strong ambition to create a new film language and style,” according to the statement, which was issued by Well Go USA, the film’s U.S. distributor.

The film opened around Asia last month and currently is screening at this week’s Toronto International Film Festival. It will also screen at the New York Film Festival, which opens later in September, prior to its release in the U.S. on Oct. 16.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences typically releases a short list of films eligible for the foreign-language category prior to its announcement of five nominated films. The full list of nominations for the 2016 Oscars is scheduled for Jan. 14, and the awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 28.