Tag Archives: Taiwan

Taiwanese Actress Brigitte Lin to Receive Gala at Italian Film Festival

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Cloud of Romance 我是一片雲

A scene from ‘Cloud of Romance’ (1977)
PHOTO (above): Hong Kong International Film Festival
FEATURED IMAGE PHOTO: Far East Film Festival

HONG KONG – The Far East Film Festival will celebrate the career of Taiwanese actress Brigitte Lin at this year’s event in April, the festival organizers said this week.

The Udine, Italy-based festival will honor Lin with its Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award and a “small and precious” retrospective of her films. Lin is considered the “goddess” of Hong Kong and Taiwan cinema, the festival said in a statement.

Lin has starred in more than 100 films, the festival organizers noted, appearing in “sentimental melodramas and wuxia titles, to thrillers and eccentric experimental projects,” which the festival will “distill” into a retrospective that will include the European premiere of “Cloud of Romance” (1977), which was recently restored by the Taiwan Film Institute.

The 63-year-old Lin, who retired from her acting career in 1994, will be accompanied by Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi, who has previously collaborated with Lin on films. Shi herself received the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement Award three years ago.

The announcement comes after the Hong Kong International Film Festival also unveiled plans to honor Lin at this year’s 42nd edition in March. The HKIFF will screen 14 of Lin’s films and hold a public seminar, in which the actress will discuss her film career.

The Far East Film Festival, which describes itself as the “European epicenter of Asian cinema,” is known for drawing audiences from Italy, across Europe and around the world to honor Asian movies, filmmakers and actors.

Udine, a picturesque city of about 100,000 in northeast Italy, is situated between Trieste and the Italian Alps.

The Far East Film Festival this year marks its 20th edition, which will be held April 20-28.

HKIFF to Honor Taiwanese Actress Brigitte Lin

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ChungkingExpress 重慶森林

Brigitte Lin in ‘Chungking Express’ (1994), by director Wong Kar-wai.
PHOTO: Hong Kong International Film Festival

HONG KONG – Taiwanese actress Brigitte Lin will be honored by the Hong Kong International Film Festival next month as this year’s “Filmmaker in Focus,” the festival has announced.

At the 42nd edition of the HKIFF, the festival will screen 14 films starring Lin, considered one of the greatest actresses in modern Chinese-language cinema. “Lin is an enduring iconic figure for her legendary beauty and distinguished performances,” the festival said in a statement.

The 14 films include a restored version of “Outside the Window” (1973), which marked Lin’s screen debut. Other films to be shown at the festival include “Peking Opera Blues” (1986), directed by Tsui Hark; director Ann Hui’s “Starry is the Night” (1988); “The Bride with White Hair” (1993) from director Ronny Yu; and “Chungking Express” (1994) and “Ashes of Time” (1994), both from director Wong Kar-wai.

Lin won best actress at the Golden Horse Awards for her performance in “Red Dust” (1990), which also will screen at the festival.

Lin will also appear at the festival’s “Face to Face” seminar at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre on March 31 to share with the audience memories and stories about her films and her personal life.

The 63-year-old Lin has largely led a private life since retiring from her acting career in 1994, making only occasional public appearances.

The 42 Hong Kong Film Festival opens on March 19 and runs through April 5.

Ashes of Time Redux 東邪西毒終極版

Brigitte Lin in director Wong Kar-wai’s ‘Ashes of Time’ (1994).
PHOTO: Hong Kong International Film Festival

HKAFF 2015: Five Films to Watch

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Miriam Yeung and Jan Lamb in 'She Remembers, He Forgets' PHOTO: HKAFF Society

Miriam Yeung and Jan Lamb in ‘She Remembers, He Forgets’
PHOTO: HKAFF Society

The Hong Kong Asian Film Festival kicks off today in Hong Kong and runs until Nov. 22. The festival is featuring 70 films from across the region. Here are five to mark in your calendar:

“She Remembers, He Forgets” (Hong Kong)

This is director Adam Wong’s first feature since winning best new director at the Hong Kong Film Awards for “The Way We Dance” (2013). Miriam Yeung and Jan Lamb star in this drama about a couple and their troubled marriage. (Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CREm4BB_c9g)

“Mountains May Depart” (China)

Auteur Jia Zhangke’s drama looks at how ordinary people’s lives are affected in a fast-changing society. The film has been nominated for seven Golden Horse Awards, which will be handed out next month. (Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzkKT2wzCXk)

“Zinnia Flower” (Taiwan)

Director Tom Shu-yu Lin worked through his own grief following the death of his wife in this drama about a woman coming to terms over the loss of her fiancé. (Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB2pVBlx25Q)

“Right Now, Wrong Then” (South Korea)

Director Hong Sang-soo’s latest film won the Golden Leopard award for best film at the Locarno International Film Festival in August, while actor Jung Jae-young picked up the best-actor prize. (Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOE-Zznq_S4)

“Keeper of Darkness” (Hong Kong)

Actor Nick Cheung steps behind the camera for the second time, following last year’s “Hungry Ghost Ritual,” directing and starring in this suspense thriller. (Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHYfKAZa7oI)

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.

‘The Assassin’ Gains an Audience in China

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Shu Qi, in a scene from director Hou Hsiao-hsien's 'The Assassin.' PHOTO: Hong Kong International Film Festival Society

Shu Qi, in a scene from director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s ‘The Assassin.’
PHOTO: Hong Kong International Film Festival Society

Filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien’s “The Assassin” continues to gain a steady following at the mainland China box office since its opening on Aug. 27. In its first nine days of release, the Taiwanese director’s art-house sword-play film starring actress Shu Qi has earned 54.91 million yuan (US$8.62 million), according to website ChinaBoxOffice.

The film, which earned Mr. Hou the best-director award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, has drawn strong reviews — earning a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The South China Morning Post called it “an instant classic,” while Variety described it as “a mesmerizing slow burn of a martial-arts movie.”

Watch a trailer for “The Assassin”: