IFC Center:

.

Friday 6/19
12:00  Empress & the Warriors (95)
2:00    Eye in the Sky (90)
3:45    Gehara / Monster X (115)
followed by a presentation by Tokyo Shock about their upcoming kaiju production, DEATH KAPPA
6:30    Warlords (110)
9:00    Written By (89)
Wai Ka-fai in attendance
11:30    Pink Film Program 1 (126)
12:00    Yoroi Samurai Zombie (90)

.

Saturday 6/20
11:30  Dream (97)
1:30    Comrades in Arms (91)
3:30    Plastic City (92)
5:30    The Longest Nite (85)
Wai Ka-fai in attendance
8:15    K-20 (138)
11:15   When the Full Moon Rises (108)
12:00  Samurai Princess (83)

.

Sunday 6/21
11:30  20th Century Boys (143)
2:15    20th Century Boys 2 (141)
5:00   Magazine Gap Road (89)
director Nick Chin in attendance
7:20    Written By (89)
Wai Ka-fai in attendance
9:45    Dachimawa Lee (99)

.

Monday 6/22
11:00    Cape No. 7 (129)
1:25      Antique (112)
3:35     Eye in the Sky (90)
5:20     Comrades in Arms (91)
7:15      Ip Man (106)
9:30    The Clone Returns Home (111)

.

Tuesday 6/23
11:00    Old Fish (108)
1:05      High Noon (106)
3:10      Equation of Love & Death (93)
5:10      Quick Gun Murugan (97)
7:15      Warlords (110)
9:30     Rough Cut (114)
actor So Ji-Seob in attendance

.

Wednesday 6/24
1:25     Children of the Dark (138)
4:00    If You Are the One (125)
6:30    Rough Cut (114)
with Rising Star Asia awards presentation with actor So Ji-Sub and actress Kong Hyo-jin in attendance (awards presented by Subway Cinema and The Hollywood Reporter)
9:15     Crush and Blush (102)
actress Kong Hyo-Jin in attendance

.

Thursday 6/25
11:00    Plastic City (92)
1:00      Old Fish (108)
3:10      Magazine Gap Road (89)
director Nick Chin in attendance
5:00      Crush and Blush (102)
actress Kong Hyo-Jin in attendance
7:15       Breathless (131)
10:00    House (88)
Yoshihiro Nishimura & Noboru Iguchi introduction, and video message from the director (and his daughter)

.

Friday 6/26
11:00    Rainbow Troops (120)
1:15       Snakes & Earrings (124)
3:40     MSFF short Program 1 (89)
5:30     Dachimawa Lee (99) + intro by actress
7:30     Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (85)
Yoshihiro Nishimura and Tak Sakaguchi in attendance, followed by a party for the audience
9:45     Yoroi Samurai Zombie (90)
Tak Sakaguchi in attendance
11:55    Pink Film Program 2  (132)
director Daisuke Goto in attendance
12:15    Hard Revenge Milly (120)
Yoshihiro Nishimura in attendance

.

Saturday 6/27
11:00     Exodus (95)
1:00       Fish Story (113)
3:15       MSFF Short Program 2 (95)
director Lee Su-Jin in attendance
5:40       Antique (112)
8:00      Be a Man! Samurai School (111)
director Tak Sakaguchi in attendance
11:00      Tokyo Gore Night (170)
almost every Japanese guest in attendance, plus director Noboru Iguchi’s 40th birthday party
12:00     The Forbidden Door (111)

.

Sunday 6/28
11:00    Gehara / Monster X Strikes Back(115)
1:15       Five Deadly Venoms (99)
3:20     Pride (127)
5:50     The Forbidden Door (111)
8:10     Rainbow Troops (120)
10:30   Lalapipo (119)

.

Monday 6/29
11:00    Written By (89)
12:50    Exodus (95)
2:50      Ip Man (106)
5:00      Be a Man! Samurai School (111)
Tak Sakaguchi in attendance
7:40      Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (85)
Yoshihiro Nishimura and Tak Sakaguchi in attendance
9:40      Children of the Dark (138)

.

Tuesday 6/30
11:30    Go Go 70’s (118)
1:45      K-20: Legend of the Mask (138)
4:30     Samurai Princess (83)
Yoshihiro Nishimura in attendance
6:30     Hard Revenge Milly (120)
Yoshihiro Nishimura in attendance
9:15      Climbers High (145)

.

Wednesday 7/1
11:00    The Clone Returns Home (111)
1:15       The Equation of Love & Death (95)
3:15      When the Full Moon Rises (108)
5:30     Quick Gun Murugan (97)
7:30     Dream (97)
9:30     If You Are the One (125)

.

Thursday 7/2
11:15    Climbers High (145)
2:00    Breathless (131)
4:30    Cape No. 7 (129)
7:00    Snakes and Earrings (124)
9:30    Go Go 70s (118)

.

JAPAN SOCIETY:

.

Wednesday 7/1
6:30    Vacation (112)
9:00    The Magic Hour (136)

.

Thursday 7/2
6:15     Fish Story (112)
8:45    All Around Us (140)

.

Friday 7/3
4:00    Vacation (112)
6:15     Love Exposure (237)
Sion Sono in attendance, followed by a party for the audience

.

Saturday 7/4
11:45    20th Century Boys (142)
2:30     20th Century Boys 2 (139)

.

Sunday 7/5
12:00        The Magic Hour (136)
2:45          All Around Us (140)
5:30          Pride (126)
8:15          Be Sure to Share (109)
director Sion Sono and actor Eiji Okuda in attendance

.

Comments (20) Jun 07 2009

The New York Asian Film Festival (June 19 – July 5) has imported special guests by the truckload. Here they are, in all their glory. This is the most number of guests we’ve ever brought in for our festival before and we can only hope our audience helps show them a good time at the festival so they’ll come back!

.

.

Wai Ka-fai – Johnnie To’s collaborator, Wai Ka-fai has written, produced or co-directed almost every single film from Milkyway Image, including writing VENGEANCE, which was just in competition at Cannes. He’s here for the world premiere of WRITTEN BY, which he wrote and directed. There will also be a special presentation of his film THE LONGEST NITE (1998) after which he will talk about his career.

.

.

Lau Ching-wan – one of Hong Kong’s most popular actors, Lau Ching-wan has appeared in ten movies from Johnnie To’s Milkyway Image. The recipient of several “Best Actor” awards including one “Best Actor” Hong Kong Film Award he is here for the world premiere of WRITTEN BY in which he plays the lead role. There will also be a special presentation of THE LONGEST NITE (1998) in which he stars opposite Tony Leung Chiu-wai, after which he will talk about his career with Wai Ka-fai.

.

.

Nick Chin – working in London, the US and Hong Kong, Nick Chin is here for the New York premiere of his drop-dead gorgeous independent film noir, MAGAZINE GAP ROAD, which features an all-star cast of Hong Kong and Chinese actors, both new and old.

.

.

Mak Hei-yan – only twenty-four years old and already of the most acclaimed young directors in Hong Kong, Mak Hei-yan is here for the New York premiere of her debut feature, HIGH NOON, for which she received a “Best Director” nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

.

.

Daisuke Goto – one of Japan’s most famous pink film directors, Daisuke Goto is best known for his pink film, THE LONELY COW WEEPS AT DAWN. Known for making pink films that are a cut above average in terms of quality and emotional heft, he’s here for the premiere of his pink movie, BLIND LOVE.

.

.

Yoshihiro Nishimura – a truly unique talent, Yoshihiro Nishimura is a special effects director turned feature film director, who was at the NYAFF last year with his movie TOKYO GORE POLICE. This year he’s here to present the world premiere of his latest film, VAMPIRE GIRL VS. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL.

.

.

Noboru Iguchi – best known in America for his film MACHINE GIRL, Iguchi is also the director of A/V (adult videos) like HYPERTROPHIC GENITAL GIRL and feature films like the motion picture adaptation of Kazuo Umezu’s CAT-EYED BOY. He’s here to present his short film in “Tokyo Gore Night” SHYNESS MACHINE GIRL.

.

.

Tak Sakaguchi – one of Japan’s most famous action stars, Tak Sakaguchi started his career as an underground fighter. He was discovered by Ryuhei Kitamura who gave him the starring role in VERSUS and he has since gone on to star in and choreograph numerous productions. He’s here to present his first two directorial efforts, BE A MAN! SAMURAI SCHOOL and YOROI SAMURAI ZOMBIE.

.

.

Kong Hyo-Jin – one of Korea’s most popular up-and-coming actresses, and one of the stars of last year’s NYAFF film M, Kong Hyo-Jin was already well known before her star turn in CRUSH AND BLUSH rocketed her to the forefront as one of Korea’s best and most surprising actresses. She’s here to present CRUSH AND BLUSH and DACHIMAWA LEE, in which she plays the female lead.

.

.

So Ji-Seob – a massive star of Korean TV dramas, with many awards under his belt, So Ji-Seob has been in a few movies before, but nothing to rival the massive acclaim he received for his cooler-than-thou performance as a gangster in ROUGH CUT, one of Korea’s biggest sleeper hits of 2008. He’s here with ROUGH CUT, the movie that has suddenly made him a big screen star.

.

Lee Su-Jin – short film director Lee Su-Jin won the award from the Mise En Scene Short Film Festival in the “Comments on Society” category for his film “Enemy Apple,” part of this year’s MSFF program.

.

.

Sion Sono – poet and director, Sion Sono, shot to fame in the West with his 2001 movie SUICIDE CIRCLE. In 2007, he came to the NYAFF with EXTE, and now he’s back with his four-hour masterpiece LOVE EXPOSURE and to present the world premiere of his latest film, BE SURE TO SHARE. His next movie is an English language adaptation of LORDS OF CHAOS, about Norway’s black metal scene, set to star TWILIGHT actor Jackson Rathbone as real-life heavy metal murderer Varg Vikernes.

.

.

Eiji Okuda – since 1986, Eiji Okuda has been one of Japan’s great screen actors, a constant presence on the silver screen. He’s here to present the world premiere of BE SURE TO SHARE in which he stars as a father dying of cancer who makes the Great Santini look like a push-over.

.

Comments (0) Jun 07 2009

Comments (2) Jun 02 2009

The New York Asian Film Festival and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York are proud to announce a special focus on Hong Kong films and filmmakers called Hong Kong Never Dies!

.

There has been a lot written about the “death” of Hong Kong’s film industry in the last ten years, mostly by folks who don’t know nothing. Sure the production bubble of the early 90’s popped and there was a lot of trauma while the industry readjusted to a realistic size, but what people don’t realize is that great movies have never stopped coming from Hong Kong, and a new generation of filmmakers have sprung up to replace the John Woos and Jackie Chans who moved away. “Hong Kong Never Dies!” consists of ten titles, five of which are part of the Hong Kong Film Development Council’s “New Action” promotional project, and these ten movies join a line-up of over 50 feature films competing in this year’s New York Asian Film Festival for both the Audience Award and the Jury Award.

.

AN EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS
(2008, Hong Kong, Ching Siu-tung)
Starring Kelly Chen, Donnie Yen, Leon Lai
Ching Siu-tung (action director of HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) turns in a Cantopop confection of warring armies, secret treehouses, Kelly Chen falling in love, and Donnie Yen stripping off his shirt and screaming, “Who wants some of me?” Campy, over-the-top, and slightly mad, this cracked big budget blockbuster is the kind of turn-off-your-brain summer film that is as essential as air conditioning for beating the heat.
95 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
.

.

EXODUS
(2007, Hong Kong, Pang Ho-cheung)
Starring Simon Yam, Annie Liu, Nick Cheung
This taut, tense movie doesn’t waste a minute as it delivers a pared-to-the-bone black comedy version of the war between the sexes, thinly disguised as an arthouse film. Simon Yam discovers a secret plot by women to destroy all men. Deadpan and po-faced you’re never quite sure if the director is kidding or not. Given that the director is Pang Ho-cheung, one of Hong Kong’s fastest rising new talents, and a gifted comic director, he’s probably kidding, but maybe not. After all, why are women always going to the bathroom together if they’re not using that time to plot against their husbands and lovers?
95 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
Part of the Hong Kong Film Development Council’s “New Action” program.
.

.

EYE IN THE SKY
(2007, Hong Kong, Yau Nai-hoi)
Starring Simon Yam, Kate Tsui, Tony Leung Kar-fai
It’s Simon Yam vs. Tony Leung Kar-fai in this sleek thriller directed by Yau Nai-hoi, a screenwriter with credits for dozens of Johnnie To movies under his belt. Simon Yam is the leader of the SU (Surveillance Unit) playing a lethal game of tag with Tony Leung Kar-fai, and his gang of hapless jewel thieves who cross paths with a kidnapper. Johnnie To’s Milkyway Image production company has become the training ground for many of Hong Kong’s newest behind-the-camera talents, and Yau Nai-hoi’s slick, assured directorial debut testifies to the fact that it’s turning out some of the best new filmmakers in the business.
90 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
Part of the Hong Kong Film Development Council’s “New Action” program.
.

.

HIGH NOON
(2008, Hong Kong, Mak Hei-Yan)
Starring Lam Yiu-Sing, Sham Ka-Kei, Anjo Leung Hiu-Fung
Eric Tsang produced the youth film project, Winds of September, which resulted in three feature films about kids coming of age, one set in Taiwan, one set in Mainland China and one set in Hong Kong. 24-year-old director, Mak Hei-yan, shot HIGH NOON, the Hong Kong segment, and her movie crackles with the relentless energy of Hong Kong itself. Seven high school kids find their friendship falling apart as they go from being a bunch of annoying young slackers to being seriously victimized by life over the course of the film. Shot on DV it veers wildly between youth drama and hardcore exploitation, pulling itself together in the end to deliver a powerful punch. As Variety says, “Young Mak is one to watch.”
106 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
Part of the Hong Kong Film Development Council’s “New Action” program.
.

.

IP MAN
(2008, Hong Kong, Wilson Yip)
Starring Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Fan Siu-wong
Hong Kong action cinema is back, and it’s gonna crack your back, jack! Donnie Yen stars in this biopic of Bruce Lee’s master, Ip Man, one of the great teachers of wing chun, the badass martial art invented by a Buddhist nun. With action choreography by the amazing Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen (a major martial artist) in the lead role, Wilson Yip (FLASHPOINT, SHA PO LANG) in the director’s chair and Fan Siu-wong (THE STORY OF RICKY) co-starring, it is physically impossible for this movie to be any more awesome.
106 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
.

.

MAGAZINE GAP ROAD
(2007, Hong Kong, Nick Chin)
Starring Jessey Meng, Qu Ying, Elvis Tsui, Richard Ng
With director Nick Chin in attendance
Ice cold pimps, low life players and high class prostitutes populate this glittering Hong Kong noir where the cityscape gleams like a handful of jewels thrown across the night sky. One classy escort has left The Life behind and joined high society, but when a hooker she worked with comes looking for help escaping from Hans, their violent pimp, she stands to lose everything she’s built. A rare independent movie from Hong Kong, and one of the best-looking genre movies to come along in years.
90 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.

.

.

PLASTIC CITY
(2008, Hong Kong, Yu Lik-wai)
Starring Joe Odagiri, Anthony Wong
It already played the festival circuit in a different cut, but this is the completed, and completely different, version of Yu Lik-wai’s psychedelic gangster movie. Yu is one of Hong Kong’s original indie filmmakers, starting his career with films like 1999’s LOVE WILL TEAR US APART and 2003’s ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES. These days he works often as Jia Zhangke’s cinematographer so, as you’d expect, PLASTIC CITY is a dazzling visual freak-out. Shot in Brazil and starring Hong Kong’s Anthony Wong and Japan’s Joe Odagiri, it starts as a typical gangster film, before it trips out and sails into the stratosphere as Anthony Wong becomes a shaman and Joe Odagiri leads an army of child soldiers. As Wong says, “Don’t stare too long at the white tiger, or it will destroy you.” Right on, man.
92 minutes. In Mandarin, Portuguese and Japanese with English subtitles.
Part of the Hong Kong Film Development Council’s “New Action” program.
.

.

TACTICAL UNIT: COMRADES IN ARMS
(2008, Hong Kong, Law Wing-cheong)
Starring Simon Yam, Maggie Siu, Lam Suet
Another film from Milkyway Image, this time directed by Law Wing-cheong, Johnnie To’s associate director on movies like FULLTIME KILLER and PTU. This movie is actually a sequel to PTU, and it tells the tale of the same crew of PTU beat cops chasing down armored car hijackers in the Hong Kong mountains, all of them completely out of their element in the wilderness of the New Territories. As bad luck, office politics, random coincidences and equipment failures multiply it looks like these cops are going to be lucky to make it home in one piece. An ode to the clock punchers who keep us safe, not because they’re heroes but because it’s their job.
91 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
Part of the Hong Kong Film Development Council’s “New Action” program.
.

.

WARLORDS
(2007, Hong Kong, Peter Chan)
Starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro
Three of Hong Kong’s biggest stars – Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro – team up in this massive action movie about three blood brothers in the middle of the Taiping Rebellion. As big, meaty and satisfying as a flame-roasted leg of wild boar, WARLORDS is the kind of movie you tear into with relish, wiping its bloody juices off your chin with the back of your hand as you sit on a throne made of the bones of your enemies.130 minutes. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

.

.
WRITTEN BY
(2009, Hong Kong, Wai Ka-fai)
Starring Lau Ching-wan, Kelly Lin, Mia Yan
With director Wai Ka-fai and lead actor Lau Ching-wan in attendance
Wai Ka-fai has written almost every single Johnnie To movie, and co-directed several others (MAD DETECTIVE, RUNNING ON KARMA). In this film, Wai directs Hong Kong’s best actor, Lau Ching-wan, in the story of a woman whose dad dies, so she writes a book where she died and he lived, and in that book his character writes a book where he died and she lived…and on and on in an endlessly recursive loop as wounded characters desperately apply fiction to dull the sharp edges of their grief. Like a Charlie (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND) Kaufman movie made in Hong Kong.
89 minutes. In Cantonese with English subtitles.

Comments (2) Jun 02 2009

In Japan last year, there were two movies that fought for all the top prizes and number one slots on annual “Best of” lists. One was DEPARTURES, which won an Academy Award for its director, Yojiro Takita, and is now playing in New York City. The other was ALL AROUND US, by director Ryosuke Hashiguchi, which is playing at this summer’s New York Asian Film Festival (June 19 – July 5).

.

Which movie is better? Read A.O. Scott’s pan of DEPARTURES in the New York Times, and then check out ALL AROUND US and decide for yourself. And don’t feel too bad for DEPARTURES director, Yojiro Takita, he’s well-represented in this year’s New York Asian Film Festival with screenings of his pink films from the GROPER TRAIN series. They’re awesome, and smutty, and aren’t pandering to middlebrow arthouse tastes at all.

.

.

In case you have any doubts, here’s our write-up for ALL AROUND US.

.

Read More

Comments (1) Jun 01 2009