PROGRAM 09.FEB – 16.FEB 2020
WELCOME TO THE VERY 1ST EDITION
OF THE ANNUAL COPENHAGEN
ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL !!
CAFF #1 Finally arrives after almost 2 years of preparation – and we are REALLY looking forward to welcoming you inside our Asian Cinematic universe. As we celebrate this 1st Edition of our New Annual Film Festival, we hope you will join us for a Film Festival full of Great & Diverse movies from all over Asia – and will enjoy this unique program, which We have prepared for you. We are presenting you with a small glimpse into the Amazing world of Asian Movies – Both from the past and the Present – by both new Directors and seasoned Directors – Hoping to show all of you, that Asian Movies can take any direction. People everywhere are different, but when Directors are at work, stories from all over the globe can turn into beautiful pictures and extraordinary worlds on the silver screen – that can help bring our cultures closer together. It is our hope, that you also will pay special attention to our 3 different Retrospective programs – and 5 mini-series – among them are a couple of old Shaw Brothers gems, which have been through a newly 2K restoration – and they haven’t lost any of their cinematic punch over time !! But CAFF is much more than just screenings – We have organized a few talks, where some of the Danish industry veterans talk about Asian Cinema – and its impact on the Western Cinema. These sessions are FREE and open for everyone – and we hope you will check them out.. – And Finally, a big THANK YOU to both the Danish Film Institute and the S.C. Van Foundation, who provided generous support – which helped make CAFF 2020 possible.. Steen Jensen, Festival Director
PRACTICAL INFORMATION Copenhagen Asian Film Festival (CAFF) is a 8-day festival from Feb. 9th - Feb 16th, with screenings at 4 different venues : Cinemateket in the Danish Film Institute - and CinemaxX - and Empire Bio and Grand Teatret. All films will be screened in the Original Language - and with English subtitles. Tickets are 95 kr (standard) - and 135 kr (IMAX) Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office of the cinemas, where the screenings takes place - or on their websites - and on Kino.dk
THE TEAM & MORE Venues
Festival Director
Page 04
Steen R. Jensen
Sponsors & Partners Page 05
Opening Film – SHADOW (IMAX) Page 06
Special Focus – Gordon Liu Page 08
Special Focus – BONG Joon-Ho
Program Manager Zoran Lee Pecic
Marketing Manager Yu Ma
Communication Manager Mads Elkær
Events & Guests Coordinator
Page 13
Niels Paridon
Special Focus – Yi'nan Diao
Coordinator
Page 16
Martin Kloock
Midway Film – The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
Festival Assistant
Page 17
Karen R. Hovgaard
Japanese Pinku Films
Festival Assistant
Page 20
Series – Vengeful Angels Page 22
Double Features – MANGA Night + Zombie Night Page 24 + 25
Closing Film – NUUK (European Premiere) Page 27
Maya Soll
Festival Assistant Michelle Schmidt
Film Festival Trailer Michael Panduro
Graphic Designer Zijiao Zhu
Special Focus – Tsai Ming-Liang
Program Print
Page 28
Dansk Avis Tryk
VENUES CinemaxX - København Kalvebod Brygge 57 1560 Copenhagen V Telefon : (+45) 70 10 12 02 Email : koebenhavn@cinemaxx.dk www.cinemaxx.dk/koebenhavn
Cinemateket Gothersgade 55 1123 Copenhagen K Telefon : (+45) 33 74 34 00 Email : dfi@dfi.dk www.cinemateket.dk
Empire Bio Guldbergsgade 29 F 2200 Copenhagen N Telefon : (+45) 35 36 00 36 Email : info@empirebio.dk www.empirebio.dk
Grand Teatret Mikkel Bryggers Gade 8 1460 Copenhagen K Telefon : (+45) 33 15 16 11 Email : info@grandteatret.dk www.grandteatret.dk
SPONSORS & PARTNERS THE 2020 EDITION OF COPENHAGEN ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL WAS MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO :
OUR PUBLIC PARTNERS
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
OUR SPONSORS
OUR COLLABORATORS
OPENING FILM Zhang Yimou (born 1951) is a Chinese filmmaker – Who has directed more than 30 Films. But he is a probably Best known for movies like Raise the Red Lantern (1991), To Live (1994), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) His films have been critically acclaimed worldwide - and have won numerous Awards. Zhang Yimou has won 2 BAFTA Film Awards & another 128 Award wins & 98 nominations Amongst 4 nominations for the Golden Berlin Bear – and 3 nominations for the prestigious Palme d'Or The SHADOW had World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival, September 2018.
Master filmmaker Zhang Yimou brings a completely original cinematic style to an epic battle story. The visual style of Shadow is inspired by China's centuries-old tradition of ink-wash painting techniques. – And the scenes with rain in particular has a very fluid texture that create a unique ambience. Eschewing the flights of fancy, that many Wuxia movies employ, action-choreographer Ku Huen-Chiu goes for a more grounded strategic approach to the action in this movie – Creating next-level fighting sequences to dazzling effect – amongst utilising a bladed umbrella, which is a joy to watch onscreen. – And battles in the rain have Never looked as beautiful as they do here. Zhang Yimou’s mono-chromatic action drama “SHADOW” collected 12 nominations at the annual Golden Horse Awards 2018. The nominations included : Best Film + Best Director + Best Visual Effects
SHADOW has in total received 27 Award wins & another 46 nominations
SHADOW (IMAX) Ying Director : Zhang Yimou Country : China (2018) Original Language : Chinese (Mandarin) Subtitle Language : English Genre : Action, Drama, War Stars : Time : 116 min
CinemaxX (IMAX) – Søndag (09/02) – kl.16:00
With SHADOW, director Zhang Yimou (HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) once again pushes the boundaries of Wuxia Action to create a film like no other, masterfully painting a canvas of inky blacks and greys – punctuated only with bursts of color from the blood of the defeated. This is the story of a body-double. Referred to as “Shadows”, body-doubles have existed since ancient times. A ‘shadow’ must be ready to spring into action at that critical moment, when his master’s life hangs in the balance; a ‘shadow’ must seamlessly meld with the real, so that true and false can’t be distinguished. The movie is set during China's Three Kingdom's era (AD 220-280). In a kingdom ruled by a young king, the military commander has a secret weapon - a “Shadow”, who can fool both his enemies - and even the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan, that will lead the people to victory in a war, that the King does not want. The SHADOW - is he the man, standing in the Light ? - Or the ghost, hiding in the Darkness ? Director Zhang Yimou return to the Wuxia genre 12 years after Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). – And it’s a triumphant return, creating one of the most visually sumptuous movies of the decade.
Guest Speaker – The Chinese Ambassador in Denmark – Mr. Feng Tie
Shaw Brothers – Gordon Liu
Shaw Brothers Studio is a Chinese film studio founded in Shanghai back in 1925 by the four Shaw brothers (Runde Shaw + Runje Shaw + Runme Shaw + Run Run Shaw). But when Japan invaded Shanghai in the early 1930s, the company was then moved to Hong Kong – where Runme Shaw and the youngest brother, Run Run Shaw, then managed the parent company. Here, the studio had its heyday from the 1950s to the 1980s, where Shaw Brothers Ltd. was the largest film production company in Hong Kong – and in the 1960s, Shaw Brothers Ltd. established, what was once the largest privately owned studio in the world, MovieTown. Over the years the studio produced some 1.000 films, some of them being the most popular and significant Chinese-language films from that period. They also were the first to popularize the Kung-Fu genre on film. The Shaw Brothers are probably best known for their hundreds of Kung-Fu films, but the studio produced all kinds of films – including Historical Dramas, Crimes, Musicals, Science Fiction and Romantic Comedies. Many technical innovations for Feature Films can also be traced back to the Shaw Brothers. In the mid-1980s, the Shaw Brothers ceased their film production, both because of growing competition from Golden Harvest and the increasing piracy - focusing instead on making TV shows and the television industry. The Film production then resumed (in limited capacity) in the late 2000’s.
Gordon Liu / Liu Chia-Hui Copenhagen Asian Film Festival has chosen to honor Gordon Liu with our Lifetime Achievement Award – and dedicate this mini-series, containing his own 5 favorite movies from his time at Shaw Brothers.
Gordon Liu is a Chinese Martial Arts movie actor. He was born on August 22nd, 1951 in Guangdong, China – and his original Birth-name was Sin Kam-Hei. In his youth, after his family moved to Hong Kong, he regularly skipped school to train in Chinese martial arts. He trained at Liu Cham's martial arts school of the Hung Gar discipline, which descended from Wong Fei-hung. Gordon was greatly impressed by Liu Cham's skills and due to the respect, he felt for his SIFU (master/teacher), he adopted the new name Liu Chia-Hui. Gordon is often wrongly cited as being the adopted son of Liu Cham - and the adoptive brother of Liu Chia-Liang (a.k.a. Lau Kar-Leung) and Liu Chia-Yung (a.k.a. Lau Kar-Wing). But in fact, he was not adopted by the Liu brothers' family – Gordon is actually only Liu Cham's godson. He started his movie career as a Stuntman for the famed Shaw Brothers director/ actor Liu Chia-Liang (son of Gordons SIFU - Liu Cham) - and later he got promoted to be his Martial Arts instructor. Gordon Liu’s first real acting role was a small part for the movie 5 Shaolin Masters (1974) – and then he also had a few other roles in movies such as Challenge of the Masters (1976) as the folk hero Wong Fei Hung – and he was also featured in Executioners From Shaolin (1977). But he first became really famous for starring as the lead role in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) – playing his signature role as the Shaolin hero San Te. Director Liu Chia-Liang had successfully molded Gordon Liu into being a "Hero of Kung-fu" – and he was now in the Main Cast for many of his movies – and he made several movies portrayed himself as the "Kung-fu Monk". Gordon has since then starred in more than 100 movies – among them is both Kill Bill 1 + 2 In 2013 Gordon suffered a major stroke, that left his right side paralyzed. His good friend, Amy Fan, brought him to a nursing home for recovery – where he is still slowly getting better.
There have been many Kung-Fu movies set in the famed Shaolin Temple, but none have probably captured the monastery’s Martial Arts world quite like "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin".
Liu Chia-liang, the legendary Director of the Martial Arts genre, made an international star of Gordon Liu starring as the Shaolin hero San Te in this movie about anti-Ching Dynasty rebels and their revolt against the Manchus.
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin Shao Lin San Shi Liu Fang Director : Chia-Liang Liu Country : Hong Kong (1978) Original Language : Chinese (Cantonese) Subtitle Language : English Genre : Action, Adventure, Drama, Martial Arts Stars : Gordon Liu (Monk San Ta) Time : 115 min Cinemateket – Mandag (10/02) – kl.18:30
The anti-Ching patriots have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Gordon Liu manages to escape and devotes himself to learning Kung-fu at the Shaolin Temple in order to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government. In a short period of time he masters the deadly use of his fists, feet and palms, along with such weapons as Swords, Triple Section Staff (tri-staff) and the Bo Staff. With his learning now complete, he takes out to seek revenge against the Manchus – engaging in some of the most exciting battles ever staged in the history of martial arts movies. The film was the number one hit of 1978 in Asia - and won the Best Martial Arts Award at the 24th Asian Film Festival.
Heroes of the East
Dirty HO
Zhong Hua Zhang Fu
Lan Tou He
Director : Chia-Liang Liu
Director : Chia-Liang Liu
Country : Hong Kong (1978)
Country : Hong Kong (1979)
Original Language : Chinese (Cantonese)
Original Language : Chinese (Cantonese)
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Action, Comedy, Martial Arts
Genre : Action, Comedy, Drama, Martial Arts
Stars : Gordon Liu (Ho Tao)
Stars : Gordon Liu (Prince Wang)
Time : 105 min
Time : 97 min
Cinemateket – Tirsdag (11/02) – kl.21:30 A Chinese man (Gordon Liu) marries a Japanese woman through an arranged marriage and manages to insult her entire Japanese family by issuing a friendly martial arts challenge to her which is misinterpreted by the others. He must then prove how good Chinese Kung Fu really is through a series of duels with seven of Japan's most powerful martial arts masters, each an expert in a different discipline, ranging from Swords, Spears, Nunchaku, Karate and even Ninjutsu. The result is one magnificent bout after another – also featuring the great Yasuaki Kurata (Fist of Legend).
Cinemateket – Onsdag (12/02) – kl.21:30 Prince Wang is the 11th Prince of Manchuria and an excellent Martial Artist, but he prefers not to draw attention to himself and keeps a low profile, posing as a merchant who deals in wine and antiques. He has a run-in with HO Jen, a simple thief who makes a living by stealing and spending loot wherever he can. The Prince takes a liking to the thief and enlists him to be his bodyguard, something HO takes to very reluctantly at first. But when a conspiracy unfolds and the Prince is targeted for assassination, HO must undertake a serious training regime to protect his master.
Return to the 36th Chamber
The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter
Shao Lin Da Peng Da Shi
Wu Lang Ba Gua Gun
Director : Chia-Liang Liu
Director : Chia-Liang Liu
Country : Hong Kong (1980)
Country : Hong Kong (1984)
Original Language : Chinese (Cantonese)
Original Language : Chinese (Cantonese)
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Action, Comedy, Martial Arts
Genre : Action, Drama, Martial Arts
Stars : Gordon Liu (Chou Chun Chi)
Stars : Gordon Liu (Yang No. 5)
Time : 99 min
Time : 98 min
Cinemateket – Torsdag (13/02) – kl.21:30
Cinemateket – Fredag (14/02) – kl.21:30
The workers of a dye factory have their pay cut by 20% when the factory owner brings in some Manchu thugs to try and increase production.
The Yang family was the loyal strong-arm of the Imperial army. But the Yang’s are betrayed by a jealous General conspiring with the Mongol army.
Desperate to reclaim their full wages, the workers hire an actor to impersonate a priest and kung-fu expert from the temple of Shaolin. The factory owner proves the actor to be a fraud, and punishes all those involved.
After an ambush at a battle, only two of the seven sons survive. 5th Brother (Fu Sheng) loses his mind after the death of his brothers and remains hidden by the family - while the other one - 6th Brother (Gordon Liu) lives on the run and takes refuge in a Buddhist temple.
The young actor feels he has let down the workers, and promises to atone. He sets out for the Shaolin temple, determined to be accepted as a Kung-fu pupil so he can get his revenge. In this innovative follow-up to the Kung-Fu classic “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” director Liu Chia-liang transports Gordon Liu back to the Ching Dynasty with some new kung-fu tricks up his monk's sleeve. Showing the Liu brothers at their lethal best.
The general must now find them both and kill them before either of them can testify to the Emperor. To immortalize the international star Fu Sheng's final, unfinished performance, director Liu Chia-Liang created a film of unparalleled emotional intensity. There are heartbreaking references to his sudden death throughout the movie, but the stunning climax is truly unforgettable. It must be seen to be believed..
FOCUS – BONG Joon-Ho BONG Joon-Ho (born 1969) is a South Korean filmmaker. He has written and directed 7 Feature Films - and has also directed 7 Short Films. BONG Joon-Ho is one of the most celebrated "New Wave" film directors of Korean cinema. His films have been critically acclaimed worldwide - and have won numerous Film Festival Awards.
BONG Joon-Ho makes Socially and Politically conscious films – But often filled with a Black Humor. – He likes to bury his Political and Social comments here and there in all of his films. He views himself as a genre film director, but He doesn't follow the conventional codes for genre films. He is (in the West) probably best known for Memories of Murder (2003) – and The Host (2006) – and of course for his latest film – The Multi-Award-Winning Parasite (2019) As a filmmaker, He make ‘Long Takes’ with many events happening on-screen at the same time. As one event is happening on screen, another occurs in the background, that diverts the audience's attention. – Something he has clearly picked up from one of his Big Filmmaker Idols – Alfred Hitchcock !! Actor SONG Kang-ho (born 1967) is central to many of his films, always portraying a bit dim-witted man. In Memories of Murder, he plays a ‘Not so Bright’ Police Detective – in The Host, he is a ‘Not so Bright’ Father figure (but Heroic) – and in Parasite, he reprises the role as a ‘Not so Bright’ Father figure.. This BONG Joon-ho ‘Retrospective Series’ is created as a tribute to one of the Greatest Korean Directors – and it will be screened at Grand Teatret from the 10st of February to the 15th of February 2020.
Barking Dogs Never Bite
Memories of Murder
Flandersui Gae
Salinui Chueok
Director : BONG Joon-Ho
Director : BONG Joon-Ho
Country : South Korea (2000)
Country : South Korea (2003)
Original Language : Korean
Original Language : Korean
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Dark Comedy
Genre : Action, Crime, Drama
Stars :
Stars : SONG Kang-Ho
Time : 110 min
Time : 131 min
Grand Teatret – Lørdag (15/02) – kl.21:30
Grand Teatret – Mandag (10/02) – kl.19:00
Yun-ju is a part-time college lecturer - his wife is pregnant - and he wonders if he should bribe the dean to secure him a professorship.
In 1986, in the small Gyunggi province, in South Korea, a series of young women are found dead, tied up, raped – and gagged with their underwear.
He is also very annoyed by the sound of a nearby barking dog, that disturbs him where he lives.
Detective Park Doo-Man and Detective Cho Yong-Koo – two brutal (and stupid) local detectives investigate the murders using brutality and torturing the suspects, but without any practical result.
Hyeon-nam is a girl living in the same block of flats. Over the course of a few weeks, three dogs in the building go missing - Yun-ju and Hyeon-nam have a connection to each. So might a janitor.. Is it a Man-Eat-Dog world !? – And is there a cure for this numbing depression !?
3 Award wins & another 3 nominations
Detective Seo Tae-Yoon from Seoul comes to the province to help with the investigations – and He is convinced that a serial-killer is murdering these women.
26 Award wins & another 3 nominations
The Host
Mother
Gwoemul
Madeo
Director : BONG Joon-Ho
Director : BONG Joon-Ho
Country : South Korea (2006)
Country : South Korea (2009)
Original Language : Korean
Original Language : Korean
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Action, Drama, Horror
Genre : Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars : SONG Kang-Ho
Stars : KIM Hye-Ja
Time : 120 min
Time : 129 min
Grand Teatret – Tirsdag (11/02) – kl.21:30
Grand Teatret – Tirsdag (11/02) – kl.19:00
The film revolves around Gang-du, a dim-witted man working at his father's tiny snack bar on the banks of the Han River.
A mother lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old retarded son (Do-joon), providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally killed, and Do-joon is charged with the murder.
Following the dumping of gallons of toxic waste into the river, a giant mutated squid-like Monster suddenly emerges from the depths of the Han River and begins attacking people.
Now, it's his mother's desperate mission to prove him innocent – and to find the real killer, who framed her son for the murder.
Gang-du's daughter Hyun-seo is snatched up and carried off by the creature. With only his family to assist him, he sets off to rescue his daughter..
25 Award wins & another 31 nominations
40 Award wins & another 46 nominations
Focus – Yi'nan Diao Yi'nan Diao is a Multi Award Winning Chinese Director and Screenwriter – He is one of the many "New Wave" film directors in Chinese cinema.
Black Coal , Thin Ice
The Wild Goose Lake
Bai Ri Yan Huo
Nan Fang Che Zhan De Ju Hui
Director : Yi'nan Diao
Director : Yi'nan Diao
Country : China (2014)
Country : China (2019)
Original Language : Chinese (Mandarin)
Original Language : Chinese (Mandarin)
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Genre : Crime, Drama
Stars : Fan Liao , Lun-Mei Kwei
Stars : Fan Liao , Lun-Mei Kwei
Time : 110 min
Time : 113 min
Grand Teatret – Onsdag (12/02) – kl.19:00 An ex-cop and his ex-partner decide to follow up on investigation of a series of murders that ended their careers and shamed them, when identical murders begin again.
Grand Teatret – Mandag (10/02) – kl.21:30 A gangster on the run sacrifices everything for his family and a woman he meets while on the run.
Berlin International Film Festival (2014)
Cannes Film Festival (2019)
Yi'nan Diao was the Winner of the prestigious Golden Berlin Bear award for Best Film.
Yi'nan Diao was a Palme d'Or Nominee.
MIDWAY FILM This movie is essentially an updated Korean version of The Good, the Bad, the Ugly – with a few Twists. Renowned storyteller LEE Won-tae is bringing something new to this old genre. Muscular actor MA Dong-seok (Don Lee) has made quite a name for himself over the last few years. He has tackled a ton of different genres – and is right now enjoying his career-high as an actor. The film had World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, May 2019.
The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil Aginjeon Director : LEE Won-Tae Country : South Korea (2019) Original Language : Korean Subtitle Language : English Genre : Action, Crime, Drama Stars : MA Dong-seok (Don Lee) , KIM Mu-yeol Time : 109 min
Grand Teatret – Torsdag (13/02) – kl.19:00
One of the best new South Korean Crime/Thrillers, starring legendary actor Don Lee (Train to Busan). Fierce crime boss Jang Dong-su (Don Lee) is violently attacked after a fender bender accident on a rainy night. He barely survives, however his reputation as a feared Gang-leader is damaged beyond repair. The only way to restore his image is to find his attacker and get revenge. Jang teams up with a local Detective Jung Tae-seok (Kim Mu-Yeol) to find the assailant, but they soon discover that the attacker is actually a serial killer. With no support from the police department, Detective Jung is forced to use gangster boss Jang’s resources in order to track down the sadistic killer. The two men must now work together to find the man simply known as “K”.
Guest Speaker – The Korean Ambassador in Denmark – Mr. PARK Sangjin
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First Love
Swing Kids
Hatsukoi
Seuwingkizeu
Director : Takashi Miike
Director : KANG Hyeong-Cheol
Country : Japan (2019)
Country : Korea (2018)
Original Language : Japanese
Original Language : Korean
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Crime, Comedy, Romance
Genre : Drama, War
Stars : Masataka KUBOTA , Nao OMORI
Stars : DOH Kyung-soo (D.O.) , Jared Grimes
Time : 108 min
Time : 133 min
Empire Bio – Tirsdag (11/02) – kl.19:30
Grand Teatret – Fredag (14/02) – kl.21:30 Director Takashi Miike (born 1960), has directed more than 100 features between the late 90s and 2019. This film is director Takashi Miike at his most fun and anarchic, a noir-tinged genre-blending yakuza film. Leo (a young boxer) - and Monica (an escort girl) that he accidently meets - get caught up in a drugsmuggling scheme over the course of one (Crazy) night in Tokyo - involving corrupt Cops, the Yakuza - and a female Assassin, who just won’t die… “FIRST LOVE” had World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019.
Empire Bio – Søndag (16/02) – kl.14:30 In this swinging musical drama set during the Korean War, the soldiers at a US Prison Camp plan a tap show to distract both themselves (and the prisoners) from the hardships of war. Led by a US soldier, who is a former Broadway dancer and a rebellious North Korean soldier, who is mesmerized by tap dance, the band of prisoners find a new sense of freedom in dancing. Is it the best film to come out of Korea these last years ? No, that title probably belongs to the festival darling “Parasite”. But is it one of the most affecting experiences, that We’ve had with a film this year ? Absolutely…
Japanese Pinku Movies 2016 marked the 45th anniversary of the birth of the soft-core Roman Porno (Pinku) movies. So to mark this anniversary, Japan's oldest major movie studio (Nikkatsu) wanted to reboot their Roman Porno label and recommenced production of 5 new works, reviving the studios function as a sandbox for playful experimentation with the aim of attaining new forms of cinematic expression. The Roman Porno's distinctive concept of making films within a specific set of rules was to be continued according to the production terms from 1971 - Under the same conditions and true to the subgenre's sparse requirements : A sex scene every 10 minutes and with a total running time no longer than 80 minutes. Nikkatsu asked 5 respected Japanese filmmakers to revive its high-brow soft-core Roman Porno series. The first phase of this reboot-project is a lineup of 5 completely new original films by leading Japanese directors, who had not yet helmed feature films under the Roman Porno label before, and the movies was then released in mainstream cinemas and at film festivals during 2016.
Anti-Porno Anchi-Poruno Director : Sion Sono Country : Japan (2016) Original Language : Japanese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Drama, Fantasy, Pinku Stars : Ami Tomite , Mariko Tsutsui Time : 78 min Cinemateket – Lørdag (15/02) – kl.18:30
A 21-year-old Kyôko (Ami Tomite) is an up-and-coming artist filled with self-confidence. But she often falls into a slump and takes her frustration out on a 36-year-old assistant, Noriko (Mariko Trutsui), while overstating her own creativity and artistry. Kyôko behaves like an absolute “queen” and routinely humiliates Noriko sexually in front of staff - or at least that's what seems to be happening. Outrageous rabble-rouser Sion Sono's contribution to the Roman Porno reboot series contains plenty of sex, but it’s also a fourth-wall breaking, experimental study of the feminine sex set against outlandish, eye-popping backdrops – One film is shot within a film; another film is shot within the film, like a Matryoshka Doll. A girl’s delusion and reality are disrupted in a rich-colored and fantastic world. Sion Sono will create an anarchistic, radical, beautiful and controversial film that destroys the fourth-wall in his quest to freedom.
Wet Woman in the Wind Kaze ni Nureta Onna Director : Akihiko Shiota Country : Japan (2016) Original Language : Japanese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Comedy, Drama, Pinku Stars : Tasuku Nagaoka , Yuki Mamiya Time : 78 min Cinemateket – Lørdag (15/02) – kl.21:00
The once recognized and successful, but now tired Tokyo-based playwrighter Kosuke (Tasuku Nagaoka) has sworn off easy women and casual encounters and takes refuge in the countryside to live a quiet life alone in a mountain hut in the middle of the forest, withdrawn from the world - and women. But his plans are disrupted, when he one day runs into the VERY sexually free spirit Shiori (Yuki Mamiya). She immediately sets her mind to have sex with him. But he refuses and sends her away. This refusal provokes her - and Kosuke will soon be caught in Shiori’s web of sexual desires. Shiori is manipulative with her young and attractive body and she is unrelenting. Through targeted provocation and subsequent refusal, she slowly ignites his desire. Consequently, Kosuke find himself caught up in a spiral of desire. An erotic duel arises in which each of the two both wants to gain the upper hand. Director Akihiko Shiota cuts to the chase, taking full advantage of the subgenre's sparse requirements. The result is a gleefully anarchic plot, that explores the human psyche through sexuality – it’s a Psycho-Drama that is as hilarious as it is arousing. Featuring a tour de force performance by Mamiya Yuki as the agent provocateur, “Wet Woman in the Wind” may prove to be the Climax of the Reboot-series. Akihiko Shiota smartly expresses a vibrant game between a perplexed man and a freewheeling woman by making use of his tactical screenplay taught by his master – Writer/Director Atsushi Yamatoya, while also showing his respect for the legendary Pinku-director Tatsumi Kumashiro , who passed away in 1995. This film returns us to Shiota’s roots, but will also break new ground as well.
Vengeful Angels Bloody Revenge is at the heart of this Mini-series of Stylish, Kinetic Action-thrillers that all gives a very BIG shot of adrenaline to the classic femme fatale stories.
Chocolate
Gun Woman
Director : Prachya Pinkaew
Director : Kurando Mitsutake
Country : Thailand (2008)
Country : Japan (2014)
Original Language : Thai
Original Language : Japanense
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Action, Drama
Genre : Action, Drama
Stars : JeeJa Yanin
Stars : ASAMI
Time : 110 min
Time : 86 min
Empire Bio – Torsdag (13/02) – kl.21:30
Empire Bio – Tirsdag (11/02) – kl.21:30
Jeeja Yanin stars as an autistic girl (Zen) with powerful Martial Art skills - and uncanny swift reflexes.
A brilliant (MAD) doctor vows revenge on a crazy sadistic killer after the man murdered his loving wife.
She watches the students at a Muay Thai school next door - and lots of Martial Arts movies, absorbing every technique. But when her mother gets sick and needs chemotherapy - Zen (and her friend Moom) begin to seek out business men, who owe her mother money. They go to them - one by one - to collect the money in order to pay for her mother's treatment. Zen, with her martial skills, act as Moom’s enforcer.
Despite the maximum security that surrounds this billionaire, the doctor comes up with the perfect assassination plan. This outrageous plan – and his only chance for revenge – involves a young Japanese woman, which he turns into the most lethal assassin the world has ever seen. He implants gun parts in her body, which she then later must assemble and use to kill her target.
The Villainess
Furie
Director : JUNG Byung-Gil
Director : Le Van Kiet
Country : Korea (2017)
Country : Vietnam (2019)
Original Language : Korean
Original Language : Vietnamese
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Action, Drama
Genre : Action, Drama
Stars : KIM Ok-Bin
Stars : Veronica Ngo
Time : 127 min
Time : 98 min
Empire Bio – Onsdag (12/02) – kl.21:30
Empire Bio – Fredag (14/02) – kl.21:30
Sook-hee is a trained assassin, who was Honed from childhood into a merciless killing machine by a criminal organization in China.
Veronica Ngo stars as a former notorious gang leader, who is now lying low in the countryside after becoming a mother, but she can't escape her violent past when her little daughter is kidnapped by a trafficking ring.
After the death of her mentor, the chance of starting a new life is given to her. She comes to South Korea as a government sleeper agent. They promise her, that she will be free after 10 years of service. So after 10 years, she begins her new life and she hopes for the chance for a normal life. But soon enough, secrets from her past destroy everything she’s worked for, and now nobody can stand in her way as she embarks on a roaring rampage of revenge - leaving a trail of bodies behind her.
– But they will soon find out that they messed with the wrong mother. – Because She will go to any lengths to bring her child back home.
Attack on Titan – part 1+2 Based on the Worldwide Best-Selling Japanese MANGA series – What remains of the human population now live behind massive walls to protect them against the Titans.
Attack on Titan : part 1
Attack on Titan : part 2
Shingeki no Kyojin
Shingeki no Kyojin : Endo Obu za Wârudo
Director : Shinji Higuchi
Director : Shinji Higuchi
Country : Japan (2015)
Country : Japan (2015)
Original Language : Japanese
Original Language : Japanese
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars : Haruma Miura (Eren Yaeger)
Stars : Haruma Miura (Eren Yaeger)
Time : 98 min
Time : 87 min
Empire Bio – Mandag (10/02) – kl.19:30
Empire Bio – Mandag (10/02) – kl.21:45
About 100 years ago, giant humanoid Titans suddenly appeared on Earth.
A continuation of the ongoing battle between the Scouting Regiment and the Titans. As the battle continues to unravel, Eren Yaeger is trying to use his special gift to know about the mystery of the Titans.
Soon, mankind is on the brink of extinction when these man-eating monsters terrorize and prey on humans. Humans then built a giant wall to defend themselves. A teenage boy named Eren Yaeger joins the scouting legion to fight alongside the with military to defeat the Titans.
- Why did the Titans suddenly appear ?? If this mission fails, it will mean the end of humanity. The very last counterattack to save human civilization is about to begin.
Double Feature – Zombie Comedy
One Cut of the Dead
The Odd Family : Zombie on Sale
Kamera wo Tomeruna !
Gimyohan Gajok
Director : Shin'ichirô Ueda
Director : Min-Jae LEE
Country : Japan (2017)
Country : Korea (2019)
Original Language : Japanese
Original Language : Korean
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Comedy, Horror
Genre : Comedy, Horror
Stars :
Stars :
Time : 96 min
Time : 112 min
Empire Bio – Lørdag (15/02) – kl.19:30
Empire Bio – Lørdag (15/02) – kl.21:45
Things go very badly for a Director and his film crew who are shooting a low-budget zombie movie in an abandoned and desolate Second World War facility, when they suddenly are attacked by REAL zombies.
Human Bio, the biggest pharmaceutical company in Korea conducts illegal experiments on humans. One day, a test goes wrong and inadvertently creates a zombie.
The uncompromising Director forces his crew to confront the living dead head-on for the sake of capturing it all in One Shot, with no consideration for their lives – and then things gets really crazy.
Soon after, in the remote countryside, the strange PARK family makes their acquaintance with the zombie in question. But rather than be afraid of this strange creature, the PARK family decides to try and make some money on him.
One Two Jaga
Ulan (Rain)
One Two Jaga
Ulan
Director : Namron (Nam Ron)
Director : Irene Villamor
Country : Malaysia (2018)
Country : Philippines (2019)
Original Language : Malay & Indonesian
Original Language : Philippine (Tagalog)
Subtitle Language : English
Subtitle Language : English
Genre : Crime, Drama
Genre : Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Stars :
Stars : Nadine Lustre , Carlo Aquino
Time : 85 min
Time : 96 min
Cinemateket – Søndag (16/02) – kl.16:30
Cinemateket – Lørdag (15/02) – kl.16:30
In the outskirts and back-alleys of Kuala Lumpur, several individuals with money problems struggle to get their lives straight - all finding their paths unexpectedly intersecting - with Fatal results.
In this coming-of-age-film about love, we follow Maya (Nadine Lustre) who is a hopeless romantic.
Nam Ron's third feature is the latest representative of an exciting new wave of Malaysian cinema. The thriller is structured around a rookie cop whose moral compass is tested by the systemic corruption that surrounds him : his senior partner is collecting bribes from illegal immigrants to fulfill his wife's middle-class aspirations. It also includes a humane portrayal of migrant workers, with Indonesia's Ario Bayu (Buffalo Boys) and the Philippines' Timothy Castillo (Neomanila) playing illegal immigrants pushed to the edge.
Maya has always held a pessimistic view of the rain, reminding her of Heartbreaks and other depressing things. Maya goes through life forever hopeful for the romance she yearns for, will Maya ever find her one true love ? Will the rain bring her great love - or will it make her fear the rain forever ? Magical and Mysterious – Ulan incorporates a Philippine folk lore into a story of Love and Heartaches.
CLOSING FILM This movie was Co-Produced by the Embassy of Denmark in the Philippines. Usually, if a Filipino movie is shot in a foreign country, it is to take advantage of its festive scenery and exotic romantic ambiance. But this one is very different. The location of Greenland was chosen for its seemingly perpetual bitter cold and snowy winters, which was just the perfect backdrop for this story of desolation and depression. The film had World Premiere at the Danish Film Festival in Manila, October 2019.
NUUK NUUK Director : Veronica Velasco Country : Philippines (2019) Original Language : Philippine (Tagalog) Subtitle Language : English Genre : Drama, Mystery, Thriller Stars : Aga Muhlach , Alice Dixson Time : 108 min
Grand Teatret – Søndag (16/02) – kl.19:00
Set in the icy and cold weather on Greenland, two individuals meet only to unfold a mystery. Elaisa Svendsen is a middle-aged Filipino woman who lives in Nuuk. She has been a widow twice-over already. She has a very testy relationship with her rebellious young adult son Karl Kleist. They have been estranged for some time because her interference with his love affairs cost him the girl he truly loved. One day, while desperate for her Vodka and Prozac fix, she meets a visiting Filipino seaman Mark Alvarez at the pharmacy. Friendly and caring, Mark lent Elaisa a helping hand with her many problems. Just when Elaisa thought that some sun was shining through in her life, it appears that a blizzard is threatening to cause further havoc.
Guest Speaker – The Philippine Ambassador in Denmark – Mr. Leo Herrera-Lim
FOCUS – TSAI MING-LIANG Tsai Ming-liang (born 1957) is a Malaysian-Taiwanese filmmaker. He has written and directed 10 Feature Films and has also directed many Short Films. Tsai Ming-liang is one of the most celebrated "Second New Wave" film directors of Taiwanese cinema. His films have been acclaimed worldwide and have won numerous Film Festival Awards.
Tsai Ming-liang makes arthouse films : Beautiful, unpredictable parables about our modern existence – In the territory between comedy, tragedy, dream, symbolism and satire. There is something wonderfully defiant about director Tsai Ming-liang’s project : No less than ten movies about a Taiwanese guy who constantly looks lost to the outside world and with a tight expression on his face. Even more eccentric are the recurring motifs in the film cycle : Clocks, holes, movies, instant noodles, watermelons, sex, retro songs, dilapidated housing building – and water in all shapes and forms ! As a filmmaker with an anthropological eye, Tsai Ming-liang is interested in symptoms far more than causes. The humans however, shows a disturbingly irrational behaviour – as well as an incredible ability to adapt. Actor LEE Kang-sheng (born 1968) is central to all his films, though he portrays different characters. In one film, he is a petty teen criminal, later a cinema projectionist, a salesman, a homeless guy, a porn actor, a film director – each time he is both Tsai Ming-liang’s anti-hero and his alter ego simultaneously. The series is created by Cinemateket in collaboration with the Copenhagen Asian Film Festival and plays from the 21st of February to the 31st of March 2020. Ticket Price : 80 DKK.
17 Award wins and 20 other nominations
STRAY DOGS Jiao You Director : Tsai Ming-liang Country : Taiwan (2013) Original Language : Chinese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Drama Stars : LEE Kang-sheng Time : 138 min SUN. 15/03 – 18:00 @ CINEMATEKET TUE. 31/03 – 19:00 @ CINEMATEKET
A Golden Lion nominee at the Venice Film Festival 2013. An alcoholic man and his two young children live on the rain streaked streets of Taipei - barely surviving in the city. By day the father makes a scrappy kind of living by carrying around a billboard sign for luxury apartments, while his young son and daughter roam the supermarkets and malls surviving off free food samples. Each night the family then takes shelter in an abandoned building. On the day of the father's birthday the family is joined by a lonely woman – might she be the key to unlocking the buried emotions that linger from the past – and can she help them make a better life? 'Stray Dogs' is a parable about the absurdity and tragedy of modern (urban) existence, but in his own refined way, Tsai Ming-liang also shows us that possessing furniture and a roof over the head may not be all that. The movie is set in hypnotically beautiful twisted cellars and construction sites - and the director’s usual Watermelons are replaced by Cabbages !!
5 Award wins and 7 other nominations
VISAGE Lian Director : Tsai Ming-liang Country : Taiwan (2009) Original Language : Chinese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Comedy | Drama | Musical Stars : LEE Kang-sheng Time : 138 min FRI. 21/02 – 19:00 @ CINEMATEKET WED. 04/03 – 21:30 @ CINEMATEKET
A Palme d’Or nominee at the Cannes Film Festival 2009. A Taiwanese film director travels to the Louvre in Paris, to shoot a film that explores the Salomé myth. The distinction between reality and dream/theater/film is blurred as the opera 'Salome' is filmed in the theatrical and scenographically baroque setting of Louvre. Laetitia Casta sings in Chinese, there's snow, mirror cabinets and a reindeer on the loose.. An unfamiliar look at Paris' galleries and sewers (!), but at the same time unmistakably a Tsai Ming-liang film.
EVENT : Reception on February 21st from 6 pm. followed by a 45 min. introduction.
2 Award wins and 6 other nominations
I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE Hei Yan Quan Director : Tsai Ming-liang Country : Taiwan (2006) Original Language : Chinese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Drama | Romance Stars : LEE Kang-sheng Time : 115 min SUN. 01/03 – 19:45 @ CINEMATEKET TUE. 17/03 – 21:30 @ CINEMATEKET
A Golden Lion nominee at the Venice Film Festival 2006. Without further explanation, LEE Kang-sheng plays two roles here: as a brain-damaged man treated with contempt by his mother - and as a victim of violence, rescued by a poor immigrant worker in Kuala Lumpur. Forest fires burn in Sumatra; a smoke covers Kuala Lumpur. An immigrant day laborer is badly beaten and left on the streets. Rawang, a young man, finds him, carries him home, nurses him back to health, and sleeps next to him. In a loft above lives a waitress. She sometimes provides care and attention. More violence seems a constant possibility. They find another man abandoned on the street, paralyzed. They carry him home. While no one speaks to each other, sounds dominate: coughing, cooking, coupling, opening bags, music and news reports on a radio, the rattle and buzz of a restaurant. The film's surreal flooded construction sites, class divides and homo-eroticism did not please Malaysian censors, but, as the New York Times put it - “Tsai’s meticulously composed fables of longing and disconnection are lurid and comical as well as poignant”.
13 Award wins and 11 other nominations
GOODBYE, DRAGON INN Bu San Director : Tsai Ming-liang Country : Taiwan (2003) Original Language : Chinese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Drama | Comedy Stars : LEE Kang-sheng Time : 82 min WED. 26/02 – 16:30 @ CINEMATEKET THU. 05/03 – 21:30 @ CINEMATEKET
A Golden Lion nominee at the Venice Film Festival 2003. One of the most beautiful tributes to the cinema as a space and location. On a dark and rainy night, a worn-down movie theater in Taipei screens its final film: the martial arts wuxia classic 'Dragon Inn' (1967). The cinema is full of magic as the movie is projected on the canvas - but in dire condition, when the lights are turned on. This is the last movie the cinema will ever show. As the film plays, the lives of the theater's various employees and the few patrons intersect. A Japanese tourist takes refuge from the rainstorm – But even with the rain bucketing down outside, it doesn't pull much of an audience. Some of those who have turned up are less interested in the movie, than in the possibility of meeting a stranger in the dark. Among the few audience members in the cinema are two actors from 'Dragon Inn' - Who came to mourn the passing of an era. Now watching themselves as young and doomed at the same time: "Nobody remembers us", they say with tears in their eyes - "No one goes to the movies anymore". Together with a small handful of other lost souls they bid "Goodbye, Dragon Inn".
7 Award wins and 5 other nominations
THE HOLE Dong Director : Tsai Ming-liang Country : Taiwan (1998) Original Language : Chinese Subtitle Language : Swedish Genre : Drama | Fantasy Stars : LEE Kang-sheng Time : 95 min MON. 24/02 – 21:15 @ CINEMATEKET THU. 12/03 – 17:00 @ CINEMATEKET
A Palme d’Or nominee at the Cannes Film Festival 1998. In the final days of 1999, almost everyone in Taiwan has died. A mysterious virus, supposedly spread by cockroaches, sends its victims into a psychosis, where they act like the insects – and eventually, they die. Because of this strange plague - The authorities order everyone to evacuate the island - But some people stay put. 'The Hole' takes place in a crumbling apartment building, while the never-ending rain and the strange disease ravage Taiwan. Its two protagonists live right above and below each other. The woman lives on the lower floor - and the pipes above her apartment are leaking fiercely, threatening to destroy her food supply, not to mention her sanity. One day, She calls a plumber to go to the man's apartment and check the pipes. He accidentally drills a small hole through the floor of the man's apartment down through the ceiling of the other apartment. The man never gets the hole repaired, and with a logic and curiosity resembling that of a child, he instead widens the hole day by day, and this leads to some tension between the man and the woman who lives below. The two eventually form a unique connection – enacted in musical numbers. Essentially, 'The Hole' (like Tsai Ming-liang's other films) is about the difficulty of connecting with others, but it is served with a warm sense of tragicomedy and some seriously weird musical sequences featuring 1950s Chinese schlagers !!
6 Award wins and 9 other nominations
THE RIVER He Liu Director : Tsai Ming-liang Country : Taiwan (1997) Original Language : Chinese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Drama | Romance Stars : LEE Kang-sheng Time : 115 min MON. 09/03 – 16:45 @ CINEMATEKET SAT. 14/03 – 21:30 @ CINEMATEKET
Winner of The Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival 1997. A film crew is preparing a drowning scene in Taipei. A young man in his early 20s (LEE Kang-sheng), plays the drowned corpus, but during the filming he is struck by severe neck pains after swimming in the polluted river. His dysfunctional parents try all kinds of treatment for their son's neck : Western Medicine, Acupuncture, a Chiropractor, an Herbal Doctor and a Faith Healer. But his parents are unable to provide any relief for him – or themselves. His father is bedeviled by water – and their home is in disarray due to a water leak in the ceiling – not to mention his mother’s sexual frustrations. Are the family's near silent dynamics and their son's neck pain connected? - And what about the body floating in the River – is everything dead?
5 Award wins and 5 other nominations
REBELS OF THE NEON GOD Cing Shao Nian Nou Cha Director : Tsai Ming-liang Country : Taiwan (1992) Original Language : Chinese Subtitle Language : English Genre : Crime | Drama Stars : LEE Kang-sheng Time : 120 min MON. 02/03 – 18:45 @ CINEMATEKET MON. 16/03 – 21:15 @ CINEMATEKET
Winner of a Golden Horse Award at the Taipei International Film Festival 1992. Defying his parents, Hsiao Kang (LEE Kang-sheng) drops out of the local school to head for the bright lights of downtown Taipei. He falls in with Ah Tze, a young hoodlum – and their relationship is a confused mixture of hero-worship and rivalry that soon leads to trouble. Within the urban gloom of Taipei, these juvenile delinquents face alienation, loneliness, and moments of existential crisis amidst a series of minor crimes. Thus life goes on in Taipei – depressing on the surface, but described with a dry, insidious sense of situational humor not unlike Jacques Tati. - And in that light, why wouldn’t Hsiao‘s mother be convinced that he is a reincarnated deity?
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