Screen Filmart 2016_Day 1

DA Y

1

MONDAY, MARCH 14 2016

AT FILMART www.ScreenDaily.com

Editorial +852 2582 8958

Advertising +852 9186 8384

DA Y

1

MONDAY, MARCH 14 2016

AT FILMART www.ScreenDaily.com

Editorial +852 2582 8958

Advertising +852 9186 8384

Golden Network hits Jackie Chan’s Reset A Violent Prosecutor

Showbox scores Japan, China sales

BY JEAN NOH

Korea’s Showbox has sold Lee Ilhyung’s hit action drama A Violent Prosecutor and Lee Yoon-ki’s melodrama A Man And A Woman to a slew of territories including Japan and China.

Starring Hwang Jung-min and Gang Dong-won, A Violent Prosecutor made $64m from 9.68 million admissions at the local box office as of March 9.

The film sold to Japan (Twin), China (Lemon Tree), Taiwan (Movie Cloud), the Philippines (MVP Viva) and worldwide inflight rights (Emphasis).

In North America, Dreamwest Pictures USA released A Violent Prosecutor theatrically on February 19 and Dreamwest Pictures Australia did so in Australia and New Zealand on February 25.

Starring Jeon Do-yeon and Gong Yoo, A Man And A Woman has sold to Japan (The Klockworx), Taiwan (AV-Jet), the Philippines (MVP Viva) and worldwide inflight rights (Emphasis).

BY LIZ SHACKLETON

Hong Kong-based Golden Network Asia has picked up international rights to China-Korea co-production Reset, produced by Jackie Chan and directed by South Korea’s Chang.

Starring Yang Mi, Wallace Huo, King Shih-chieh and Liu Chang, the sci-fi action adventure follows a scientist who travels back in time to rescue her kidnapped son.

Produced by China’s New Clues Films and Jaywalk Studio with Korean production house The Lamp, Reset has just finished shooting and will be released at the

end of 2016 following extensive VFX post-production.

Golden Network is also launching sales on car-chase action comedy Golden Job, directed by veteran action director Chin Ka-lok (Cold War). Hong Kong actor-producer Eric Tsang is producing the film

Le Vision opens The Lost Tomb and L.O.R.D.

BY LIZ SHACKLETON

Beijing-based Le Vision Pictures is to unveil Daniel Lee’s action suspense title The Lost Tomb and Guo Jingming’s fantasy epic L.O.R.D. at Filmart.

Based on a popular web novel, The Lost Tomb stars Jing Boran (Monster Hunt), Lu Han, Ma Sichun and Wang Jingchun in a story about an uncle and nephew exploring ancient tombs. The film is in post-production.

Guo’s L.O.R.D. (Legend Of Ravaging Dynasties) stars Fan Bing-

Wang’s Berlinale title beds in Japan’s Toei Company has sold Chinese-American director Wayne Wang’s Japanese-language film While The Women Are Sleeping to a raft of territories including Spain (Mediatres Estudio), China (Lemon Tree Media), Taiwan (Sky Digi Entertainment) and Hong Kong (Neofilms).

Starring actor-director Beat (aka Takeshi) Kitano, Hidetoshi Nishijima (Dolls) and Shioli Kutsuna (The Assassin), the film is

Reset

about five soon-to-retire con artists who are caught up in a heist after they throw a bachelor party.

Produced by The Artists Company and The Entertainer Production Company, the film will start shooting in May at locations including Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand and Japan.

Golden Network is also selling Jackie Chan’s previously announced action comedies Railroad Tigers, directed by Ding Sheng, and Kung Fu Yoga, directed by Stanley Tong.

The slate also includes animation Frog Kingdom: Sub-Zero Mission and Xu Haofeng’s Judge Archer, which opened in China last Friday.

set in a seaside resort where a novelist gets to know a mysterious older man/younger woman couple.

Based on Spanish author Javier Marias’ short story of the same name, which was published in The New Yorker magazine, the film received its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Panorama section last month. The project was presented at Busan’s Asian Project Market in 2013.

Jean Noh

Jing Boran

bing, Wu Yifan, William Chan and several actors from Guo’s bestselling Tiny Times franchise, including Yang Mi, Cheney Chen and Amber Kuo. The CGI-driven fantasy is

based on Guo’s novel about the wars between four nations with different magical powers.

Ronan Wong, general manager, investment, at Le Vision is attending Filmart to introduce the new titles.

The company’s slate also includes Zhang Qi’s Who Sleeps My Bro, a feature film and web series about four college roommates; Zhang Mo’s Suddenly Seventeen, starring Ni Ni and Wallace Huo; and Lu Ke’s romantic comedy Mr High Heels.

Benny Chan’s Heroes seals US, UK

BY LIZ SHACKLETON

Hong Kong’s Universe Films Distribution has sold North American rights to Benny Chan’s Call Of Heroes to Well Go USA. Well Go also took UK rights to the $32m martial-arts epic in partnership with the UK’s Trinity F i l m . G e r m a ny ’s S p l e n d i d Film has acquired rights for German-speaking territories and Benelux.

The film has also gone to a raft of Asian territories, including Singapore (Clover Films), Malaysia,

Brunei and Vietnam (GSC Movies), Taiwan (Sky Films Entertainment) and Indonesia (PT Teguh Bakti Mandiri).

Starring Sean Lau Ching-wan, Louis Koo and Eddie Peng, the film is in post-production for tentative release in June. Sammo Hung is on board as action choreographer.

Set during the warlords era after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the story revolves around a group of plucky villagers standing up to a cruel young general.

TODAY

Heaven In The Dark, buzz titles, p20

NEWS Mission Milano Mega Vision producing Andy Lau, Huang Xiaoming action comedy » Page 4

REVIEW Trivisa HKIFF opener proves an invigorating Hong Kong crime noir » Page 10

FEATURE Buzz titles The hottest new films from Hong Kong and China » Page 20

Yuen Woo-ping

Emperor kicks off Filmart slate

BY LIZ SHACKLETON

Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) is launching sales on new titles from Yuen Woo-ping, Fruit Chan and Ho Yuhang at Filmart.

Yuen’s action film, titled Hand Over Fist, follows a cartoon artist who is swept up in a feud between battling groups of martial-arts masters. EMP plans to start shooting the film at the end of the year.

Following suspense thriller Kill Time, Chan is directing Shining Moment, a drama revolving around a Latin dance competition, for EMP. The film, in post-production, stars Hins Cheung and Echo Hao. Ho Yuhang is also in post on action title Mrs K, starring Kara Wai and Simon Yam, produced

by Malaysia’s Red Films and Paperheart.

New titles on EMP’s slate also include Herman Yau’s horror The Sleep Curse, starring Anthony Wong, and two romantic dramas: Lin Yu-hsien’s Never Said Goodbye, produced by Stanley Kwan and starring Ethan Juan, and Snow Zou’s I Love That Crazy Little Thing.

News

Just one Shot

Kakao, Huace plot comic adaptations

By Jean noH

South Korean mobile platform Kakao is partnering with leading Chinese film and TV media enterprise Huace Group to adapt five Daum Webtoon comic titles for the big screen in China.

Launched in 2003, Kakao’s Daum Webtoon platform is known for running popular comics with strong storylines. Kakao and Huace Group signed deals on four webtoon titles: supernatural fantasy Help! Breakup Ghost, gambling mystery Just One Shot, doppelganger fantasy Girl In The Mirror, and Cashero, a comic drama about an impoverished but feisty brother and sister.

The companies are also set to close a deal on the one-sided office romance My Boss Dies Once a Day. Kakao said the deals are for the titles to be adapted into “movies, TV dramas or web dramas, and distributed across China”.

Ablaze fires up The Village That Forgets

By SiLVia Wong

Taiwan sales outfit Ablaze Image is launching Chen Yu-Hsun’s martial-arts comedy The Village That Forgets here at Filmart.

The $9m film, starring Shu Qi and Joseph Chang, reunites Chen with producers Lee Lieh and Yeh Jufeng and Warner Bros (Taiwan), following their breakout hit Zone Pro Site. Investors also include Lee’s One Production Film and China’s Wanda Pictures.

Ablaze has also picked up the international rights to Kuo ChengChui’s first feature Foret Debussy, which stars Gwei Lun-Mei and Lu Yi-Ching as a daughter and mother who hide themselves in the deep forest and shun urban life.

Mega Vision accepts its Mission with Lau, Huang

By Liz SHackLeton

Wong Jing’s Mega Vision Project Workshop has started production on action comedy Mission Milano, starring Andy Lau and Huang Xiaoming.

Directed by Wong, the film revolves around a wealthy entrepreneur (Huang) who goes undercover to protect a new invention with the potential to end famine from falling into the wrong hands. Lau plays an Interpol inspector who is sent to help him.

andy Lau (left) and Huang Xiaoming

The film is in production and scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Mega Vision is also launching sales on Wong Jing and Kam Ka

Wai’s Colour Of The Game, starring Simon Yam, Jordan Chan and Philip Ng. The film is in pre-production and follows a gambler and his protégé who are pulled into a vengeance mission for a mob boss.

It marks the final instalment in Wong’s Colour trilogy following Colour Of The Truth (2003) and Colour Of Loyalty (2005).

New titles on Mega Vision’s slate also include Kam Ka Wai’s iGirl, a sci-fi romantic comedy starring Ekin Cheng and Chrissie Chau.

Oshima’s Sono Sion doc wraps China zeroes where the director faces dilem- on Chicken

By Jean noH

Nikkatsu has announced The Sono Sion, a documentary on the prolific, controversial Japanese director of the title, has wrapped.

The film is directed by Arata Oshima, son of the late Nagisa Oshima (In The Realm Of The Senses, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence).

Shot during the making of Sono’s The Whispering Star, which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, the documentary exposes rare moments

Sun shines on the Brink Hong Kong-based Sun Entertainment Culture is debuting The Brink, an action thriller co-produced with Chinese streaming platform iQiyi, YL Pictures and SilMetropole Organisation.

Produced by Soi Cheang and Paco Wong for first-time director Jonathan Li, the film follows an ex-cop who is caught in the line of fire when a smuggler launches a revenge attack on his godfather.

The cast features Zhang Jin, Janice Man and Wu Yue. Also on Sun’s slate are Herman Yau’s Nessun Dorma and Fire Lee’s Robbery, both of which will be screened at HKIFF next week.

Silvia Wong

4 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

mas and anxiety.

“It’s such an honour to have this documentary made, but to be honest, I’m a little embarrassed,” said Sono. “I’m looking forward to the reaction of the audiences after they see my private life.”

Nikkatsu is also set to launch the reboot of its legendary softcore Roman Porno series at Filmart.

The Whispering Star will screen at Hong Kong International Film Festival, with the director on hand.

By SiLVia Wong

Malaysia’s Animasia Studio has secured a co-production deal with Zero One Animation of China for 3D title Chuck Chicken — The Movie. The $8m animation is a spinoff from TV series Chuck Chicken, which has aired on Disney and Nickelodeon channels.

Pre-production is set for June, followed by the CGI production later this year. Delivery is expected in early 2018.

Workshop plans great escape Distribution Workshop is launching sales here on Ann Hui’s The Great Escape, starring Zhou Xun and Eddie Peng, a war drama set during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

Produced by Bona Film Group and Class Limited, the film is shooting in Guangdong and Hong Kong. Roger Lee is on board as producer and the cast also includes Guo Tao (White Deer Plain). The Second World War story follows a group of plucky youths fighting for Hong Kong’s freedom.

New titles on Distribution Workshop’s slate also include Liu Guonan’s rom-com The Wedding Game, starring Sammi Cheng, and Yip Wai Man’s thriller Phantom Of The Theatre, starring Ruby Lin, Tony Yang and Simon Yam. Both films are in post-production.

Liz Shackleton

Sharifah amani

MandarinVision speeds into sales Mirror reflects

By SiLVia Wong

Taiwanese production and financing company MandarinVision is launching an international sales operation headed by former Atom Cinema executive Desmond Yang.

The company’s slate includes Chung Mong-Hong’s Godspeed, a dark comedy starring Michael Hui as a cab driver and Na Dow as a passenger who turns out to be a drug courier. Chung won best

director for The Fourth Portrait at the 2010 Golden Horse Awards.

His first feature, Parking, premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, while his latest, Soul, premiered at Taipei.

MandarinVision is also selling Cho Li’s Ace Of Sales, a comedy about a woman who aspires to become the top salesperson of a TV shopping channel, but is held hostage during her live show.

Encore feels Young & Fabulous

By SiLVia Wong

Singapore distributor Encore Films is making its first foray into production with coming-of-age feature Young & Fabulous.

Billed as Singapore’s first cosplay film, the cast is headed by Joshua Tan of Ah Boys To Men

fame and YouTube star Joyce Chu in her acting debut.

Michael Woo directs the feature, financed by Encore and backed by Golden Village Pictures, Singapore Film Commission and SIMF Management. The Singapore release is set for May 26.

on 2016 cast

By Jean noH

Tokyo International Film Festival and Japan Foundation Asia Center have announced the main cast for their Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2016 omnibus including Masaya Kato (Brother) and Malaysian actress Sharifah Amani (Gubra).

As previously announced, Brillante Mendoza from the Philippines, Isao Yukisada from Japan and Sotho Kulikar from Cambodia are each directing a segment.

Filipino actor Lou Veloso will star in Mendoza’s segment. Japan’s Masahiko Tsugawa and Masatoshi Nagase star alongside Amani for Yukisada. Kato and Cambodian actress Chumvan Sodhachivy will star for Kulikar. Each segment features an Asian person living in a different country in Asia.

www.screendaily.com

HKTDC RAYMOND YIP

Welcome A very warm welcome to this year’s Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), Asia’s largest entertainment market, which brings together exhibitors, buyers and services providers from around the world.

We have a record number of 800 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions this year, with the largest national participation coming from different Chinese mainland provinces and cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong and Hangzhou. Chongqing is also setting up its regional pavilion at FILMART for the first time.

Reinforcing Hong Kong’s reputation as a global entertainment hub, FILMART 2016 welcomes a total of six new group participations from Cambodia, Macau, Spain, the United States and two from the Middle East. We are also pleased to welcome back to FILMART group pavilions from Canada, the Chinese mainland, European Union, France, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. exhibitors from different corners Among the fairground highlights is the renowned TV World, presenting more than 360 Opportunities for the Global TV Business Road & “Belt of the globe. The TV World International Forum adopts the theme: business opportunities related discussing and trends market TV future on insights Industry”, with leading experts sharing their to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. ent exhibitors are taking part Promoting digital entertainment is another priority of FILMART. Two hundred digital entertainm Italy, Korea, Malaysia France, in the Animation & Digital Entertainment World, along with companies from countries including and Thailand. ent content throughout the Asia’s rapid economic development is helping to boost demand for high quality entertainm trend, we are organising this address To ion. collaborat region, prompting a shift in production strategy towards closer regional ent, animation, and entertainm digital TV, lm, fi for prospects bright spotlight to various thematic conferences during FILMART networking activities various s, screening 400 addition, In Initiative.

Road and Belt the on riding ies new business opportunit and some 60 industry events are taking place during FILMART. to meet and trade right here in the Now in its 20th edition, FILMART has become a highly effective platform for the industry ent Expo Hong Kong (14 March – Entertainm the in heart of Asia. FILMART is also one of the 10 spectacular events featured music. and ent entertainm 4 April), which covers a global mix of film, TV, digital I wish all participants an action-filled and memorable experience at FILMART 2016.

Raymond Yip Deputy Executive Director, Marketing Hong Kong Trade Development Council

6 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

www.screendaily.com

THE HANDMAIDEN Director Genre Cast

PARK Chan-wook Erotic Thriller KIM Min-hee KIM Tae-ri HA Jung-woo CHO Jin-woong Language Korean, Japanese Set in Korea and Japan in the 1930s, Sookee, a young Korean pickpocket girl living in the slum, is approached by a charming count to take part in a scam to seduce a wealthy Japanese heiress as the heiress’ maid. Inspired by the British novel ‘FINGERSMITH’ by Sarah Waters.

@ HK FILMART TIME RENEGADES Director Genre Cast

KWAK Jae-yong Thriller / Fantasy / Romance LIM Soo-jung JO Jung-suk LEE Jin-uk Language Korean A high school teacher in 1983 and a detective in 2015 join forces through their dreams to change the perilous fate of the woman they both love 30 years apart.

ROMO IVE P BOOTH S U L AT EXC ABLE AVAIL

ONE WAY TRIP

LIKE FOR LIKES

Director Genre Cast

Director Genre Cast

CHOI Jeong-yeol Drama JI Soo Suho (EXO) RYU Jun-yeol KIM Hee-chan KIM Dong-wan (SHINHWA) Language Korean Four friends on a trip rescue a woman who is being beaten by a man, only to be pursued by the police. One of them lapses into unconsciousness following an ensuing car accident and the other three are arrested on suspicion of murder.

1 cj 광고 홍콩마켓 스크린 최종.indd

2-3

PARK Hyun-gene Romance / Comedy YOO Ah-in LEE Mi-yun KIM Joo-hyuk CHOI Ji-woo KANG Ha-neul LEE Som Language Korean Feel good love stories of three couples experiencing unexpected love and relationship through social network.

PHANTOM DETECTIVE Director Genre Cast

JO Sung-hee Action / Noir LEE Je-hoon KIM Sung-kyun GO A-ra Language Korean HONG Gil-dong is an infallible private investigator with an exceptional memory and quirky personality. While chasing the only target he failed to find, he gets entangled in a much bigger conspiracy than he bargained for.

ROMO IVE P BOOTH S U L AT EXC ABLE AVAIL

Meet us at HKCEC 1C-D25

ATTENDEES http://lineup.cjenm.com/films Kini S. KIM | EVP, Head of International Jay KIM | EVP, Intl. Sales & Distribution http://facebook.com/cjentertainmentinternational Yoonhee CHOI | SVP, Intl. Sales (yoonhee.choi@cj.net) Justin KIM | Director, Intl. Sales | Asia-France-UK-Germany (justinhw.kim@cj.net) Eunji KIM | Director, Intl. Sales | Americas-Europe-Oceania-Japan-CIS-MENA (eunji.kim3@cj.net) James SEO | Director, Intl. Marketing (james.seo@cj.net)

THE HOUSEMAID Director Genre Cast

Derek Nguyen Horror / Thriller Nhung Kate Jean-Michel Richaud Language Vietnamese Set in Vietnam under colonial French ruling, Linh, a young woman who has lost her family in the war, goes to work as a housemaid at a plantation owned by French Lieutenant Sebastian. As Linh becomes infatuated with Sebastian, she begins to encounter the secrets and horror of the malevolent mansion.

TRACER

SWEET 20

Director Genre Cast

Director Genre Cast

Cuong Ngo Action Truong Ngoc Anh Thien Nguyen Language Vietnamese Special Detective An gets involved with Loc and “Wolf Gang” - with undercover cop Kien, they chase Loc, to hunt down the true kingpin.

MO E PRO OTH V I S U EXCL BLE AT BO A AVAIL

Phan Gia Nhat Linh Comedy / Romance Miu Le Ngo Kien Huy Hua Vi Van Hari Won Language Vietnamese Mrs. Dai, a foul-mouthed granny in her seventies is reverted to a twenty-year old maiden, Thanh Nga and given the opportunity to enjoy her youth, dream and passion which she had to sacrifice for her family when she was young.

2016.3.11

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Reviews

Filmart EvEnts, pagE 14

Reviews edited by Fionnuala Halligan finn.halligan@screendaily.com

Creepy Reviewed by Jonathan Romney

Trivisa Reviewed by Fionnuala Halligan Taking its title from the Buddhist notion of the three root poisons of greed, anger and ignorance, the Johnnie Tomentored Trivisa is set in Hong Kong on the eve of the British-administered territory’s 1997 handover to China.

Directed separately by three up-and-coming talents and blended into a dark and spiky whole, Trivisa looks at the recent past through the filter of the present; it is an uneven but invigorating blend of Hong Kong noir crime and mainland corruption, reflecting disenchantment of the ‘special relationship’.

Harking back to a time when Hong Kong was the regional power and China was a hick cousin, Trivisa flashes resentment alongside a touch of nostalgia for the good old bad guys. This occasionally over-ripe story of three thieves joins another recent Hong Kong independent production, Ten Years, in a sense of despair for the soul of its home. Trivisa’s young directors, sourced through Hong Kong’s Fresh Wave short-fim competition, may not be optimistic, but this urgent piece hints at a potential resurgence in Hong Kong’s indie scene.

The three robber barons are derived from real life, but the story of their coming together ahead of the handover is a fantasy. Yip Kwok-fung (Richie Jen) is the notorious King of Thieves, caught on TV exchanging gunfire with the police. Now he is trying to lie low and make it in China as a smuggler of electronic merchandise, but grows increasingly impatient with the naked greed he encounters there. Kwai Ching-hung (Gordon Lam Katung), meanwhile, will blithely trade in old friendships for a chance at a heist. And the outsize Cheuk Tsz-keung — an overly colourful performance by Jordan Chan in the one strand that is an uneasy fit, directed by Vicky Wong — is a jaded kidnapper who becomes obsessed with uniting the three as the sun sets on British colonial rule after 156 years.

Designer Jean Tsoi delivers an impeccable sense of a city teetering on the verge of an uncertain future, and editors Allen Leung and David Richardson, frequent To collaborators, have managed a good meld of footage. It may be a blend of old hands with new faces, but Trivisa, like the events it depicts, feels like the start of something.

10 screen International at Filmart march 14, 2016

HKIFF openIng FIlm HK. 2016. 97mins Dirs Frank Hui, Jevons Au Man-kit, Vicky Wong.

Production company Milkyway Image International sales Media Asia Films Distribution, wwdist@ mediaasia.com Producer Johnnie To, Yau Nai Hoi Executive producer CT Yip Screenplay Loong Manhong, Thomas Ng, Mak Tin-shu Cinematography Zhang Ying, Ray Cheung, Rex Chan Editors Allen Leung, David Richardson Production design Jean Tsoi Music Nigel Chan Main cast Gordon Lam Ka-tung, Richie Jen, Jordan Chan, Tommy Wong Kwong-leung, Yueh Hua, Stephen Au, Lam Suet

Kiyoshi Kurosawa recently appeared in cinephile documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut commenting on the lessons of the Master of Suspense. He puts them to good use in Creepy, a film that not only merits its name but would make Norman Bates scratch his head at the sheer weirdness of what goes on here behind closed doors.

Ostensibly an investigative thriller, Creepy later takes a detour into macabre territory, returning to the outré register of Kurosawa films such as Pulse and Charisma, following his recent, gently emotive take on the supernatural, Journey To The Shore. Hugely entertaining, Creepy’s genre pleasures should make this novel adaptation one of the more exportable Japanese films of recent years, and arguably prime remake material — although Western multiplex audiences might prefer a revision that is slightly less cavalier in its use of outrageous coincidence.

A bravura opening shows detective Takakura (Hidetoshi Nishijima) coming a cropper in an encounter with a killer. A year later he has left the force, moved home with wife Yasuko (Yuko Takeuchi) and started work as a university lecturer in criminal psychology — but he can’t give up sleuthing, and finds himself delving into a cold case from six years back involving a family’s disappearance.

Meanwhile Yasuko is keen to make friends with her new neighbours, but draws a blank until the initially recalcitrant Mr Nishino (Teruyuki Kagawa) seems to thaw.

The film starts off promising a detective procedural drama on one hand, and a touch of wry social satire on the other, as Japanese etiquette shows its limits. But even in seemingly innocuous situations, small stylistic touches create a sense of immense unease. A camera advances slowly as winds start to blow, or — in an extraordinary sequence, as Takakura questions the daughter of the missing family — a university building inexplicably grows dark as students, seen in the background, start to exit.

Kagawa steals the show with a relishably eccentric performance as the nervy and unnerving Nishino. When the film shifts into territory less Hitchcockian than Lynchian — with a touch of Park Chan Wook’s Asian Gothic — the quiet confidence of Kurosawa’s approach has paid off, allowing him to vault into a more intense register.

HKIFF closIng FIlm Jap. 2016. 130mins Dir Kiyoshi Kurosawa Production company/ international sales Shochiku Co Ltd, ibd@shochiku.co.jp Producers Hiroshi Fukasawa, Setsuko Sumida, Satoshi Akagi, Satoko Ishida Executive producer Kota Kuroda Screenplay Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Chihiro Ikeda, based on the novel by Yutaka Maekawa Cinematography Akiko Ashizawa Production designer Norifumi Ataka Editor Koichi Takahashi Music Yuri Habaka Main cast Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yuko Takeuchi, Teruyuki Kagawa, Haruna Kawaguchi

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Events 10:00 – 12:00 FROM THE LOCAL TO THE GLOBAL: IN CONVERSATION WITH PRODUCERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Venue The Stage, Hall 1,

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organiser Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Supporting partner Screen International

» Event times and venues are correct at the time of going to press but subject to alteration

Top Asian and Western producers will share their experiences in forging local productions that work in the international market as well as exploring the current challenges and opportunities for global film production. They will also discuss the changing role of producers and the best models for co-operation with financiers, sales companies and distributors.

Conference moderator

Liz Shackleton, Chief Asia editor, Screen International Panel speakers Philippe Bober, Managing Director, Coproduction Office; Wong Jing, CEO, Mega-Vision Project Workshop Ltd Languages Cantonese, English, Mandarin

10:30 – 12:00 ‘THE BRINK’ PRESS CONFERENCE Venue The Studio, Hall 1,

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organiser Sun Entertainment Culture Language Cantonese

12:30 – 13:30 ‘CALL OF HEROES’ PRESS CONFERENCE

13:00 – 14:00

16:00 – 18:00

‘SWORDMASTER 3D’ DIALOGUE WITH THE PRESS

SICHUAN FILM DELEGATION PRESS CONFERENCE

Venue Event Room,

Venue The Studio, Hall 1,

Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organiser Distribution Workshop Language Cantonese. Press and media only.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organiser Publicity Department of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television

Organiser Young Live

Entertainment (HK) Co Ltd Languages Cantonese, Mandarin

Venue The Stage,

Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organiser Universe Language Cantonese 12:30 – 13:30 2016 A & B FILM AND JIZHONG CULTURE FILMOGRAPHY CONFERENCE Venue The Studio,

Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organiser A&B Film-TVVideo International Languages Cantonese, English, Mandarin, Korean

13:00 – 15:00

Supporting organisation

THE 17TH DIGICON6 ASIA — HONG KONG CERTIFICATE PRESENTATION CEREMONY

Picapica Entertainment Language Mandarin

Venue Room S224-S225,

2016 YL PICTURES PRESENTATION

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Organiser HKDEA Languages Cantonese, English, Japanese

16:30 – 18:00 Entertainment Expo Hong Kong Kick-off Ceremony, and Joint Cocktail Reception for the 20th Anniversary of FILMART & the 40th Anniversary of Hong Kong International Film Festival Venue The Stage,

16:30 – 18:00

Venue Event Room,

Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organisers Entertainment Expo, HKTDC, Hong Kong International Film Festival. By invitation only.

CONGRATULATIONS KAR WAI, ON THE

25TH ANNIVERSARY OF JETTONE FILMS FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT

14 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

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GR AND EPOCH CI T Y, CHINA MARCH 25, 2016 W W W.CHINA-US-SUMMIT.COM

Alfonso Cuarón Award-winning Director Cheryl Boone Isaacs President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Andrew Cripps Executive Vice President, IMAX Corporation Randall Wallace Award-winning Filmmaker and Best Selling Author Ann An Founder, Desen International Media David Lee Chief Executive Officer, Leeding Media Don Hahn Award-winning Producer Gary Lucchesi President, Producers Guild of America, and President, Lakeshore Entertainment Dick Cook Chairman, Dick Cook Studios Bill Borden Producer, Mili Pictures Elizabeth Daley Dean, USC School of Cinematic Arts Richard Fox Executive Vice President, Warner Bros. Entertainment Betty Thomas Producer, Director, and Vice-President of the Directors Guild of America Hawk Koch Award-winning Producer

Our speaking faculty has worked on such notable and award-winning films as:

Gravity The Mermaid Star Trek The King’s Speech Precious The Forbidden Kingdom Million Dollar Baby The Godfather: Part III The Artist We Were Soldiers Maleficent Y Tu Mamá También

Braveheart Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Karate Kid Pearl Harbor Beauty and the Beast Children of Men High School Musical Kung Fu Hustle The Lion King Charlie’s Angels Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Pirates of the Caribbean

This Summit will foster dialogue, create new opportunities, go beyond boundaries, and deepen relationships to forge future cooperation.

Co-Hosts

Presented by

Produced by

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HAF ProFiles

HAF/FOX AwArds, pAge 18

The Lady Improper

Solitude

The Imitator

Dir Tsang Tsui Shan

Dir Madhu Mahankali

Dir YC Tom Lee

Project’s country of origin Hong Kong-China

Project’s country of origin India

Project’s country of origin Taiwan

Hong Kong director Tsang Tsui Shan cooks up an erotic combination in The Lady Improper through food and sexuality. When her sexless marriage fails, a virgin sets out to revitalise her father’s Hong Kongstyle restaurant. She encounters a cult chef who mixes his culinary senses with sexual awareness.

“Female desire is often suppressed in our seemingly open yet conservative society. We look into this taboo world of Asian women with a story filled with food, lust and desire,” says Tsang.

Based on a true story, the screenplay is written by Link Sng, co-writer of several films by Singaporean director Jack Neo, including box-office hits Ah Boys To Men and most recently Long Long Time Ago. Tsang was named best new director at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2012 for her second feature Big Blue Lake, which also won the Asian New Talent Jury Prix at Shanghai. Big Blue Lake was filmed in her home village Ho Chung in Sai Kung, which she says is a source of inspiration for her work. Her documentary Flowing Stories, also set in the village, won the best documentary award at South Taiwan Film Festival in 2014.

The producer is Polly Yeung, who produced Tsang’s Scent, a Chinese-Korean romance starring Korea’s Park Si-hoo. Yeung is also a regular collaborator with Hong Kong film-maker Jacob Cheung, having worked on A Battle Of Wits, Ticket and Rest On Your Shoulder.

River Vision is Tsang’s Hong Kong-based production company, while Fiction 9 is a Beijing-based company founded by Yeung, Lim Young Chien and Li Yun Fei. Silvia Wong

Hyderabad-based film-maker Madhu Mahankali started to explore the theme of death in his short film The Journey, which played at Cannes in 2007.

His latest feature project Solitude builds on this and will also consider the notions of loneliness, solitude and loss.

Solitude traces the spiritual journey of an old man as he loses his long-term companion of more than 50 years, and must come to terms with his new reality.

“Although the story has a lot of emotional elements attached to it, the film tries to focus on the philosophical journey of this old man, making it more universal,” says Mahankali. “It will probe the spiritual bond that continues beyond death.”

In development for just over a year and with the script now completed, Mahankali is seeking completion funding for the Telugu and Hindi-language film. Casting is underway and shooting locations have been secured in the Indian cities of Hyderabad, Lucknow and Varanasi. The director’s previous work includes advertising, documentaries, feature and short films.

Mahankali’s company Dhriti Media is the primary producer with Telugu producer Raj Kandukuri’s Dharmapatha Creations on board as equity partners and Balwanth Singh of Kauphy Talkies picking up marketing and distribution costs of both the Telugu and Hindi versions.

Udita Jhunjhunwali

Crime thriller The Imitator opens with a bank heist that takes place using the stolen gun of a cop who was gunned down just days earlier. In the aftermath, the police are shocked to discover the crime is a direct imitation of Taiwan’s first ever armed robbery, which took place more than 30 years ago.

“The concept of someone imitating a crime has always intrigued me because either the imitator is simply a copycat paying sadistic homage, or has a deeper meaning and purpose behind it,” says Taiwan director YC Tom Lee. “For our film, the imitator has a specific reason to take down the entire corrupted justice system at any cost.”

Crime thrillers are rare in Taiwan and Lee aims to revive the genre by giving his film a commercial appeal for the global audience. “We are using elements of the thriller, crime drama and action to tell an intriguing story with cinematic Taipei as a backdrop,” he says.

The Imitator will be the debut feature of Lee, an award-winning director of dramas, commercials, music videos and narrative short films for the past 10 years in Asia and North America.

Producer Jade Lee has a wide range of experience in distribution, marketing, international sales, production and post-production. Her credits include Bad Girls and Pick The Youth.

Founded in 2014, Dare Entertainment is a Taipeibased company for film and TV production, distribution and international sales. The Imitator is the first feature film under its banner.

Silvia Wong

Solitude

The Lady Improper

Producers Madhu Mahankali, Roopa Devi Mahankali Production company Dhriti Media Budget $340,000 Finance raised to date $60,000 ($25,000 from

The Imitator

Producer Polly Yeung Production company River Vision Budget $1m Finance raised to date 10% (Fiction 9) Contact Polly Yeung rivervision.prod@gmail.com

Dharmapatha Creations, $25,000 from Dhriti Media and $10,000 from Kauphy Talkies) Contact Madhu Mahankali mmkali8@gmail.com

Producer Jade Lee Production company Dare Entertainment Budget $1.2m Finance raised to date 50% Contact Jade Lee jadeleetaiwan@gmail.com

16 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

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HAF/Fox AwArd ProFiles

ScreeningS, page 24

Brothers

Man-Made Citizen

Coarse Tea, Plain Rice

Dir Jong Yu

Prod Moonlight Shang

Dir Cheung Suk-Yee

Project’s country of origin Malaysia

Project’s country of origin China

Project’s country of origin Hong Kong

Inspired by a real kidnapping case between close relatives, Malaysian director Jong Yu’s Brothers revolves around a young boy with learning difficulties, who is the only heir to the family fortune.

Although his kidnappers are arrested, the police find each witness recounts a different version of events, a la Rashomon.

Complicating matters is the young boy’s growing attachment to one of the kidnappers, who may be his long-lost brother. The screenplay is written by Chan Yoke Yeng, whose writing credits include smash hits The Journey and Ola Bola. Malaysian singer-actor Jack Tan will play the brother.

“We aim to make a Malaysian-Chinese film that is full of suspense and mystery, unlike the usual love and family dramas that are the norm in Malaysia,” say producers Roland Lee and Jin Ong. Brothers will be the debut feature of Yu, who is a well-known director of TV series and music videos.

His Malaysian TV series I, My Brother won the viewers’ choice most popular drama prize at the Golden Awards in 2010.

Founded by Ong, More Entertainment handles artist management, an album label as well as film and TV production. Ong’s producing credits include coming-of-age film The Gathering and TV series Love 18 (directed by Yu and co-written by Lee); Yes Sir; I, My Brother and Backlight Lover.

Ong and Lee are also producing Shuttle Life, which won the grand prize at Golden Horse Film Project Promotion in 2014.

Silvia Wong

Man-Made Citizen is an ambitious $14m sci-fi fantasy about a high-school girl who discovers special powers when she is turned into a creature who can live underwater. On discovering this transformation has it origins with a secret organisation that now wants her to reproduce, she has to go on the run, avoiding the various military forces and media that are closing in on her.

“This is more than a science-fiction movie,” says Moonlight Shang, who is both the producer and screenwriter of the project. “The story will explore the inner world of a highly intelligent species, look into their existence and ponder on their future prospects, while trying to provide an answer to big philosophical questions.” Shang has won several scriptwriting awards, including a Xia Yan Award, a top honour approved by SARFT, and a Hua Xia Starlight Award. She has also produced and directed documentaries and short films.

The project has no director attached at the moment. “We are looking for a director, who has the right experience and global vision to handle such a big commercial film with artistic values,” says Shang.

The co-producer is Janet Wu, president of Bright East Films, which was founded by her late father, Chinese director Wu Tianming. Wu also runs the China Film Foundation’s Wu Tianming Film Fund for young talents. Her producing credits include TV series and Sino-US co-production features including The War Of Gene, Hi Frank! and Ma Wen’s Battle.

Silvia Wong

Told from a female perspective, Coarse Tea, Plain Rice deals with the forbidden love between an older woman and a much younger man — her stepson.

Hong Kong writer-director Cheung Suk-Yee uses Eat Drink Man Woman and Babette’s Feast as points of reference for the project. “The biggest challenge is how to convey the intricate connection between food and desire in a visual medium, and how to convey the subtext of sexual tension through the metaphor of cooking and taste,” she says.

Producer Trevor Morris is a former senior creative manager at Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (Asia Pacific), who has worked on Disney-branded Chinese-language local co-productions for Greater China, including Trail Of The Panda and High School Musical China.

He first collaborated with Cheung on her yet-to-be released debut feature Greed Hate Delusion, which follows a group of people stuck on a resort island where they are forced to confront their own evils. “It is my pleasure to be able to bring some of my knowledge and experience to assist a smaller-scale independent film, and try to bring an intimate and worthwhile story to audiences in the region, especially at a time when it’s becoming increasingly difficult for such projects to be made,” says Morris.

Cheung has more than 10 years of professional experience in the media industry. She set up Pratyeka Pictures to produce Greed Hate Delusion, and Coarse Tea, Plain Rice will be the company’s second feature.

Silvia Wong

Brothers

Man-Made Citizen

Coarse Tea, Plain Rice

Producers Jin Ong, Roland Lee Production company More Entertainment Budget $550,000 Contact Jin Ong jinong2015@gmail.com

Producers Moonlight Shang, Janet Wu Production company Bright East Films Budget $14m Finance raised to date 11% Contact Moonlight Shang 690969899@qq.com

Producers Trevor Morris, Cheung Suk-Yee Production company Pratyeka Pictures Budget $2m Contact Cheung Suk-Yee

18 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

pratyekapictures@gmail.com

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hK FiLMART oFFicE

1 C- E 1 3

hoNg KoNg FiLM FEsTiVAL / FiLMART

info@fortissimo-hk.com

MOUNTAIN CRY

SCHNEIDER VS. BAX

SUNSET SONG

BY LARRY YANg

BY ALEX VAN WARMERDAM

BY TERENcE DAViEs

chiNA / 2015 / 107’ / MANDARiN / DRAMA

ThE NEThERLANDs, BELgiuM / 2015 / 96’ /

uK, LuXEMBouRg / 2015 / 135’ / ENgLish /

DuTch / coMEDY, ThRiLLER

Epic DRAMA

Thu, 24 MAR, 21:15, uA ciNE MoKo

suN, 27 MAR, 23:45, uA ciNE MoKo

FRi, 25 MAR, 17:30, ThE gRAND ciNEMA

sAT, 26 MAR, 16:30, uA ciNE MoKo

MoN, 4 ApR, 22:00, shATiN ToWN hALL

TuE, 29 MAR, 21:45, ThE gRAND ciNEMA

NEW FILM

UPCOMING FILMS

STOCKHOLM MY LOVE

It’s not always what you see...

sTATus: coMpLETED

sTATus: posT pRoDucTioN

sTATus: pRE pRoDucTioN

sTATus: posT pRoDucTioN

FACTORY BOSS

P.O.V.

VALLEY OF THE GODS

STOCKHOLM MY LOVE

BY ZhANg WEi

BY DENNis BARToK

BY LEch MAJEWsKi

BY MARK cousiNs

chiNA / 2014 / 100’ / chiNEsE / DRAMA

iRELAND / 2016 / ENgLish / hoRRoR

poLAND, LuXEMBouRg / 2017 / ENgLish /

sWEDEN, uK / 2016 / sWEDish, ENgLish / DRAMA

DRAMATic FANTAsY

HOT PROJECTS HONG KONG-CHINA

The special relationship An exciting crop of Hong Kong and mainland China projects are spotlighted by Liz Shackleton, who reports on the increasing efforts to support Cantonese-language film-making The Bodyguard Dir Sammo Hung David Linde’s Lava Bear is co-producing this Sammo Hung and Andy Lau action thriller, alongside Edko Films, Irresistible Films and Lau’s Focus Films. Martial-arts veteran Hung directs and also stars as a retired bodyguard who settles down in a small town on the Russia-China border but finds himself attempting to rescue a young girl when her father (Lau) falls in with the criminal world. The film is in post-production with a pan-Asian release scheduled for April 1.

Contact Edko Films, Julian Chiu edkofilms.com.hk

chiujulian@

The Mermaid

A

s predicted, box office over always played a key role in mainland the recent Chinese New productions — all three Chinese New Year holiday in mainland Year hits were directed by Hong China threw up yet more Kong film-makers. But with an records and superlatives. Ticket sales annual box office of $256m, the over the seven days of the holiday hit Hong Kong market is now dwarfed $581m, a weekly world record, and by China. It’s also a market that’s shortly afterwards, Stephen Chow’s dominated by Hollywood tentpoles.

The Mermaid became China’s highestIn 2015, the market share of Hong grossing film of all time with a Kong films slipped from 22% haul of more than $500m. to 19% and only one local The runners-up over the holiproduction, Little Big Master, day grossed more than local procharted in the top 10. ductions in other territories All this raises questions dare to dream — after about the future of Cantonese, four weeks, Soi as opposed to MandarinCheang ’s The Monkey King 2 had taken $181m and Wong Jing’s From Vegas To Macau III was at $169m. Last year, local films language film-making, not accounted for 62% to mention films that are unlikely of China’s $6.8bn to pass muster with mainland cenbox office and hissorship. And yet imaginative Hong torically take more Kong films that are definitely not than a 50% share. made for mainland audiences Hong Kong actors continue to emerge.

From Vegas To Macau III and film-makers have Concerns about the declin-

20 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

ing use of Cantonese was one of many issues explored in ultra lowbudget production Ten Years, comprising five shorts that examine the potential impact of mainland influence in Hong Kong 10 years from now. Recently banned by mainland media, the film became a sleeper hit in Hong Kong, grossing nearly $1m despite playing on just a few screens.

Elsewhere, there are more commercially driven efforts to support local film-making. Hong Kong thriller Trivisa, one of the opening films of this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival, is directed by three of Johnnie To’s protégés from the Fresh Wave programme.

Fresh Wave proves that sometimes good things happen with patience: the initiative was launched in 2005 by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and has made huge strides in supporting new film-makers. But it will be an ongoing battle to help Cantonese-language movies compete against the dual juggernauts of Hollywood and Beijing.

The Bodyguard

Call Of Heroes Dir Benny Chan Sean Lau Ching-wan, Louis Koo and Eddie Peng star in the latest action epic from Benny Chan (The White Storm, Shaolin), which is in post-production for tentative release in June. Set during the warlords era after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the story (previously titled Deadly Reclaim) revolves around a group of plucky villagers standing up to a cruel young general. Universe Entertainment is producing the $32m film.

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Sammo Hung is on board as action choreographer.

Contact Universe Films Distribution, Alice Leung alice_leung@uih.com.hk

Chongqing Hotpot Dir Yang Qing One of the opening films of this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival, Yang Qing’s comedy follows three high-school classmates who open a hotpot restaurant in an old bomb shelter in Chongqing. When the business fails, they are told to enlarge the property and accidently break into the bank vault next door.

Produced by Chen Kuo-fu, the film stars Chen Kun (Mojin — The Lost Legend) and Bai Baihe (Monster Hunt). Yang previously directed 2009 comedy hit One Night In Supermarket.

Contact Distribution Workshop, Virginia Leung virginia@distributionworkshop.com

Cold War 2 Dir Longman Leung, Sunny Luk Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Eddie Peng star in the highly anticipated sequel to Edko Films’ 2012 action thriller, which became the highestgrossing Hong Kong film of the year. In postproduction, Cold War 2 continues the story of the first film with the hijacker of the missing police van behind bars. But then a retired police chief steps forward to reveal a scheme to corrupt the police force. The directors went on to make 2015 action thriller Helios after the original Cold War. Contact Edko Films, Julian Chiu chiujulian@edkofilms.com.hk

Dog Days Dir Jordan Schiele Pang Ho Cheung and Subi Liang’s Making Film Productions produced this mainlandset drama, which marks the feature directorial debut of Beijing-based film-maker and DoP Jordan Schiele. The story follows a young single mother who teams up with a drag singer to track down her missing son and his father. Huang Lu (Blind Massage) plays the young woman and the cast also includes Tian Mu Chen (The White Lie) and Luo Lan Shan (A Touch Of Sin). The film premiered at this year’s Berlinale.

Contact Bravos Pictures, Ricky Tse ricky.tse@bravospictures.com

The Ferryman Dir Zhang Jiajia Wong Kar Wai’s Jet Tone Productions is producing this romantic comedy, based on Zhang Jiajia’s bestselling 2014 novel, I Belonged To You. Zhang has also been brought on board to direct the film, which stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Angelababy and Eason Chan. In post-

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Chongqing Hotpot

production, the $25m film is one of the first projects backed by Alibaba Pictures. Mei Ah Entertainment is handling Hong Kong and several Southeast Asian territories.

Contact Mei Ah Entertainment, Sarah Law sara@meiah.com

Heaven In The Dark Dir Yuen Kim-wai Karena Lam and Jacky Cheung have picked up nominations at the upcoming Hong Kong Film Awards for their roles in this drama, helmed by commercials and music-video director Yuen Kim-wai. Adapted from the play French Kiss by Candace Chong, the film tells the story of a woman who shares a kiss with a pastor and then files sexual harassment charges against him. The pastor loses his faith as a consequence of her actions, while the woman tries to find salvation in religion. The film is scheduled for release in Hong Kong on March 24.

Contact Emperor Motion Pictures, May Yip mayyip@emperorgroup.com

(Above) Heaven In The Dark; (left) Call Of Heroes

with Chan on First Strike and Rumble In The Bronx, has already filmed in China and Dubai, and will shoot the next section in India.

Contact Golden Network Asia, Clarence Tang clarence@goldnetasia.com

Kung Fu Yoga

The Mermaid

Dir Stanley Tong

Dir Stephen Chow

Now in production, this CGI-heavy action adventure stars Jackie Chan as a Chinese archaeologist who teams up with an Indian professor in the quest for a legendary diamond that takes him from the high plateaus of western China to the Middle East and India. Indian actor Sonu Sood (Happy New Year) and Chinese actors Aarif Rahman and Zhang Yixing also star in the film, which is being set up as a ChinaIndia co-production. Director Stanley Tong, who worked

China’s highest-grossing film of all time, The Mermaid confirms that while Stephen Chow may not churn out many films, he is Hong Kong’s most commercially successful filmmaker. His latest comedy stars Deng Chao as a young tycoon whose plans to drive marine wildlife away from his island development are thwarted by a beautiful young mermaid. The cast also includes Lin Yun, Show Luo, Kris Wu and Kitty Zhang. Released by Sony in the US on February 19, the film grossed a respectable $1.2m in its first week.

Contact IM Global, Leslie Chen leslie_chen@imglobalfilm.com

March 14, 2016 Screen International at Filmart 21

»

HOT PROJECTS HONG KONG-CHINA

Railroad Tigers Dir Ding Sheng Following their collaborations on Police Story 2013 and Little Big Soldier, Ding Sheng is directing Jackie Chan in this $50m action comedy, which aims to revive the spirit of classic Chan comedies such as Project A and Drunken Master II. Chan stars as a railroad worker who leads a team of fighters to derail the Japanese war machine in China, 1941. Young idols Z Tao (You Are My Sunshine), Wang Kai (The Golden Era) and Darren Wang (Our Times) also star. In post-production, the film’s investors include Sparkle Roll Media Corporation, Shanghai Film Group, Beijing Going Zoom Media and Shanghai New Culture Media Group.

Contact Golden Network Asia, Clarence Tang clarence@ goldnetasia.com

S Storm Dir David Lam Swordmaster

Now in post-production, this sequel to 2014 action thriller Z Storm revolves around an even bigger case at Hong Kong’s fraud-busting Independent Commission Against Corruption. Louis Koo reprises his role as an anti-corruption investigator, while Chilam Cheung and Vic Chou have joined the cast. Produced by Pegasus Motion Pictures, the $9m film is scheduled for release in June.

Ten Years

Contact Pegasus Motion Pictures, Alvina Wong alvina.wong@ pegasusmovie.com

hospital involving a criminal with a bullet in his head, a policeman about to turn rogue and a surgeon from mainland China.

Swordmaster Dir Derek Yee Tsui Hark is producing and Derek Yee directing this long-anticipated 3D martial-arts epic, starring Lin Gengxin (The Taking Of Tiger Mountain) and Peter Ho (The Monkey King). Based on wuxia novelist Gu Long’s classic, the film tells the story of an elite swordsman who is haunted by his skill and forced to fight a challenger who is determined to take his place at all costs. Produced by Bona Film Group and Yee’s Film Unlimited, Swordmaster is in post-production and tentatively scheduled for release in May. Contact Distribution Workshop, Virginia Leung virginia@ distributionworkshop.com

Ten Years Dir Kwok Zune, Wong Fei-pang, Jevons Au Man-kit, Chow Kwun-wai, Ng Ka-leung Produced on an ultra low budget, Ten Years comprises five short films that

Contact Media Asia, Fred Tsui frederick_tsui@mediaasia.com

Trivisa

Trivisa

imagine life in Hong Kong 10 years from now. The stories include a Hong Kong taxi driver struggling to survive in a Mandarin-speaking world and a grocery store owner who is punished for selling ‘local’ eggs. Although it was released on only a few screens, the film became a sleeper hit in Hong Kong.

Dir Frank Hui, Vicky Wong, Jevons Au Man-kit Gordon Lam, Jordan Chan and Richie Jen star in this Johnnie To-produced crime thriller, which tells the story of three notorious criminals who are rumoured to be joining forces for a heist in Hong Kong. Three of To’s protégés from the Fresh Wave programme — Frank Hui, Vicky Wong and Jevons Au Man-kit — have each directed the story of one gangster, which have then been weaved together into a complete feature. The film premiered in Berlin and has been selected as one of two opening films at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (see review, page 10).

Contact Golden Scene, Winnie Tsang winnie@goldenscene.com

Three Dir Johnnie To Following his well-received foray into musical drama with Toronto title Office, Johnnie To returns to hard-boiled action with this highly anticipated crime thriller, starring Louis Koo, Wallace Chung and Vicki Zhao Wei. In post-production for a tentative June release, the film revolves around a showdown in a

22 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

Three

Contact Media Asia, Fred Tsui s frederick_tsui@mediaasia.com ■

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WE ARE

HK16_UKF_Screenad_FP_335x245_Art3.indd 2

08/03/2016 13:21

SCREENINGS Edited by Paul Lindsell

» Screening times and venues are correct at the time of going to press but subject to alteration

paullindsell@gmail.com

10:00

BUS TIMETABLE

A NAVEL OF THE EARTH

FROM HKCEC TO AGNES B. CINEMA 09:50,11:50, 14:50, 17:20

(Japan) Sci-fi, fantasy.

74mins. Genki Production.

Dir: Kazushige Togo. Key cast: Meibi Yamanouchi, JATD Nishantha, Takashi Taniguch, Kappa Kunikida, Kikuyo Semi.

In 2057, Kyoto is designated a passport-free zone. People have emigrated there from all over the world. One day a Japanese girl, Mei, travels in the city and has her bag stolen at the station. She meets taxi driver Nin and starts living in his house.

What is the real purpose of her trip?

FROM AGNES B. CINEMA TO HKCEC 11:45, 13:40, 17:10 FROM HKCEC TO UA CINE TIMES (TIMES SQUARE) 09:40, 11:35, 13:35, 13:50, 15:35, 16:35 FROM UA CINE TIMES (TIMES SQUARE) TO HKCEC 11:50, 13:40, 14:00, 15:45, 16:05

Meeting Room N202-N203, HKCEC

FILMART

See box, right

takes a job working as a cashier in the Exceed convenience store. At midnight, Grandpa goes into the store. Annoyed and offended by store manager Fat Boss’s sarcasm and contempt, Grandpa stabs a pair of scissors into Fat Boss’s neck. Everyone in the store — Yan, who is a passerby using the toilet, Anita, who is buying some condoms, Fat Boss, Ping and his co-worker Mabel — are suddenly taken hostage.

LOLO

agnes b. CINEMA! Hong Kong Arts Centre

BEAUTIFUL 2016

(China, Hong Kong, Japan) Drama. 89mins.

Hong Kong International Film Festival Society.

Dir: Jia Zhangke, Nakata Hideo, Alec Su, Stanley Kwan. Key cast: Kyoko Kagawa, Suzuka Ohgo, Cecilia Yip, David Yeung.

The latest edition of the Beautiful series.

Meeting Room N101A, HKCEC

BLOOD FATHER

(France) Comedy.

98mins. Wild Bunch.

Dir: Julie Delpy. Key cast: Julie Delpy, Dany Boon, Vincent Lacoste, Karin Viard.

On holiday in the south of France, chic Parisian sophisticate Violette meets life-loving IT geek Jean-Rene. There’s a real chemistry between them and at the end of the summer, Jean-Rene wastes no time in joining his beloved in Paris. But a third party swiftly appears to shatter the couple’s idyll: Lolo, Violette’s ultrapossessive 19-year-old son.

Meeting Room N211-N212, HKCEC

SKY

(France) Drama. 102mins.

The Bureau Sales. Dir: Fabienne Berthaud.

Key cast: Diane Kruger, Norman Reedus, Gilles Lellouche, Lena Dunham.

Rom is on holiday in the US with her French husband. But the journey quickly turns into a settling of old scores. Romy decides to break free and escapes into the unknown. Drifting through a noisy Las Vegas to the wondrous high desert, she goes on with her solitary journey, making it up as she goes along.

Liberated, she will cross paths with Diego.

Theatre 2, HKCEC

ROBBERY

(Hong Kong) Comedy.

92mins. Bravos Pictures.

Dir: Fire Lee. Key cast: Derek Tsang, J Arie, Lam Suet.

A young guy named Ping

THEIR DISTANCE

(Japan) Romance.

106mins. Nikkatsu.

Dir: Rikiya Imaizumi.

Key Cast: Ren (Nu’est), Fumiko Aoyagi.

24 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

Traces the intricate connections between seven men and women.

Meeting Room N209-N210, HKCEC

WEEDS ON FIRE

(Hong Kong) Drama.

94mins. Flash Glory.

Dir: Chan Chi Fat. In 1984, Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed and the future of Hong Kong became unclear.

In the fog of history, this story of a baseball team beneath the Lion Rock has gradually been forgotten: in that year, Shatin Martins, the first Hong Kong youth baseball team, was formed.

Meeting Room N101B, HKCEC

11:00 BACK TO THE NORTH

(China) Documentary.

120mins. Qingdao West Coast Culture Industry Co. Dir: Liu Hao. Key cast: Nan Sheng, Su Yijuan, Ran Weiqun.

Portrays a young girl’s simple life while facing her own death, the story of her middle-aged parents facing a divorce, and pictures some workers in an old textile factory struggling to survive a modern society under dramatic changes.

Meeting Room N109-N110, HKCEC

11:15 THE ISLAND FUNERAL

(Thailand) Drama.

10:00 BLOOD FATHER

(France) Action/ adventure. 88mins.

Wild Bunch. Dir: JeanFrancois Richet. Key cast: Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, William H Macy, Dale Dickey, Thomas Mann.

After her drugs kingpin 105mins. Mosquito Films Distribution. Dir: Pimpaka Towira. Key cast: Heen Sasithorn.

Laila sets out on a road trip to Pattani to visit her long-lost aunt. Her brother and his friend tag along.

Being from the city has prevented them realising much about the violent outbreaks that have been occurring around Pattani for many years. Meeting a suspicious soldier sent to fight the insurgents, the four head together to find Laila’s aunt, and the route leads them to discover a land stranger than that they are familiar with.

Meeting Room N111-N112, HKCEC

TOO YOUNG TO DIE!

(Japan) Comedy. 123mins.

Toho Co. Dir: Kankurou Kudou. Key cast: Tomoya Nagase, Kamiki Ryunosuke.

An innovative story set in hell, featuring hell’s red demon teacher and a high school student who dies

boyfriend frames her for stealing a fortune in cartel cash, 18-year-old Lydia goes on the run with her only ally: her perennial screw-up of a father who is determined to keep his little girl from harm and do the right thing.

House 2, UA CINE Times, Times Square

before having a chance to kiss.

Meeting Room N201A, HKCEC

11:30 CREEPY

(Japan) Action/adventure.

130mins. Shochiku Co. Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Key Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yuko Takeuchi, Teruyuki Kagawa.

After a traumatic incident, criminal psychologist and former police detective Takakura moves to a new neighbourhood with his wife. On meeting their new neighbours, the Nishinos, Takakura senses something odd about them. Then he is approached by the Nishinos’ daughter, whose shocking confession shatters the serenity of his new life.

Theatre 1, HKCEC

BEING RAIN: REPRESENTATION AND WILL

(Hong Kong) Drama.

26mins. Fresh Wave Film Festival. Dir: Chan Tze Woon.

A group of documentary film-makers shoot the civil social movement in Hong Kong.

Meeting Room N206-N207, HKCEC

BLADE OF ENFORCER

(Hong Kong) Drama.

20mins. Fresh Wave Film Festival. Dir: Ng Siu Lun. “Once clothed as an official, you represent law and justice.” This was taught to young detective Xian who worked under detective ‘Silent Dog’ Ao to catch mountain robbers. To everyone’s dismay, the robbers turned out to be detectives from neighbouring counties who were forced to rob the ruling county to save the poor. Through trickery and lies, Ao started a bloodbath to kill the robbers. Shaken

by Ao’s deceit, Xian abandoned his dreams to uphold righteous values.

Meeting Room N206-N207, HKCEC

THE DRIFTER

(Hong Kong) Drama.

25mins. Fresh Wave Film Festival. Dir: Wong Tin Shing.

Sze-man faces a dilemma when she participates in an inter-school debate – her “secret” as a crossboundary student living in Shenzhen is carefully kept away from her classmates for fear she will be discriminated against.

Meeting Room N206-N207, HKCEC

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ScreeningS

REPaRatioN

(Hong Kong) Drama.

30mins. Fresh Wave Film Festival. Dir: Ma Man Nang.

Picture this scenario.

Your car hits a small girl. She is lying on the ground, bleeding but still breathing. There are two options: in the event of bodily injuries resulting in disability, you will be liable to pay out compensation to cover a lifetime of medical, unemployment and care.

Fatalities can be settled under the table for a small lump sum. What do you choose? With a heavy foot on the accelerator, an old man listens to his favourite tune filling his car, about to make a spin of no return.

Meeting Room N206-N207, HKCEC

(Hong Kong) Drama.

30mins. Fresh Wave Film Festival. Dir: Yim Sheung Man. The band Against The Tide was doomed before it even started. A year later, the songwriter is selling his soul to write catchy pop tunes and commercial music, hooking his wagon to someone else’s grand schemes while being hitched by a young music devotee; the bassist is venturing north across the border; the drummer is working as an insurance agent and all set for fatherhood. Before the factory building is demolished for a lucrative redevelopment scheme, the band members, bar one, return to clear out their studio and contemplate a farewell gig.

Meeting Room N206-N207, HKCEC

12:00 KaLo PotHi, tHE BLaCK HEN

(Nepal) Action/ adventure. 90mins.

Wide. Dir: Min Bahadur Bham. Key cast: Khadka Raj Nepali, Sukra Raj Royaka, Jit Bahadur Malla, Hansha Khadka.

During a ceasefire, in the midst of the 10-year civil war in Nepal, two boys belonging to different castes embark on a

Aguilera Valdebenito. Key cast: Naomi Velissariou, Danil Vorobyev.

A love story in which love and hate collide.

House 2, ua CiNE times, times Square

Meeting Room N111-N112, HKCEC

13:30 21St iFva awaRdS HiGHLiGHtS (oPEN CatEGoRy) » FRoM BEaviS (M) to BEatRiCE (F) (oCt 2015 Edit)

(Hong Kong) Documentary. 27mins.

Hong Kong Arts Centre.

Dir: Wong Suet-ling Beatrice.

My personal transgender documentary, from coming out to surgery from male to female.

Filmart 12:00 LovE StaLK

tHE tidE

to tame a wild horse in a bid to win a regional race, he has to face a life ruled by unforgiving nature and tradition.

(Hong Kong) Romance.

70mins. Dragon Horse Films. Dir: Joe Fiorello.

Key cast: Angie P, Ronan Pak, Dada Lo, Ines Laimins, Jae Leung, Kellyjackie Chan, Rex Kwok, Edward Chui, Kelvin Wong.

Sharon is an ambitious journey to repossess a missing hen that they had raised together.

Meeting Room N102-N103, HKCEC

LovE StaLK See box, above

RuPtuRE

(US, Canada) Sci-fi, fantasy. 105mins. Ambi Distribution. Dir: Steven Shainberg. Key cast: Noomi Rapace.

A single mother tries to break free from a mysterious organisation that has abducted her.

Meeting Room N101B, HKCEC

SaNd StoRM

(Israel) Drama. 87mins.

Beta Cinema. Dir: Elite Zexer. Key cast: Lamis Ammar, Ruba BlalAsfour, Haitham Omari.

When their entire lives are shattered, two Bedouin women struggle in their individual ways to change the long-held rules. agnes b. CiNEMa! Hong Kong arts Centre

26 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

public relations executive from Singapore, searching for love in Hong Kong, who may have found her dream guy. But as she pursues him online and in person, Sharon quickly discovers the dangers of stalking a secret crush.

Meeting Room N101a, HKCEC

tHoSE wHo JuMP

(Denmark) Documentary.

82mins. Wide House.

Dir: Moritz Siebert, Estephan Wagner, Abou Bakar Sidibe.

In northern Morocco lies the Spanish enclave of Melilla: Europe on African land. On the mountain above live more than a thousand hopeful African migrants, watching the fence. Abou from Mali is one of them.

between them and Diane is under his spell. They rapidly make a date. But their meeting doesn’t go quite as expected. theatre 2, HKCEC

wHiLE tHE woMEN aRE SLEEPiNG

(Japan) Action/adventure.

103mins. Toei Company.

Dir: Wayne Wang. Key cast: Beat Takeshi, Nishijima Hidetoshi, Oyamada Sayuri.

Vacationing at a seaside resort with his wife, frustrated novelist Kenji Shimizu’s curiosity is sparked by an intriguing couple: beautiful young woman Miki and older man Sahara. His fascination lures him to peep in their room at night and he sees Sahara methodically filming Miki while she sleeps.

House 1, ua CiNE times, times Square

Meeting Room N201B, HKCEC

Zud uP FoR LovE

(France) Romance.

100mins. Gaumont.

Dir: Laurent Tirard.

Key cast: Jean Dujardin, Virginie Efira.

Diane is a beautiful woman, the kind who turns heads wherever she goes. And since she’s just walked out of an unhappy marriage, she’s free to meet the man of her dreams.

One evening Diane receives a phone call from a certain Alexandre, who found her cellphone. Something clicks

(Mongolia) Children’s.

85mins. Slingshot Films.

Dir: Marta Minorowicz.

On the frozen steppe of Mongolia, people’s lives are at the mercy of the seasons and unexpected events, while nature dictates the rules of their nomadic lifestyles. After winter kills hoards of his parents’ livestock, 11-year-old Sukhbat has to leave school, move back home and support the family. When given the responsibility by his father

»tHE Food FaSCiStS

(Hong Kong) Drama.

30mins. Hong Kong Arts Centre. Dir: Yip Man-hay.

Legendary chef Mo Yik-tin is notorious for turning animals into spectacular dishes — taste always rules over lives under the butcher’s knife.

Mo’s perseverance in creating culinary dishes is respectful but at the same time fearful, and that gives him the title Food Fascist. » tHE SEa witHiN

(Hong Kong) Drama.

30mins. Hong Kong Arts Centre. Dir: Wong Wainap.

A couple have different visions about the rest of their days.

Six-FouR (PaRt 1)

(Japan) Drama. 120mins.

Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS).

Dir: Takahisa.

The year 1989 began in Japan as ‘Showa 64’, the 64th year of the reign of the Showa Emperor Hirohito. With his death on January 8, a new era began, and 1989 became ‘Heisei 1’. On January 5, a young girl is kidnapped.

The kidnapper escapes with ¥20m but the girl is found murdered. Now, 14 years later, her father, a few ageing police investigators and the kidnapper himself still live in that week, in the case they have called ‘six-four’.

Meeting Room N104-N105, HKCEC

13:45 tRaPPEd at SEa, LoSt iN tiME

(Taiwan) Action/ adventure. 113mins.

Great Leap Forward Entertainment. Dir: Kuo Chen-ti, Ko Neng-yuan The sailors are trapped at sea, caught between the dream to go home and the reality of being the castaway.

Meeting Room N202-N203, HKCEC

13:50 tHE GREat aCtoR

» Sod-032

(Hong Kong) Drama.

26mins. Hong Kong Arts Centre. Dir: Cheung Ho-lam.

Arisa is a female artificial intelligence programmed

by Yosuke. She knows Yosuke turns into a coward when he sees Yuki, the classmate he fancies, so she makes plans for him.

When Arisa is infected with a computer virus, he takes matters into his own hands.

Meeting Room N109-N110, HKCEC

out oF LovE

(Netherlands) Action/ adventure. 101mins. Reel Suspects. Dir: Paloma

(Korea) Comedy.

109mins. 9ers Entertainment.

Dir: Seok Min-Woo. Key Cast: Oh Dal-Su, Lee Kyung-Young, Yoon Je-Moon.

Sung-pil is a stage actor who takes small roles in children’s plays. When he is accused of being an incompetent husband and father, he fabricates stories of filming a movie with famous actor Sul and director Cannes Park. To transform these troublesome lies into truths, Sung-pil begins a desperate journey to stardom, using every means possible.

Meeting Room N201a, HKCEC »

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14:00 BaRaKaH MEETs BaRaKaH

(Saudi Arabia) Drama.

84mins. MPM Film.

Dir: Mahmoud Sabbagh.

Key cast: Hisha Fageeh, Fatimah Al Banawi.

A local guy and girl keep trying to meet up and date in public.

Filmart 16:00 CJ7: supER Q TEaM

(Hong Kong) Children’s. 80mins. All Rights Entertainment.

Dir: William Kan. CJ7 is an alien with magical powers who lives a simple life with his

friend Dee, Dee’s dad, and their dog. One day, CJ7’s friend, the forgetful Captain 88, arrives on a mission to save planet Earth from the biggest baddie in town.

Meeting Room N211-N212, HKCEC

liFE RisKiNg RoMaNCE

(South Korea) Romance.

100mins. United Pictures.

Dir: Song Joy. Key cast: Ha Ji-won, Chun Jungmyung, Chen Bolin.

The frightening love story of a female mystery writer who is chasing a serial killer.

Meeting Room N209-N210, HKCEC

MissiNg you

(Korea) Thriller. 108mins.

Contents Panda (Next Entertainment World).

Dir: Mo Hong-jin. Key cast: Shim Eun-kyung, Kim Sung-oh, Yoon Je-moon.

A serial killer who has been waiting for his freedom, a detective who has been waiting for the killer’s release, and a little girl who has been waiting for something that remains a mystery… the three are intertwined in a chaotic relationship and are met with an unprecedented series of events.

Theatre 1, HKCEC

MoNsiEuR CHoColaT

(France) Drama. 119mins.

Gaumont. Dir: Roschdy Zem. Key cast: Omar Sy, James Thierree.

www.screendaily.com

agnes b. CiNEMa! Hong Kong arts Centre

(China) Drama. 100mins.

China Film Promotion International. Dir: Song Jiangbo. Key cast: Fan Yichen, Huang Yi. From 1915 to 1949, the wine-making families in a remote town of Guizhou suffered countless tribulations.

six-FouR (paRT 2)

BEiJiNg CaRMEN

Meeting Room N206-N207, HKCEC

rule all, Bilal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change.

15:45

House 2, ua CiNE Times, Times square

(China) Romance.

90mins. China Film Promotion International.

Dir: Wang Fan. Key cast: Li Rui, Cary Woodworth.

Aboriginal orphan girl Ye Men from the Wa ethnic tribe in southwestern China breaks away from the conventions of her role imposed by traditional customs, and comes to Beijing only to be plunged into her romantic and pathetic destiny with an American choreographer.

whirlwind years that the young girls went through, from the first generation member auditions before the group’s formation up to the present day.

bad guys, but when a virus corrupts the system and unleashes an army of zombies and other monsters, the friends are trapped inside and have to fight for their lives.

Meeting Room N102-N103, HKCEC

14:15 THE BodyguaRd

The incredible destiny of Chocolat the clown, the first black stage performer in France.

Theatre 2, HKCEC

plEasE REMEMBER ME

(China) Action/ adventure. 78mins. Lost & Found Film Studio.

Dir: Zhao Qing.

A feature-length documentary following the fight of a Shanghai-based old couple against failing physical condition and memory loss.

Meeting Room N211-N212, HKCEC

THEy Call ME JEEg

(Italy) Drama. 118mins.

Rai Com. Dir: Gabriele Mainetti. Key cast: Claudio Santamaria, Luca Marinelli, Ilenia Pastorelli, Stefano Ambrogi.

Enzo, an ex-con from the poor outskirts of Rome, puts his newfound superpowers to use furthering his career as a delinquent, a fact that makes the local crime bosses far from happy.

When he falls in love with Alessia, an unstable girl who brightens her dark

world with elements from Japanese anime Jeeg, Enzo will learn the value of helping others. But what price must he pay to become a hero?

Meeting Room N101a, HKCEC

THis BEauTiFul FaNTasTiC

(UK) Comedy. 90mins.

Ambi Distribution Corp.

Dir: Simon Aboud. Key cast: Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Wilkinson.

A young woman who dreams of being a children’s author makes an unlikely friendship with a rich old widower.

Meeting Room N101B, HKCEC

viRTually dEad

(Italy) Horror/suspense.

91mins. Dragon Horse Films. Dir: Paolo Bertola.

Key cast: Alex Lucchesi, Alessandra Angeli, Alessio Cherubini.

An evil computer nerd invites his video-game addicted friends to try his new project by transporting them inside the virtual game world to play as soldiers. At first the gamers have a great time shooting the virtual

(China) Action/ adventure. 90mins. All Rights Entertainment.

Dir: Yue Song. Key cast: Yue Song, Collin Yu, Yu Xing, Michael Chan.

Wu is torn between his duty to protect and his loyalty to his clan.

House 1, ua CiNE Times, Times square

14:30 THE paTRiaRCH

(New Zealand) Drama.

103mins. Wild Bunch.

Dir: Lee Tamahori. Key cast: Temuera Morrison, Akuhata Keefe, Nancy Brunning, Jim Moriarty, Regan Taylor, Maria Walker.

A tale of family rivalry and reconciliation set against the stunning backdrop of rural New Zealand in the 1960s.

Meeting Room N204-N205, HKCEC

15:00 RaisE youR aRMs aNd TWisT — doCuMENTaRy oF NMB48

(Japan) Documentary.

121mins. Toho Co. Dir: Atsushi Funahashi.

Looks back on the four

(Japan) Drama. 120mins.

Tokyo Broadcasting System Television. (TBS).

Dir: Takahisa ZEZE. The year 1989 began in Japan as ‘Showa 64’, the 64th year of the reign of the Showa Emperor Hirohito. With his death on January 8, a new era began, and 1989 became ‘Heisei 1’. On January 5, a young girl is kidnapped.

The kidnapper escapes with ¥20m, but the girl is found murdered.

Now, 14 years later, her father, a few ageing police investigators, and the kidnapper himself still live in that week, in the case they have called ‘six-four’.

Meeting Room N111-N112, HKCEC

16:00 a soNg FoR a good-FoRNoTHiNg

(Japan) Drama. 47mins.

Ritsumeikan University College Of Image Arts And Sciences. Dir: Susumu Sasaki. Key cast: Yuuhei Miyamae, Kotomi Ikeda.

Arts university student Yoshida and his friends stumble on the lonely death of an old man while filming their final college project. A movie of finding a path in life as they review society while searching for the man’s family and sorting his belongings.

Meeting Room N206-N207, HKCEC

Bilal

(UAE) Animation.

114mins. Ambi Distribution. Dir: khurram H Alavi, Ayman Jamal. Key cast: Ian McShane.

A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior was abducted with his sister and taken to a land far away from home.

Thrown into a world where greed and injustice

Meeting Room N101B, HKCEC

CHiNEsE WiNE

Meeting Room N209-N210, HKCEC

CJ7: supER Q TEaM see box, left

CREaTivE CoNTRol

(US) Drama. 97mins.

Coproduction Office.

Dir: Benjamin Dickinson.

Key cast: Ben Dickinson, Nora Zehetner, Dan Gill, Alexia Rasmussen, Reggie Watts, Gavin McInnes.

David is an overworked, tech-addled advertising executive developing a high-profile marketing campaign for a new generation of augmented reality glasses. Feeling stuck in his relationship with yoga teacher Juliette, he envies the charmed life of his best friend, fashion photographer Wim, and his sexy girlfriend Sophie — so he uses the glasses to develop a life-like avatar of her. Unwittingly, fantasy and reality begin to blur.

Meeting Room N102-N103, HKCEC

lETTERs FRoM WaR

(Portugal) Drama.

105mins. The Match Factory. Dir: Ivo M Ferreira. Key cast: Miguel Nunes, Margarida VilaNova, Ricardo Pereira, Joao Pedro Vaz. 1971. Antonio Lobo Antune’s life is brutally interrupted when he is drafted into the Portuguese Army to serve as a doctor in one of the worst zones of the Colonial War — the east of Angola.

Away from everything dear he writes letters to his wife, while he is immersed in an increasingly violent setting.

House 2, ua CiNE Times, Times square

March 14, 2016 Screen International at Filmart 29

»

ScreeningS

PorNo & liberTa

The STare

(Italy) Documentary.

78mins. Wide House.

Dir: Carmine Amoroso.

Tracing porn’s incredible genesis from the first magazines, photoshoots and censorship issues to its political and social repercussions.

(Japan) Horror/suspense.

99mins. Kadokawa Corporation. Dir: Koichiro Miki. Key cast: Tomomi Itano.

A reporter is sent to cover the death under mysterious circumstances of a man who died after having vomited large amounts of mud. His girlfriend seems to have lost her mind and claims: “It was the work of The Stare!”

Meeting room N109-N110, hKCeC

The PoSSeSSioN exPeriMeNT

(US) Horror/suspense.

85mins. Cinema Management Group.

Dir: Scott B Hansen.

Key cast: Chris Minor, Jake Brinn, Nicky Jasper.

When he is asked to pick a topic for his world theology class, Brandon decides to explore the dark world of exorcism. Teamed with a classmate, the two are led to investigate a multiple homicide/suicide that is discovered to have been an exorcism gone horribly wrong.

Meeting room N201b, hKCeC

16:10 evereST — The SuMMiT of The godS

(Japan) Action/adventure.

122mins. Kadokawa Corporation. Dir: Hideyuki Hirayama.

Key cast: Junichi Okada, Hiroshi Abe, Machiko Ono. In Nepal, photographer Fukamachi hears about Habu, a genius mountaineer, suddenly vanishing from the Japanese climbing scene.

Taking an interest in his motives to climb Mount Everest, Fukamachi is consumed by Habu’s zest for life.

Meeting room N201a, hKCeC

MuSudaN

(South Korea) Mystery/ Thriller. 87mins. United Pictures. Dir: Gu Mo. Key cast: Lee Ji-Ah, Kim Min-Jun. An elite unit is assigned to solve the case of troops mysteriously disappearing or dying at the border between North and South Korea.

Meeting room N202-N203, hKCeC

16:15 SoPhie’S MiSforTuNeS

(France) Drama. 104mins.

Meeting room N201a, hKCeC

18:15 CroSSCurreNT

Filmart 16:30 The laST ride

(Korea) Comedy.

100mins. Contents Panda (Next Entertainment World).

Dir: Nam Dae-joong.

Key cast: Ryu Deokhwan, Ahn Jea-hong, Kim Dong-young.

My last wish? Sex! Go-hwan, who has been living with Lou Gehrig’s disease, notices his parents and friends Gaumont. Dir: Christophe Honore. Key cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Anais Demoustier, Muriel Robin.

Sophie is far from being the model little girl.

She is constantly up to no good and has some naughty vices, such as gluttony, laziness and even dishonesty. But her mother is unbending and poor Sophie will often have to live with the consequences of her bad behaviour.

Theatre 1, hKCeC

16:30 The laST ride See box, above

STeel flower

(South Korea) Drama.

83mins. Indiestory. Dir: Park Suk-young. Key cast: Jeong Ha-dam.

A homeless girl, Ha-dam, stays in empty houses to get by. In the winter, she leaves Seoul and heads to Busan, searching for work.

On the way to her shelter

30 Screen International at Filmart March 14, 2016

are acting strangely around him. His friends Nam-joon and Gapduk started treating him ever so nicely. Although he is grateful, Gohwan cannot help but think he is soon going to die. He learns this is the case, and when his best friends ask what is his final wish, Go-hwan tells them he wants to have sex for the first and last time.

Theatre 2, hKCeC

after failing another job interview, the sound of tap dancing catches her ears.

Meeting room N101a, hKCeC

16:45 biTCoiN heiST

(Vietnam) Action/ adventure. 110mins.

Vietnam Media Corp.

Dir: Ham Tran. Key cast: Suboi, Thanh Pham, Petey Majik, Nhung Kate, Teo Yoo, Mai The Hiep, Thanh My. In order to catch Interpol’s most wanted hacker who calls himself The Ghost, special agent DaDa assembles a team of thieves to plan the ultimate heist.

Meeting room N204-N205, hKCeC

17:00 Ta’aNg

(Hong Kong, France) Documentary. 147mins.

Chinese Shadows. Dir: Wang Bing.

The Ta’ang, a Burmese ethnic minority, are

caught between a civil war and the Chinese border.

This film follows the daily life of these refugees, forced to leave their home but hoping to return soon. house 1, ua CiNe Times, Times Square

17:30 NeSSuN dorMa

(Hong Kong) Horror/ suspense. 94mins. Bravos Pictures. Dir: Herman Yau. Key cast: Andy Hui, Janice Man. Jasmine drives home alone and is attacked. When she wakes up, she finds herself naked and locked in a room. During her confinement, her captor seems to be sleepless and she often hears the song Nessun Dorma from Puccini’s masterpiece Turnadot. agnes b. CiNeMa! hong Kong arts Centre

18:00 Charlie, Trevor aNd a girl SavaNNah

(US) Thriller. 93mins.

KSM International.

Dir: Ty Hodges. Key cast: Ty Hodges, Eric Roberts, Toby Hemingway, Emily Meade.

Trevor tells the story to his therapist of how his girlfriend Savannah was kidnapped. To get her back, Trevor must team up with Savannah’s best friend Charlie, a fasttalking playwright who will stop at nothing to get her home.

Meeting room N111-N112, hKCeC

(China) Romance.

116mins. Ray Produktion.

Dir: Yang Chao. Key cast: Qin Hao, Xin Zhilei, Wu Lipeng, Tan Kai, Wang Hongwei, Jiang Hualin.

Gao Chun, captain of a cargo ship sailing up the Yangtze River, disembarks at every port on his journey in search of love.

Gradually he realises the women he meets at different ports appear to be the same person — except they get younger as the ship sails upstream.

Meeting room N101a, hKCeC

18:20 uNforgeTTable

(South Korea) Drama.

113mins. Littlebig Pictures. Dir: Lee Eunhee. Key cast: Doh Kyung-soo, Kim So-hyun.

Hyung-joon, a radio DJ, receives a letter from Suok, whose name is the same as his first lover.

Theatre 1, hKCeC

18:35 The Key

(Germany) Horror/ Suspense. 93mins.

KSM International.

Dir: Gedeon Burkhard, Markus F Adrian. Key cast: Gedeon Burkhard, Miriam Schroetter, Sven Martinek, Shon Abram.

Forty years ago, a biker gang tortured and slaughtered a family in search of “the key”. In the present day, Tim and his business partner have averted bankruptcy by closing a last-minute deal.

But trouble arrives in paradise when a notorious gang boss sends out a couple of thugs to ambush Tim.

Editorial office: Room G202, second floor, Hong Kong Convention and exhibition Centre, 1 expo drive, wanchai, hong Kong Filmart stand: 1C-D41

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Theatre 2, hKCeC

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IN POSTPRODUCTION

MISCHA BARTON

CURRENTLY IN POSTPRODUCTION (2016) CAST: Mischa Barton US DISTRIBUTOR: Alchemy GENRE: Paranormal horror. "Sometimes Evil Has A Pretty Face"

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PAZ DE LA HUERTA

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CURRENTLY IN PRE-PRODUCTION (2016) CAST: Tara Reid DIRECTOR: Robert reed Altman US DISTRIBUTOR: Alchemy GENRE: Horror (Ghosts) "Hunger Is Not Solely For The Living" CURRENTLY IN PRE-PRODUCTION (2016) CAST: Ana Coto US DISTRIBUTOR: Alchemy GENRE: Thriller. "Down There, No One Can Hear You Scream" CURRENTLY IN PREPRODUCTION (2017) CAST: Mischa Barton GENRE: Paranormal horror. "Sometimes Evil Has A Pretty Face"

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CURRENTLY IN PRE-PRODUCTION (2017) CAST: Rachel Leigh Cook , Natasha Henstridge GENRE: Sci-Fi Erotic Drama There Are No Limits To What We Can Experience

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