by Epoy Deyto
Brillante Mendoza, Best Director laureate from the Cannes Film Festival, dropped his latest film, “Pula,” quietly on Netflix earlier this month. The film marks one of the two reunion projects between Mendoza and actor Coco Martin years after their last collaboration in “Kinatay” (2009). This small-town crime thriller seems to bridge more than just the two figures.
Follow our tribute to Netflix by clicking on the image below
The film navigates a fictionalized version of the small town of Pola depicted as a devout catholic fishing community where citizens live far from the town center and from each other. The title of the film is a wordplay of several layers. The first layer is the word “pula” being the literal translation of the color “red” associated with the red tide plaguing the town’s fishing industry at the brink of a typhoon. From this setup, we are introduced...
Brillante Mendoza, Best Director laureate from the Cannes Film Festival, dropped his latest film, “Pula,” quietly on Netflix earlier this month. The film marks one of the two reunion projects between Mendoza and actor Coco Martin years after their last collaboration in “Kinatay” (2009). This small-town crime thriller seems to bridge more than just the two figures.
Follow our tribute to Netflix by clicking on the image below
The film navigates a fictionalized version of the small town of Pola depicted as a devout catholic fishing community where citizens live far from the town center and from each other. The title of the film is a wordplay of several layers. The first layer is the word “pula” being the literal translation of the color “red” associated with the red tide plaguing the town’s fishing industry at the brink of a typhoon. From this setup, we are introduced...
- 5/27/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
The Filipino crime thriller has a unique approach that includes documentary-like realism in the narrative, in the style dictated by the likes of Lino Brocka, Mike De Leon, Brillante Mendoza and Erik Matti. Sonny Calvento, in his feature debut back in 2017, implemented a similar approach in “The Decaying” a film that won an award for its production design in the 2017 Cinemalaya.
The film begins with a man in a remote area witnessing a Westerner and a teenager throwing and burning parts of a bed in the same field, obviously trying not to be seen by anyone. A bit later on, the man, whose name is revealed to be Jason, buys a sack of cement and returns to his house, where the first thing he does is to fire the housemaid, Ingrid, who happens to be his wife's cousin. The woman is shocked but soon becomes suspicious as her cousin is nowhere to be found,...
The film begins with a man in a remote area witnessing a Westerner and a teenager throwing and burning parts of a bed in the same field, obviously trying not to be seen by anyone. A bit later on, the man, whose name is revealed to be Jason, buys a sack of cement and returns to his house, where the first thing he does is to fire the housemaid, Ingrid, who happens to be his wife's cousin. The woman is shocked but soon becomes suspicious as her cousin is nowhere to be found,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Filipino actress Jaclyn Jose, best known for her role in Brillante Mendoza’s indie feature Ma’ Rosa, which nabbed her the Best Actress gong at Cannes, has died. Jose — who was born Mary Jane Guck — was 60.
Jose’s reps at Ppl Entertainment confirmed the news with a statement on their Instagram account, stating the actress died “on the morning of March 2, 2024, due to myocardial infarction or a heart attack.”
“We would like to thank everyone who has extended their prayers and condolences thus far. As our family is trying to come to terms with this unfortunate incident, please provide us the respect and privacy to grieve,” the statement said. “We hope this will put all speculations to rest.”
Jose’s daughter Andi Eigenmann, an actress best known for working predominantly in the Philippines, shared a statement alongside Ppl Entertainment’s announcement.
“Her undeniable legacy will definitely forever live on through her work,...
Jose’s reps at Ppl Entertainment confirmed the news with a statement on their Instagram account, stating the actress died “on the morning of March 2, 2024, due to myocardial infarction or a heart attack.”
“We would like to thank everyone who has extended their prayers and condolences thus far. As our family is trying to come to terms with this unfortunate incident, please provide us the respect and privacy to grieve,” the statement said. “We hope this will put all speculations to rest.”
Jose’s daughter Andi Eigenmann, an actress best known for working predominantly in the Philippines, shared a statement alongside Ppl Entertainment’s announcement.
“Her undeniable legacy will definitely forever live on through her work,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The first edition of the Alternativa Film Project wrapped with an award ceremony this weekend in Almaty, the cultural capital of Kazakhstan, with filmmakers from Central Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region being feted as part of a new initiative launched by the California-based tech company inDrive, best known for its ride-hailing app.
The event marked a successful close to what organizers hope will be an ongoing non-profit initiative aimed at supporting emerging filmmakers from under-developed film industries. Along with this weekend’s award ceremony, the Alternativa Film Project is developing a multi-pronged approach that includes training labs, public film screenings, pitching workshops and networking events.
The project’s emphasis is on movies that champion efforts to combat social injustice in the world. “We want to motivate talented filmmakers to create meaningful art, impactful art,” said inDrive CEO Arsen Tomsky.
In keeping with that focus, the awards — which were accompanied...
The event marked a successful close to what organizers hope will be an ongoing non-profit initiative aimed at supporting emerging filmmakers from under-developed film industries. Along with this weekend’s award ceremony, the Alternativa Film Project is developing a multi-pronged approach that includes training labs, public film screenings, pitching workshops and networking events.
The project’s emphasis is on movies that champion efforts to combat social injustice in the world. “We want to motivate talented filmmakers to create meaningful art, impactful art,” said inDrive CEO Arsen Tomsky.
In keeping with that focus, the awards — which were accompanied...
- 12/4/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Philippines media and entertainment company Abs-cbn is set to launch tentpole co-production The Bagman at this year’s Asia TV Forum & Market (Atf) in Singapore, with the star of the series, Arjo Atayde, also attending the event.
Set to begin production in January, the eight-part action drama sees Atayde reprising his character Benjo Malaya from the original digital series Bagman 1 and Bagman 2, which were sold to Netflix Philippines.
The spin-off of the original digital series also stars John Arcilla, who won best actor at the Venice film festival for Erik Matti’s On The Job 2: The Missing 8, and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, who won best actress at Cairo International Film Festival for Brillante Mendoza’s Mindanao.
The new series is co-produced by Abs-cbn International Productions, Nathan Studios, Rein Entertainment and Dreamscape Entertainment.
Atayde also previously starred in Abs-cbn’s hit crime thriller series Cattleya Killer and movies including Matti’s...
Set to begin production in January, the eight-part action drama sees Atayde reprising his character Benjo Malaya from the original digital series Bagman 1 and Bagman 2, which were sold to Netflix Philippines.
The spin-off of the original digital series also stars John Arcilla, who won best actor at the Venice film festival for Erik Matti’s On The Job 2: The Missing 8, and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, who won best actress at Cairo International Film Festival for Brillante Mendoza’s Mindanao.
The new series is co-produced by Abs-cbn International Productions, Nathan Studios, Rein Entertainment and Dreamscape Entertainment.
Atayde also previously starred in Abs-cbn’s hit crime thriller series Cattleya Killer and movies including Matti’s...
- 11/27/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Independent filmmaker and one of the vibrant exponents of new wave cinema in the Philippines, Brillante Mendoza, said on Wednesday that if a person connects with a film, it becomes a part of his life and that is the power of storytelling.
Mendoza was speaking during the ‘Masterclass’ session on the sidelines of the 54th International Film Festival of India (Iffi) here.
According to Mendoza, he makes films for the people and leaves it up to them to define his work.
“If a person connects with a film, it becomes part of his life and that is the power of storytelling,” said Mendoza, adding that Indian audience connects with the stories he is trying to tell.
Mendoza revealed that he prefers his story to guide his film rather than a set script.
On character development, he elaborated that he does not provide a script or set dialogues to his actors...
Mendoza was speaking during the ‘Masterclass’ session on the sidelines of the 54th International Film Festival of India (Iffi) here.
According to Mendoza, he makes films for the people and leaves it up to them to define his work.
“If a person connects with a film, it becomes part of his life and that is the power of storytelling,” said Mendoza, adding that Indian audience connects with the stories he is trying to tell.
Mendoza revealed that he prefers his story to guide his film rather than a set script.
On character development, he elaborated that he does not provide a script or set dialogues to his actors...
- 11/22/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Independent filmmaker and one of the vibrant exponents of new wave cinema in the Philippines, Brillante Mendoza, said on Wednesday that if a person connects with a film, it becomes a part of his life and that is the power of storytelling.
Mendoza was speaking during the ‘Masterclass’ session on the sidelines of the 54th International Film Festival of India (Iffi) here.
According to Mendoza, he makes films for the people and leaves it up to them to define his work.
“If a person connects with a film, it becomes part of his life and that is the power of storytelling,” said Mendoza, adding that Indian audience connects with the stories he is trying to tell.
Mendoza revealed that he prefers his story to guide his film rather than a set script.
On character development, he elaborated that he does not provide a script or set dialogues to his actors...
Mendoza was speaking during the ‘Masterclass’ session on the sidelines of the 54th International Film Festival of India (Iffi) here.
According to Mendoza, he makes films for the people and leaves it up to them to define his work.
“If a person connects with a film, it becomes part of his life and that is the power of storytelling,” said Mendoza, adding that Indian audience connects with the stories he is trying to tell.
Mendoza revealed that he prefers his story to guide his film rather than a set script.
On character development, he elaborated that he does not provide a script or set dialogues to his actors...
- 11/22/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
From the director's statement: A few months before I began developing this film project, I went back home to Zamboanga for a vacation and casually met with my friends and relatives. But one afternoon, much to my surprise, someone close to my family shared his deep, dark secret. According to him, it all started when he accidentally killed his high school classmate during a fight. He was able to run away, only to eventually be trapped in the world of the syndicate. I was startled to hear this. I have known this man all my life as someone who is caring and loving. I never would have thought that he had experienced such things. After that long conversation, we never spoke about it again. Thus began Sheron Dayoc's trip towards “Gospel of the Beast”, seven years after his previous feature, the multi-awarded “Women of the Weeping River”.
The Gospel...
The Gospel...
- 10/28/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Film currently in post. Well Go USA to distribute in US.
In the run-up to AFM Red Sea Media has come on board to handle international sales on the samurai action thriller Lone led by Japanese rising star Shogen from Brillante Ma Mendoza’s Busan selection Gensan Punch.
Josh Waller (Raze), a co-founder of Spectrevision with Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah, directed from his screenplay about a Japanese samurai and assassin who loses his family and finds himself stranded on an island where he gets kidnapped by a tribe of cannibals.
The warrior soon escapes and enacts revenge on his captors and their leader.
In the run-up to AFM Red Sea Media has come on board to handle international sales on the samurai action thriller Lone led by Japanese rising star Shogen from Brillante Ma Mendoza’s Busan selection Gensan Punch.
Josh Waller (Raze), a co-founder of Spectrevision with Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah, directed from his screenplay about a Japanese samurai and assassin who loses his family and finds himself stranded on an island where he gets kidnapped by a tribe of cannibals.
The warrior soon escapes and enacts revenge on his captors and their leader.
- 10/26/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Presenting a total of 269 films, including 80 world premieres, the 28th edition of the Busan International Film Festival concluded earlier this month, closing out with Andy Lau’s comedy The Movie Emperor. In addition to screenings, the festival hosted talks and master classes, with over 250 guests participating, notably Chow Yun Fat, Luc Besson, Fan Bingbing, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Over 40 countries and more than 900 companies took part in the festival’s adjoining Asian Contents & Film Market section, while special programs addressed the Korean Diaspora and the Renaissance of Indonesian Cinema.
Along with international favorites like Poor Things, The Beast, and Anatomy of a Fall, Biff offered films from Korea, mainland China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, spotlighting emerging filmmakers like Iqbal H. Chowdhury, Chia Chee Sum (Oasis of Now), and Mirlan Abdykalykov (Jiseok award-winner Bride Kidnapping).
Here are five standouts from the crowded schedule:
Work to Do (Park Hong-jun)
With Work to Do,...
Along with international favorites like Poor Things, The Beast, and Anatomy of a Fall, Biff offered films from Korea, mainland China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, spotlighting emerging filmmakers like Iqbal H. Chowdhury, Chia Chee Sum (Oasis of Now), and Mirlan Abdykalykov (Jiseok award-winner Bride Kidnapping).
Here are five standouts from the crowded schedule:
Work to Do (Park Hong-jun)
With Work to Do,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Daniel Eagan
- The Film Stage
Korea’s Busan International Film Festival has announced the ten films in this year’s New Currents competition line-up, along with ten films selected for its Jiseok Section. Both competition sections feature titles from Bangladesh’s vibrant young industry as well as from Japan.
New Currents, a section for first and second films by up-and-coming Asian filmmakers, features two films from Bangladesh – Biplob Sarkar’s The Stranger and Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s The Wrestler – which the festival noted showcase “the momentum of Bangladeshi cinema”.
The Stranger is described as a coming-of-age story navigating the journey of a family in which the young son grapples with questions about his gender identity. The Wrestler, a co-production between Bangladesh and Canada, tells the story of an elderly man from a fishing village who challenges a wrestling champion to combat.
Two Japanese titles have also been selected for New Currents – September 1923, about the Great...
New Currents, a section for first and second films by up-and-coming Asian filmmakers, features two films from Bangladesh – Biplob Sarkar’s The Stranger and Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s The Wrestler – which the festival noted showcase “the momentum of Bangladeshi cinema”.
The Stranger is described as a coming-of-age story navigating the journey of a family in which the young son grapples with questions about his gender identity. The Wrestler, a co-production between Bangladesh and Canada, tells the story of an elderly man from a fishing village who challenges a wrestling champion to combat.
Two Japanese titles have also been selected for New Currents – September 1923, about the Great...
- 8/30/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The New Currents and Jiseok selections include features from Japan, China, South Korea and Bangladesh among others.
The 28th Busan International Film Festival has revealed the titles selected for its New Currents and Jiseok strands, the festival’s competitive sections for Asian films.
Scroll down for full list
New Currents is for films by directors making their first or second works of fiction and comprises 10 titles from Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
They include September 1923, which marks the fiction feature debut of Japanese director Tatsuya Mori and centres on the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923. Mori is known as a documentary filmmaker,...
The 28th Busan International Film Festival has revealed the titles selected for its New Currents and Jiseok strands, the festival’s competitive sections for Asian films.
Scroll down for full list
New Currents is for films by directors making their first or second works of fiction and comprises 10 titles from Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
They include September 1923, which marks the fiction feature debut of Japanese director Tatsuya Mori and centres on the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923. Mori is known as a documentary filmmaker,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The main competition section of the Busan International Film Festival is set to showcase two new features from Bangladeshi directors, the feature debut of Japanese documentary maker Mori Tatsuya and ruminations on Hong Kong by mainland Chinese director Choi Ji.
The festival on Wednesday unveiled its New Currents competition section, reserved for films by directors making their first or second works of fiction, as well as its Jiseok section, a showcase for somewhat more established Asian auteurs.
In addition to the Bangladesh duo, New Currents includes two films from Japan, two from Korea and one each from China, Thailand, Malaysia and India.
From Bangladesh, Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s “The Wrestler” sees an old fisherman challenge a wrestling champion to combat, and in “The Stranger” Biplob Sarkar tells a coming-of-age, gender-identity tale.
From Japan, Mori recounts the events of the Great Kanto earthquake in “September 1923,” while Yamamoto Akira delves into profound...
The festival on Wednesday unveiled its New Currents competition section, reserved for films by directors making their first or second works of fiction, as well as its Jiseok section, a showcase for somewhat more established Asian auteurs.
In addition to the Bangladesh duo, New Currents includes two films from Japan, two from Korea and one each from China, Thailand, Malaysia and India.
From Bangladesh, Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s “The Wrestler” sees an old fisherman challenge a wrestling champion to combat, and in “The Stranger” Biplob Sarkar tells a coming-of-age, gender-identity tale.
From Japan, Mori recounts the events of the Great Kanto earthquake in “September 1923,” while Yamamoto Akira delves into profound...
- 8/30/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
While Southeast Asian films have premiered at the Cannes Film Festival many times before, and even won the Palme d’Or, there’s an energy around the region this year that we haven’t felt on the Croisette at previous editions.
Tiger Stripes, a body horror from Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu, about a young Muslim girl going through extreme puberty, premieres Wednesday in Critics Week, while Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, from Pham Thien An, a young director who is at the forefront of a new wave of Vietnamese filmmakers, has been selected for Directors’ Fortnight.
Singaporean director Anthony Chen – who won the Camera d’Or in 2013 for his debut Ilo Ilo – is back in Cannes with a mainland Chinese production The Breaking Ice, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard this weekend. He is also producing an ambitious slate of Southeast Asian and international films through his Singapore-based Giraffe Pictures.
Tiger Stripes, a body horror from Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu, about a young Muslim girl going through extreme puberty, premieres Wednesday in Critics Week, while Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, from Pham Thien An, a young director who is at the forefront of a new wave of Vietnamese filmmakers, has been selected for Directors’ Fortnight.
Singaporean director Anthony Chen – who won the Camera d’Or in 2013 for his debut Ilo Ilo – is back in Cannes with a mainland Chinese production The Breaking Ice, which is premiering in Un Certain Regard this weekend. He is also producing an ambitious slate of Southeast Asian and international films through his Singapore-based Giraffe Pictures.
- 5/17/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Probably the only country whose cinema can rival the Japanese freedom of expression is the Philippines, where art, however, seems to come from completely different sources than the Japanese one; from financial and political instability, from the different stages of colonialism, from the intense impact of Catholicism, all of which create a rather chaotic setting that always benefitted art of any kind. It is due to this concept, as much as the richness of its cinematic past and present, that we have decided to focus so intently on the country’s cinema this year. Granted, our knowledge of the past is not so intent, since Amp took a turn of covering a more wider part of Asia after 2019, which is why the particular list is the biggest among the ones focusing on the various decades of Filipino cinema.
Without further ado, here are 35 great Filipino films of the 00s, with...
Without further ado, here are 35 great Filipino films of the 00s, with...
- 5/14/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Co-winner of Locarno's video competition, Brillante Mendoza's feature debut was a testament to what was about to follow, although truth is, this film seems even more daring than his next ones.
20-year-old Iliac works at a gay massage/prostitution parlor in order to support his family after his father left them. As the movie begins, his father has just died, and the young man has to return to his hometown to take care of the funeral rituals along with his mother, Naty, who does not seem to care that her husband has previously abandoned them. In the parlor, he may not be the most asked-for employee but just the previous night, he ended up “servicing” a romance novelist, who had a real impact on him, in contrast to his girlfriend, who seems distant.
Mendoza creates an intriguing narrative which is essentially a constant montage between the events in the parlor and the funeral proceedings,...
20-year-old Iliac works at a gay massage/prostitution parlor in order to support his family after his father left them. As the movie begins, his father has just died, and the young man has to return to his hometown to take care of the funeral rituals along with his mother, Naty, who does not seem to care that her husband has previously abandoned them. In the parlor, he may not be the most asked-for employee but just the previous night, he ended up “servicing” a romance novelist, who had a real impact on him, in contrast to his girlfriend, who seems distant.
Mendoza creates an intriguing narrative which is essentially a constant montage between the events in the parlor and the funeral proceedings,...
- 4/27/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Jueteng is a numbers game played in the Philippines. First reported in the late 1800s while the Philippines was under Spanish rule, it was made illegal in 1907 after the United States occupied the country. Despite this, and successive subsequent crackdowns, the game remains popular throughout Luzon, while similar games exist in the rest of the Philippines, being particularly popular among the poorer communities. The game is essentially controlled by the Mafia, who also take care of bribing the authorities, which are quite loose in enforcing the law on those who run it. Furthermore, there is a hierarchy, with the bookies working the bottom, essentially meaning convincing people to play or simply taking the bets from those who want to, followed by the treasurers, local managers and “the boss” whom is never seen.
The protagonist of the movie, Amy is an elderly kubrador, who roams the Manila slums collecting bets, while trying to avoid the police,...
The protagonist of the movie, Amy is an elderly kubrador, who roams the Manila slums collecting bets, while trying to avoid the police,...
- 4/25/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Competing for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, “Thy Womb” eventually won three special prizes by other Italian film groups, while taking up Metro Manila Film Festival by storm with 7 awards, among a number of others from festivals all over the world.
After a rather shockingly realistic birth scene, we are introduced to the two protagonists, Shaleha, a middle aged Tausug woman who works as a midwife for the small Muslim community, she and her husband, fisherman Bangas-An inhabit. Soon we learn the irony in her life, as, despite constantly delivering babies, she cannot have children herself, a point of friction in the otherwise calm life she shares with her husband. In an act of rather altruistic love she decides to be the one to search for a new wife for Bangas-An, who will eventually give him the child he so much longs for. The rest...
After a rather shockingly realistic birth scene, we are introduced to the two protagonists, Shaleha, a middle aged Tausug woman who works as a midwife for the small Muslim community, she and her husband, fisherman Bangas-An inhabit. Soon we learn the irony in her life, as, despite constantly delivering babies, she cannot have children herself, a point of friction in the otherwise calm life she shares with her husband. In an act of rather altruistic love she decides to be the one to search for a new wife for Bangas-An, who will eventually give him the child he so much longs for. The rest...
- 4/1/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As we mentioned in Brillante Mendoza’s “Mindanao” the homonymous island has been a place of violent conflict since the 60s, when President Marcos’s tactics that promoted Christian settling in the area, resulted in the displacement of the local Muslim population. The Maguindanao massacre (2009), the Mamasapano clash (2015) and the Battle of Marawi (2017) are the latest in a series of bloody events, and the area is still under martial law, following the orders of President Duterte. Three years before Mendoza’s effort, Sheron Dayoc shot another movie that focuses on the troubled area, with his approach being quite realistic, as dictated by the story, but also the fact that the cast is comprised completely of local non-actors who use the Tausug dialect throughout the film.
“Women of the Weeping River” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The movie focuses on the story of Satra, a young...
“Women of the Weeping River” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The movie focuses on the story of Satra, a young...
- 3/4/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Vesoul Unveils Asian Lineup
The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema has unveiled its 85-title lineup for the edition that starts later this month. Elements include a 10-film competition section, a 10-film documentary film section, a tribute to the Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu; a thematic section “Asian Diaspora Cinema” offering a panorama of works by directors from Asian countries living in exile; and a Philippines cinema sidebar.
Fiction films in competition include: Azerbaijan’s “Cold as Marble,” by Asif Rustamov; China’s “In Our Prime,” by Liu Yulin; Korea’s “A Letter from Kyoto,” by Kim Min-ju; India’s: “Behind Veils,” by Praveen Morshhale; Iran’s “No End,” by Nader Saievar; Mongolia’s “The Sales Girl,” by Sengedorj Janchivdorj; The Philippines’s “Feast,” by Brillante Mendoza; Singapore’s “#LookAtMe,” by Ken Kwek; and Vietnam’s “Memento Mori: Earth,” by Marcus Vu Manh Cuong. The president of the jury is Lee Yong-kwan,...
The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema has unveiled its 85-title lineup for the edition that starts later this month. Elements include a 10-film competition section, a 10-film documentary film section, a tribute to the Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu; a thematic section “Asian Diaspora Cinema” offering a panorama of works by directors from Asian countries living in exile; and a Philippines cinema sidebar.
Fiction films in competition include: Azerbaijan’s “Cold as Marble,” by Asif Rustamov; China’s “In Our Prime,” by Liu Yulin; Korea’s “A Letter from Kyoto,” by Kim Min-ju; India’s: “Behind Veils,” by Praveen Morshhale; Iran’s “No End,” by Nader Saievar; Mongolia’s “The Sales Girl,” by Sengedorj Janchivdorj; The Philippines’s “Feast,” by Brillante Mendoza; Singapore’s “#LookAtMe,” by Ken Kwek; and Vietnam’s “Memento Mori: Earth,” by Marcus Vu Manh Cuong. The president of the jury is Lee Yong-kwan,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
In selection, at the 29th Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul, 85 films including 38 new ones, from 31 countries.
The president of the Jury will be Mr Lee Yong-kwan (Korea), president of the prestigious Busan festival, the Cannes of Asia.
A tribute will be paid to the Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu, in his presence. The entirety of his work will be presented, from his first film Away From Home, in competition at Vesoul 2002, to his latest opus Hasan’s Promises, Cannes 2021, including Honey, Golden Bear Berlin 2010.
20 films in competition, in French, European, international or world premiere, will be judged by 7 juries. The competitive sections are composed of films from rare cinematographies, and films from major cinematographies.
Replay of award-winning films at the Guimet Museum of Asian Arts in Paris on April 21, 22 and 23, 2023 and at the Inalco (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales).
To celebrate the 75th anniversary...
The president of the Jury will be Mr Lee Yong-kwan (Korea), president of the prestigious Busan festival, the Cannes of Asia.
A tribute will be paid to the Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu, in his presence. The entirety of his work will be presented, from his first film Away From Home, in competition at Vesoul 2002, to his latest opus Hasan’s Promises, Cannes 2021, including Honey, Golden Bear Berlin 2010.
20 films in competition, in French, European, international or world premiere, will be judged by 7 juries. The competitive sections are composed of films from rare cinematographies, and films from major cinematographies.
Replay of award-winning films at the Guimet Museum of Asian Arts in Paris on April 21, 22 and 23, 2023 and at the Inalco (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales).
To celebrate the 75th anniversary...
- 2/13/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
We have just learned of the arrest of the great Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti, for her support of the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.
She is the lead actress in the film “Leila and her Brothers” by Saeed Roustaee, Fipresci Cannes 2022 award.
She was a member of the jury of the 20th Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul 2014, chaired by Brillante Mendoza.
Talented actress she has won many awards in international festivals
She has worked with the greatest Iranian directors including Ashgar Farhadi, Mani Haghighi, …
The Festival International des Cinemas d’Asie of Vesoul supports this activist for human rights.
She is the lead actress in the film “Leila and her Brothers” by Saeed Roustaee, Fipresci Cannes 2022 award.
She was a member of the jury of the 20th Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul 2014, chaired by Brillante Mendoza.
Talented actress she has won many awards in international festivals
She has worked with the greatest Iranian directors including Ashgar Farhadi, Mani Haghighi, …
The Festival International des Cinemas d’Asie of Vesoul supports this activist for human rights.
- 12/18/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The World Film Festival of Bangkok wrapped up its comeback 15th edition on Sunday with an efficient prize ceremony and double-bill screenings of Belgian film “Close” and local title “Arnold Is a Model Student.”
The festival ran Dec. 2-11, 2022, after a five-year hiatus, seemingly caused by a lack of funding and political will, and the death this year of its dynamic founder Kriengsak ‘Victor’ Silakong. Artistic directing duties were taken over by local producer and film critic Donsaron ‘Don’ Kovitvanitcha.
In what it said was a unanimous decision, the jury gave its top prize to “Klondike,” Mayna Er Gorbach’s anti-war drama from Ukraine.
The best director prize, worth THB100,000 was awarded to Serbia’s Dusan Zoric and Matija Gluscevic co-directors of “Have You Seen This Woman?”.
A grand jury prize was awarded to Ananta Thitanat, whose documentary “Scala” charted the demise of Bangkok’s last stand-alone art cinema, caused...
The festival ran Dec. 2-11, 2022, after a five-year hiatus, seemingly caused by a lack of funding and political will, and the death this year of its dynamic founder Kriengsak ‘Victor’ Silakong. Artistic directing duties were taken over by local producer and film critic Donsaron ‘Don’ Kovitvanitcha.
In what it said was a unanimous decision, the jury gave its top prize to “Klondike,” Mayna Er Gorbach’s anti-war drama from Ukraine.
The best director prize, worth THB100,000 was awarded to Serbia’s Dusan Zoric and Matija Gluscevic co-directors of “Have You Seen This Woman?”.
A grand jury prize was awarded to Ananta Thitanat, whose documentary “Scala” charted the demise of Bangkok’s last stand-alone art cinema, caused...
- 12/12/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Acclaimed and controversial Filipino director Brillante Mendoza has set “Chameleon,” the fact-based tale of a transgender woman who joins the Japanese underworld, as his next movie to direct.
“Chameleon” is inspired by the true story of a Filipino transgender woman, Marie, who is drawn into the Yakuza gangster life after befriending Ai, the rebellious daughter of a powerful Yakuza boss. Set against the pulsating background of the 1990s nightlife in Sapporo, Hokkaido, the film charts the almost impossible decisions Marie faced and her tumultuous journey to discovering family, love and ultimately her true identity.
The film is now in pre-production ahead of a February 2023 start of production in Sapporo. Delivery is anticipated in time for the fall festival season.
While auditioning for the lead character is ongoing, a confirmed Japanese cast include Okuda Eiji, Ihara Tsuyoshi, Takeda Rina, and Shogen.
“Chameleon” is being produced by Yamashita Takahiro of Japan’s Yaman Films,...
“Chameleon” is inspired by the true story of a Filipino transgender woman, Marie, who is drawn into the Yakuza gangster life after befriending Ai, the rebellious daughter of a powerful Yakuza boss. Set against the pulsating background of the 1990s nightlife in Sapporo, Hokkaido, the film charts the almost impossible decisions Marie faced and her tumultuous journey to discovering family, love and ultimately her true identity.
The film is now in pre-production ahead of a February 2023 start of production in Sapporo. Delivery is anticipated in time for the fall festival season.
While auditioning for the lead character is ongoing, a confirmed Japanese cast include Okuda Eiji, Ihara Tsuyoshi, Takeda Rina, and Shogen.
“Chameleon” is being produced by Yamashita Takahiro of Japan’s Yaman Films,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Leung to attend to receive Asian Filmmaker of the Year award and present a showcase of his films.
The 27th Busan International Film Festival is set to open with the international premiere of Hadi Mohaghegh’s Iranian film Scent Of Wind and close with Ishikawa Kei’s Venice title A Man.
Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai will also attend the opening ceremony to receive Biff’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. The festival will dedicate a six-film showcase dubbed In The Mood For Tony Leung with titles the actor personally selected, including Happy Together, Infernal Affairs and In The Mood For Love.
The 27th Busan International Film Festival is set to open with the international premiere of Hadi Mohaghegh’s Iranian film Scent Of Wind and close with Ishikawa Kei’s Venice title A Man.
Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai will also attend the opening ceremony to receive Biff’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. The festival will dedicate a six-film showcase dubbed In The Mood For Tony Leung with titles the actor personally selected, including Happy Together, Infernal Affairs and In The Mood For Love.
- 9/7/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the Hong Kong star of “In The Mood For Love” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has been named Asian Filmmaker of the Year by the Busan International Film Festival. Leung will collect his award at the festival’s opening ceremony on Oct. 5. 2022.
The festival will open with a screening of “Scent of Wind” by Hagi Mohaghegh. The Iranian director previously won the 2015 New Currents competition in Busan with his second feature “Immortal.”
The festival will close with “A Man,” from Japan’s Ishikawa Kei. The title premiered this week at the Venice film festival in the Orrizonti section.
Busan organizers said that the festival will play a total of 243 films (features and shorts) from 71 countries and territories. These include 89 world premieres and 13 international premieres.
After two years of disruptions the festival will operate largely normally. This includes a red carpet opening ceremony,...
The festival will open with a screening of “Scent of Wind” by Hagi Mohaghegh. The Iranian director previously won the 2015 New Currents competition in Busan with his second feature “Immortal.”
The festival will close with “A Man,” from Japan’s Ishikawa Kei. The title premiered this week at the Venice film festival in the Orrizonti section.
Busan organizers said that the festival will play a total of 243 films (features and shorts) from 71 countries and territories. These include 89 world premieres and 13 international premieres.
After two years of disruptions the festival will operate largely normally. This includes a red carpet opening ceremony,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Film Development Council of the Philippines launched the Fdcp Channel streaming platform at the Cannes Film Market on Tuesday.
Available at launch will be 140 films, including 100 Filipino titles from the country’s masters including Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Kidlat Tahimik, Chito Rono, Brillante Mendoza and Dodo Dayao.
In addition, there will be 41,000 film heritage elements available on the platform including news reels and documentaries.
The platform has several tiers. The basic access service is free and has short films, panel discussions and special events. An SVOD tier that costs PHP99 (1.90) per month provides access to local and international films. Tvod access makes curated local and international films available. In addition the platform also offers event access to free or paid-for live-streamed special events.
The channel began life in the middle of the pandemic in Sept. 2020 as an online platform for the Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the Philippines’ national film festival,...
Available at launch will be 140 films, including 100 Filipino titles from the country’s masters including Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Kidlat Tahimik, Chito Rono, Brillante Mendoza and Dodo Dayao.
In addition, there will be 41,000 film heritage elements available on the platform including news reels and documentaries.
The platform has several tiers. The basic access service is free and has short films, panel discussions and special events. An SVOD tier that costs PHP99 (1.90) per month provides access to local and international films. Tvod access makes curated local and international films available. In addition the platform also offers event access to free or paid-for live-streamed special events.
The channel began life in the middle of the pandemic in Sept. 2020 as an online platform for the Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the Philippines’ national film festival,...
- 5/24/2022
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
France’s Swift Prods. and Japan’s Yaman Films have come on board “Kiss of the Con Queen,” a new fact-based feature film directed by Thailand’s Tom Waller.
The script was written by Bangkok-based Irish actor Eoin O’Brien (“The Last Full Measure”), who was a victim of Indonesian con artist Hargobind Tahilramani’s elaborate film industry scam.
Nicknamed the “Con Queen of Hollywood,” Tahilramani, an Indonesian food blogger, had been impersonating Hollywood executives such as Kathleen Kennedy and Amy Pascal, and promised roles in movies that never existed. He was arrested in the U.K. in 2020, after an FBI investigation that uncovered the extent of the scam.
Tahilramani is currently awaiting an extradition trial, which was recently delayed and is now expected to take place in November.
Waller, who directs, produces and provides location services in Thailand through his De Warrenne Pictures, has made a specialization of feature films...
The script was written by Bangkok-based Irish actor Eoin O’Brien (“The Last Full Measure”), who was a victim of Indonesian con artist Hargobind Tahilramani’s elaborate film industry scam.
Nicknamed the “Con Queen of Hollywood,” Tahilramani, an Indonesian food blogger, had been impersonating Hollywood executives such as Kathleen Kennedy and Amy Pascal, and promised roles in movies that never existed. He was arrested in the U.K. in 2020, after an FBI investigation that uncovered the extent of the scam.
Tahilramani is currently awaiting an extradition trial, which was recently delayed and is now expected to take place in November.
Waller, who directs, produces and provides location services in Thailand through his De Warrenne Pictures, has made a specialization of feature films...
- 5/22/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Although nowadays his style has changed completely, Brillante Mendoza became famous for his non-stop, documentary-like filmmaking that deals with life in the slums in a way that is both realistic and entertaining. “Slingshot” highlights these elements to the highest degree.
“Slingshot” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
The movie opens in the most in-your-face fashion, with a police raid in a shanty town in Quiapo, in one of the poorest slums in Philippines, that is implemented here in order to show as many aspects of Filipino society as possible. The policemen talk somewhat politely but are definitely forceful as they are searching for a series of particular young people, with their raid bringing them across gay men having sex, Muslims, a couple having sex, drug addicts, thieves, Catholics, while a moment before a number of people cautioned the inhabitants of the area about the raid. It is the...
“Slingshot” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
The movie opens in the most in-your-face fashion, with a police raid in a shanty town in Quiapo, in one of the poorest slums in Philippines, that is implemented here in order to show as many aspects of Filipino society as possible. The policemen talk somewhat politely but are definitely forceful as they are searching for a series of particular young people, with their raid bringing them across gay men having sex, Muslims, a couple having sex, drug addicts, thieves, Catholics, while a moment before a number of people cautioned the inhabitants of the area about the raid. It is the...
- 5/1/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
London-based sales agent Sc Films International has boarded “December,” a Japanese courtroom thriller from India’s Anshul Chauhan whose cast is led by Shogen, star of Brillante Mendoza’s “Gensan Punch.”
Sc Films International will handle international sales outside of Japan on “December,” Chauhan’s follow-up to notable family drama drama “Kontora” which scooped the Grand Prix Prize at the Tallin Black Nights Film Festival. The sales agent plans to launch “December” at May’s Cannes Marché du Film before submitting it to fall festivals, said Sc Films co-founder Simon Crowe.
The sales pact was clinched by Sc Films’ Fumie Suzuki Lancaster and “December” producer Yamashita Takahiro, also behind “Gensan Punch.” It builds on the companies’ partnership on “Gensan Punch” which sold to HBO for the world and scored the top Asian plaudit, the Kim Jiseok Award, at 2021’s Busan Intl. Film Festival.
“Kontora” proved a singular coming of age...
Sc Films International will handle international sales outside of Japan on “December,” Chauhan’s follow-up to notable family drama drama “Kontora” which scooped the Grand Prix Prize at the Tallin Black Nights Film Festival. The sales agent plans to launch “December” at May’s Cannes Marché du Film before submitting it to fall festivals, said Sc Films co-founder Simon Crowe.
The sales pact was clinched by Sc Films’ Fumie Suzuki Lancaster and “December” producer Yamashita Takahiro, also behind “Gensan Punch.” It builds on the companies’ partnership on “Gensan Punch” which sold to HBO for the world and scored the top Asian plaudit, the Kim Jiseok Award, at 2021’s Busan Intl. Film Festival.
“Kontora” proved a singular coming of age...
- 4/28/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Photo: ‘Gensan Punch’ Boxing and the Art of Overcoming Adversity A bit of a tangent, but for all of HBO Max’s virtues (and there are many), it’s not well-equipped for original programming that’s also subtitled. I watched Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Drive My Car’ a few weeks ago on HBO Max, and not only were the subtitles not turned on by default, but the subtitles themselves were — suboptimal. The movie itself was great, but the experience was hampered slightly, and the same can be said for ‘Gensan Punch’, a Filipino production. I’m not familiar with Brillante Mendoza, director of ‘Gensan Punch’, but apparently he’s one of the more prominent Filipino directors to hit the international circuit, being the first to win Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. As such, Mendoza’s talent is not without precedent, and indeed, the strongest aspect of ‘Gensan Punch’ is its direction,...
- 4/20/2022
- by Brian Collins
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Zhang Lu’s “Yanagawa” (China), Hong Sung-eun’s “Aloners” (South Korea) and Fujimoto Akio’s “Along the Sea” (Japan/Vietnam) were among the top award winners at France’s Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas.
“Yanagawa,” which opened the 2021 Pingyao Film Festival, won the Golden Cyclo, the festival’s top honor awarded by the international jury. “Aloners,” which has previously won awards at Jeonju and Torino, won the international jury prize and the Netpac jury award.
The grand jury prize went to San Sebastian, Tokyo and Fajr player “Along the Sea,” which also won the festival’s critic’s choice award and the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) jury prize. The Inalco jury also recognized Da Fei’s “The Coffin Painter” (China).
The international jury accorded special mentions to Chung Mong-Hong’s Venice selection “The Falls” (Taiwan), Brillante Mendoza’s Busan Kim Ji Seok Award winner...
“Yanagawa,” which opened the 2021 Pingyao Film Festival, won the Golden Cyclo, the festival’s top honor awarded by the international jury. “Aloners,” which has previously won awards at Jeonju and Torino, won the international jury prize and the Netpac jury award.
The grand jury prize went to San Sebastian, Tokyo and Fajr player “Along the Sea,” which also won the festival’s critic’s choice award and the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco) jury prize. The Inalco jury also recognized Da Fei’s “The Coffin Painter” (China).
The international jury accorded special mentions to Chung Mong-Hong’s Venice selection “The Falls” (Taiwan), Brillante Mendoza’s Busan Kim Ji Seok Award winner...
- 2/8/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Alpha: Right To Kill Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival Alpha, The Right To Kill, until Tuesday, All4.com
Brillante Mendoza's gritty crime drama plunges us into the world of Rodrigo Dutarte's 'drug war' and police corruption in the Philippines and is well worth catching before it leaves All4's catch-up service. Focusing on cop Moises (Allen Dizon) and his relationship with young, streetwise snitch - or Alpha - Elijah (Elijah Filamor), the plot is driven by a plan to take down a drug kingpin. The plot beats may be familiar from other films but its political commentary is scathing, as is the strong sense of the contrast between Manila's haves and have nots is all its own. Catch it quick before it leaves Channel 4's catch-up service.
This Teacher, w4free.com
I was quite surprised to discover this tense indie gem lurking on free...
Brillante Mendoza's gritty crime drama plunges us into the world of Rodrigo Dutarte's 'drug war' and police corruption in the Philippines and is well worth catching before it leaves All4's catch-up service. Focusing on cop Moises (Allen Dizon) and his relationship with young, streetwise snitch - or Alpha - Elijah (Elijah Filamor), the plot is driven by a plan to take down a drug kingpin. The plot beats may be familiar from other films but its political commentary is scathing, as is the strong sense of the contrast between Manila's haves and have nots is all its own. Catch it quick before it leaves Channel 4's catch-up service.
This Teacher, w4free.com
I was quite surprised to discover this tense indie gem lurking on free...
- 2/7/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
France’s Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinemas kicks off Feb. 1 with a gala screening of Iranian auteur Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s 2001 Cannes winner “Kandahar” and will conclude on Feb. 8 with Kazakhstan filmmaker Yerlan Nurmukhambetov’s “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time.”
The guest of honor at the festival’s 28th edition will be Japanese filmmaker Fukada Koji, who will be presented with an Honorary Cyclo at the opening ceremony. All 10 of Fukada’s features and four shorts will be presented at Vesoul, marking the first complete retrospective for the filmmaker. In all, 20 films from Japan will play at the festival, including Nakano Ryota’s “The Asadas” and Miyazaki Hayao’s “My Neighbor Totoro.”
The festival also pays tribute to Chinese master Xie Fei, whose masterpiece “Woman Sesame Oil Maker” won the Berlin Golden Bear in 1993.
This year, the international competition jury is presided over by Leila Hatami, Berlin Silver...
The guest of honor at the festival’s 28th edition will be Japanese filmmaker Fukada Koji, who will be presented with an Honorary Cyclo at the opening ceremony. All 10 of Fukada’s features and four shorts will be presented at Vesoul, marking the first complete retrospective for the filmmaker. In all, 20 films from Japan will play at the festival, including Nakano Ryota’s “The Asadas” and Miyazaki Hayao’s “My Neighbor Totoro.”
The festival also pays tribute to Chinese master Xie Fei, whose masterpiece “Woman Sesame Oil Maker” won the Berlin Golden Bear in 1993.
This year, the international competition jury is presided over by Leila Hatami, Berlin Silver...
- 2/1/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Following a recipe that looks much more like “Alpha: The Right to Kill” than “Mindanao”, Brillante Mendoza got inspiration from the biography of Naozumi Tsuchiyama, a Japanese boxer with a prosthetic leg who went to the Philippines to train in Gensan, a famous boxing quarter which has spawned worldwide stars such as the legendary Manny Pacquiao.
Gensan Punch is streaming on HBO Asia
The story starts with the aforementioned Nao failing to get a permit to become a professional boxer, since the Japanese Boxing Committee considers his prosthetic leg a safety hazard. Frustrated but resolved, Nao decides to leave for General Santos City in the Philippines, in order to train in the Gensan Punch gym and acquire the permit from a country that seems to be a bit more lenient towards his situation. While the gym looks like a dystopian setting, and the communication is somewhat difficult from the beginning,...
Gensan Punch is streaming on HBO Asia
The story starts with the aforementioned Nao failing to get a permit to become a professional boxer, since the Japanese Boxing Committee considers his prosthetic leg a safety hazard. Frustrated but resolved, Nao decides to leave for General Santos City in the Philippines, in order to train in the Gensan Punch gym and acquire the permit from a country that seems to be a bit more lenient towards his situation. While the gym looks like a dystopian setting, and the communication is somewhat difficult from the beginning,...
- 12/23/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Okinawa-born actor Shogen used to be told that he didn’t look Japanese enough for the Japanese film industry. Now he is not only one of the most in-demand rising stars, he is also the instigator, co-producer and star of triumph over-adversity movie “Gensan Punch” which has just premiered at the Busan and Tokyo film festivals and has been picked up for HBO.
Directed by Brillante Mendoza the fact-based tale sees Tsuchiyama Naozumi, a Okinawan man with a prosthetic leg, relocate to The Philippines to become a professional boxer, after being repeatedly blocked in his home country.
Shogen’s recent work has taken him all over Asia, giving him credits on Eric Khoo’s “Ramen Shop,” the “Death Note” TV series and Chinese blockbuster “Detective Chinatown 3.”
Training for the film landed Shogen in the Gensan Quarter gyms of General Santos City used by Philippines boxing superstar and presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao.
Directed by Brillante Mendoza the fact-based tale sees Tsuchiyama Naozumi, a Okinawan man with a prosthetic leg, relocate to The Philippines to become a professional boxer, after being repeatedly blocked in his home country.
Shogen’s recent work has taken him all over Asia, giving him credits on Eric Khoo’s “Ramen Shop,” the “Death Note” TV series and Chinese blockbuster “Detective Chinatown 3.”
Training for the film landed Shogen in the Gensan Quarter gyms of General Santos City used by Philippines boxing superstar and presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao.
- 11/6/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The festival has learned of one confirmed case of Covid-19 amongst its attendees to the opening ceremony.
The 26th Busan International Film Festival (Biff) wrapped today (October 15) with Wang Er Zhuo’s Chinese film Farewell, My Hometown and Kim Se-in’s Korean title The Apartment With Two Women winning the two New Currents awards.
The latter film picked up four other awards including actress of the year for Im Jee-ho.
The socially-distanced festival, which required Pcr tests and/or proof of full vaccination from guests, learned of one confirmed case of Covid-19 amongst its attendees to the opening ceremony, October...
The 26th Busan International Film Festival (Biff) wrapped today (October 15) with Wang Er Zhuo’s Chinese film Farewell, My Hometown and Kim Se-in’s Korean title The Apartment With Two Women winning the two New Currents awards.
The latter film picked up four other awards including actress of the year for Im Jee-ho.
The socially-distanced festival, which required Pcr tests and/or proof of full vaccination from guests, learned of one confirmed case of Covid-19 amongst its attendees to the opening ceremony, October...
- 10/15/2021
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
The Busan International Film Festival announced joint winners in both of its prestige sections, the New Currents competition for emerging Asian filmmakers and the Kim Jiseok showcase for works by the region’s more established directors.
Korean-made “The Apartment With Two Women” and Chinese film “Farewell, My Hometown,” both first features, shared the New Currents award.
In the Kim Jiseok award section Brillante Mendoza’s boxing drama “Gensan Punch” split the first prize with Aparna Sen’s “The Rapist.” In the same section, a special mention was made for “The Bargain,” by China’s Wang Qi.
The announcements were made on Friday morning at a press conference at which festival organizers critiqued matters such as levels of audience attendance, two delayed screenings and a new community outreach program.
They confirmed that just one guest tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 while in Busan. Festival staff will be subjected to a further two weeks of additional testing.
Korean-made “The Apartment With Two Women” and Chinese film “Farewell, My Hometown,” both first features, shared the New Currents award.
In the Kim Jiseok award section Brillante Mendoza’s boxing drama “Gensan Punch” split the first prize with Aparna Sen’s “The Rapist.” In the same section, a special mention was made for “The Bargain,” by China’s Wang Qi.
The announcements were made on Friday morning at a press conference at which festival organizers critiqued matters such as levels of audience attendance, two delayed screenings and a new community outreach program.
They confirmed that just one guest tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 while in Busan. Festival staff will be subjected to a further two weeks of additional testing.
- 10/15/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
From award-winning Cannes / Venice / Toronto selected director Brillante Mendoza, “Gensan Punch” is based on a true story and follows Nao Tsuyama, a disabled athlete who refuses to let his artificial leg hinder his dream to become a professional boxer. His remarkable journey takes him from Japan to the Philippines, and specifically the celebrated ‘Gensan’ quarter which has spawned worldwide stars such as the legendary Manny Pacquiao.
- 10/5/2021
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
The Tokyo International Film Festival’s competition section will skew heavily towards Asian titles, festival organizers said on Tuesday.
The festival announced the full lineup for its 34rd edition to be held Oct. 30 – Nov. 8, 2021 at its new main venues in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Ginza area of Tokyo. As previously announced, the festival will open with Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” and close with Stephen Chbosky’s “Dear Evan Hansen.”
The 15-title competition this year includes “Crane Lantern,” the new film by 2020 Tokyo Filmex Grand Prize winner Hilal Baydarov of Azerbaijan, “Arisaka,” an action thriller by young Filipino auteur Mikhail Red and “One and Four,” a Chinese film produced by Tibetan cinema veteran Pema Tseden. Japan is represented by Matsui Daigo’s relationship drama “Just Remembering” and “Third Time Lucky,” the directorial debut of scriptwriter Nohara Tadashi.
Chairing the jury is French star Isabelle Huppert.
“We decided to focus more on quality than...
The festival announced the full lineup for its 34rd edition to be held Oct. 30 – Nov. 8, 2021 at its new main venues in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Ginza area of Tokyo. As previously announced, the festival will open with Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” and close with Stephen Chbosky’s “Dear Evan Hansen.”
The 15-title competition this year includes “Crane Lantern,” the new film by 2020 Tokyo Filmex Grand Prize winner Hilal Baydarov of Azerbaijan, “Arisaka,” an action thriller by young Filipino auteur Mikhail Red and “One and Four,” a Chinese film produced by Tibetan cinema veteran Pema Tseden. Japan is represented by Matsui Daigo’s relationship drama “Just Remembering” and “Third Time Lucky,” the directorial debut of scriptwriter Nohara Tadashi.
Chairing the jury is French star Isabelle Huppert.
“We decided to focus more on quality than...
- 9/28/2021
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
World premieres include debut from Happy Hour co-writer Tadashi Nohara and new works from Brillante Mendoza and Mikhail Red.
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the full line-up for its 34th edition, including the main competition section of 15 films, among which 10 titles are world premieres. Other sections include Asian Future, Gala Selection, World Focus, Nippon Cinema Now and Japanese Animation.
The competition section includes the world premieres of two Japanese films – Third Time Lucky, the debut feature of Tadashi Nohara, who co-wrote Happy Hour and Wife Of A Spy; and Just Remembering from Daigo Matsui (Ice Cream And The...
Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the full line-up for its 34th edition, including the main competition section of 15 films, among which 10 titles are world premieres. Other sections include Asian Future, Gala Selection, World Focus, Nippon Cinema Now and Japanese Animation.
The competition section includes the world premieres of two Japanese films – Third Time Lucky, the debut feature of Tadashi Nohara, who co-wrote Happy Hour and Wife Of A Spy; and Just Remembering from Daigo Matsui (Ice Cream And The...
- 9/28/2021
- by Matt Schley
- ScreenDaily
“Gensan Punch,” the upcoming film by celebrated Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, has been set as an HBO Asia Original movie. It will become available on regional streaming service HBO Go in the next few months.
Ahead of that, the film will have its world premiere next month at the Busan International Film Festival, and follow that with an out-of-competition gala selection at November’s Tokyo International Film Festival. In Busan, it appears in the Window on Asian Cinema” section and is also one of seven Asian films nominated for the festival’s Kim Jiseok Award.
The Japan and Philippines coproduction film is a fact-based story about a Japanese man with a prosthetic leg who seeks to become a professional boxer. He did his training in the so-called Gensan Quarter of General Santos City, which has long been known for producing athletes, including former champion boxer and current presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao.
Ahead of that, the film will have its world premiere next month at the Busan International Film Festival, and follow that with an out-of-competition gala selection at November’s Tokyo International Film Festival. In Busan, it appears in the Window on Asian Cinema” section and is also one of seven Asian films nominated for the festival’s Kim Jiseok Award.
The Japan and Philippines coproduction film is a fact-based story about a Japanese man with a prosthetic leg who seeks to become a professional boxer. He did his training in the so-called Gensan Quarter of General Santos City, which has long been known for producing athletes, including former champion boxer and current presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao.
- 9/28/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The 26th Busan International Film Festival (Biff), which will be held from October 6 (Wed) to October 15 (Fri), has selected 7 nominees for the Kim Jiseok Award.
The Kim Jiseok Award is celebrating its 4th year at the 26th Biff, and was established in respectful memory of the late program director Kim Jiseok in 2017. The award will be given to the most attractive films that reflect the contemporary standing of Asian cinema in accordance with the late Kim’s intent. Among the films in the A Window on Asian Cinema section, seven candidates are selected to compete for the award. Two award recipients will be chosen by jurors and be given a cash prize of 10,000 Usd each.
The Kim Jiseok Award marks its 4th anniversary this year
New films directed by renowned cineastes such as Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Brillante Mendoza, Ogigami Naoko, Aparna Sen, and many more are coming to Busan!
This...
The Kim Jiseok Award is celebrating its 4th year at the 26th Biff, and was established in respectful memory of the late program director Kim Jiseok in 2017. The award will be given to the most attractive films that reflect the contemporary standing of Asian cinema in accordance with the late Kim’s intent. Among the films in the A Window on Asian Cinema section, seven candidates are selected to compete for the award. Two award recipients will be chosen by jurors and be given a cash prize of 10,000 Usd each.
The Kim Jiseok Award marks its 4th anniversary this year
New films directed by renowned cineastes such as Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Brillante Mendoza, Ogigami Naoko, Aparna Sen, and many more are coming to Busan!
This...
- 9/9/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
New features by some of the most prominent filmmakers from the Asia-Pacific region including The Philippines’ Brillante Mendoza, Bangladesh’s Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and Japan’s Ogigami Naoko are among the seven titles competing for the Kim Jiseok Award at the upcoming 26th Busan International Film Festival.
Works by Royston Tan from Singapore, China’s Wang Qi, Aparna Sen from India and Ilgar Najaf from Azerbaijan have also been nominated. The award was created in 2017 to commemorate Kim Jiseok, the late program director of the festival.
Competition for the award that features titles from the festival’s A Window on Asian Cinema section is “expected to be more competitive than usual” due to the inclusion of works by internationally-renowned filmmakers that make the section less experimental, organizers said on Monday.
Among the nominated films are “Gensan Punch” by Cannes best director winner Mendoza, which is based on true stories about...
Works by Royston Tan from Singapore, China’s Wang Qi, Aparna Sen from India and Ilgar Najaf from Azerbaijan have also been nominated. The award was created in 2017 to commemorate Kim Jiseok, the late program director of the festival.
Competition for the award that features titles from the festival’s A Window on Asian Cinema section is “expected to be more competitive than usual” due to the inclusion of works by internationally-renowned filmmakers that make the section less experimental, organizers said on Monday.
Among the nominated films are “Gensan Punch” by Cannes best director winner Mendoza, which is based on true stories about...
- 9/6/2021
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
Boxing has always been a very cinematic sport, with the its overall rules and the head-to-head mentality providing material for both captivating scripts and impressive visuals. Asian cinema has also been dealing with the concept, even if sporadically, but recently, there has been a surge of titles revolving around boxing, as we are still waiting for Brillante Mendoza’s “Gensan Punch”, which the protagonist, Shogen, having described the shooting as a once in a lifetime experience.
Among these titles, we picked 15 we think are among the most captivating to watch, as always with a focus on diversity in country of origin, filmmaker and style, although Japan has taken the lion’s share of entries in this list. The list is in chronological order.
1. Knockout
Violent, funny, dramatic and quirky are few of the contradictory words that can describe both “Knockout” and Hidekazu Akai, who plays the protagonist here, Eiji. As...
Among these titles, we picked 15 we think are among the most captivating to watch, as always with a focus on diversity in country of origin, filmmaker and style, although Japan has taken the lion’s share of entries in this list. The list is in chronological order.
1. Knockout
Violent, funny, dramatic and quirky are few of the contradictory words that can describe both “Knockout” and Hidekazu Akai, who plays the protagonist here, Eiji. As...
- 7/12/2021
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
MollywoodIt is the only Indian film to feature under the main competition category at the Miff, along with 13 other international films. Tnm StaffScreengrabAfter winning praises from fans and garnering critical acclaim, Malayalam film Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam has been selected under the main competition category of Moscow International Film Festival (Miff). It is the only Indian film out of the 14 films that are contesting under the category. Helmed by director Don Palathara, the movie stars actors Rima Kallingal and Jithin Puthenchery in the lead roles. Santhoshinte Onnam Rahasyam was lauded as one of the most experimental films in the history of Malayalam cinema, since the movie is completely shot inside a car, with the camera fixed on the dashboard. It premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala on February 21. The film revolves around its two lead characters; Maria, an entertainment reporter and her boyfriend Jitin, a small-time actor who does...
- 4/24/2021
- by SaradhaU
- The News Minute
Moscow International Film Festival Unveils Plan
The Moscow International Film Festival is set to run as a physical event in the Russian capital from April 22 to 29, making it one of the first international film festivals to take place in physical form this year. The event will run on site for the Russian public and virtually for international delegates. Brillante Mendoza will chair the main competition jury and the festival will open with Timur Bekmambetov-directed war biopic Devyataev. Films in the main lineup include Iranian drama The Son, Japanese title The Women, comedy Bloodsuckers – A Marxist Vampire Comedy, and Italian film The Time Of Indifference. In other Euro festival news, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival announced today that it is planning to host its 60th edition in person at the end of June.
‘Fisherman’s Friends 2’ Underway
Fisherman’s Friends 2, the sequel to the 2019 indie pic that was a box office hit in the UK,...
The Moscow International Film Festival is set to run as a physical event in the Russian capital from April 22 to 29, making it one of the first international film festivals to take place in physical form this year. The event will run on site for the Russian public and virtually for international delegates. Brillante Mendoza will chair the main competition jury and the festival will open with Timur Bekmambetov-directed war biopic Devyataev. Films in the main lineup include Iranian drama The Son, Japanese title The Women, comedy Bloodsuckers – A Marxist Vampire Comedy, and Italian film The Time Of Indifference. In other Euro festival news, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival announced today that it is planning to host its 60th edition in person at the end of June.
‘Fisherman’s Friends 2’ Underway
Fisherman’s Friends 2, the sequel to the 2019 indie pic that was a box office hit in the UK,...
- 4/15/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman, Tom Grater and Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Yoshida Kota was educated at Waseda University and studied filmmaking at Enbu Seminar. His short film “Coming With My Brother!” (2006) received the Jury Special Award at Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. Domestically and internationally, Yoshida continued to gain recognition. In 2010, he received the Special Mention Nippon Visions Award at Nippon Connection for “Yuriko’s Aroma”, and “Come As You Are” (2011) was nominated for the International Feature Competition at Raindance Film Festival. His short film “Kyojima 3rd St., Sumida City” screened at IFFR in 2012. “Love Disease” (2018) was awarded Best Actor at Asian Film Festival Roma.
Shogen modeled in Europe while backpacking around the world after graduating from college. He returned to Japan in 2004 and started his career as an actor. The debut film was “Bloody Snake under the Sun (2005)” which described the life in Okinawa in the postwar period. Shogen starred as a sanshin player and the film itself was...
Shogen modeled in Europe while backpacking around the world after graduating from college. He returned to Japan in 2004 and started his career as an actor. The debut film was “Bloody Snake under the Sun (2005)” which described the life in Okinawa in the postwar period. Shogen starred as a sanshin player and the film itself was...
- 2/6/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Pilipino drama marks the feature debut of Raymund Ribay Gutierrez.
Award-winning Pilipino drama Verdict has been secured for the UK and Ireland by Sovereign Film Distribution, in a deal with Films Boutique.
The feature debut of Raymund Ribay Gutierrez premiered at Venice in 2019, where it won the special jury prize in the Horizons strand, and went on to screen at Telluride, Toronto and Busan. It was also the Philippines submission for the Academy Award.
Sovereign is planning a day-and-date release for Verdict on March 12, with any theatrical element dependent on an easing of pandemic restrictions.
The story centres on a battered wife,...
Award-winning Pilipino drama Verdict has been secured for the UK and Ireland by Sovereign Film Distribution, in a deal with Films Boutique.
The feature debut of Raymund Ribay Gutierrez premiered at Venice in 2019, where it won the special jury prize in the Horizons strand, and went on to screen at Telluride, Toronto and Busan. It was also the Philippines submission for the Academy Award.
Sovereign is planning a day-and-date release for Verdict on March 12, with any theatrical element dependent on an easing of pandemic restrictions.
The story centres on a battered wife,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue and that was released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 October 2019 and 31 December 2020.
Here are the Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.
Armenia
“Songs of Solomon” by Arman Nshanian
Bangladesh
“Sincerely Yours, Dhaka” by eleven different directors
Bhutan
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom“ by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Cambodia
“Fathers” by Huy Yaleng
China
“Leap” by Peter Chan
Georgia
“Beginnin” by Dea Kulumbegashvili
Hong Kong
“Better Days” by Derek Tsang
India
“Jallikattu...
Here are the Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.
Armenia
“Songs of Solomon” by Arman Nshanian
Bangladesh
“Sincerely Yours, Dhaka” by eleven different directors
Bhutan
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom“ by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Cambodia
“Fathers” by Huy Yaleng
China
“Leap” by Peter Chan
Georgia
“Beginnin” by Dea Kulumbegashvili
Hong Kong
“Better Days” by Derek Tsang
India
“Jallikattu...
- 1/6/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
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