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China’s Pingyao International Film Festival has officially named Lin Xudong as artistic director and revealed details of a fresh international film fund.

The announcement, made in Berlin during the European Film Market, also included the addition of seasoned film programmers Naoki Kamiya and Junko Fukatsu to the team. They will serve as programmers for foreign-language films, alongside existing team members Wu Jueren, the programmer for Chinese language films, and shorts programmer Song Jia.

Pyiff’s programme was previously overseen by former artistic director Marco Mueller from 2017 to 2021. Lin stepped in at that time and Mueller became chief consultant for the festival,...

China’s Pingyao International Film Festival has confirmed Lin Xudong as its new artistic director and revealed seasoned film programmers Kamiya Naoki and Fukatsu Junko as its programmers for foreign-language films.

The festival, founded by leading independent filmmaker Jia Zhangke, already counts Wu Jueren as its programmer for Chinese language films and Song Jia, as programmer for short films.

The announcements were made in Berlin on Sunday. At the same event the executive committee of Wings International was introduced as Jia, Tang Yan (chairman and CEO of Chinese social media firm Hello Group), Japanese film producer Ichiyama Shozo, Hong Kong film programmer Jacob Wong, and Casper Liang, CEO of Pingyao International Film Festival. The fund aims to support five foreign film projects of finished script each year.

Lin is a chronicler of the New Chinese Documentary Film movement and has hosted documentary film events in Beijing in 1997 and 2004, as well...

Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke is relieved that the festival he founded in the ancient walled city of Pingyao in China’s Shanxi province is back on track after a tricky few years during the pandemic.

Now in its seventh edition, Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff) takes place in a purpose built festival centre, with five screening rooms, exhibition halls and other facilities, inside the stunning Unesco world heritage site of Pingyao. Lin Xudong, a critic, academic and documentary filmmaker, is artistic director of the festival, with veteran festival director Marco Mueller as chief artistic consultant.

The festival managed to keep going through the pandemic era, last year shifting its dates from October to January, but the centre was often closed for months at a time due to China’s strict Covid regulations. “We had some difficult days – we had to shut down completely for 18 months in the middle of the...

Ash Is Purest White (Jiang hue er nü) Cohen Media Group Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net by: Harvey Karten Director: Jia Zhang-Ke Screenwriter: Jia Zhang-Ke Cast: Zhao Tao, Liao Fan, Xu Zheng, Casper Liang, Feeng Xiaogang, Diao Yinan Screened at: Critics’ Link, NYC, 3/7/19 Opens: March 15, 2019 When I visited China in 1985 as […]

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It’s always an odd feeling when you’re completely out of step with your colleagues about a film. It’s rare that I’m one of the only ones not to like something everyone else loves, but here we are. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Ash Is Purest White in the least, I just couldn’t quite understand what the fuss was all about. There’s some gorgeous cinematography (from Dp Eric Gautier), a terrific lead performance, and some genuinely moving moments. There’s also some very odd choices, poor pacing, a bloated running time, and a sense that there’s a few too many right turns. It’s an interesting film, just not quite one I’d recommend to you. The movie is a crime drama at times, a romance at times, and apparently a comedy at others. Labeled a tragicomedy set in part...

"For people like us, it's kill or be killed." Cohen Media Group has debuted an official Us trailer for the film Ash Is Purest White, the latest from acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke. This premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, and played at a bunch of other major festivals in the fall. Ash Is Purest White is an vibrant, sprawling drama that spans nearly 16 years, focusing on the relationship between a gangster and the woman who loves him, named Qiao. After a violent incident that lands Bin in prison, they drift apart and together over the years, and the film acts as an examination of China as it has evolved since 2001 and also a look at how romance and relationships change (or don't) with time. Zhao Tao stars as Qiao, with a cast including Liao Fan, Diao Yi'nan, Feng Xiaogang, Casper Liang, and Xu Zheng. Whether you're already...