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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...

A decade after The Grandmaster, the wait for Wong Kar-wai’s next project has been lengthy, with his long-gestating Blossoms Shanghai first announced nearly five years ago. Now, after three years of filming, the series launches next week on China’s Tencent Video. Comprising 30 episodes of around 50 minutes each, the first four installments premiere on December 27, followed by two episodes per day.

Starring Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and Xin Zhilei, Wong Kar-wai is credited as producer and director. The story based on Jin Yucheng’s novel and follows Hu Ge’s A Bao, a businessman in Shanghai in two time periods: the 1960s and 1990s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” Wong previously said. “Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel Blossoms has been the perfect backdrop to visualize and share my love for my birth city,” said Wong Kar-wai. “With the series,...

Blossoms Shanghai Trailer 2 — Tencent Pictures has released the second international movie trailer and web series trailer for Blossoms Shanghai (2023). Crew Wong Kar-Wai‘s Blossoms Shanghai stars Hu Ge, Kris Wu, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and Xin Zhilei. Name wrote the screenplay for Blossoms Shanghai. Name created the music for the film. Name crafted [...]

Continue reading: Blossoms Shanghai (2023) Movie Trailer 2: A Self-made Millionaire Tries to Reinvent Himself in Tencent Pictures’ Drama...

Come back to cinema, Wkw! Tencent Pictures is China has debuted yet another new promo trailer for a web series + feature film project called Blossoms Shanghai, also known as only Blossoms (繁花) for China. This has been in the works for years and years. We featured a different trailer for this last year already, but it still hasn't been released yet. It's all rather vague. This is an adaptation of a 2012 novel of the same name from Jin Yucheng, telling the story of a young entrepreneur named Mr. Bao as he seeks wealth, status and romance set against a backdrop of China's 1990s economic boom. The story of a "self-made millionaire" in Shanghai during the 1990s, a young opportunist with a troubled past. Wong has said it is a "deeply personal venture as a return to his hometown of Shanghai," and he has been working on its script and development for five years.

A decade after The Grandmaster, Wong Kar-wai is finally returning next year with his long-gestating new project Blossoms Shanghai. First produced as a TV series, with a movie version also in the works, the drama stars Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and Xin Zhilei. Ahead of a 2023 release in China, a new trailer has now arrived.

Based on Jin Yucheng’s novel, the story of Blossoms follows three Shanghai residents from the early ’60s, at the end of China’s Cultural Revolution, and through the ’90s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” the director previously said. The drama is written by award-winning Shanghainese screenwriter Qin Wen, and features visual supervision from Academy Award-winning cinematographer Peter Pau.

“Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel Blossoms has been the perfect backdrop to visualize and share my love for my birth city,” said Wong Kar-wai. “With the series,...

Cook Up A Storm is a new Chinese film about ‘the ultimate culinary competition between a Cantonese street cook and a French-trained Michelin-starred chef’. It stars Nicholas Tse, Cn-Blue's Jung Yong-Hwa, Tiffany Tang, Michelle Bai and Ge You. Thanks to Magnum Films, we have Five double passes for the film to give away to our readers. For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps: 1) Like the Magnum Film Facebook page, and 2) Email your name and postal address to me at: hugo[at]screenanarchy.com Cook Up A Storm will open in Australian cinemas on February 14 and this competition will close at 3pm on February 13. Good luck!...

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If your weekends are anything like mine, most times they are filled with movie and drama marathons. While I do enjoy the occasional interaction with other human units, I mostly prefer to shed the stress of the previous work week by relaxing at home.

However, when watching movies is your go-to activity, selections can quickly become depleted. Luckily for me, I have become quite good at finding hidden gems throughout various technology sources. They usually feel like a sweet reward during droughts of fresh material. One source that has been quite rich with great finds is Google Play. I found the following two-day movie rentals on Google Play for just a few bucks.

Monk Comes Down the Mountain

The first treasure is a star-studded martial arts action film directed by Chen Kaige. Monk Comes Down the Mountain is a story about a monk who finds himself unexpectedly forced out of...

Jang Tae-yoo, director of the hugely popular Korean drama series My Love From The Star, has teamed up with Chinese stars Aaron Kwok, Yao Chen, Li Chen, Tiffany Tang, Hao Lei and Wang Yibo for a new film about love and friendship called Mba Partners.    Three different women become business partner, with their own individuality and they create a new careers. The movie combines friendship, love and dreams.   Thanks to Australian distributor Magnum Films, we have Five double passes for the film to give away to our readers.    For a chance to win, all you have to do is to follow these two steps:   1) Like the Magnum Film Facebook page, and   2) Email your name and postal address to...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Korean actor Lee Min-ho will star in the upcoming movie ‘Bounty Hunters’ alongside Wallace Chung (Monster Hunt), Tiffany Tang (East Meets West), and Karena Ng (Ip Man 3). ‘Bounty Hunters’ is one of a growing list of big-budget joint ventures between Chinese and Korean production companies to be released in 2016.

According to Filmcatalogue.com, the movie centers on a team of bounty hunters gathered by an FBI agent to capture a wanted man. Filming began in August 2015 and features locations in Asia such as South Korea, Hong Kong, China, and Thailand.

Korean director Shin Terra (My Girlfriend is an Agent) is at the helm of this action-adventure film and Edmond Wong of the Ip Man film series penned the script.

The movie has a budget of $10-25 million and is produced by Harmonious Entertainment Shanghai, Starhaus Entertainment of Korea, and Pegasus Motion Pictures of Hong Kong which also produced blockbusters such as All’s Well,...

With less than a week before Lu Chuan's sci-fi adventure film Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe hits Chinese theaters, the "ultimate" trailer has arrived.  Based on Zhang Muye's best-selling novel series "Ghosts Blow Out the Light", it follows the adventures of grave robbers as they raid ancient tombs across mythical sites in China.  Many other worldly creatures and paranormal activities seem to be in store for what is Chuan's most commercial film to date.In 1979, a young soldier is working in China's snowcapped mountains when an explosion reveals bizarre fossils hidden deep in the mountain caverns. What they discover next will change his life and human history forever. The cast includes Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan, Li Chen, Tiffany Tang, Guangjie Li, and...

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It was reported earlier that director Lu Chuan (City of Life and Death) was venturing into Hollywood-esque effects with his next project and we expected him to deliver something visually spectacular.  Well, it seems this is certainly the case as shown in a clip for his sci-fi adventure film entitled Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe. Featuring some giant ferocious creatures going on a tear, the creatures were created by Korean VFX house Dexter Studios, the team behind Mr. Go.  The cast includes Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan, Li Chen, Tiffany Tang, Guangjie Li, and Daniel Feng.In 1979, a young soldier is working in China's snowcapped mountains when an explosion reveals bizarre fossils hidden deep in the mountain caverns. What they discover next will change...

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The Twelve Gold Medallions

Directed by Ching Gong

Written by Ching Gong

Hong Kong, 1970

It would be a bit of a stretch to argue that the Shaw Brothers studio was an excellent venue for actors for flex their thespian muscles to the fullest extent. Naturally, the emphasis in these movies is put on action, style and caricatures more than three-dimensional characterizations. It does not mean there are no fully fledged characters to play nor that an actor is never awarded the opportunity to give a performance worth of special note, but ‘acting’ definitely means playing within the parameters set up by the sorts of stories told. Some, however, break through the mould, be it because the script provides them with more meat to chew on or simply because they have more charisma, their presence holds more gravitas than most. Yueh Hua was one such actor, much like David Chiang and Lo Lieh.

Award-winning sword and sorcery action whirls on to DVD and Blu-ray today, July 12, in The Storm Warriors.

Released in cinemas in Hong Kong and Australia back in December, it's the first Chinese language film to be made using bluescreen technology.

Based on the popular comic book series Fung Wan, by writer, illustrator and publisher Ma Wing-Shing (Black Leopard; Chinese Hero), The Storm Warriors is directed by the Pang brothers (Bangkok Dangerous; The Eye trilogy), Oxide and Danny.

The movie takes its visual cues from Zack Snyder's adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 and is a sequel to Andrew Lau's 1998 action-fantasy film The Storm Riders.

It sees Asian stars Ekin Cheng (Kamui; Divergence) and Aaron Kwok (The Detective; Divergence) reprising their roles as Wind and Cloud, two legendary warriors with the power to control the elements.

The Storm Warriors was winner of the Best Visual Effects Award at...