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DAY 2 

TUESDAY, MARCH 20 2012 

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“GLOBAL VISION SELECTION” 

POLICEMAN 

Director: Nadav LAPID 

Country: France 

Cast: Yiftach Klein, 

Yaara Pelzig 

Locarno, Special Jury Prize 

3 Continents Nantes, 

Audience Award 

BFI London Film Festival 

New York Film Festival 

OFFICIAL SCREENINGS: 

23/03 3:40 PM @ HONG KONG SPACE MUSEUM LECTURE HALL 

25/03 7:45 PM @ UA LANGHAM PLACE 

29/03 3:00 PM @ UA CITYPLAZA 

MARKET SCREENING: 

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HKIFF OFFICIAL SELECTION 

MARKET SCREENINGS @ FILMART 

NIGHT #1 

Director: Anne EMOND 

Country: Canada 

Cast: Catherine De Léan, 

Dimitri Storoge 

Toronto IFF 

Busan IFF, Offi cial Selection 

Rotterdam IFF 2012, 

Bright Future Section 

Göteborg IFF 2012 

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30/03 7:15 PM UA ISQUARE 

“POLAND 

IN CLOSE-UP” 

FEAR OF 

FALLING 

Director: Bartosz KONOPKA 

Country: Poland 

Cast: Marcin Dorocinski, 

Krzysztof Stroinski, 

Magdalena Poplawska 

Gdynia Film Festival, 

Offi cial Selection 

Montreal World Cinema FF, 

First Films World 

Competition 

CLIP 

Director: Maja MILOS 

Country: Serbia 

Cast: Isidora Simijonović 

Vukašin Jasnić, 

Sanja Mikitišin 

Jovo Makisć 

Monja Savić 

Rotterdam IFF 2012, 

Tiger Award 

MARKET SCREENING: 

19/03 4:00 PM @ HKCEC MEETING ROOM N204-N205 

BEAST PARADISE NOOR 

CLIP

DAY 2 

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Tai Chi 0 

Tai Chi 0 travels 

to US, UK, France 

for Huayi Bros 

BY SEN-LUN YU 

China’s Huayi Brothers Media has 

pre-sold its steam-punk action 

drama Tai Chi 0 to Well Go USA for 

North America, Showbox for the 

UK and Wild Side for France. 

The company is close to deals in 

other territories including Australia 

and New Zealand, South- 

East Asia and the rest of Europe. 

Shooting has started in China 

and the film is scheduled to be 

released there at the end of the 

year. 

Written by Taiwanese filmmaker 

Cheng Hsiao-tse (Miao 

Miao) and directed by Stephen 

Fung (House Of Fury, Jump), the 

film will feature the unique Chinese 

martial-arts style Tai Chi, telling 

about a young man’s long 

journey to fi nd his Tai Chi mentor 

and become a master himself. 

Eventually he faces a challenge to 

fight an army of steam-punk 

invaders in order to protect his villagers. 

The cast of the fi lm is being kept 

under wraps but it is understood 

Huayi is introducing a young Chinese 

actor to play the character of 

the Tai Chi hero, while Jet Li will 

also play a key role in the fi lm. 

Huayi Brothers is planning to 

make Tai Chi 0 the fi rst of a trilogy 

and it is understood the writing of 

the second and third film has 

started. 

The film’s set and steam-punk 

adventures will also be featured in 

the Huayi Brothers Theme Park, 

scheduled to begin construction in 

Suzhou City in May. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 20 2012 

Iran’s A Separation leads 

the Asian Film Awards 

BY LIZ SHACKLETON 

Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation was 

the big winner at the Asian Film 

Awards last night, scooping best 

fi lm, best director, best screenwriter 

and best editor. The Iranian drama, 

which was named best foreignlanguage 

fi lm at this year’s Academy 

Awards, was written and 

directed by Farhadi, while Hayedeh 

Safi yari took best editor honours. 

Best actress went to Hong Kong 

veteran Deanie Ip for her role in 

Ann Hui’s A Simple Life, echoing 

her win at last year’s Venice fi lm festival. 

Hui was the recipient this year 

of the Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Donny Damara beat out a strong 

category to take best actor for his 

role as a transvestite prostitute in 

Indonesian drama Lovely Man. 

Taiwan’s Lawrence Ko took best 

supporting actor for his role in 

Jump Ashin!, while Shamaine 

Buencamino won the best actress 

prize for award-winning Filipino 

drama Nino. Best newcomer went 

Wong Ching Po to direct Shanghai actioner for MVP 

BY LIZ SHACKLETON 

Wong Ching Po has been lined up 

to direct $10m martial-arts action 

fi lm Once Upon A Time In Shanghai 

for Wong Jing’s Mega Vision Pictures 

(MVP). Scheduled to start 

shooting at the end of April, the 

film will star Philip Ng (Bodyguards 

And Assassins) and Sammo 

Hung. Yuen Woo Ping (The Matrix) 

is on board as action director. 

Ng will play a poor labourer from 

Shandong who moves to 1920s 

Shanghai to make his fortune but 

ends up using his powerful fists. 

Raymond Wong’s Pegasus Motion 

Pictures is gearing up to shoot two 

projects in the second quarter of 

2012: Vincent Kok’s Guys Are Like 

Clothes and a 3D horror film from 

Po Chih Leong. 

Scheduled to start shooting at 

to Ni Ni for her role in Zhang 

Yimou’s Flowers Of War. 

Peter Ho-sun Chan’s Wu Xia triumphed 

in the technical categories 

scooping best production design, 

best composer and best cinematographer. 

Tsui Hark’s Flying Swords 

Of Dragon Gate won best visual 

effects and best costume design. 

The People’s Choice Awards 

went to Andy Lau, Ip’s co-star in A 

Hung plays his kung-fu master. “I 

asked Wong Ching Po to direct this 

fi lm because his visual style is very 

unique and I want him to bring a 

new visual element to kung-fu 

fi ghting,” Wong Jing told Screen. 

Wong Ching Po is one of Hong 

Kong’s hottest young directors with 

credits such as Revenge: A Love 

Story which has sold widely and 

won best director at last year’s Moscow 

International Film Festival. 

His new project will be sold 

internationally by MVP’s international 

sales label Mega Vision 

Pegasus lines up Kok comedy, 3D horror 

the end of April, Guys Are Like 

Clothes is a romantic comedy about 

women turning the tables on men. 

Po’s as-yet-untitled 3D horror 

film will be co-directed by Raymond 

Wong and star Raymond Lam, 

Karena Ng and Yan Ni. Production 

AT FILMART 

Simple Life, who was voted Favourite 

Actor, while Eugene Domingo 

from the Philippines was voted 

Favourite Actress for her role in 

Woman In A Septic Tank. 

Among previously announced 

prizes, Indonesian film-maker 

Edwin took the Edward Yang New 

Talent Award, while the 2011 Top 

Grossing Asian Film Award went 

to Let The Bullets Fly. 

Award winner Deanie Ip arrives at the Asian Film Awards last night 

Project Distribution, headed by 

Gordon Cheung, which is also selling 

Marco Mak’s Naked Soldier, 

starring Hung and Jennifer Tse. 

MVP’s busy production slate 

also includes Patrick Kong’s 

motorbike chase drama Ride With 

The Wind and Wong Jing-directed 

Princess And the Seven Kung-fu 

Masters, which Bona Film Group 

will release in China this summer. 

Wong Jing is also directing The 

Last Tycoon, starring Chow Yunfat, 

for Bona which is also scheduled 

to shoot from April. 

is scheduled to start in June. 

Meanwhile, Pegasus will host a 

press conference at Filmart today 

for Ronny Yu’s $26m Saving General 

Yang, a co-production with Henan 

Film Group and Huayi Brothers. 

Liz Shackleton 

TODAY 

Review: Roadside Fugitive 

NEWS 

Malaysian incentives 

Malaysia introduces 30% 

production rebate 

» Page 4 

REVIEW 

Roadside Fugitive 

The third in Yu Irie’s 8,000 Miles 

series will strike a chord with young 

Japanese audiences 

» Page 6 

Screen’s digital dailies 

View the Filmart daily on 

www.ScreenDaily.com 

Panel explores 

online access 

to China 

BY JEAN NOH 

How to monetise expensive TV and 

fi lm content online was the main 

topic in the opening Filmart/Screen 

International panel yesterday, ‘New 

Prospects for Online Distribution 

of Entertainment Content’, which 

featured speakers from Chinese 

web platforms Youku and Qiyi. 

Though users — especially in 

China — are accustomed to getting 

content for free, the two panelists 

agreed consumers could be persuaded 

to purchase legitimately if 

provided with high quality or tailored 

content. 

“At Youku, we have TVOD users 

who pay for each viewing separately 

and then we have those who 

pay on a monthly basis and these 

are long-term users. We’re fi nding 

that once it becomes a habit, they 

don’t mind paying $5 for content,” 

said Zhu Hui Long, vice-president, 

film operations and corporate 

development, Youku.com. 

With its quota restrictions on foreign 

fi lms’ theatrical releases, there 

are fears the Chinese authorities 

will clamp down on the number of 

foreign fi lms made available on new 

media, and, though he would not 

specifi cally address that possibility, 

Zhu said that “when the government 

closes one gate, there are still 

other gates to go through”. 

» For more, see ScreenDaily.com 

Zhu Hui Long on the Filmart panel

NEWS 

Assassins lands 

home with 

Well Go USA 

By SEN-LuN yu 

Arclight Films has sold its Chow 

Yun-fat-starrer The Assassins to 

Well Go USA for North America. 

Directed by Chinese first-time 

film-maker Zhao Linshan and 

backed by China’s Enlight Pictures 

and Changchun Film Group, The 

Assassins stars Chow, Crystal Liu 

Yifei and Alex Su and tells the 

story of controversial hero/tyrant 

general Cao Cao in the 3rd century 

in China. 

Arclight’s Asian label Easternlight 

has also picked up the Chinese 

remake of Dangerous 

Liaisons, starring Zhang Ziyi, 

Korean star Jang Dong-gun and 

Hong Kong’s Cecilia Cheung. 

Directed by Korea’s Hur Jin-ho, 

Dangerous Liaisons is scripted by 

well-known Chinese author Yan 

Geling and is backed by Beijing’s 

Zonbo Media. 

Other Chinese 

films handled 

by Easternlight 

are The Fo u r, 

directed by Gordon 

Chan and starring 

Crystal 

Liu Yifei and 

Deng Chao, 

and White 

Vengeance 

starring 

Leon Lai 

and William 

Feng. 

Chow Yun-fat in 

The Assassins 

n 4 Screen International at Filmart March 20, 2012 

Malaysia to introduce 

30% production rebate 

By Liz ShackLEtoN 

The Malaysian government is set 

to introduce a rebate scheme for 

local and international films 

shooting in Malaysia. 

Foreign films that spend $1.7m 

or more while filming in the country 

will be able to claim back 30% 

of their spend. Local films that 

spend $800,000 or more will also 

be able to claim back 30%. The 

expenses of the productions will 

be audited by the relevant authorities 

before the rebate is given. 

The move is designed to boost 

Malaysia’s production industry and 

bring international films into the 

country, which will open the Pinewood 

Iskandar Studios in 2013. 

“The incentive should bring 

benefits including the transfer of 

technological know-how, more 

jobs for local talent and is also 

good for tourism,” said Datuk MD 

Afendi B Datuk Hamdan, chairman 

of Malaysia’s National Film 

Development Corp (FINAS). 

Malaysia is also planning to 

launch a contents market and 

locations showcase, the Kuala 

Lumpur Communications and 

Content Industry Market 

(KLCCIM), which has the tentative 

dates of November 16-18. The 

Kuala Lumpur International Film 

Festival will be rebranded and 

moved to the same time of year. 

FINAS and promotional agency 

GCMA are hosting a delegation of 

more than 30 Malaysian content 

sellers here at Filmart. GCMA also 

announced Kuala Lumpur-based 

Animasia Studio is planning to 

release an animated feature based 

on its popular television series Bola 

Kampung by the end of the year. 

Sonamu grabs Bunohan for Korea 


Korea’s Sonamu Pictures has 

acquired action drama Bunohan 

— directed by Malaysian filmmaker 

Dain Iskandar Said — 

from Easternlight Films. 

The film, which premiered 

at last year’s 

Toronto International Film 

Festival, was produced by 

the US’s Convergence 

Entertainment and 

Malaysia’s Apparat. It 

was previously sold to 

Universal Pictures for a 

slew of territories includ- 

First time for Edko, irresistible 


Hong Kong’s Edko Films and Irresistible 

Films are launching sales 

on romantic love story First Time, 

starring Angelababy (Hot Summer 

Days) and Mark Chao (Monga), 

here in Filmart. 

The two stars previously 

worked together on Taiwanese hit 

Black And White. Their new collaboration, 

directed by Han Yan 

(The Tropic Of Cancer), is produced 

by Ivy Ho and Bill Kong for a 

budget of $3m. Edko Films’ sales 

chief June Wu is handling international 

sales. 

Edko is also selling romantic 

comedy Love Is Not Blind, produced 

by Beijing-based Perfect 

World, which was a huge sleeper 

hit in China last year grossing 

$52m (rmb330m). 

The company’s Filmart slate 

also includes Irresistible Films pro- 

ductions Nightfall and Cold War. 

Nightfall is a crime thriller, 

directed by Roy Hin-yeung Chow 

and starring Nick Cheung and 

Simon Yam, which opened in 

Hong Kong last weekend and 

grossed $850,000 (hk$6.58m) in 

four days. Cold War, directed by 

Longman Leung and Sunny Luk, 

is a police action film starring 

Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Kafai. 

Currently in post-production, 

Cold War is scheduled for a summer 

2012 release. 

Nightfall 

Datuk MD afendi B Datuk hamdan 

ing the UK, Germany, France, 

Australia and New Zealand. 

Oscilloscope Pictures recently 

picked up North American rights 

to the film, which were handled 

jointly by Easternlight and Los 

Angeles-based sales agent Traction 

Media. 

Convergence also announced 

that Hong Kong actress Kara Hui 

will star in supernatural horror 

feature Nuptials Of The Dead, 

written and to be directed by 

Maya Lim. Hui won best actress at 

the 2009 Golden Horse Awards 

and the 2010 Hong Kong Film 

Louis Fan at 

yesterday’s 

Filmart press 

conference 

for Patrick Leung’s 

Wu Dang, in which 

Fan stars with 

Vincent Chiu, 

Dennis To and Mini 

Yang. Mei Ah 

Entertainment is 

selling here. 

Awards for her role in At The End 

Of Daybreak. 

Nuptials Of The Dead, which will 

also star Collin Chou, is scheduled 

to start shooting in Kuala Lumpur 

in August. Based on a short Lim 

wrote and directed, the Chineselanguage 

feature revolves around 

the concept of the ancient Chinese 

practice of ‘ghost marriages’. 

Convergence is co-producing 

Nuptials with Apparat, and Lee 

Tae-hun of Korea’s Opus Pictures 

serves as executive producer. Distribution 

Workshop is handling 

international sales. 

AFCNet prepares for board meeting 

By JEaN Noh 

The Asian Film Commissions Network 

(AFCNet) is holding this 

year’s first board meeting today 

here at Filmart. The agenda will 

feature issues such as new membership 

approval, awards, establishing 

an AFCNet ASEAN committee, 

PR and marketing strategies, and 

an ASEAN-ROK Cooperation 

Project. The film commissions and 

locations support organisation has 

46 members from 17 countries 

including the Busan Film Commission, 

Japan Film Commission, Australia’s 

Film Gold Coast, and the 

Bali Film Center where Oliver 

Stone recently wrapped Savages. 

Dark Flight 3D 

Buyers take 

Five Star’s 

Dark Flight 

Thailand’s Five Star Production 

has closed a slew of deals on 

horror picture Dark Flight 3D 

including a sale to KSM for the 

UK and German-speaking 

territories and to Color 

Entertainment for Japan. 

The film has also been sold to 

Encore Films for Hong Kong, 

Deepjoy Picture Corporation for 

Taiwan, Clover Films for 

Singapore and Malaysia, PT Inter 

Solusindo Film for Indonesia and 

Filmworks for Cambodia. 

Hong Kong’s Digital Magic 

handled the 3D on the film, which 

is the first major 3D horror 

picture from Thailand. 

Directed by Issara Nadee from 

a story by Kongkiat Komesiri, it 

revolves around a flight 

attendant who survives a plane 

crash but later finds herself 

working on the same plane. 

The film opens in Thailand on 

March 22. 

Five Star is also selling Tai — 

a Muay Thai action film also 

written by Kongkiat and directed 

by well-known Thai producer 

Sirisak Koshpasharin (Fireball) — 

and romantic drama First Kiss. 


PiFan’s it 

Project sets 

May 1 deadline 

By JEaN Noh 

The Puchon International Fantastic 

Film Festival (PiFan) has made 

a call for submissions to its genre 

projects market, It Project. 

Covering genres including horror, 

thriller, action and sci-fi, It 

Project’s previous selections 

include Korean director Yeon 

Sang-ho’s animation King Of Pigs 

(formerly King Of Swine) which 

premiered at Busan and had an 

acclaimed theatrical release in 

Korea. Singaporean director Li Lin 

Wee’s Forever had a successful 

release in Singapore and Malaysia 

after a double world premiere at 

Cairo and Jakarta. PiFan offers 

cash and post-production support. 

The submission deadline is May 1.

REVIEWS 

Reviews edited by Mark Adams mark.adams@screendaily.com 

HKIFF IN BRIEF 

White Deer Plain 

Asian Premiere/Closing Night Film. 

Dir: Wang Quan’an. Chi. 2011. 177mins 

Picturesque saga White Deer Plain (Bai Lu 

Yuan), adapted from Chen Zhongshi’s novel 

that had been banned by the Chinese censors 

for years for its overt sexual content, deals 

with the confrontations between two predominant 

families in a village, set over a number 

of years. But despite all the conflicts, violence 

and political upheavals, it is delivered with 

such academic tone that non-Chinese viewers 

will probably never feel part of it. An over-rich 

plot twists and turns as it tries to be on the one 

hand a faithful historical pageant and on the 

other hand a powerful personal drama. 

Dan Fainaru 

CONTACT DISTRIBUTION WORKSHOP 

dw@distributionworkshop.com 

Postcards From The Zoo 

Asian Premiere/Young Cinema Competition. 

Dir: Edwin. Indo-Ger-HK-Chi. 2012. 96mins 

A Jakarta zoo is the setting for a slow and 

dreamy magical-realist romance in Indonesian 

film-maker Edwin’s follow-up to his wellreceived 

2009 debut Blind Pig Who Wants To 

Fly. Sweet and playful as a baby monkey but 

with the lumbering pace of a hippo, the film 

has a more linear storyline than Blind Pig, and 

it tones down the shock factor that made parts 

of that film difficult to watch. Cinematic 

poetry of this nature is often a slow-build 

affair, though the patient will be rewarded by 

what is a work of striking originality. 

Lee Marshall 

CONTACT THE MATCH FACTORY 

www.the-match-factory.com 

Go! Boys’ School Drama Club 

International Premiere/I See It My Way 

Section. Dir: Hanabusa Tsutomu. Jap. 2011. 

85mins 

Bright, colourful and breezy, Hanabusa Tsutomu’s 

teenage romp Go! Boys’ School Drama 

Club is a freewheeling pop-culture romp 

blending Glee and High School Musical as it 

follows student Genki Ogasawara (Aoi Nakamura) 

who joins the theatre club at his new 

school. A visit to a female high-school drama 

club provides an excuse for a little crossdressing 

and love interest. Japanese pop sensibilities 

drive the predictably sentimental 

story, and while unlikely to travel much overseas 

it is enjoyable in its silliness. 

Mark Adams 

CONTACT SHOWGATE INC shibata@ 

showgate.jp 


Roadside Fugitive 

Reviewed by Mark Adams 

Japanese director Yu Irie continues to document 

the tragic-comic stories of suburban wannabes 

whose dream of gangster rap fame comes crashing 

down around them in Roadside Fugitive, the third 

instalment in his 8,000 Miles series of films. Irie’s 

disenfranchised anti-heroes are regional rappers 

struggling with minimal talent and a lack of opportunities, 

but the challenge facing them is if they can 

stay true to their musical passions. 

The film, which has its world premiere at the 

Indie Power section of the Hong Kong International 

Film Festival, is slickly made, favouring 

bright colours, raw dialogue and a hand-held camera 

style, and while a tough sell for overseas audiences 

who might see it as derivative and resolutely 

downbeat, Irie’s films strike a chord with young 

audiences in Japan. 

His first theatrical film, 8,000 Miles, won the 

grand prize at the 2009 Yubari International Fantastic 

Film Festival, and while he followed it up 

with 8,000 Miles 2: Girl Rappers the following year, 

it is with Roadside Fugitive that Irie returns to the 

characters from 8,000 Miles. 

The first film dealt with three wannabe rappers 

from Saitama — the suburban area that links Tokyo 

and the Kanto countryside — chunky Ikku (Komakine), 

skinny Tom (Mizusawa) and bedraggled 

Mighty (Okuno), who together with three other 

local slackers form a rap act called Sho-Gung. 

Roadside Fugitive opens with the final scenes 

from 8,000 Miles, as Mighty leaves Ikku and Tom 

(as well as his broccoli farmer mother) behind and 

heads to Tokyo to make his fame and fortune. The 

story then skips two years to reveal Mighty (sporting 

checked flared trousers and permanent sunglasses) 

is an errand boy for rap act Gokuakucho 

by night and a labourer by day. 

Ken And Mary 

Reviewed by Mark Adams 

Breezy and glossy comedy romp Ken And Mary 

(Ameagari No Yozora Ni) is a raucous road trip that 

relishes its story of culture clashes and cross-generational 

conflict, and while never less than obvious 

it offers up genial entertainment that veers 

between sentimental and slapstick. 

The film, which had its world premiere in the 

Hong Kong International Film Festival industry 

section, stars Naoto Takenaka (whose credits 

include Shall We Dance?) as Ken Katakura, a harassed 

Japanese salaryman who heads to Malaysia 

planning to stop the wedding of his daughter 

Yukari (Kie Kitano). He does not know who she is 

marrying, but objects in any case. 

When a storm forces his plane to land at a 

remote airport, he has just 48 hours to make it to 

Kuala Lumpur to stop the event. He ends up 

accepting a lift from Chinese truck driver Maurice 

Mah (Hu) — who seems to be called ‘Mary’ in the 

English translation, though perhaps this should be 

WoRld pReMieRe 

Jap. 2012. 110mins 

Director/screenwriter/ 

producer/editor Yu irie 

Production companies 

Amuse, SR3 Crew 

pictures, Norainu Film 

International sales 

pictures dept, yuko. 

shiomaki@picturesdept. 

com 

Co-producers Hitoshi 

endo, Mizue Kunizane 

Cinematography 

Kazuhiro Mimura 

Production designer 

Kikuo ohta 

Music Taisei iwasaki 

Main cast eita okuno, 

Ryusuke Komakine, 

Shingo Mizusawa 

WoRld pReMieRe 

Jap. 2012. 87mins 

Director Kenta Fukasaku 

Production company 

Sedic international, 

dreambusters Malaysia, 

Gofu Films 

International sales 

Shochiku, www.shochiku. 

co.jp 

Producer Toshiaki 

Nakazawa 

Cinematography 

Kazuhiro Suzuki 

Music Shun Someya 

Main cast Naoto 

Takenaka, Hu Bing, Kie 

Kitano, Zizan Raja lawak, 

Mandy Chong Yea Min 

SCrEENINGS, PAGE 18 

After getting into a fight with the arrogant 

Gokuakucho guys when they refuse to give him a 

chance to perform, Mighty heads to the regional 

town of Tochigi, where he slides into criminal 

activity. He is forced into helping set up a music 

festival that also attracts the interest of Ikku and 

Tom who still cling to their musical ambitions. 

But Mighty has pretty much lost all hope, and 

after his girlfriend Kazumi is forced into prostitution, 

he spirals off into a string of violent acts as he 

tries to steal from his crime bosses, with the music 

event the place where the former friends are reunited 

(albeit briefly) amid bloody reprisals between 

Mighty, his bosses and the Gokuakucho rappers. 

The film favours raw drama over dark humour 

— which is a shame as this oddball bunch could 

also be played for subtle laughs — but Yu Irie maintains 

a consistent tone and peoples his film with 

intriguing characters. Look out for 8,000 Miles 4. 

‘Maury’ — who happens to know Yukari. The 

driver speaks enough Japanese to get by, and so the 

pair head off across country (used partly as a promotional 

video for the delights of Malaysia) in his 

ramshackle truck, which he calls Little Dragon. 

They become involved in a series of scrapes 

along the way, ranging from a drunken session at a 

truck drivers café and a detour to deliver emergency 

medical supplies, before eventually reaching 

the wedding at the very last moment. 

The by-the-numbers script offers little in the way 

of surprises, and with Naoto Takenaka playing his 

role for wide-eyed laughs, there is no room for subtle 

humour. Hu Bing is a charismatic and charming 

lead, while Kie Kitano is given little to do except be 

wistful and try on her wedding dress, and director 

Kenta Fukasaku tends to favour slapstick comedy 

moments when the pace starts to lull. 

Oddly enough, though, it is easy to see how the 

story could hold remake potential for a lazy Hollywood 

producer. A comedy about a father stuck 

with a rough-but-charming truck driver in a race 

against the clock to stop his daughter’s wedding… 

sounds like a perfect vehicle for Martin Lawrence 

and Ashton Kutcher.

HAF ProFiles 

Cross road 

Dir Peng Tao 

Country of origin China 

Displaying a strong sense of social critique in his first 

two features — the multi award-winning Little Moth in 

2007 and follow-up Floating In Memory in 2009 — Peng 

Tao’s third feature will turn its attention to the human 

condition as he looks at the choices people face in their 

life and adventures. 

The film centres around a happily married father, who 

takes advantage of a train crash to start a new life with a 

new identity. “Many people dream of escaping from the 

life that is forced upon them. But when an opportunity 

arises, will they choose to start afresh? And will the new 

life be as good as they dream of? This is the question I 

wanted to explore in the story,” explains Peng whose 

inspiration for the project came from a true story told to 

him by a friend of a woman who left her marriage and 

child behind to begin a new life. 

Visually, Peng plans to move away from his usual 

documentary-inspired realism towards a more sophisticated 

style of cinematography, lighting and sound to 

intensify the dramatic effect of the film. 

Peng has previously sought funding via independent 

film festivals or public soft money, but he is hoping to 

attract investors or co-production partners for this 

project, which is at the script stage and looks set to be 

more commercial in nature. 

Peng is producing for his company, New Youth Independent 

Film Studio, together with Yang Na of Heaven 

Pictures which has put $50,000 towards the budget of 

the $1.2m project. 

They are hoping to secure cast and the remainder of 

the budget after HAF meetings. 

Sen-lun Yu 

Cross road 

Budget $1.2m 

Finance raised to date $50,000 from Heaven Pictures 

Contact Peng Tao, New Youth Independent Film Studio 

pengtao17@gmail.com 


Curious Grandmas: The 

Murder of Annet Van Houten 

Dir Lucky Kuswandi 

» Cross road p8 

» Curious Grandmas: The Murder 

of Annet Van Houten p8 

» City of The lost Things p8 

» igna p10 

Country of origin Indonesia 

In a bid to appeal to older audiences — in particular his 

mother and grandmother — Lucky Kuswandi’s third feature 

is an Agatha Christie-inspired whodunit combining 

the spirit of Francois Ozon’s 8 Women with the kitschness 

of Indonesian soap operas. 

“It started with my own observations of the Indonesian 

film and TV scene in general. They actually use 

really young actresses to play older women. And I 

thought, ‘What happened to older 70s and 80s 

actresses?’” says Kuswandi, who plans to cast actors 

from his mother’s and grandmother’s generation who 

are now struggling to find work. 

The plot centres around four vacationing grandmothers 

who become sleuths when their socialite hotel owner 

is found dead in her pool. “It is a murder-mystery whodunit 

but also a comedy. The way I envision this film, it’s 

more about the grandmas’ interaction and their relationships, 

and about their finding their self-worth again,” 

adds the Indonesian director, who plans to adopt the 

same tone as his debut feature Madame X, a transvestite 

superhero movie which combined a camp, actionpacked 

style with a social conscience. The film screened 

last year at the Hong Kong International Film Festival 

and was nominated for two Asian Film Awards — for 

best supporting actress and best production design. 

Currently co-writing the script with Daud Sumolang, 

Kuswandi has brought Sammaria Simanjuntak on board 

to produce for her new company The Fat Cocoon. The 

team is considering shooting around Java Island, but is 

open to other location partnerships and will be on the 

lookout for funds, co-producers and pre-sales at HAF. 

The cast will be mostly Indonesian, but the story also 

lends itself to foreign actors. 

Jean Noh 

Curious Grandmas: The Murder of 

Annet Van Houten 

Budget $500,000 

Finance raised to date $50,000 through private funds 

Contact Sammaria Simanjuntak sammaria@gmail.com 

» 1982 p10 

» My Dictator p10 

» The seen And Unseen p10 

» Another Country p14 

» Tang Wong p14 

City of The lost Things 

Dir Yee Chih-yen 

Country of origin Taiwan 

Pitched as one of Taiwan’s biggest animation film 

projects in recent years, the $6.7m City Of The Lost 

Things will see a return to feature film-making for Yee 

Chih-yen, who has been working on TV dramas and 

commercials since 2005. 

His fourth feature will blend the idea of Buddhist reincarnation 

with recycling, centring around a 16-yearold 

boy and his adventures with a plastic bag. 

“We plan to create a style that is a hybrid between US 

and Japanese animation. It will also be a mixture of 2D 

and 3D animation,” says the Taiwanese director, whose 

2003 film Blue Gate Crossing was selected for Cannes 

Directors’ Fortnight. 

Yee says the biggest difference between this project 

and conventional animation works will be his decision 

not to humanise objects in the film. 

“I want these things to have lives, through my storytelling, 

but not to have eyes, arms or legs. I believe this is 

returning to the original spirit of animation,” says the 

director, who is now at the storyboard and charactersetting 

stage of production. 

So far, half of the project’s production budget is in 

place, courtesy of a Taiwanese cultural creative company, 

which wants to retain a low profile until the whole 

budget is secured. Actress-turned-producer Lee Lieh is 

producing for her outfit One Production Film Company, 

whose credits include Monga and Jump Ashin!. 

Yee intends to find gap financing for the remainder of 

the budget, and ideally an international or mainland 

Chinese co-production partner. 

Sen-lun Yu 

City of The lost Things 

» Flowing stories p14 

» Hangman p15 

» (Un)Making The Betrayal p15 

» Music And The Nation p15 

Budget $6.67m 

Finance raised to date $3.34m 

Contact Chen Hsin-Hung, One Production Film 

Company axinpower@gmail.com

HAF ProFIleS 

Igna 

Dir Eduardo Roy Jr 

Country of origin Philippines 

Eduardo Roy Jr’s 2011 debut feature, Baby 

Factory, dealt with birth in real time, capturing 

the dramatic struggles of women in 

labour. In contrast his second feature, Igna, 

will centre around death but using the lighthearted 

approach of a comedy of errors. 

Described by Roy as “almost a docudrama”, 

the idea for the film came from a 

desire to return to his grandmother’s home 

town and learn about the Philippines’ cultural 

traditions surrounding the celebration 

of death. 

“Life and death are themes we all deal 

with on a daily basis and in the end, we all 

need to be reminded how to celebrate 

every minute of it,” says Roy, who is working 

on the final draft of the script with 

Margarette Labrador whose background is 

in writing soap operas in the Philippines. 

The film will centre around Lola Igna, 

the self-proclaimed oldest woman alive, 

who has a premonition about her death 

and comes up with a list of demands on 

how to celebrate her wake. 

Roy is teaming with producer Ferdinand 

Lapuz who produced Baby Factory 

for Found Films. Baby Factory premiered 

at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival 

and went on to screen at international 

festivals including Marrakech and 

Vancouver. Lapuz also produced Brillante 

Mendoza’s Kinatay and Service (Serbis), 

both of which he brought to HAF in previous 

years. 

Currently in pre-production, the pair 

plan to shoot Igna in April, though are yet 

to finalise the cast. They will be hoping to 

secure more funds at HAF. 

Jean Noh 

Igna 

Budget $170,000 

Finance raised to date $10,000 from 

private funds 

Contact Eduardo Roy Jr wroyter0680@ 

yahoo.com 


1982 

Dir Oualid Mouaness 

Country of origin Lebanon 

Based on his own experience as an 11-yearold 

schoolboy in Beirut on the day Israeli 

planes started bombing the city, 1982 is a 

very personal project for Lebanese debut 

feature director Oualid Mouaness. 

“I was there… it’s my point of view on 

what really unfolded then versus what I 

really cared about, which was this girl in 

my classroom,” says the director, who 

originally wrote a short story in 1985 

about the autobiographical incident, in 

which he was about to tell a girl in his 

class that he was in love with her when the 

school was evacuated. 

Known for producing pop promos and 

Paris Hilton documentary Paris, Not 

France (2008), Mouaness is now taking 

the leap into directing his first feature, 

which will be a Lebanese-Arabic-European 

co-production. 

“I think there is a universality to the 

project and the story. Essentially, nothing 

really matters but love — and everybody 

loves the same way, no matter what side of 

the equation one is on.” 

“It is a personal, simple story about 

love,” adds Feyrouz Serhal of the film, 

which is being produced though her company 

Roumanna and Mouaness’ company 

Tricycle Logic, with plans to shoot later 

this summer. 

The film has already passed through the 

Dubai co-production market and the filmmakers 

also pitched it in Berlin. Thomas 

Karathanos has come on board as a German 

co-producer for Twenty Twenty Vision. 

The project has already received backing 

from Trancas Film International. The filmmakers 

are not specifically looking for Asian 

partners at HAF, but will be happy if they 

find them. “I have a feeling that Hong Kong 

may be pretty pivotal for what is going on in 

the film,” says Mouaness. 

Geoffrey Macnab 

1982 

Budget $1,700,000 

Finance raised to date $700,000 from 

Trancas Film International and Roumanna 

Contact Feyrouz Serhal, Roummana 

feyrouzs@gmail.com 

My Dictator 

Dir Lee Hae-jun 

Country of origin South Korea 

Beginning his career as a screenwriter for 

films including Kick The Moon and Antarctic 

Journal, Lee Hae-jun co-directed the 2006 

transgender film Like A Virgin before making 

his solo directorial debut with Castaway 

On The Moon, which screened at the Berlin 

and Hong Kong film festivals in 2009. 

His next project will be set in 1972, 

ahead of a North-South Korea summit 

meeting between the two dictators Kim Ilsung 

and Park Chung-hee. The film will 

centre around a low-level actor bent on 

impressing his son, who is roped in as Kim 

Il-sung’s double for the Korean Central 

Intelligence Agency (KCIA). 

“With my first two films, I deliberately 

held back on emotion and used dry 

humour. But with My Dictator, I want to 

throw straight balls in terms of the comedy 

and emotions. The film needs to be based 

in reality, but with a unique disposition,” 

says Lee, who came up with the idea after 

learning about the “summit rehearsals” 

which had been carried out by the KCIA. 

“They didn’t use real actors, but it was an 

interesting idea. I could tell the story of an 

actor, but at the same time of an individual 

who lived through tumultuous times,” says 

Lee, who was also inspired to write a story 

about fathers — like his own — who lived 

through dictatorships, becoming dictatorial 

towards their sons in the process. 

Kim Moo-ryoung, who produced Like A 

Virgin and Castaway On The Moon, is producing 

for banzakbanzak Film Production. 

Lee is currently writing the script and plans 

to start shooting this year. The team will be 

at HAF looking for funds and pre-sales. 

Jean Noh 

My Dictator 

Budget $4m 

Finance raised to date none 

Contact Kim Moo-ryoung mooring89@ 

naver.com 

The Seen And Unseen 

Dir Kamila Andini 

Country of origin Indonesia 

Kamila Andini started her career making 

documentaries about nature and animals, 

so it is not surprising that both her awardwinning 

2011 feature debut, The Mirror 

Never Lies, and her follow up, The Seen And 

Unseen, draw heavily on these themes. 

The Seen And Unseen centres around a 

young girl living in a village in Bali, whose 

twin brother is diagnosed with brain cancer. 

She visits him in hospital and tells him stories 

about the animals with which they used 

to play. As her brother loses his senses one 

by one, she makes her stories more physical 

and eventually turns them into dances. 

“This is a children’s world; this is the 

world of imagination. And this is the time 

when arts and illness unconsciously cure 

each other,” says Andini, who won the Earth 

Grand Prix award at the Tokyo International 

Film Festival and the Bright Young 

Talent award at the Mumbai International 

Film Festival for The Mirror Never Lies. 

Renowned Indonesian documentary 

director Garin Nugroho — whose 2006 

film Opera Jawa screened at Venice and 

Toronto — is attached to produce the film, 

together with Gita Fara, who worked as a 

line-producer on The Mirror Never Lies. 

They will produce for Indonesian outfit 

Sains Estetika Teknologi (SET) Film Production, 

which Nugroho set up in 1987. 

The Seen And Unseen has already 

received backing from Rotterdam’s Hubert 

Bals Fund and the Asia Pacfic Screen Academy 

(APSA) Children’s Film Fund, which 

backs Asian projects about children. 

Andini is currently writing the script, 

with plans to shoot in Bali. 

Jean Noh 

The Seen And Unseen 

Budget $325,000 

Finance raised to date $50,000 via the 

APSA Children’s Film Fund, Hubert Bals 

Fund and SET 

Contact Gita Fara gita.fara@gmail.com

Another Country 

Dir Jeon Soo-il 

Country of origin South Korea 

Having just wrapped shooting on his latest feature Padre 

Park in Peru, South Korean director Jeon Soo-il is wasting 

no time getting started on his next project, Another 

Country, which will be set in France. 

Currently at the script stage, it is a road movie about a 

husband trying to track down his wife after she goes 

missing on the first night of their honeymoon in Paris. 

“It is based on a true story that happened about 20 

years ago to Korean honeymooners in Paris. The husband 

found his wife a year later in the Southern port city 

of Marseilles,” says Jeon. 

The main theme of the film is identity. “It is a story 

about how a man goes about finding his wife, encountering 

people of different races and cultures, and how 

through this process, he finds himself,” says Jeon, who 

plans to shoot on location in Paris and Marseilles to create 

the right atmosphere of diverse immigrant cultures. 

“The places will be as important as the characters in 

this film,” says the director, who is no stranger to France, 

having studied at the Ecole Supérieure de Réalisation 

Audiovisuelle and at the University of Paris. He plans to 

complete the script by this summer, while at the same 

time hunting for locations. 

Michelle Son, head of M-Line Distribution, is attached 

as producer and brings to the project her international 

expertise. The film will be produced through Jeon’s own 

production company, Dongnyuk Film, which also turned 

out his previous independent arthouse films With A Girl 

Of Black Soil (2007), Himalaya, Where The Wind Dwells 

(2008) and I Came From Busan (2009), all of which have 

made him a regular at international film festivals. 

With $200,000 of the project’s $1m budget raised, the 

team will be looking for funds at HAF. 

Jean Noh 

Another Country 

Budget $1m 

Finance raised to date: $200,000 from private funds 

Contact Jina Kim sales@mline-distribution.com 


Tang Wong 

Dir Kongdej Jaturanrasmee 

Country of origin Thailand 

Thai screenwriter and director Kongdej Jaturanrasmee 

has two reasons to attend the Hong Kong International 

Film Festival. As well as showcasing his latest feature 

P-047, he will be in town to attract backing for his new 

project Tang Wong, a comedy drama about the conflict 

between traditional spirituality and modern beliefs in 

Thailand. 

Jaturanrasmee has written the script for Tang Wong, 

which centres around four teenage boys who promise to 

perform a traditional dance at a Thai shrine in exchange 

for their dreams coming true, but are reluctant to go 

through with the routine when their wishes are granted. 

Producer Soros Sukhum believes there are similarities 

between P-047 — which screened at the Venice Film Festival 

last year — and Jaturanrasmee’s new film, which is 

being made through Song Sound Production, the company 

set up by Sukhum and Jaturanrasmee to produce 

features (including P-047), shorts, music videos and 

commercials. 

“Both films deal with the subject of identity. P-047 

talks about finding human identity while Tang Wong 

raises a bigger question of what really is the identity of a 

nation. The film seeks to talk about Thai society’s conflict 

with traditional spirituality in the face of modern scientific 

beliefs and international cultures,” says Sukhum, 

who has worked with directors including Aditya Assarat 

on Wonderful Town and Sivaroj Kongsakul on Eternity. 

Currently in pre-production with a cast made up 

largely of non-professional actors, the pair have already 

raised $170,000 of their budget via the Thai Ministry of 

Culture and private financing. With shooting due to 

begin in April, they will be hoping to attract co-producers 

and sales agents who can bring in funds and/or postproduction 

and pre-sales. 

Jean Noh 

Tang Wong 

Budget $450,000 

Finance raised to date $170,000 from the Thai 

Ministry of Culture and private funds 

Contact Soros Sukhum bbunghim@yahoo.com 

Flowing Stories 

Dir Jessey Tsang Tsui-shan 

Country of origin Hong Kong-France-UK 

Jessey Tsang Tsui-shan’s documentary feature Flowing 

Stories revolves around the 500-year-old Ho Chung village 

in Hong Kong’s New Territories in which she grew up. 

Almost half the village has emigrated overseas since 

the 1960s, mostly to the UK and France. Using the Ho 

Chung river as a central motif, Tsang aims to create a 

visual history of Hong Kong’s disappearing village traditions, 

at the same time as exploring wider issues such as 

migration and the notion of home. 

“I was one of those people who travelled, but basically 

stayed in the village, so as I was growing up I became 

interested in whether our concept of ‘home’ is mental or 

physical,” Tsang explains. 

Tsang has already interviewed some of the village’s 

former inhabitants in their current homes in Paris, Calais, 

Edinburgh and London and recently returned to 

Hong Kong to shoot the local scenes. She also plans to 

mix in old family photos and archival footage, and hopes 

to include some animation sequences to recreate villagers’ 

memories, which would be difficult to film. 

During HAF, Tsang and her producer Teresa Kwong 

hope to secure funds for post-production and find an 

international sales agent or distributor. 

A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing 

Arts, Tsang’s credits also include award-winning short 

Lonely Planet and debut feature Lovers On The Road 

(2008), about a couple who break up after moving to 

Beijing. Her second feature, Big Blue Lake (2011), was a 

fictional, but partly auto-biographical, account of a 

young woman returning to Ho Chung village after working 

overseas to find her mother suffering from Alzheimer’s 

disease and her father out of town. 

Kwong, who produced Tsang’s previous two features, 

is also senior programme manager of the Hong Kong 

Arts Centre and director of talent incubator ifva. 


Flowing Stories 

Budget $130,000 

Finance raised to date $38,000 from Hong Kong’s 

Arts Development Council and Pure Art Foundation 

Contact Teresa Kwong, River Vision Production 

kwongps27@gmail.com

Hangman 

Dir Jakrawal Nilthamrong, Ionut Piturescu 

Countries of origin Thailand-Denmark-Romania 

One of two projects at this year’s HAF to come out of the 

Copenhagen International Documentary Festival’s 

DOX:LAB 2011 — which pairs European and non-European 

film-makers — Hangman is a semi documentary 

film made up of six short stories about death and disaster, 

to be directed by Thailand’s Jakrawal Nilthamrong 

and Romania’s Ionut Piturescu. 

“We discovered the cultural and stylistic differences 

between us cause a kind of inspiration friction,” says 

Piturescu, whose documentary credits include Balkan 

Love Story and Seize The Time. He also won the 2010 

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight award for his short Quest. 

An art-school graduate whose latest short film, 

Immortal Woman, was selected for the Tiger Awards 

competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 

in 2011, Nilthamrong says he and his co-director were 

inspired by the bloodshed during the recent political 

unrest in Bangkok and the floods which affected the central 

part of the country. 

The film will include segments focusing on Thailand’s 

last executioner, local farmers from Cambodia whose 

lives were affected by the floods and a group of refugees 

struggling to survive on the Thailand/Cambodia border. 

In pre-production with plans to shoot in Thailand, 

Hangman is a co-production between Thailand’s Extra 

Virgin (the company with which Nilthamrong works), 

Romania’s Anthropoesis (with which Piturescu works), 

and DOX:LAB, the initiator of the project which has put 

up $17,000. 

Pimpaka Towira, founder of Bangkok-based production 

company Extra Virgin, is attached to produce. Her 

credits include Nilthamrong’s Unreal Forest which came 

out of the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s 2010 

Forget Africa programme, and Uruphong Raksasad’s 

award-winning Agrarian Utopia. 

The team will be at HAF looking for funds, co-producers 

and sales agents for Hangman. 

Jean Noh 

Hangman 

Budget $100,000 

Finance raised to date $17,000 from a DOX:LAB grant 

Contact Patricia Drati patricia@cphdox.dk 

(Un)Making The Betrayal 

Dir Dain Said 

Countries of origin Indonesia-Malaysia 

Malaysian film-maker Dain Said was not put off directing 

by the fact his controversial, violent debut Dukun 

was banned from release. His second feature, Bunohan, 

went on to world premiere at Toronto last year, where it 

was praised for its elegant visuals and gritty action; it 

was picked up internationally by Universal Pictures. 

Said’s next project is a documentary that aims to 

deconstruct the consequences of Indonesian propaganda 

film The Betrayal, which was commissioned by 

the country’s president, General Suharto, in the 1980s to 

justify the millions of Indonesians who were massacred 

following his 1965 coup. 

Said was inspired during a Nippon Foundation fellowship 

in 2007, as he researched the historical role of 

films and propaganda in Indonesia. A graduate of the 

University of Westminster in London, he also tackled the 

1965 era in his final year project Surabaya Johnny, which 

screened at the London Film Festival in 1989. 

The new film will feature interviews with ordinary 

people whose lives were affected by The Betrayal, using 

footage which Said salvaged from a Jakarta film studio 

backlot. 

“What the Indonesian people went through in their 

history was terribly painful. That a film was made to justify 

a regime’s brutality just goes to show how powerful 

film as a communication medium became in the 20th 

century, the world over,” explains Nandita Solomon, who 

is producing the documentary through Apparat, the 

company she set up with Said in 2009. 

(Un)Making The Betrayal has received grants from 

Busan’s Asian Cinema Fund and the Netherlands’ Jan 

Vrijman Fund and was part of last year’s Asian-European 

training programme for documentary film-makers, 

Crossing Borders. Currently in pre-production, Said and 

Solomon will be at HAF seeking funds, co-producers, 

sales agents and pre-sales. 

Jean Noh 

(Un)Making The Betrayal 

Budget $243,000 

Finance raised to date $43,000 from the 

Asian Cinema Fund, the Jan Vrijman Fund and 

private funds 

Contact Nandita Solomon nansolo@gmail.com 

Music And The Nation 

Dir Cheung King-wai 

Country of origin Hong Kong 

HAF ProFiles 

One of Hong Kong’s leading documentary film-makers, 

Cheung has selected Chinese pipa master Fang Jinlong 

and his all-female band, Sweet Eighteen, as the subject 

of his upcoming film. 

Like many mainland Chinese musicians, Fang used to 

play in a military band where he had no creative freedom 

but did not have to worry about pay. Now that he has to 

adapt to capitalist China, he encourages his girls to wear 

sexy outfits but finds it is still not easy to survive. 

“Money and art are like tango partners and that’s just 

as true for documentaries as it is for music,” says Cheung, 

who was a cellist before he turned to film-making. 

“I just want to objectively observe how the economic 

reforms in China are affecting the Chinese people.” 

Cheung’s documentary credits include KJ: Music And 

Life, about a piano prodigy, which won three prizes at 

Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and played for eight 

months in Hong Kong. His last film, One Nation, Two 

Cities, about mainland immigrants, premiered at last 

year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival and 

opened in Hong Kong theatres on March 16. 

Cheung has already been following Fang and his band 

for two years and says he needs another year or two to 

complete the film. The $1m budget is high by the standards 

of Hong Kong documentaries because he is following 

several people across different locations. Cheung 

also aims to use multiple Red cameras and high-quality 

sound recording. 

However, he believes the budget is justified as he is 

aiming for a theatrical release in both China and Hong 

Kong. Cheung describes the film as an “ordinary person 

epic” with commercial appeal, rather than a political critique 

that could have censorship problems on the mainland. 

“Chinese people will find themselves in this film,” 

he says. 


Music And The Nation 

Budget $1m 

Finance raised to date None 

Contact Wong Suet-lee, Beautiful Productions 

beautiful.prods@gmail.com 

March 20, 2012 Screen International at Filmart 15 n

FEATURE FOCUS 

Quota deal 

satisfi es both 

East and West 

The recent agreement between China and the US 

to widen the revenue-sharing quota has been met 

with enthusiasm by all parties and is driven by 

consumer demand, reports Liz Shackleton 

It rarely happens that when the relaxation of an 

import quota is announced, both sides believe 

they have come out on top. But this would 

appear to be the case with the recent agreement 

between the US and China to widen the revenuesharing 

quota by an additional 14 enhanced-format 

films a year, and increase the foreign 

distributor share to 25%. While some Chinese 

companies and fi lm-makers are reacting cautiously 

to the news, there are many — particularly the 

larger private and state-owned companies — who 

are saying “bring it on”. 

Yu Dong, CEO of Chinese studio Bona Film 

Group, recently told a roomful of fi nance analysts 

that it was great news for Chinese companies, 

especially private outfits with distribution and 

exhibition capabilities. “Companies with a vertically 

integrated business model, including cinema 

ownership, will benefi t directly from the distribution 

of Hollywood blockbusters,” Yu said. 

Hong Kong fi lm-maker Peter Ho-sun Chan, who 

has worked extensively in China, says he remembers 

when Taiwan’s quotas were removed and the 

market share of Taiwanese and Hong Kong fi lms in 

that territory collapsed overnight. “I don’t think 

anything as drastic would ever happen in China, 

not only because of state control, but also because of 

the taste of the Chinese audience,” says Chan. 

“When you look at what is making money in China, 

only a few exceptional titles such as Transformers 

and Kung Fu Panda are as big as we think.” 

Indeed, many believe the widening of the quota 

is a necessary step in the evolution of the market 

and could even have a positive impact on the local 

industry. The real issue is that a market which is 

adding eight new screens a day needs a lot more 

product, and while the local industry is growing 

quickly, its bigger films such as Bona’s Flying 

Swords Of Dragon Gate tend to cluster around 

just two major holiday periods: October’s 

National Day, and Christmas to January/February’s 

Chinese New Year. Though the agreement 

followed years of US lobbying and 

World Trade Organisation 

wrangling, Motion 

Picture Association of 

America (MPAA) chairman 

Chris Dodd says it 

was this “bottom-up pressure for 

content” that convinced China the time 

was right. 

But the devil is in the detail, and more important 

■ 16 Screen International at Filmart March 20, 2012 

‘Companies 

with a vertically 

integrated 

business model 

will benefit’ 

Yu Dong, 

Bona Film Group 

Kung Fu Panda 2 

Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate 

Green Lantern 

than quota numbers and percentages is 

how the agreement is interpreted and its 

knock-on effects. Certainly it has the 

potential to shake up China’s domestic 

distribution sector, which remains heavily 

monopolised and under state control. 

Though it is not included in the agreement, 

there is great hope among private Chinese 

studios that they will get a stab at 

distributing some of the additional revenuesharing 

fi lms. Currently, state-owned China Film 

Group and Huaxia Film Distribution are the only 

companies allowed to distribute foreign movies and 

their dominance is not likely to end any time soon. 

But it is understood the Film Bureau under the 

State Administration of Radio, Film and Television 

(SARFT) is already asking some private players to 

submit their credentials, and will favour compa- 

nies with a strong track record in distributing Chinese 

fi lms both locally and overseas. As always, the 

authorities are likely to experiment with new distributors 

before proclaiming their entry as offi cial 

policy (even before the US-China trade agreement, 

a handful of 3D fi lms such as Rio and Green Lantern 

were being imported each year outside the 

quota), but the fact they are already fi elding submissions 

is seen as a positive step. 

The promise of reciprocal market access should 

also lead to a stronger working relationship 

between the US and Chinese film industries — 

indeed, between the Chinese and all international 

fi lm industries — as the trade agreement is not limited 

to the US. As China tends to learn quickly and 

adapt Western business models, rather than being 

overwhelmed by them, this is not necessarily a bad 

thing. Again, Dodd says it is this desire to learn and

engage on an international level that is encouraging 

China to open up. 

“They have a tremendous desire to have a strong 

domestic industry and the offer is there of working 

with them in developing this,” says Dodd, speaking 

to Screen in Hong Kong after visiting film officials in 

Beijing. “They are also looking to be a player in the 

global market. The real benefits of this [agreement] 

are the effects of a growing relationship between 

the US and Chinese film industries, which will be 

tremendous for China and good for us as well.” 

Certainly there is a need in China for tracking 

systems and a deeper understanding of the complicated 

matrix between budget levels, promotional 

spend and release dates, which is uncharted territory 

in China but which has grown into a science in 

the US. At present, there are too many big films 

that fail and sleeper hits, such as Love Is Not Blind 

‘Bottom-up 

pressure for 

content 

convinced 

China the time 

was right’ 

Chris Dodd, 

MPAA 

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon 

Love Is not Blind 

which took $52.3m (rmb330m), that take everyone 

by surprise. 

Dodd also believes a closer working relationship 

will help rather than hinder co-production, which 

remains the other major method of accessing the 

China market: “My view is why would you not 

want to do co-production if they are limiting [the 

additional quota] to Imax and 3D?” 

Co-production is important to China as it enables 

local producers to create English-language 

movies for global consumption at a time when 

foreign-language product is facing its toughest 

challenges yet. US and other Western independents 

such as Relativity, Legendary and Village 

Roadshow are particularly active in this area and 

their interest is only likely to increase. 

Though the expanded quota in theory gives 

indies a better chance of securing a revenue-sharing 

slot, as a co-producer their share of profits from 

the Chinese box office is based on their equity contribution 

so can exceed 25%. The previous lack of 

Chinese co-production partners is also becoming 

less of a problem. Until recently there were only the 

state-owned companies and two private players — 

Bona and Huayi Brothers — to work with, but 

there is now a tide of Chinese heavyweights including 

Wanda, Le Vision Pictures, Galloping Horse 

and Stellar Group. 

It is also hoped the increased transparency understood 

to be a tacit part of the trade agreement could 

help the three other methods of accessing the Chinese 

market: flat-fee distribution and sales to internet 

platforms and TV. Though Chinese buyers are 

paying up to 10 times as much for product as they 

did a few years ago, these deals can be scuppered if 

ScreenIngS, page 18 

China by the numbers 

Box office $2.06bn (rmb13bn), up 30% on 

the previous year. Estimated to reach $2.68bn 

(rmb17bn) in 2012 

NumBer of screeNs 9,100 at the end of 2011, 

of which 5,000 are 3D 

Top foreigN film of all Time Avatar, $214m 

(rmb1.35bn) 

Top local film of all Time Let The Bullets Fly, 

$114.6m (rmb724m) 

the movies do not pass censorship, which remains 

the most vigilant barrier against foreign films. It is 

hoped the trade agreement will result in greater clarity 

on censorship decisions and that the increasing 

demand for content will eventually broaden the censors’ 

definition of an acceptable film. 

Beyond film distribution, the relaxed quota could 

potentially also spur investment between US and 

Chinese film companies as they jockey for footholds 

in each other’s markets. This would help reinforce 

China’s influence at an international level, in the 

same way CJ Entertainment and Sony’s investments 

did for Korea and Japan. 

With its huge consumer base and financing 

muscle, China has the potential to overtake both its 

Asian neighbours in terms of influence in the global 

film marketplace. The only question is in what 

form will this giant emerge: as a consumer, financier 

or supplier of global product? 

If the new ranks of Chinese studios get their own 

way, it is likely to be a combination of all three. 


scReenings 

edited by Paul lindsell paul.lindsell@gmail.com 

Market 

screenings 

09:30 

Rock’n’Roll 

Housewives 

(Japan) Comedy, Drama, 

113mins. Pony Canyon 

Meeting Room n101A, Hkcec 

09:45 

Ace AttoRney 

(Japan) Drama, Science 

Fiction, Fantasy, 135mins. 

Nippon Television 

Network Corporation. 

Dir: Takashi Miike. Key 

cast: Hiroki Narimiya, 

Takumi Saitoh, Mirei 

Kiritani 

When talented attorney 

Mia Fey is murdered, her 

sister Maya is arrested for 

the crime. Junior lawyer 

Phoenix Wright believes 

in her innocence and takes 

up the case, whereupon 

he meets prosecutor Miles 

Edgeworth, a level-headed 

attorney. An intense 

courtroom battle unfolds 

as testimony and evidence 

are presented. After the 

trial, Phoenix receives 

word that Miles has been 

arrested for murder. 

Meeting Room n206-n207, 

Hkcec 

tHe PARAde 

(Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, 

Macedonia, Montenegro) 

Drama, 116mins. Wide 

Management. Dir: 

Srdjan Dragojevic. Key 

cast: Nikola Kojo, Goran 

Navojec, Dejan Acimovic 

The story of former war 

hero and petty criminal 

Limun, who is hired by a 

group of Belgrade LGBT 

activists to protect their 

planned gay pride parade 

in the Serbian capital 

after threats from neo- 

Nazi groups. 


Hkcec 

sPec-HeAven 

(Japan) Action/ 

Adventure, Drama, 

Horror/Suspense, 

119mins. Tokyo 

Broadcasting System 

Television (TBS). Dir: 

Yukihiko Tsutsumi 

Meeting Room n101B, Hkcec 

Market 

10:00 

10:00 


tHe gReAt MAgiciAn 

(Hong Kong, China) 

Action/Adventure, 

Drama, Romance, 

128mins. Emperor 

Motion Pictures. Dir: 

Derek Yee. Key cast: 

Tony Leung, Lau 

Ching-wan, Zhou Xun 

In the early 1920s on 

the streets of Beijing, the 

nation’s most talented 

performers have gathered 

BReAd of HAPPiness 

(Japan) Drama, 

Romance, 114mins. 

Asmik Ace 

Entertainment. 

Dir: Yukiko Mishima. 

Key cast: Tomoyo 

Harada, Yo Oizumi 

The story of a married 

couple who run a small 

inn/cafe/bakery in 

Hokkaido, and their breads 

that heal the wounded. 


Hkcec 

dRifteRs 

(Italy) Drama, Romance, 

111mins. Fandango 

Portobello. Dir: Matteo 

Rovere. Key cast: Andrea 

Bosca, Miriam Giovanelli, 

Michele Riondino 

The young ragazzi of 

modern Rome inhabit a 

world of glamorous parties 

and love affairs. 


Hkcec 

to show off their 

spectacular skills. One 

day a challenge is set: 50 

silver dollars to whoever 

can reproduce the 

incredible magic trick 

Eight Immortals’ Treat. 

Zhang Xian appears 

amid the waiting crowd 

and decides to try his 

hand. 

Meeting Room n201A, 

Hkcec 

tHe gReAt MAgiciAn 

see box, above 

tHe Howling ReBoRn 

(US) Action/ 

Adventure, Romance, 

92mins. Moonstone 

Entertainment. Dir: 

Joe Nimziki. Key cast: 

Lindsey Shaw, Landon 

Liboiron, Ivana Milicevic 

On the eve of his high 

school graduation, Will 

Kidman finally bonds 

with the girl he has long 

yearned for, reclusive 

Eliana Wynter. But he also 

discovers a dark secret from 

his past: he is about to 

become a werewolf. 


Hkcec 

it gets BetteR 

(Thailand) Drama, 

104mins. M Picture 

Co. Dir: Tanwarin 

Sukkhapisit. Key cast: 

Penpak Sirikul, Bell 

Nuntita, Panupong 

Waraeaksiri 

Three hearts are destined 

to take a journey, and to 

fall in love. 


Hkcec 

love is not Blind 

(China) Comedy, 

Romance, 110mins. Edko 

Films. Dir: Teng Huatao. 

Key cast: Wen Zhang, Bai 

Baihe 

Suddenly dumped by her 

boyfriend of seven years, 

Xiaoxian doesn’t think she 

can go on until her sassy, 

but jaded, co-worker forces 

her to realise how little she 

understands about love. 


Hkcec 

tHe Melody 

(Thailand) 


Sahamongkolfilm 

International Co Ltd. Dir: 

Tossapon Srisukontarat. 

Key cast: Worrawech 

Danuwong, Pariyachat 

Limthammahisorn 

theatre 2, Hkcec 

PARis undeR wAtcH 

(France) Horror/ 

Suspense, 85mins. 

Films Distribution. Dir: 

Cedric Jimenez. Key cast: 

Melanie Doutey, Olivier 

Barthelemy, Francis 

Renaud 

A bomb attack in 

Gare d’Austerlitz: the 

government accuses Islamic 

groups, but a computer 

hacker finds images of the 

bombing and tracks down 

the couple responsible. With 

the help of surveillance 

cameras in the city, he 

starts to manipulate them. 


Hkcec 

PusHeR 

(UK) Action/Adventure, 

Drama, Organised Crime, 

100mins. Gaumont. Dir: 

Luis Prieto. Key cast: 

Richard Coyle, Agyness 

Deyn 

As edgy and explosive as 

Nicolas Winding Refn’s 

1996 cult classic, this 

English-language remake 

sees a small-time London 

drug dealer descend into 

debt hell. 

Agnes b. cineMA! Hong kong 

Arts centre 

11:30 

liAR gAMe: ReBoRn 

(Japan) Action/Adventure, 

Drama, Horror/Suspense, 

130mins. Pony Canyon. 

Dir: Hiroaki Matsuyama. 

Key cast: Shota Matsuda, 

Mikako Tabe, Mana 

Ashida 

Meeting Room n101A, Hkcec 

11:45 

love on-AiR 

(Korea) Romance 

120mins. Showbox/ 

Mediaplex. Dir: Kwon 

Chil-in. Key cast: Lee 

Min-Jung, Lee Jung-jin 

Jin-ah, the former leader 

of once popular girl band 

Purple, hosts a radio show 

called Wonderful Radio. 

When the producer of the 

programme is sacked over 

low ratings, a new guy fills 

his shoes. 


Hkcec 

12:00 

BullHeAd 

(Belgium) Drama, 

Organised Crime, 

129mins. Celluloid 

Dreams. Dir: Michael 

R Roskam. Key cast: 

Matthias Schoenaerts, 

Jereon Perceval, Jeanne 

Dandoy 


HiMizu 

(Japan) Drama, 129mins. 

Gaga Corporation. Dir: 

Sono Sion. Key cast: 

Shota Sometani, Fumi 

Nikaidou 

A teenager aspires to be 

“ordinary” and “normal” 

in this world of chaos. 

But after an incident that 

can never be erased from 

his life, his wish becomes 

impossible to achieve, 

turning him into a person 

obsessed to sanction evil 

people in the society. 


Hkcec 

MotH diARies 

(Canada, Ireland) 

Documentary, 83mins. 

Wild Bunch. Dir: Mary 

Harron. Key cast: Sarah 

Bolger, Sarah Gadon, Lily 

Cole 

Rebecca begins her junior 

year at an elite girls’ 

boarding school and 

is caught in a web of 

obsession, jealousy and 

betrayal. Eroticism, death 

and the supernatural 

entwine in a powerful 

emotional drama. 


Hkcec 

nigHt MARe 

(China) Horror/Suspense, 

War, 90mins. Shanghai 

Huayufilm Co. Dir: Yip 

Wai-ying. Key cast: Zhou 

Xianxin; Victor Huang, 

Gillian Chung 

Strange things happen 

one after another around 

single woman Fang Lei. 


Hkcec 

PRAy foR JAPAn 

(Japan) Documentary 

91mins. Omgact 

Entertainment. Dir: Stu 

Levy 

Documentary film-maker 

Stu Levy began his 

film when volunteering 

in Tohoku after the 

earthquake and tsunami 

tragedy. He shot 40 hours 

of footage over five weeks 

in Tohoku, interviewing 

more than 30 people. 

No matter how difficult, 

how insurmountable, the 

challenge they faced, these 

people overcame. 


PRivAte scReening 

Meeting Room n209-210, 

Hkcec 

wAR gAMe 229 

(Taiwan) Drama, 

97mins. Creative Century

Entertainment Co. 

Dir: Albert JK Huang. 

Key cast: Chiang Ting, 

Tender Huang 

Meeting Room N204-N205, 

HKCEC 

12:15 

2359 

(Singapore) Horror/ 

Suspense, 78mins. mm2 

Entertainment Pte. Dir: 

Gilbert Chan. Key cast: 

Mark Lee, Henley Hii, 

Josh Lai 

A rumour about a spirit 

of a mad woman haunts 

the soldiers stationed on 

an island. 

Theatre 2, HKCEC 

12:30 

60 YEaRs of HoNg KoNg 

aNiMaTioN 

(Hong Kong) Animation 

60mins. Hong Kong 

Animation Filmmaker 

Society 

The best moments in Hong 

Kong animation history. 


HKCEC 

NEw aCTioN ExpREss 

sHoRT filM HigHligHTs 

– 1+1 

(Hong Kong) Drama, 

30mins. Hong Kong Arts 

Centre. Dir: Lai Yan Chi 

A multi-layered story 

told in a natural and 

simple manner. A story 

about a grandpa and his 

granddaughter whose 

home will be demolished 

by the government to 

construct a railway route 

through their village. 


HKCEC 


sHoRT filM HigHligHTs – 

20 DollaRs 

(Hong Kong) Action/ 



Organised Crime, 15mins. 

Hong Kong Arts Centre. 

Dir: Lam See Chit 

In a market in Hong 

Kong, fresh fruits mix 

with prostitution, 

gambling, drug addiction 

and gangs. 


HKCEC 



puff THE MagiC DRagoN 


Adventure, Animation, 


Organised Crime, Science 

Fiction, Fantasy, 5mins. 


Dir: Ho Ka Ho 


HKCEC 



siN woRlD 




Organised Crime, 17mins. 


Dir: Lee Siu Lung 

Story based on a terrifying 

true event in Hong Kong. 

An adolescent decides 

to save his mother and 

sister by killing them. The 

murderer is unexpectedly 

calm with no regrets, and 

claims the world has too 

many sinners. Similar 

cases have happened all 

around the world. 


HKCEC 

13:00 

JuMp! asHiN 

(Taiwan) 127mins. 

Dir: Lin Yu-hsien 

agnes b. CiNEMa! Hong Kong 

arts Centre 

13:45 

EClaiR 


Prism Co. Dir: Akio 

Kondo. Key cast: Hajime 

Yoshii, Ayumi Ishida, 

Saori 

During World War Two, 

there were few sweets in 

Japan. This is a story of an 

orphan who survived the 

difficult time, encouraged 

by kindhearted people and 

the memory of sweets. 

Meeting Room N101B, HKCEC 

14:00 

MissioN iNDia 

(Germany) Action/ 

Adventure, 90mins. 

Action Concept. Dir: 

Sebastian Vigg. Key 

cast: Wolke Hegenbarth, 

Henning Baum, Michael 

Lott 

Sarah. a geologist, has 

found a place in India 

for herself, a little village 

in the jungle. There she 

builds a well for the locals. 

Her paradise is in danger 

when the well dries up 

and German entrepreneur 

Oskar moves in. 


HKCEC 

No liaR, No CRY 

(China) Comedy, Drama, 

Horror/Suspense, 89mins. 

Index Entertainment. Dir: 

Xu Chuanhai. Key cast: 

Wugang, Cherrie Ying, 

Viann 


HKCEC 

olD TiME pHoTo sTuDio 

(Taiwan) Drama, 

90mins. Creative Century 

Entertainment Co. Dir: 

Chu Chia-Lin. Key cast: 

Jo’elle Lu, Pace Wu, 

Serena Fang 

After the death of their 

father, the three Shen 

sisters face a difficult 

choice: should they sell 

their father’s beloved 

old photo studio, or 

should they keep the last 

connection to their father’s 

memory? 


HKCEC 

ovER MY DEaD BoDY 

(Korea) Comedy, 

120mins. CJ 

Entertainment. Dir: Woo 

Sun-ho. Key cast: Lee 

Beom-soo, Ryoo Seungbum, 

Kim Ok-vin 

When greedy CEO 

Kim is found dead, two 

wrongfully fired employees 

steal his body. But the 

body isn’t Kim’s but that 

of a man who faked his 

death to hide from loan 

sharks. In the meantime, 

Steven hunts for the body 

to recover a microchip 

planted in it. 


HKCEC 

pETaliNg sTREET 

waRRioRs 

(Malaysia) Action/ 

Adventure, Comedy, 

Drama, Romance, 

108mins. All Rights 


James Lee, Sampson 

Yuen. Key cast: Mark 

Lee, Yann Yann Yeo, 

Chris Tong 

Set in Petaling Street in 

1908, this is the story of 

a hokkien mee seller who 

finds himself entangled in 

deadly battles with skilled 

fighters. He must refrain 

from consummating his 

marriage in order to 

master the Virgin Kung 

Fu skills and overcome his 

opponents. 


ToKYo plaYBoY CluB 


Adventure, Drama 

97mins. Picture 

Department Co. Dir: 

Yosuke Okuda. Key 

cast: Nao Omori, Ken 

Mitsuishi, Asami Usuta 

Protagonist Katsutoshi 

leaves town after a fight at 

work and seeks refuge at 

a salon run by his Tokyobased 

friend Seikichi, 

called Tokyo Playboy 

Club. Meanwhile Eriko, 

the girlfriend of a waiter 

at the salon, finds herself 

forced to work there as 

a hostess after he gets 

into trouble. One day 

Katsutoshi brawls with 

a lowly neighborhood 

gangster, beating him to a 

pulp. The incident causes 

him, Seikichi and Eriko 

to become embroiled in an 

even graver situation. 

Meeting Room N101a, HKCEC 

THE viRal faCToR 

(Hong Kong, China) 

Action/Adventure, 

Drama, 122mins. 

Emperor Motion 

Pictures. Dir: Dante 

Lam. Key cast: Jay Chou, 

Nicholas Tse, Peng Lin 

A mission to escort a 

witness from Jordan to 

the Netherlands leaves 

International Security 

Affairs agent Jon with 

a bullet lodged in his 

brain, his fiancée and 

fellow agent Rita dead 

and their traitorous 

colleague Sean absconded 

with their witness. While 

contemplating leaving the 

force, Jon finds out his 

father and brother are 

still alive, and his brother 

is working as a mercenary 

for Sean — who has evil 

plans. 

Meeting Room N201a, HKCEC 

wu Yi: THE sMallEsT BaBY 

paNDa iN THE woRlD 


80mins. Asmik Ace 


Masayuki Shiohama 

In Chengu, China, there 

is a huge research base 

for giant panda breeding, 

and many panda babies 

are born and raised there 

every year. But it was a 

little different in 2006. 

One of the baby pandas 

born that season weighed 

only 51 grams, about a 

third of the average panda 

baby weight. This panda, 

the smallest ever born in 

Chengu, was named Wu 

Yi (51 in Chinese). This 

documentary chronicles 

the first six years of Wu 

Yi’s life. 


HKCEC 

ZoMBiE 108 

(Taiwan) Horror/ 

Suspense, 90mins. Film 

Asia Ent Group Co. Dir: 

Joe Chien. Key cast: 

Yvonne Yao, Morris 

Rong, Tai Bo 

A city abandoned by God. 

The first Chinese genre 

movie to combine the 

apocalypse and zombies. 


HKCEC 

14:15 

pRivaTE sCREENiNg 

Meeting Room N206-207, 

HKCEC 

14:30 

EvEntS, pagE 22 

BliND MaN 

(France) Action/ 


Europacorp. Dir: Xavier 

Palud. Key cast: Jacques 

Gamblin, Lambert 

Wilson 

A beautiful woman is 

escorted home late at night 

by her bodyguard. When 

she is alone, a shadowy 

figure emerges from the 

darkness and strangles her. 

The investigation into the 

murder is led by veteran 

detective Lassalle, a loner 

who is intrigued by a blind 

piano tuner whose prints 

are all over the apartment. 

But his alibi checks out 

and his disability makes 

him an unlikely murderer. 


NExT afTER 3.11: THE 

CHallENgE of a DENTisT 




Yuriko Ikeda. Key cast: 

Dr Uchikoshi 

Documentary about 

a dentist who assisted 

victims cut off from public 

relief in the wake of the 

tsunami that devastated 

the Sanriku region of Iwate 

prefecture. 


HKCEC 

THE soul of BREaD 

(Taiwan) Comedy, 

114mins. Double Edge 

Entertainment. Dir: Kao 

Pin-Chuan, Lin Chun- 

Yan. Key cast: Michelle 

Chen 

A love triangle between a 

handsome young baker and 

a local bread maker. 

Meeting Room N201B, HKCEC 

15:00 

sos JapaN — a YEaR 

afTER loNg HaRD RoaD 

To RECovERY 



Entertainment 

Documentary focusing on 

how Japan has recovered 

one year after the massive 

earthquake on March 11, 

2011. 


HKCEC 

15:30 

CHouNg fuN BoY – 

woNDERful JouRNEY iN 

CHiNa 


Adventure, Animation, 

Children’s, Comedy, 

15mins. Bubble Mon 

Licensing & Media 

Group/Bubble Mon 

Licensing (Int’l) Co. 

Dir: Wilson Lee 

Cheong Fun Boy (Rice 

Roll Boy) enters the famed 

Academy of Chinese 

Cooking School with 

dreams of becoming a 

world-renowned chef. 


HKCEC 

16:00 

a gENTlE RaiN falls foR 

fuKusHiMa 

(Japan) Children’s 

94mins. Gold View Co. 

Dir: Atsushi Kokatsu. 

Key cast: Kosuke 

Toyohara, Chieko 

Matsubara, Jurina 


HKCEC » 


SCREENINGS 

ARAkAwA UNdER thE 

BRIdGE: thE MovIE 

(Japan) Comedy, Drama, 


Showgate. Dir: Ken 

Iizuka. Key cast: Kento 

Hayashi, Mirei Kiritani, 

Shun Oguri 


hkCEC 

FABUloUS 30 

(Thailand) Romance, 

123mins. M Thirtynine. 

Dir: Samching Srisupap. 

Key cast: Patchrapa 

Chaichua, Phvpoom 

Phonganv 


hkCEC 

NAtIoNAl BASE FoR 

INtERNAtIoNAl CUltURAl 

tRAdE — SoN oF thE 

StARS 

(China) Children’s, 

Drama, 90mins. 

Shanghai Seedling Film 

Zheng Zheng, the mother 

of an autistic child, 

travels the great distance 

from northern China 

to DongGuan, the land 

of factories, looking for 

her husband. With her 

child Xin Xin in tow, 

she finds herself alone in 

the enormous city, with 

nothing but her wits 

and inner strength to 

guide her. 


hkCEC 

StARRy StARRy NIGht 

(Taiwan) 98mins. Dir: 

Tom Lin Shu-yu 

Agnes b. CINEMA! hong kong 

Arts Centre 

16:15 

BlACk dAwN 



SDP. Dir: Kentaro 

Horikirizono. Key cast: 

Atsuro Watabe, Kim 

Kang Woo, Yoko Maki 

Japanese police fight the 

threat of nuclear terrorism 

with a Korean undercover 

policeman. 

Meeting Room N101A, hkCEC 

CINEMA JENIN 

(Germany, Israel) 


Cinephil. Dir: Marcus 

Vetter 

An initiative to reopen 

an abandoned cinema 

in the West Bank city of 

Jenin offers a nuanced and 

textured view into the city 

and the dedicated, loyal, 

market 

18:30 

and often conflicted group 

of people who follow a 

dream. 


hkCEC 


ChINA hEAvywEIGht 

(China, Canada) 


HKIFF Industry 

Screenings @ Filmart. 

Dir: Yung Chang. Key 

cast: Zongli He, Yunfei 

Miao, Moxiang Qi 

In central China, a 

master coach recruits 

poor rural teenagers and 

turns them into Western- 

IN tURMoIl 

(France) Documentary, 

109mins. Wild Bunch. 

Dir: Christophe Ruggia. 

Key cast: Clovis 

Cornillac, Mathilde 

Seigner, Yvan Attal 

Franck, Helene and 

Max are a trio. Three 

inseparable childhood 

friends. Franck’s been a 

welder since he was 16. 

Twenty years later he lives 

in fear of restructuring at 

the factory. As for Max, 

he couldn’t give a damn 

about anything. When 

he was made redundant 

two years ago, he lost 

everything. Only Franck 

and Helene stuck by 

him. One Friday at the 

factory, Franck overhears 

a conversation that 

leaves him devastated — 

the machines are to be 

dismantled on the quiet 

style boxing champions. 

Through hard work and 

discipline, these boys and 

girls come of age, trained 

in boxing and life. They 

are filled with Olympic 

dreams, hoping to become 

China’s next amateur 

heroes. But the pull of 

professionalism also 

weighs on their shoulders. 

Agnes b. CINEMA! hong 

kong Arts Centre 

and removed before the 

end of the week. 

theatre 2, hkCEC 

SCAttEREd REFlECtIoN 

(Japan) Drama, Romance, 

71mins. Mode Films. Dir: 

Masaaki Taniguchi. Key 

cast: Mirei Kiritani 


hkCEC 

16:30 

ChICkEN wIth PlUMS 

(France) Drama, 


Celluloid Dreams. 

Dir: Marjane Satrapi, 

Vincent Paronnaud. Key 

cast: Mathieu Amalric, 

Edouard Baer, Maria de 

Medeiros 

A celebrated violin player 

slips into his reveries and 

reveals his poignant secret. 

Meeting Room N201B, hkCEC 

hElPlESS 

(Korea) Drama, Horror/ 

Suspense, 117mins. CJ 

Entertainment. Dir: Byun 

Young-joo. Key cast: Kim 

Min-hee, Lee Sun-kyun 

Mun-ho is on his way to 

visit his parents with his 

fiancée Seon-yeong when 

she suddenly disappears 

at a rest stop. While 

searching for her, he 

discovers that Seon-yeong 

is not her real name. 


PRIvAtE SCREENING 

Meeting Room N206-207, 

hkCEC 

17:45 

PRIvAtE SCREENING 

Meeting Room N101B, hkCEC 

18:00 

PoStCARdS FRoM thE Zoo 

(Indonesia) Drama 

96mins. HKIFF Industry 

Screenings @ Filmart. 

Dir: Edwin. Key cast: 

Ladya Cheryl, Nicholas 

Saputra, Adje Nur Ahman 

Little Lana was three 

years old when she was 

abandoned in the zoo. 

Raised by a giraffe 

trainer, the zoo is the 

only world she knows. 

When a charming 

magician arrives, Lana 

falls in love and embarks 

on a journey. 


hkCEC 

SEvEN ACtS oF MERCy 

(Italy, Romania) Drama, 

103mins. Intramovies. 

Dir: Gianluca, 

Massimiliano De Serio. 

Key cast: Roberto 

Herlitzka, Olimpia 

Melinte, Ignazio Oliva 

Luminita, a young illegal 

immigrant living on the 

edge of a shanty town, 

has hatched a plan to 

get herself out of her 

predicament. To carry it 

through she bumps into 

Antonio, a mysterious 

old man. The clash 

between the two of them 

leads to unforeseeable 

consequences. 


hkCEC 

vENoM 

(US) Action/Adventure, 


80mins. Worldwide Film 

Entertainment. Dir: Garu 

Berslin. Key cast: Jessica 

Morris, Roberto Sanchez, 

Oliviah Crawford 

After a car breaks down 

in an isolated desert, a 

mother and daughter are 

pursued by a deadly snake. 


hkCEC 

18:30 

ChINA hEAvywEIGht 

See box, left 

kAthMANdU lUllABy 

(Spain, Nepal) Drama, 

104mins. Wild Bunch. 

Dir: Icear Bollaen. Key 

cast: Verenica Echegui, 

Sumyata Battarai, Norbu 

Tsering Gurung 

Laia, a Catalonian teacher, 

moves to Kathmandu 

where she discovers extreme 

poverty and a bleak 

educational system. 


18:45 

thE tANG oF lEMoN 


Picture Department Co. 

Dir: Ikki Katashima. Key 

cast: Hanae Kan, Narii 

Arimori 

Meeting Room N101A, hkCEC 

20:15 

RoAdSIdE FUGItIvE 


Picture Department Co. 

Dir: Yu Irie. Key cast: 

Eita Okuno, Ryusuke 

Komakine, Toshiya 

Nagasawa 

Down and out wannabe 

rap artist Mighty can 

only wallow in his 

misery. One day, he 

bumps into his former 

best friends, Ikku and 

Tom, who are still trying 

to become musicians. 

What will happen to 

their dreams? 

Meeting Room N101B, 

hkCEC 

Editorial office: Room G202, 

second floor, hong kong 

Convention and Exhibition 

Centre, 1 Expo drive, wanchai, 

hong kong 

Filmart stand: hall 1E, G26 

Editorial 

Tel (852) 2582 8959 

Editor 

Mike Goodridge, mike. 

goodridge@screendaily.com 

Asia editor 

Liz Shackleton, 

lizshackleton@gmail.com 

Reviews editor 

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screendaily.com 

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com 

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Sen-lun Yu 

Group head of production 

and art 

Mark Mowbray, mark. 

mowbray@screendaily.com 

Sub-editors 

Medina Lau, Paul Lindsell 

translator 

Arthur Chin 

Screenings 

Kelly Gibbens 

Photographer 

Andrew Ross, andrewross.biz 

Group editor 

Conor Dignam 

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Tel (852) 2582 8958 

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4741, ingridhammond@mac. 

com 

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(44) 7540 100 254, gunter. 

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David Cumming (44) 7739 

302 136, david.cumming@ 

emap.com 

Commercial director 

Alison Pitchford 

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Rising Sun Offset Printing Co 

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Wah Industrial Building, 677 

King’s Road, North Point, 

Hong Kong 

Tel: (852) 2811 4632 

Fax: (852) 2561 7889 

Email: risingsunprinting@ 

gmail.com 

Screen International, 

london 

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NW1 7EJ, UK 

Subscription enquiries 

Tel: (44) 1858 438 847 

Fax: (44) 1858 461 739 

sci@subscription.co.uk

Meet the Brits 

and visit UK companies at the 

UK Film Centre 

Filmart stand 1D-E07 

Organised by Supported by 

Film Export UK: T +44 800 756 5616 E info@filmexportuk.com

EvEnts 

9.00 

DI anD FIlm Post 

rEvIEw, asIan 2D anD 3D 

journEy 

venue Theatre 1, HKCEC 

9.30 

‘PowEr oF mEDIa 

ConvErgEnCE’ 

symPosIum anD 

BusInEss matChIng 

venue Meeting Room 

S224-S227, HKCEC 

10.00 

CCtv-9’s markEtIng 

PrEsEntatIon 

Salon Films joint 

announcement press 

conference 


S223, HKCEC 

10.30 

thE 5th DIgItal vIsual 

EFFECts summIt 

venue Theatre 1, HKCEC 

jaPan-hk PartnErshIP 


sEmInar at FIlmart 2012 

venue Studio, Hall 1, 

HKCEC 

moderator Toshio Kakeo, 

executive director, 

Kinema Junpo 

Panel speakers Wilfred 

Wong, chairman, Hong 

Kong International Film 

Festival; Fred Wang, 

honorary secretary 

general, Hong Kong 

International Film 

Festival; Mako Tanaka, 

vice-chairman, Japan Film 

Commission; Shuichi 

Fukatsu, executive 

producer of Eclair; 

Satomi Iwasaki, producer, 

Japan International 

Broadcasting Inc. 

sCrEEnwrItIng For 

thE gloBal markEt: 

thE growth oF asIan 

thEmEs In toDay’s BoxoFFICE 

hIts 

venue Stage, Hall 1, 

HKCEC 

moderator Patrick Frater, 

CEO, Film Business 

Asia 

Panel speakers Glenn 

Berger, writer/producer, 

DreamWorks Animation; 

Rita Hsiao, screenwriter, 

Blisstone Inc; Tracey 

Trench, producer/ 

president, Tracey Trench 

Productions. 

11.00 

‘DouBlE trouBlE’ BEgIns 

PrEss ConFErEnCE 

venue Event Room, Hall 

1, HKCEC 

13.00 

‘PaIntED skIn 2’ PrEss 

ConFErEnCE 


1, HKCEC 

EmPEror motIon 

PICturEs, lE vIsIon 

PICturEs: ‘thE BullEt 

vanIshEs’ traIlEr 

launCh PrEss 

ConFErEnCE 


HKCEC. For press and 

selected guests only 

14.00 

‘anImatIon ProDuCtIon: 

thE ChIna way’ sEmInar 


S228, HKCEC 

14.30 

tv worlD 2012 

oPEnIng CErEmony 

& IntErnatIonal 

ConFErEnCE 

asIan tv ProgrammIng: 

trEnDs anD 

oPPortunItIEs 

venue Stage, Hall 1, 

HKCEC 

moderator Peter Lam, 

vice-president, Hong 

Kong Televisioners 

Association. 

Panel speakers Yoko 

Takashima, sales chief, 

Nippon Television 

Network Corporation 

(NTV); Shialey Tan, 

assistant vice-president, 

MediaCorp; Tian 

Ming, CEO, Star China 

Media; Sheng Bo-ji, 

editor-in-chief, Hunan 

Broadcasting System; 

Ip Ka Po, senior vicepresident 

(production), 

Asia Television 

15.00 

mEga-vIsIon PICturEs 

FIlm ParaDE 2012 


1, HKCEC. Press only 

16.30 

aCE-haF haPPy hour 

venue HAF Area, Hall 1, 

HKCEC 

HAF badge holders or by 

invitation only 

‘savIng gEnEral yang’ 

PrEss ConFErEnCE 


1, HKCEC 

unIjaPan: ‘a mEEtIng 

BEtwEEn ProDuCErs: 

sImulatIng an 

IntErnatIonal 

Co-ProDuCtIon’ 


HKCEC 

speakers Aditya Assarat, 

managing director, Pop 

Pictures; Esther Koo, 

senior VP/producer, 

Abundance Picture; Alan 

Lu, producer, Shenzhen 

Century Leader 

Entertainment Co; 

Chiaki Noji, producer, 

Shochiku Co; Pete Rive, 

chairman/president, 

Film Auckland; Shogo 

Tomiyama, secretary 

general, Japan Academy 

Prize Association/TOHO 

Presenter Tomoko 

Katahara, general 

manager/producer, J&K 

Entertainment Inc

AT FILMART

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