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Taiwanese actor and director Doze Niu may be able to look back on a career spanning over four decades, but his legacy is ultimately tainted given the charges of sexual assault for which he was sentenced to four years in jail. This is especially tragic as his directorial efforts such as “What on Earth Have I Done Wrong?!” and “Monga” had opened a new chapter for Niu, winning awards at international festivals and known by audiences in many countries. “Monga” may just be one of his best works which was selected at the Taiwanese Entry for Best Foreign Language Films at the Oscars 2010, but which also highlights his prowess in visual storytelling and blending drama with action.

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The Wanhua District, also known as Monga, is one of Taipei's many districts. It is also a world of its own, as...

‘Perfection’ Sets Local Launch

“Lost in Perfection,” the second film by journalist-turned-filmmaker Sung Hsin-yin (“On Happiness Road”), has set Oct. 27 as the date of its commercial release in Sung’s native Taiwan. Ahead of the Taiwan release, the film is expected to have its world premiere at a major festival.

The film is a psychological thriller about a woman who probes a romance scam that appears to involve her father and may involve a series of murders. The cast is headed by Shao Yu-Wei (“More than Blue: The Series”), Lin Mei-Hsiu (“Zone Pro Site”) and Rhydian Vaughan (“Monga”) along with Mark Lee (“Looking for You”) playing the father and Tseng Shao-Tsung (“More than Blue: The Series”) as the protagonist’s fiancé. The film is presented by Screenworks Asia, My Story Entertainment, Taiwan Television Enterprise, Tomorrow Together Capital and Happinessroad Productions. Catchplay is handling the Taiwan release and Screenworks Asia the overseas sales.

Taiwan-based Screenworks Asia is using the Cannes Market to launch international rights sales on “Lost in Perfection.” The film, previously titled “Love is a Bitch,” is a female-led psychological thriller that marks the live-action debut of Sung Hsin-ying, who is already established as an award-winning animation director.

The story follows a TV anchor, played by Shao Yu-Wei, whose apparently perfect life unravels when she discovers that her father may have become the victim of a romance scam. To make matters worse, the scammer is accused of murdering men she dated. In an attempt to protect her family, the woman partners with the local prosecutor to investigate the crime. Yet, she quickly finds herself lost in the twists and turns while uncovering the truth.

Sung has a background in journalism and wrote her original screenplay inspired by factual reports about Kijima Kanae, a Japanese fraudster and serial killer.

She also previously directed “On Happiness Road,...

Taipei-based Screenworks Asia is launching international sales on award-winning director Hsin-Ying Sung’s female-centric psychological thriller Lost In Perfection ahead of the Cannes Market.

The film is the first live-action production from Sung following award-winning animated feature On Happiness Road, which scooped Best Animation Feature at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards and was also selected for the Wide Angle section at Busan International Film Festival.

The film revolves around a TV anchor whose apparently perfect life unravels when she discovers her dad may have become the victim of a romance scam. Making matters worse, the scammer is accused of murdering men she dated and the anchor teams with the local prosecutor to investigate the crime.

Yu-Wei Shao (More Than Blue: The Series) heads the cast of the film, playing the anchor, alongside Mei-Hsiu Lin (Zone Pro Site) playing the murder suspect, and Rhydian Vaughan (Monga) as the local prosecutor.

Related:...

Perfect World, the Chinese games and film conglomerate that is the co-financier of a slate of Universal Pictures movies, is raising $156 million (RMB1 billion) of fresh capital.

The company announced in a regulatory filing that it would sell up to 25 million shares in a private placing. The new capital would represent less than 20% of its existing share base, it said. Its shares were suspended from trading on the Shenzhen stock market ahead of the announcement.

The proceeds of the share sale will be used to increase its investments in film and television projects. It did not make any reference to its long term co-financing deal with Universal, nor to any specific projects.

Instead it explained that the Chinese film and TV industries have seen intensifying competition, with a growing emphasis being put on quality over quantity. That in turn is driving up costs. “The production cycle for high quality film and TV drama is lengthening,...

Perfect Village to produce range of content including features and online TV.

Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (Vreg) and Wme Img China are joining forces on a new China-based production venture.

With offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, the new company, Perfect Village, will produce film, animation and premium online TV content for China and international markets.

Perfect World and Vreg will contribute their IP and production and distribution capabilities, while Wme Img China will provide access to its brand relationships, as well as global packaging, sales and distribution infrastructure.

Ellen Eliasoph, currently head of Vreg’s Asia operations,...

Perfect Village to produce range of content including features and online TV.

Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (Vreg) and Wme Img China are joining forces on a new China-based production venture.

With offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, the new company, Perfect Village, will produce film, animation and premium online TV content for China and international markets.

Perfect World and Vreg will contribute their IP and production and distribution capabilities, while Wme Img China will provide access to its brand relationships, as well as global packaging, sales and distribution infrastructure.

Ellen Eliasoph, currently head of Vreg’s Asia operations, will serve as president and CEO of the new company, based at the Perfect World headquarters in Beijing.

Perfect Village’s initial slate includes cyber-hacker thriller Reborn and two projects co-produced by Vreg Asia – sci-fi action title Bleeding Steel, starring Jackie Chan, and Zhang Yimou’s Shadow (pictured).

Reborn stars Chinese actors Han Geng...

Chicago – The biological clock ticks for all women, and this life event is magnanimously given a wildly creative treatment in the new film “My Egg Boy.” This story from Taiwan is part of the fourth season of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema series in Chicago.

..taking place on Wednesday, March 29th, 2017, at the downtown AMC River East Theatre. Director Fu Tien Yu will be in attendance. For complete details and to purchase tickets, click here.

The Fourth Season of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema Continues with ‘My Egg Boy’

Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

The heroine in the film is Mei-pao (Ariel Lin), a product manager for a frozen food company. She is not lucky in love, as her passion for business makes connection difficult. Taiwan happens to be the leading country for freezing “eggs” for women, and Mei-pao follows through on the procedure, with a ten year window to utilize them to have a child.

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– The 28th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) has announced that the festival’s opening night will be the World Premiere screening of “The Sense of an Ending,” directed by Ritesh Batra on Thursday, January 5. The festival will close with “The Comedian,” directed by Taylor Hackford on Sunday, January 15. The Festival will screen 190 films from 72 countries, including 58 premieres (9 World, 5 International, 20 North American and 24 U.S.) from January 2 – 16, 2017.

The complete line-up including a focus on cinema from Poland, Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition, Modern Masters, True Stories, After Dark and more were also announced, in addition to the Awards Buzz program released last week.

Highlights include “The Beautiful Fantastic,” “Julie and the Shoe Factory,” “Bad Influence,” “The Day Will Come,” “Tommy’s Honour,” “When We Rise,...

Emiliano Torres’ The Winter [pictured] was named best film at the first edition of the International Film Festival and Awards Macao (Iffam).

Emiliano Torres’ The Winter [pictured] was named best film at the first edition of the International Film Festival and Awards Macao (Iffam), while Saint George (Sao Jorge) won best director for Marco Martins and best actor for Nuno Lopes.

British film Trespass Against Us also received two awards, best actress for Lyndsey Marshal and a jury prize.

Jennifer Yu won best newcomer for Macanese director Tracy Choi’s debut feature Sisterhood, which also received the Macao Audience Choice Award.

Best screenplay went to UK director Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump for Free Fire, while Brazilian drama Elon Doesn’t Believe In Death received the best technical contribution award for its original music and sound design.

The new festival was co-organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office (Mgto) and Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (Mftpa).

“First...

Lu Chuan‘s first foray into blockbuster territory, Chronicles of a Ghostly Tribe, will be available for home viewing in the first week of June: the DVD on the 5th and Blu Ray on the 7th.

Chan, who is better known for his smaller budget, arthouse offerings truly stepped out of his comfort zone with this picture, proving that a filmmaker with his level of talent and vision can entertain audiences of all shapes and sizes.

Trailer

The film, an adaptation of Tianxia Bachang’s best-selling novel Ghost Blows Out the Light, tells the story of a young soldier (Mark Chao) who, along with a small research team, stumbles upon a clutch of mysterious fossils within Chinese mountain range on the Mongolian border.

Unbeknownst to the adventurers, their discovery would trigger a series of events, culminating in the release of a pack of hell-beasts through an inter-dimensional portal, that would change their lives, and the course of human history forever.

Spanning a period of three decades and two continents, this epic adventure is sure to appeal to fans of the monster movie genre.

Asian Film Strike hails the film’s “strong set pieces and an engaging sense of mystery and wonder”, calling it a “technically accomplished blockbuster.”

The film also stars Wang Qingxiang, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan and Li Chen and has a runtime of approximately 123 minutes.

Chronicles of the Ghostly tribe is available through WellGoUSA and both formats contain a ‘making of’ featurette.

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...

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

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...

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

China Lion has set North American release dates for Guo Jingming's Tiny Times, a popular but controversial hit in mainland China. Photos: Cut, Censored, Changed: 10 Hollywood Films Tweaked for International Release The film will open in Los Angeles County on July 26 at the AMC Atlantic Times Square 14 in Monterey Park as well as at the Cineplex SilverCity Riverport in Vancouver and the Cineplex Odeon Yonge & Dundas in Toronto. Set in fast-paced modern-day Shanghai, Tiny Times, which stars Kai Ko, Amber Kuo, Rhydian Vaughan, explores the materialism of China’s young adults and has grossed more

read more...

Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Talaash

Nawazuddin Siddiqui won the Best Supporting Actor for Talaash at the 7th Asian Film Awards held in Hong Kong on Monday. The other nominees for this award were: Ha Jung-woo for Nameless Gangster: Rule of the Time (South Korea), Kase Ryo for Like Someone in Love (Japan/France/Iran), Chapman To for Diva (Mainland China/Hong Kong) and Rhydian Vaughan for Gf*Bf (Taiwan).

Pritam Chakraborty won the Best Composer for Barfi!.

Chinese psychological drama Mystery took home the awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay. The Best Director award went to Japan’s Takeshi Kitano for Outrage Beyond.

Best actress went to Nora Aunor for her performance in Brillante Mendoza’s Thy Womb, while best actor went to Eddie Garcia for Bwakaw.

India had been nominated for the Asian Film Awards in 7 categories: Gangs of Wasseypur for Best Film, Anurag Kashyap for Best Director,...

The announcement of the Asian Movie Awards has just been released with some big films and actors going against against each other to win the big awards. Some of these include Drug War (Louis Koo), Outrage Beyond, actors such as Choi Min-sik and Tony Leung Ka-fai, to Directors such as Takeshi Kitano and Lou Ye.

I do have a few favorites in this list and i feel best movie could go to Drug War and best actor should fall to Choi Min-sik (just brilliant in every movie).

Here is the list of nominations below, feel free to write your favorites in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Best Film

“Drug War” (Mainland China)

“Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2″ (India)

“Mystery” (Mainland China)

“Outrage Beyond” (Japan)

“Pieta” (South Korea)

Best Director

Anurag Kashyap, “Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2″ (India)

Abbas Kiarostami, “Like Someone in Love” (Japan/France/Iran)

Kim Ki-duk,...

Four Indian films have been nominated for the 7th Asian Film Awards with Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur leading the pack with four nominations: Best Film, Anurag Kashyap for Best Director, Wasiq Khan for Best Production Designer and Rajeev Ravi for Best Cinematographer.

In other nominations, Nawazuddin Siddiqui will compete for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Talaash, Anand Gandhi contends for Best Screenwriter for his debut film Ship of Theseus and Pritam Chakraborty vies for Best Composer Award for his melodies in Barfi!.

Andy Lau, a noted actor of Hong Kong will head the judging panel. A total of 30 films from nine countries will compete under 14 categories at the award function to be held on 18th March, 3013. The annual event is organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society.

Full List of Nominations:

Best Film

Drug War (Mainland China)

Gangs of Wasseypur, Part 1 & 2 (India)

Mystery (Mainland...

Living in Taiwan during the 1980s would have been a turbulent prospect for anyone, let alone a trio of hormonally-piqued, politically invigorated teenagers struggling to come to terms with burgeoning adulthood and their own sexual dynamic. The country's dictatorial single-party system was being meaningfully opposed for the first time in its 35-year reign and martial law, which quashed sedition and protest with an iron fist up to this point, was beginning to crumble under the overwhelming voice of a people no longer willing to live under tyranny. Adventurous, idealistic youngsters like Mabel (Gwei Lun Mei) and Aaron (Rhydian Vaughan) embrace this opportunity to stand up against the disciplinarians who run their high school as something closer to an army boot camp than a place...

Another day, another film festival. This week, the Hong Kong International Film Festival launches its regular seasonal sidebar, Summer Iff, featuring a rich selection of 27 new films, repertory screenings and popular favourites from this year's main festival back in March. This year's line-up boasts new works from filmmakers as diverse as Heiward Mak, Wes Anderson, Raoul Ruiz, Martin Scorsese and Hosoda Mamoru, as well as restored prints of two Kinoshita Keisuke dramas and a selection of works by Cahiers du Cinema alumnus, Eric Rohmer. Hk Summer Iff 2012 opens this year on 14 August with Taiwanese romantic drama Gf*Bf. Gwei Lun Mei, Joseph Chang and Rhydian Vaughan star in this complex love triangle, played out against the backdrop of Taipei's volatile martial law years...