An ambitious slate of more than 80 titles is featured in Taiwan’s debut at Toronto Film Festival’s TIFF Industry section this year, presenting a diverse mix of productions in various genres in a bid to showcase not just the island’s homegrown talent but also its potential as a co-production hub in the region.
“We want to emphasize our commitment in bringing Taiwan’s film and television works to the global stage, and at the same time, making Taiwan the best co-production partner in Asia,” says Izero Lee, CEO of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which presents the slate at the market sector of the Toronto Film Festival this year. Taicca is an independent agency set up by the Ministry of Culture and the cabinet (Executive Yuan) that has been actively promoting the island’s cultural and creative content globally.
“We are actively fostering relations with international companies, institutions,...
“We want to emphasize our commitment in bringing Taiwan’s film and television works to the global stage, and at the same time, making Taiwan the best co-production partner in Asia,” says Izero Lee, CEO of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which presents the slate at the market sector of the Toronto Film Festival this year. Taicca is an independent agency set up by the Ministry of Culture and the cabinet (Executive Yuan) that has been actively promoting the island’s cultural and creative content globally.
“We are actively fostering relations with international companies, institutions,...
- 9/8/2022
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
Mubi’s U.S. lineup for next month has been unveiled, including some essential recent releases, notably James Vaughan’s Friends and Strangers, Radu Muntean’s Întregalde, Alice Diop’s We (Nous), the Isabel Sandoval-led short The Actress, Ougie Pak’s Clytaemnestra, and the new restoration of Hong Sangsoo’s Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors.
As part of Pride month and fitting as his latest film arrives, Andrew Ahn’s Spa Night is among the selections, alongside And Then We Danced, Being 17, and Lilting. Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, a pair of films by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Kim Bora’s House of Hummingbird are also in the lineup.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
June 1 – Wet Sand, directed by Elene Naveriani | Viewfinder | Pride
June 2 – And Then We Danced, directed by Levan Akin | Pride Unprejudiced: LGBTQ+ Cinema
June 3 – Friends and Strangers, directed by James Vaughan | Mubi Spotlight
June 4 – Final Set,...
As part of Pride month and fitting as his latest film arrives, Andrew Ahn’s Spa Night is among the selections, alongside And Then We Danced, Being 17, and Lilting. Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, a pair of films by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Kim Bora’s House of Hummingbird are also in the lineup.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
June 1 – Wet Sand, directed by Elene Naveriani | Viewfinder | Pride
June 2 – And Then We Danced, directed by Levan Akin | Pride Unprejudiced: LGBTQ+ Cinema
June 3 – Friends and Strangers, directed by James Vaughan | Mubi Spotlight
June 4 – Final Set,...
- 5/24/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Seattle International Film Festival returned to its in-person format for the first time since 2019 this year, with many of the indie film world’s finest making their way to the Emerald City. The 11-day festival, which concluded this weekend, screened 263 films, including 28 world premieres, and ultimately honored a combination of domestic and foreign films with its awards.
The timely Ukrainian war drama “Klondike” from Maryna Er Gorbach won the Grand Jury Prize, with Zia Mohajerjasbi’s Seattle-set drama “Know Your Place” earning rave reviews from audiences and winning the festival’s New American Cinema Competition.
“As we celebrated our first in-person festival in three years, we were so thrilled to bring great films and new voices from across the globe,” said Beth Barrett, Siff Artistic Director. “Creating those experiences that bring audiences around film, both in cinema and hybrid, allowed us all to connect, to learn, and to make...
The timely Ukrainian war drama “Klondike” from Maryna Er Gorbach won the Grand Jury Prize, with Zia Mohajerjasbi’s Seattle-set drama “Know Your Place” earning rave reviews from audiences and winning the festival’s New American Cinema Competition.
“As we celebrated our first in-person festival in three years, we were so thrilled to bring great films and new voices from across the globe,” said Beth Barrett, Siff Artistic Director. “Creating those experiences that bring audiences around film, both in cinema and hybrid, allowed us all to connect, to learn, and to make...
- 4/24/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The Seattle International Film Festival closed its 48th edition on Sunday by announcing its top honors, presenting awards at a ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Seattle.
“Klondike,” a film following a family that lives on the tumultuous border of Russia and Ukraine in 2014, was awarded the grand jury prize within the festival’s official competition.
“For a work both tragically prophetic and universal in its impact, a ferocious and formalist vision of war that fuses humanism, black comedy and horror into a searing and original vision, we award the Grand Jury Prize to Maryna Er Gorbach’s ‘Klondike,'” said the jury, composed of Angel An, senior director of acquisitions at Roadside Attraction; David Ansen, lead programmer at the Palm Spring International Film Festival; and Matthew Campbell, artistic director of the Denver Film Society and the Denver Film Festival.
“Know Your Place,” a drama following two teenage...
“Klondike,” a film following a family that lives on the tumultuous border of Russia and Ukraine in 2014, was awarded the grand jury prize within the festival’s official competition.
“For a work both tragically prophetic and universal in its impact, a ferocious and formalist vision of war that fuses humanism, black comedy and horror into a searing and original vision, we award the Grand Jury Prize to Maryna Er Gorbach’s ‘Klondike,'” said the jury, composed of Angel An, senior director of acquisitions at Roadside Attraction; David Ansen, lead programmer at the Palm Spring International Film Festival; and Matthew Campbell, artistic director of the Denver Film Society and the Denver Film Festival.
“Know Your Place,” a drama following two teenage...
- 4/24/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Taiwan has come up with ambitious plans for the American Film Market this year by presenting a virtual pavilion headlined by award-winning titles and recent film festival favorites, in the hope of boosting the self-governed island’s visibility internationally as a production hub as well as a choice of location shootings.
The growing appeal of Asian content in recent years, whether it is films or TV series streaming on international platforms, has made it possible to further promote Taiwanese content abroad, says Alice Chang, deputy CEO of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), an intermediary organization set up in 2019 supervised by the Ministry of Culture to promote the island’s content industries.
“The North American market is more and more interested in Asian works compared to the past. As long as the story could resonate with the audience, even though it’s local and Asian, it still could be seen and...
The growing appeal of Asian content in recent years, whether it is films or TV series streaming on international platforms, has made it possible to further promote Taiwanese content abroad, says Alice Chang, deputy CEO of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), an intermediary organization set up in 2019 supervised by the Ministry of Culture to promote the island’s content industries.
“The North American market is more and more interested in Asian works compared to the past. As long as the story could resonate with the audience, even though it’s local and Asian, it still could be seen and...
- 11/2/2021
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
Bangladeshi filmmaker Nuhash Humayun’s “Moving Bangladesh” has received Nt$2.5 million from the Taipei Film Fund. With this, the Tiffcom selected project has achieved 60% of its $659,000 budget and aims to raise the rest in Tokyo.
In “Moving Bangladesh,” sick of being stuck in traffic — and in life — a struggling middle-class Bangladeshi entrepreneur creates a motorcycle-based ride sharing app that may change transport in developing cities such as Dhaka. But first he must overcome his family’s skepticism and a hostile political environment.
Humayun’s credits include a segment of anthology film “Sincerely Yours, Dhaka,” which premiered at Busan in 2018 and was Bangladesh’s entry to the Oscars. He is is also a fellow of the Asian Film Academy 2019, where he directed the LGBTQ drama “Lipstick” in 2019.
Prior to Tokyo, “Moving Bangladesh” participated in India’s Film Bazaar co-production market and was selected as one of seven top projects from there...
In “Moving Bangladesh,” sick of being stuck in traffic — and in life — a struggling middle-class Bangladeshi entrepreneur creates a motorcycle-based ride sharing app that may change transport in developing cities such as Dhaka. But first he must overcome his family’s skepticism and a hostile political environment.
Humayun’s credits include a segment of anthology film “Sincerely Yours, Dhaka,” which premiered at Busan in 2018 and was Bangladesh’s entry to the Oscars. He is is also a fellow of the Asian Film Academy 2019, where he directed the LGBTQ drama “Lipstick” in 2019.
Prior to Tokyo, “Moving Bangladesh” participated in India’s Film Bazaar co-production market and was selected as one of seven top projects from there...
- 10/31/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The 62nd Thessaloniki International Film Festival will return to the movie theaters starting from November 4 to 14, 2021. This year’s celebration of independent cinema will take place in physical spaces as well as online (https://online.filmfestival.gr/).
Among the 197 films to be screened at the Festival (with 144 of these available online), a number of Asian films will feature in the following categories:
International Competition
Moneyboys, C. B. Yi, Austria-France-Taiwan-Belgium, 2021, 120’ (in theatre and online)
Fei works illegally as a hustler in order to support his family, yet when he realizes they are only willing to accept his money but not his way of life, their relationship breaks down. Together with the headstrong Long, Fei seems to find a new lease on life, but then he encounters Xiaolai, the love of his youth, who confronts him with the guilt of his repressed past.
White Building, Kavich Neang, Cambodia-France-China-Qatar, 2020, 90’ (in theatre and online...
Among the 197 films to be screened at the Festival (with 144 of these available online), a number of Asian films will feature in the following categories:
International Competition
Moneyboys, C. B. Yi, Austria-France-Taiwan-Belgium, 2021, 120’ (in theatre and online)
Fei works illegally as a hustler in order to support his family, yet when he realizes they are only willing to accept his money but not his way of life, their relationship breaks down. Together with the headstrong Long, Fei seems to find a new lease on life, but then he encounters Xiaolai, the love of his youth, who confronts him with the guilt of his repressed past.
White Building, Kavich Neang, Cambodia-France-China-Qatar, 2020, 90’ (in theatre and online...
- 10/26/2021
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Hong Kong drama “Drifting” leads Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Awards race with 12 nominations including best narrative feature and best adapted screenplay, organizers announced on Tuesday.
The film that revolves around the tragedy of homeless people in Hong Kong also earned a nomination for Jun Li in the best director category. Veteran actor Francis Ng, who plays a homeless drug addict battling for justice, was also nominated for best leading actor.
Since 2019, Beijing has operated a mainland Chinese boycott of the awards that for many years were seen as the highest accoladed for Chinese-language filmmaking. And in 2019 and 2020 most Hong Kong films and filmmakers also stayed away. This year’s list sees an uptick in the Hong Kong participation, but only in the cases of films that are unlikely ever to receive a release in mainland China.
The domination of “Drifting” in the race, however, is closely challenged by “The Falls,...
The film that revolves around the tragedy of homeless people in Hong Kong also earned a nomination for Jun Li in the best director category. Veteran actor Francis Ng, who plays a homeless drug addict battling for justice, was also nominated for best leading actor.
Since 2019, Beijing has operated a mainland Chinese boycott of the awards that for many years were seen as the highest accoladed for Chinese-language filmmaking. And in 2019 and 2020 most Hong Kong films and filmmakers also stayed away. This year’s list sees an uptick in the Hong Kong participation, but only in the cases of films that are unlikely ever to receive a release in mainland China.
The domination of “Drifting” in the race, however, is closely challenged by “The Falls,...
- 10/6/2021
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
There is nothing less 21st century than the 21st century itself because ‘we are still protesting the same shit’, except that we also sometimes don’t, for a simple reason that there are places where protesting shit isn’t just being ignored, but also damn dangerous even if it ‘only’ means that your uncle threatens to castrate you for being gay.
Moneyboys is screening at Cannes Film Festival
Fei (Kai Ko) comes from a place where his sexual orientation isn’t something one speaks about until mid-narrative, but where we first meet him is not the village he grew up in. In a long prologue to the plot, we see him walking through a door of an apartment where he is greeted by a young man by the name of Xiolai (Jc Lin) dressed in a spectacularly all-red attire. Fei is slightly insecure about how to behave, and for a moment,...
Moneyboys is screening at Cannes Film Festival
Fei (Kai Ko) comes from a place where his sexual orientation isn’t something one speaks about until mid-narrative, but where we first meet him is not the village he grew up in. In a long prologue to the plot, we see him walking through a door of an apartment where he is greeted by a young man by the name of Xiolai (Jc Lin) dressed in a spectacularly all-red attire. Fei is slightly insecure about how to behave, and for a moment,...
- 7/17/2021
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Actor Kai Ko, the mournful star of Un Certain Regard film “Moneyboys,” declined to jump the queue for vaccinations in his native Taiwan, and so couldn’t walk the red carpet in person at Cannes this year.
Nevertheless, his performance in first-time director C.B. Yi’s exploration of Chinese hustlers balancing the pressures of love, family and financial stability has cemented him as formidable talent to watch.
The film will likely prove a helpful boost to his now decade-long career, which was derailed despite a rapid rise after an infamous 2014 marijuana bust in Beijing alongside Jackie Chan’s son Jaycee Chan.
Ko points out that he never intended his subsequent break with entertainment world to last. “I never left! I took a break for a while, but I don’t know why people keep using the phrase ‘comeback,’” he said. Taiwan is too small a market for actors to...
Nevertheless, his performance in first-time director C.B. Yi’s exploration of Chinese hustlers balancing the pressures of love, family and financial stability has cemented him as formidable talent to watch.
The film will likely prove a helpful boost to his now decade-long career, which was derailed despite a rapid rise after an infamous 2014 marijuana bust in Beijing alongside Jackie Chan’s son Jaycee Chan.
Ko points out that he never intended his subsequent break with entertainment world to last. “I never left! I took a break for a while, but I don’t know why people keep using the phrase ‘comeback,’” he said. Taiwan is too small a market for actors to...
- 7/16/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
C.B. Yi’s Un Certain Regard title “Moneyboys” is a moving exploration of Chinese rural-to-urban migration that feels authentically emotional despite being peppered with incongruous moments and details.
The film follows Fei (Kai Ko), who moves from the countryside to different Chinese megacities to support his family as a hustler. When he realizes that they accept his money but not his homosexuality, their relationship breaks down. Although set in China, “Moneyboys” was filmed entirely in Taiwan. Linguistic inconsistencies also rear their head unexpectedly to jar viewers otherwise immersed in the film’s melancholic mood, with Beijing accents mingling with lilting Taiwanese intonations in the same village where neither should be at home. And while leading man Kai Ko delivers a nuanced, heart-rending portrayal of the hustler Fei and real chemistry with his male love interests Long (Bai Yufan) and Xiaolai (Jc Lin), none of them publicly identify as homosexual.
The film follows Fei (Kai Ko), who moves from the countryside to different Chinese megacities to support his family as a hustler. When he realizes that they accept his money but not his homosexuality, their relationship breaks down. Although set in China, “Moneyboys” was filmed entirely in Taiwan. Linguistic inconsistencies also rear their head unexpectedly to jar viewers otherwise immersed in the film’s melancholic mood, with Beijing accents mingling with lilting Taiwanese intonations in the same village where neither should be at home. And while leading man Kai Ko delivers a nuanced, heart-rending portrayal of the hustler Fei and real chemistry with his male love interests Long (Bai Yufan) and Xiaolai (Jc Lin), none of them publicly identify as homosexual.
- 7/16/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Totem Films has boarded “Bowling Saturne,” the latest film from celebrated French director Patricia Mazuy.
The pic, which is now in post-production, is produced by Patrick Sobelman. The cast includes Arieh Worthalter, Achille Reggiani, Y Lan Lucas and Leila Muse.
“Bowling Saturne” follows police officer Guillaume, who inherits his family’s bowling business following his father’s death. He decides to give it to his troubled half-brother, Armand, but Guillaume is later distracted from his work in investigating a series of murders by his sibling’s unusual management of the business along with a team of hunters and an environmental activist.
Mazuy has a reputation for a singular directorial vision that she has developed over three decades across a filmography of narrative features and documentaries. In 2019, the Lincoln Center organized a retrospective of the versatile French filmmaker’s work.
“Bowling Saturne” is Mazuy’s fifth film. The director’s “Peaux...
The pic, which is now in post-production, is produced by Patrick Sobelman. The cast includes Arieh Worthalter, Achille Reggiani, Y Lan Lucas and Leila Muse.
“Bowling Saturne” follows police officer Guillaume, who inherits his family’s bowling business following his father’s death. He decides to give it to his troubled half-brother, Armand, but Guillaume is later distracted from his work in investigating a series of murders by his sibling’s unusual management of the business along with a team of hunters and an environmental activist.
Mazuy has a reputation for a singular directorial vision that she has developed over three decades across a filmography of narrative features and documentaries. In 2019, the Lincoln Center organized a retrospective of the versatile French filmmaker’s work.
“Bowling Saturne” is Mazuy’s fifth film. The director’s “Peaux...
- 7/9/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes' Official Selection for its 74th edition, running July 6-17.
In Competition
Annette, Leos Carax (France) - Opening Film
The Story of My Wife, Ildikó Enyedi (Hungary)
Benedetta, Paul Verhoeven (Netherlands)
Bergman Island, Mia-Hansen-Love (France)
Drive My Car, Rysuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
Ha’Berech (Ahed’s Knee), Nadav Lapid
Casablanca Beats, Nabil Ayouch (Morocco)
Compartment No. 6, Juho Kuosmanen (Finland)
The Worst Person in the World, Joachim Trier (Norway)
La Fracture, Catherine Corsini (France)
The Restless, Joachim Lafosse (Belgium)
Paris 13th District, Jacques Audiard (France)
Lingui, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad)
Memoria, Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand)
Nitram, Justin Kurzel (Australia)
France, Bruno Dumont (France)
Petrov’s Flu, Kirill Serebrennikov (Russia)
Red Rocket, Sean Baker (USA)
Flag Day, Sean Penn (USA)
The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson (USA)
Titane, Julia Ducournau (France)
Tre Piani, Nanni Moretti (Italy)
Tout s'est Bien Passé, François Ozon (France)
A Hero, Asghar Farhadi (Iran)
Un Certain Regard
Moneyboys, C.B. Yi (Austria)
Blue Bayou, Justin Chon (USA)
Freda, Gessica Geneus (Haiti)
Delo (House Arrest), Alexey German Jr. (Russia)
Bonne Mere, Hafsia Herzi (France)
Noche de Fuego, Tatiana Huezo (Mexico)
Lamb, Valdimar Johansson (Iceland)
Commitment Hasan, Hasan Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey)
After Yang, Kogonada (USA)
Let There Be Morning, Eran Kolirin (Israel)
Unclenching the Fists, Kira Kovalenko (Russia)
Women Do Cry, Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova (Bulgaria)
Rehana Maryam Noor, Abdullah Mohammad Saad (Bangladesh)
Great Freedom, Sebastian Meise (Austria)
La Civil, Teodora Ana Mihai (Romania / Belgium)
Gaey’s Wa’r, Na Jiazuo (China)
The Innocents, Eskil Vogt (Norway)
Un Monde, Laura Wandel (Belgium)
Out of Competition
De Son Vivant, Emmanuelle Bercot (France)
Emergency Declaration, Han Jae-Rim (Korea)
The Velvet Underground, Todd Haynes (USA)
Bac Nord, Cédric Jimenez (France)
Aline, The Voice of Love, Valérie Lemercier (France)
Stillwater, Tom McCarthy (USA)...
In Competition
Annette, Leos Carax (France) - Opening Film
The Story of My Wife, Ildikó Enyedi (Hungary)
Benedetta, Paul Verhoeven (Netherlands)
Bergman Island, Mia-Hansen-Love (France)
Drive My Car, Rysuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
Ha’Berech (Ahed’s Knee), Nadav Lapid
Casablanca Beats, Nabil Ayouch (Morocco)
Compartment No. 6, Juho Kuosmanen (Finland)
The Worst Person in the World, Joachim Trier (Norway)
La Fracture, Catherine Corsini (France)
The Restless, Joachim Lafosse (Belgium)
Paris 13th District, Jacques Audiard (France)
Lingui, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad)
Memoria, Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand)
Nitram, Justin Kurzel (Australia)
France, Bruno Dumont (France)
Petrov’s Flu, Kirill Serebrennikov (Russia)
Red Rocket, Sean Baker (USA)
Flag Day, Sean Penn (USA)
The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson (USA)
Titane, Julia Ducournau (France)
Tre Piani, Nanni Moretti (Italy)
Tout s'est Bien Passé, François Ozon (France)
A Hero, Asghar Farhadi (Iran)
Un Certain Regard
Moneyboys, C.B. Yi (Austria)
Blue Bayou, Justin Chon (USA)
Freda, Gessica Geneus (Haiti)
Delo (House Arrest), Alexey German Jr. (Russia)
Bonne Mere, Hafsia Herzi (France)
Noche de Fuego, Tatiana Huezo (Mexico)
Lamb, Valdimar Johansson (Iceland)
Commitment Hasan, Hasan Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey)
After Yang, Kogonada (USA)
Let There Be Morning, Eran Kolirin (Israel)
Unclenching the Fists, Kira Kovalenko (Russia)
Women Do Cry, Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova (Bulgaria)
Rehana Maryam Noor, Abdullah Mohammad Saad (Bangladesh)
Great Freedom, Sebastian Meise (Austria)
La Civil, Teodora Ana Mihai (Romania / Belgium)
Gaey’s Wa’r, Na Jiazuo (China)
The Innocents, Eskil Vogt (Norway)
Un Monde, Laura Wandel (Belgium)
Out of Competition
De Son Vivant, Emmanuelle Bercot (France)
Emergency Declaration, Han Jae-Rim (Korea)
The Velvet Underground, Todd Haynes (USA)
Bac Nord, Cédric Jimenez (France)
Aline, The Voice of Love, Valérie Lemercier (France)
Stillwater, Tom McCarthy (USA)...
- 6/3/2021
- IMDbPro News
Cannes is back in full force with the announcement of the Official Selection for the film festival’s 74th edition. Taking place in July after having been originally scheduled for May, Cannes is returning with an in-person event after the pandemic forced the festival to cancel in 2020. Spike Lee, who was supposed to head the jury and premiere his “Da 5 Bloods” out of competition last year, is returning to Cannes 2021 as jury president. Films such as Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Leos Carax’s “Annette,” and Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta” were all supposed to premiere at Cannes 2020 but are now confirmed for Cannes 2021 after waiting a year to be unveiled to the world.
Given this is the first Cannes in the Covid pandemic era, there are as many questions about the event’s safety protocols as there are about the lineup. Cannes general delegate Thierry Frémaux told IndieWire...
Given this is the first Cannes in the Covid pandemic era, there are as many questions about the event’s safety protocols as there are about the lineup. Cannes general delegate Thierry Frémaux told IndieWire...
- 6/3/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
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