Festivities tempered by absence of Japanese filmmakers
By Min Lee, Entertainment Writer
HONG KONG (AP) --The Thai film “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” was named best picture at the fifth Asian Film Awards on Monday in a ceremony overshadowed by the absence of Japanese filmmakers who stayed home in the wake of a deadly earthquake and tsunami.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s mystical drama follows a dying man from Thailand’s rural northeast who explores his past and the idea of reincarnation in his final days. Apichatpong said it was especially sweet to win in his home region, a year after he took the top Palme d’Or award at France’s Cannes Film Festival.
The director, whose earlier credits include “Tropical Malady” and “Syndromes and a Century,” said the critical acclaim his contemplative work received signaled displeasure with the growing influence of western commercial cinema.
“I think maybe that shows that’s what some people need, because the films that are being made now are so universal in terms of style and storytelling. That means maybe we need something different and some diversity,” he said.
“When you see many Asian films, sometimes the vocabulary of filmmaking is totally American, which is not bad but somehow we need something different, some variety for more fresh air,” he said.
Veteran South Korean director Lee Chang-dong took home best director and best screenplay for “Poetry,” about an elderly woman who discovers a passion for writing poems. Lee also won best screenplay for the same movie at Cannes last year.
Another South Korean, Ha Jung-woo, won best actor for his role as a minority Korean in China who becomes a contract killer in his ethnic homeland to pay off his debts in “The Yellow Sea.”
China’s Xu Fan was best actress for playing a grieving widow in her husband Feng Xiaogang’s earthquake epic “Aftershock,” which also won for best visual effects. Feng’s picture, set against the deadly 1976 earthquake in the northeastern Chinese city Tangshan, was also honored for box office performance after its massive domestic take of $100 million last year.
But as the cream of Asian cinema celebrated their best works from the past year, they also remembered the suffering in Japan, highlighted by the sparse attendance from the country’s film industry. Nominated stars, like actor Koji Yakusho (“13 Assassins”) and actresses Rinko Kikuchi (“Norwegian Wood”) and Takako Matsu (“Confessions”), missed Monday’s ceremony. The lone Japanese winner of the night, “13 Assassins” production designer Yuji Hayashida, also was absent.
The hosts, presenters and winners sent best wishes to the Japanese people. Famed American producer Harvey Weinstein delivered a public greeting to his friend, Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, before handing out the best actor award with Hong Kong actress Carina Lau.
Addressing the Japanese public, Weinstein said, “We hope you’re safe and we hope things turn very well very quickly.”
Accepting his box office award, Feng announced that two of the investors in “Aftershock,” Hong Kong studio Media Asia and mainland counterpart Huayi Brothers, have pledged 500,000 Chinese yuan ($76,000) for relief efforts. Champagne maker Moet & Chandon chipped in another 180,000 Hong Kong dollars ($23,000) to the Japanese Red Cross — HK$10,000 ($1,300) for each of the 18 awards handed out Monday.
In other awards, veteran Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung was named best supporting actor for portraying a rival kung fu master “Ip Man 2,” the biopic of Bruce Lee’s kung fu teacher by the same name. South Korea’s Yoon Yeo-jeong won for her supporting role in “The Housemaid” as a housekeeper whose new assistant unleashes disaster by having an affair with her employer.
Retired Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow, who guided the careers of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, was honored for lifetime achievement. Kim Dong-ho, who built South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival into one of the region’s best, received a prize for outstanding contribution to Asian cinema. Organizers also paid tribute to Hong Kong-based Fortissimo Films, a company that specializes in marketing and distributing Asian movies.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More