Gong Li is a Chinese Singaporean actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses in China today, she is known for her versatility and naturalistic performance. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Johnnie To Kei-fung is a Hong Kong filmmaker. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in the West he is best known for his action and crime movies, which have earned him critical respect and a cult following, which includes American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, film producer and Professor at Tama Art University in Tokyo. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong has directed several features and dozens of short films. Friends and fans sometimes refer to him as "Joe".
The cinema of Thailand dates back to the early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorn's 1897 visit to Bern, Switzerland was recorded by François-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. The film was then brought to Bangkok, where it was exhibited. This sparked more interest in film by the Thai Royal Family and local businessmen, who brought in filmmaking equipment and started to exhibit foreign films. By the 1920s, a local film industry had started and in the 1930s, the Thai film industry had its first "golden age", with a number of studios producing films.
Syndromes and a Century is a 2006 Thai drama film written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film was among the works commissioned for Peter Sellars' New Crowned Hope festival in Vienna to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It premiered on August 30, 2006, at the 63rd Venice Film Festival.
Colour Blossoms is a 2004 Hong Kong art film written and directed by Yonfan, and the third in an informal trilogy of films inspired by Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion. The original Chinese title of Colour Blossoms literally translates as "Peach Colour", a euphemism for sexual desire, one of the central themes in the film.
Binger Filmlab, formerly the Maurits Binger Film Institute, is an Amsterdam-based international feature-film and documentary development centre where screenwriters, directors, producers and script editors from around the world can be coached and supported by mentors and advisors.
Reign of Assassins is a 2010 wuxia film directed by Su Chao-pin and co-directed by John Woo. The film is shot in China and set during the Ming Dynasty. The film stars Michelle Yeoh, who plays an assassin who tries to return to a normal life after being counseled by a monk. After saving her husband and herself from robbers, she attracts the attention of her former assassin gang.
The Child's Eye is a 2010 Hong Kong horror film by the Pang brothers. It takes place in 2008 in Bangkok where six find themselves at the Chung Tai Hotel. After Rainie sees a female ghost and Ling finds a disembodied hand, they find that while at dinner, the three men they came with have disappeared. Rainie leads the girls to find their friends.
A Simple Life, also known as Sister Peach, is a 2011 Hong Kong drama film directed by Ann Hui and starring Andy Lau and Deanie Ip. Ip, in the lead role of Sister Peach, won the Best Actress Award at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. Originally, Hui considered retiring after making this film. However, due to the film's success, she changed her mind and went on to work on other projects.
Sanjeewa Pushpakumara is a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter and producer.
At the End of Daybreak is a Malaysian-Hong Kong film released on 5 November 2009. It was directed and written by Ho Yuhang and has runtime of 94 minutes. The film had its world premiere in August 2009 at the 62nd Locarno International Film Festival where it won NETPAC Award.
Lovely Man is a 2011 Indonesian film written and directed by Teddy Soeriaatmadja. The film had its world premiere at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival to positive reviews on the segment "A Window on Asian Cinema". Donny Damara plays the starring role as Syaiful/Ipuy, a transgender woman in Jakarta. Actress Raihaanun plays the female lead role as Cahaya, Syaiful's long-lost 19-year-old daughter who comes to the city to look for him and learns that her father is a transgender woman. This is their second film together after 2007 remake of drama Badai Pasti Berlalu.
One for the Road is a 2021 Thai-language drama film directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya and produced by Wong Kar-wai. It is a Chinese/Hong Kong/Thai co-production, and is written by Puangsoi Aksornsawang, Nottapon Boonprakob and Nattawut Poonpiriya. The film stars Thanapob Leeratanakajorn, Natara Nopparatayapon, Ploy Horwang, Siraphun Wattanajinda, Violette Wautier and Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying.
On the Job: The Missing 8 is a 2021 Philippine crime thriller film directed by Erik Matti and written by Michiko Yamamoto. The sequel to the 2013 film On the Job, it tells the story of a journalist who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his colleagues, and a prisoner who is temporarily freed to carry out assassinations. The film stars an ensemble cast that consists of John Arcilla, Dennis Trillo, Dante Rivero, Lotlot de Leon, Christopher de Leon, Leo Martinez, Joey Marquez, Eric Fructuoso, Vandolph Quizon, Agot Isidro, Sol Cruz, Wendell Ramos, Lao Rodriguez, Andrea Brillantes, Isabelle de Leon, Ina Feleo, Megan Young, Levi Ignacio, and Carlos Siguion-Rivera.
Love After Love is a 2020 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Ann Hui, and starring Ma Sichun, Faye Yu, Eddie Peng, Chang Chun-ning and Fan Wei. The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 8, 2020. It was released theatrically in China on October 22, 2021.
The Falls is a 2021 Taiwanese drama film directed by Chung Mong-hong and written by Chung and Chang Yao-sheng. It stars Alyssa Chia and Gingle Wang, with Sung Shao-ching, Liu Liang-tso, Lee Lee-zen, Yang Li-yin, Waa Wei, and Chen Yi-wen in supporting roles. It follows a mother and daughter who, after having to quarantine together during COVID-19, are forced to confront their personal obstacles and relationship tensions.
Autobiography is a 2022 thriller drama film written and directed by Makbul Mubarak in his directorial debut. It stars Kevin Ardilova and Arswendy Bening Swara. The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival during the Horizons program on September 2, 2022, where it won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in sections other than the main competition. Autobiography won the sole award in Best Original Screenplay category among other seven nominations at the 2022 Indonesian Film Festival. The film was selected as the Indonesian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
Poet is a 2021 Kazakhstani drama film written and directed by Darezhan Omirbaev. Based on The Author’s Evening by Hermann Hesse, the film depicts story of Didar, a poet chained to his day job in a small newspaper. While reading about a 19th century famous Kazakh poet, Makhambet Otemisuly, who was executed by the authorities, he feels deeply shaken, realizing how difficult and fragile is the life of a poet. It had its world premiere at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival on 31 October 2021, where it won best director award.
