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June 8, 2007: News from Abroad
Naomi Kawase is sunshine of Cannes, Britain is target for Bollywood, and hip hop is the envy of Japan. All this and more in the latest edition of News from Abroad.
Asians win at Cannes
No, Norah Jones didn't go home with the best actress statue. But Korean star Jeon Do-yeon did, for Lee Chang-dong's Secret Sunshine, one of the most acclaimed films at this year's festival. Less acclaimed was Naomi Kawase's The Mourning Forest, which nevertheless took the Grand Jury Prize (i.e. second place), behind the universally-loved 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days by Polish director Cristian Mungiu. Wong Kar-wai's first English-language feature My Blueberry Nights opened the festival to polite applause, but little else. Hou Hsiao-hsien's first French-language film Flight of the Red Balloon divided critics, as all of his films do, between huge supporters and frustrated haters. And then there's the Tsui Hark / Ringo Lam / Johnnie To experiment Triangle, which, according to critics, was more corpse than exquisite. Another year, another major showing for Asian cinema at Cannes. Now how long before the rest of the world can find out what the hoopla was all about... --Brian Hu
Family Ties Takes Best Film, Bong Joon-ho Best Director
This year's 22th Grand Bell Awards (DaeJong Awards) presented the intimate drama Family Ties the Best Film award, over the critically and commercially acclaimed frontrunner, The Host. The Host had gone in with 11 nominations, exceeded only by 200 Pounds Beauty which had 12 nominations. The monster film didn't walk away with nothing though: director Bong Joon-ho took home the Best Director award.
Other winners in the Korean Film Awards include:
Best Leading Actor: Ahn Seong-gi (Radio Star)
Best Leading Actress: Kim Ah-joong (200-Pound Beauty)
Best Supporting Actor: Kim Yoon-seok (Tazza)
Best Supporting Actress: Shim Hye-jin (Over the Border)
Best Cinematography: Park Hyeon-cheol (200-Pound Beauty)
Best New Director: Kwon Hyeong-jin (For Horowitz)
Best New Actor: Ryu Deok-hwan (Like a Virgin)
Best New Actress: Jo Yi-jin (Over the Border)
Best Script: Seong Gi-yeong, Kim Tae-yong (Family Ties)
Best Editing: Kim Seon-min (The Host)
Best Music: Lee Jae-hak (200-Pound Beauty)
Random nominees that went home empty-handed: Daniel Henney for Seducing Mr. Perfect and Rain for I'm a Cyborg, and That's OK.
The awards were held June 8th at the Grand Hall, Sejong Center in Seoul. For more information, go to the official site here. -- Ada Tseng
Producer of Guru dies tragically
Tamil producer G. Srinivasan, who produced recent films such as Guru, Yuva, and A Peck on the Cheek, died on Sunday, May 7, 2007. The 48 year-old was on vacation hiking near Manali in Kashmir when he accidentally slipped into a Himalayan gorge. His brother, director Mani Ratnam, flew in from Cannes when he heard the news. Srinivasan had founded the independent production company Madras Talkies with his brother Ratnam. --Ada Tseng
Bollywood goes Britain
The International Indian Film Academy Awards is the only awards show I know of that celebrates a national cinema from the diaspora. Last year, it was held in Dubai and the year before, in Amsterdam. This year, the IIFAA is moving back to England, where the first-ever IIFAA awards took place seven years ago. England of course is one of the biggest markets for Indian cinema anywhere in the world, and the awards and festival is expected to draw in 28,000 visitors. Set to premiere is the brand-new, 130 minute cut of Rang De Basanti, which has been renamed The Color of Sacrifice for its English-market commercial release. Rang De Basanti leads the pack with 15 nominations, including Best Picture, where it is joined by Dhoom 2, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Krrish, Lage Raho Munnabhai, and Vivaah. The awards will be announced on June 9. --Brian Hu
Singaporean film Men in White opens
Ignore the reviews, because Kelvin Tong claims his latest film was not meant for reviewers but for young teenagers interested in little laughs. Of course, the laughing part could be subjective as well. Starring Shaun Chen and Ling Lee, Men in White is the story of five ghosts exploring Singapore in a new light. The horror comedy combines reality with the supernatural, in the form of government bashing with what others have said resembles Jack Neo's films. Though Tong's last horror film, The Maid, grossed 2.15 million at the local box office, the director is still standing behind his latest creation, explaining that with an "indie budget" of 500,000, the film has no pressure to perform. Tong has cited films like Borat and Jackass to be the reason behind his adventurous move, which seems like a lot of pressure as it is. --My Thanh Mac
BET's going to Japan
This fall, BET networks is going to enter the Japanese market with their #1 hip-hop countdown show 106 & Park. Hosted by Rocsi and Terrence, the one-hour show will air weekly on its sister-network MTV Japan in English with Japanese subtitles. Rosci and Terrence came to Japan recently to tape the first show and meet with Japanese rappers and DJs. "I am proud to share our black culture with our newly-found Japanese fans," Terrence said after attending the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. That is almost as sweet as Kenny G calling Nobu his Japanese brother at the Asian Excellence Awards. BET Networks chairman and CEO Debra L. Lee is continuing to expand the BET brand with BET International. --Ada Tseng
Shanghai film fest shapes up
In the crowded world of film festivals, the Shanghai International Film Festival stands out, for better or worse. Stuck between wanting to compete amongst other metropolises like Cannes, Venice, Pusan, and Hong Kong, yet resistant to program controversial films that might upset the Chinese status quo, the Shanghai International Film Festival, now in its 10th year, is an odd combination of ambition and compromise. This tends to manifest as flashy, high-caliber guests, but relatively weak programming. Take the New Asian Talent Award competition: the jury includes such luminaries as Mabel Cheung, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, He Ping, Jean Michel Frodon, and Isao Yukisada; yet the lineup includes clunkers like Shanghai Eclipse. Meanwhile, the main competition -- the Jin Jue awards -- includes Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Go Master and Yoji Yamada's Love and Honor, but neither are exactly audacious festival picks. On the other hand, the Jin Jue jury includes fifth generation team captain Chen Kaige and new generation visionary Lu Chuan. To top it off, the SIFF website includes a seductive black and white photo of Sharon Stone, who, as the press release loudly proclaims, "will attend the opening ceremony for sure." --Brian Hu
Alternate melodies in Taiwan
Unthinkable in the U.S. let alone in the rest of the Chinese-speaking world, a high-profile music awards show in Taiwan actually dares to nominate independent alternative musical acts in the major categories. Taiwan's annual Golden Melody Awards recently announced its nominations, and once again, the categories are made up of acts you'd barely know, even living in Taiwan. The most nominations belongs to folk rockers Sodagreen, who's up for Best Band of the year, and Deserts Chang, whose My Life Will is up for Best Album. Also nominated are Hakka and aboriginal language acts like Lin Sheng-xiang and Hao-en and Jia-jia. The importance of the GMAs in giving voice to alternative music is seen in the fact that these independent acts are nominated against pop idols like Jolin Tsai, David Tao, and Angela Chang. --Brian Hu
Date Posted: 6/8/2007