Asian Film Library Bulletin No.1

Stephen Cremin asianfilmlibrary at hotmail.com
Sun Jan 30 13:12:18 EST 2000


If you've received this newsletter, then you probably work in a professional 
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-----

30 January 2000

Dear All,

The latest box office statistics show that the biggest film in Japan is a 
Korean action-romance, the biggest film in Korea is a Hong Kong 
teen-romance, and the highest new entry in Hong Kong is a Japanese horror 
film. Which is to say that the acceptance of Asian film within Asia is 
changing.  And with a younger generation of distributors, film festivals and 
bilingual scholars emerging, the international perception of Asian film is 
also undergoing change.

This first newsletter is being sent out to over 1000 individuals working in 
Asian film: academics, sales agents, production companies, distributors and 
film festivals.  Please ask your colleagues to subscribe by emailing me 
directly.  While a fee may be introduced to receive the newsletter, a free 
stripped-down version will continue to be available.  But the survival of 
this newsletter on a weekly basis depends on the co-operation of production 
companies, sales agents and film festivals, so do let me know if you find 
the information useful and do let sales agents know where you heard about 
their titles.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen Cremin
aflbulletin at hotmail.com


Note: This newsletter is best viewed in a mono-spaced font such as Courier.  
For clarity, I have not listed the original titles for films in Chinese, 
Japanese and Korean characters in this version.

-----------------------------------------------
ASIAN FILM LIBRARY BULLETIN #1, 30 January 2000

=====================
BOX OFFICE STATISTICS

HONG KONG (20-23 January 2000)
------------------------------
01. Crying Heart (15/1/2000)
02. Double Jeopardy (13/1/2000)
03. Tomie (NEW: 20/1/2000)
04. Joan of Arc (NEW: 20/1/2000)
05. The Bone Collector (6/1/2000)
06. Anna and the King (23/12/1999)
07. Fist Power (NEW: 21/1/2000)
08. Super Car Criminals (NEW: 20/1/2000)
09. Troublesome Night VII (NEW: 20/1/2000)
10. The Muse (NEW: 20/1/2000)

JAPAN (22-23 January 2000)
--------------------------
01. Shiri (NEW: 22/1/2000)
02. Blair Witch Project (23/12/1999)
03. Ring 0: Birthday + Isola (NEW: 22/1/2000)
04. When the Rain Stops (NEW: 22/1/2000)
05. Legend of 1900 (18/12/1999)
06. End of Days (25/12/1999)
07. Tarzan (18/12/1999)
08. The Sixth Sense (30/10/1999)
09. Fight Club (11/12/1999)
10. Joan of Arc (11/12/1999)

KOREA (14-20 January 2000)
--------------------------
01. Fly Me to Polaris (NEW: 15/1/2000)
02. Lies (8/1/2000)
03. Stuart Little (8/1/2000)

==========
ON RELEASE

HONG KONG
Out this weekend: Jingle MA's "Tokyo Raiders" starring Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai, 
Ekin CHENG and Kelly CHEN is the first of this year's Chinese New Year 
films, followed by Clifton KO's "Winner Takes All" starring Samuel HUI, 
Nicholas TSE and Ruby LIN.  Still on release: WONG Jing's "Crying Heart", 
Fruit CHAN's "Little Cheung", OIKAWA Ataru's "Tomie", KORE-EDA Hirokazu's 
"After Life", LAU Koon-wai's "Super Car Criminals" and Herman YAU's 
"Troublesome Night VII".  Coming soon: Gordon CHAN's "2000AD" (3/2/2000), 
Andrew LAU's "The Duel" (3/2/2000), Stanley KWAN's "The Island Tales" 
(17/2/2000) and NAKATA Hideo's "Don't Look Up" (17/2/2000).

JAPAN
Out this weekend: NAKATA Hideo's surprisingly poetic "Sleeping Bride", 
MORIMOTO Isao's "The First-Timers" and KURIYAMA Tomio's "Free and Easy 11".  
Still on release: Jacky KANG's "Shiri", KOIZUMI Takashi's "When the Rain 
Stops" (Ame Agaru), TSURUTA Norio's "Ring 0: Birthday" in a double-bill with 
MIZUTANI Toshiyuki's "Isola", KIMIZUKA Takumi's "The Last Day", Herman YAU's 
"Fascination Amour" and ICHIKAWA Kon's "Band of Assassins" (Shinsengumi).  
Coming soon: Mr HIGUCHINSKY's "Uzumaki" in a double-bill with MITSUISHI 
Tomijiro's "Tomie: Replay" (11/2/2000).

KOREA
Out this weekend: IM Kwon-taek's "Chunhyang".  Still on release: LEE 
Chang-dong's "Peppermint Candy", JANG Sun-woo's "Lies", PARK Heon-su's 
"Junomyung Romance: The Wife in Romance" and Jingle MA's "Fly Me To 
Polaris".  Coming soon: KIM Ji-woon's wrestling comedy "The Foul King" 
(4/2/2000) and FURUHATA Yasuo's "Poppoya: The Railroad Man" (4/2/2000).  
Releases delayed: KIM Kuk-hyung's "Black Hole" and BAE Chang-ho's "My 
Heart".

======================
NEW RELEASES IN DETAIL

>Tokyo Raiders
Director, photography: Jingle MA; producers: Stephen CHU, David CHAN, 
Patricia CHENG; script: Susan CHAN, Felix CHONG; cast: Kelly CHEN (Macy), 
Tony LEUNG Chiu-wai (Lin), Ekin CHENG (Yung), NAKAMURA Toru (Takahashi), ABE 
Hiroshi (Ito), Cecilia CHEUNG (Saori).  Domestic release: 28/1/2000.  
Festivals: None.
Sales: Golden Harvest (gordon_cheung at goldenharvest.com).

Story: When Macy is stood-up at the altar in Las Vegas, she flies to Tokyo 
to find Takahashi, the missing groom.  Yung, the interior decorator of their 
new marital home accompanies her, in debt after Takahashi's final payment 
bounced.  They soon find themselves under attack from swarms of yakuza: Ito, 
the gangsters' boss, believes Takahashi has run off with his woman, both of 
whom know too much about his business affairs.  Macy and Yung join forces 
with mysterious private-eye Lin and his entourage of female assistants...
http://www.goldenharvest.com/tokyoraiders/eng-mainpage.htm

>Sleeping Bride
Director: NAKATA Hideo; producer: AKAISHI Tomoyuki; script: KONAKA Chiaki; 
original comic book: TEZUKA Osamu; cast: KOHARA Yuki (Nagasawa Yuichi), GOTO 
Risa (Iida Yumi), ENOKI Takaaki (Dr Hishikawa), NATORI Yuko (Ritsuko, 
Yuichi's mother).  Domestic release: 29/1/2000.  Festivals: Tokyo.
Sales: Nikkatsu (nobu at nikkatsu.co.jp).

Story: The only survivor of a plane crash on the outskirts of Mount Fuji in 
1954 is 9-months pregnant.  She dies, but her daughter Yumi is born ... 
asleep.  Seven years later, Yuichi, a boy her same age, visits her every 
night to kiss her.  1972: Yuichi is in high school; he returns to the 
hospital and when he kisses her again in a thunderstorm she awakes.  But 
Yumi believes she will only stay awake for five days.
http://www.nikkatsu.com/movie/mov_ga01.html

>The First Timers (aka "Ichigen-san")
Director, script: MORIMOTO Isao; producers: SHIOYA Toshi, HONMA Fumiko, 
SASAKI Kunio; original novel: David ZOPPETTI; cast: Edward ATTERTON 
(Richard, "Boku"), SUZUKI Honami (Kyoko), NAKATA Yoshiko (Yuriko), KANIE 
Keizo (yakuza boss).  Domestic release: 29/1/2000.  Festivals: Melbournce, 
Mill Valley.
Sales: Sky Planning (fvgw8070 at mb.infoweb.ne.jp).

Story: In 1989, Boku ("I") is a foreign student of Japanese literature at a 
university in Kyoto.  He volunteers to visit a beautiful young blind woman, 
Kyoko, and read aloud to her.  Literature brings them together and they soon 
become lovers.

>Chunhyang
Director: IM Kwon-taek; producer: LEE Tae-won; script: KIM Myung-gon; cast: 
LEE Hyo-jeong (Sung Chunhyang), CHO Seung-woo (Lee Mongryong), LEE Jung-hun 
(Byun Hakdo).  Domestic release: 29/1/2000.  Festivals: None.
Sales: CJ Entertainment (markyoon at cheiljedang.co.kr).

Story: Korea, Shilla Dynasty.  A local governor's son, Mongryong, falls in 
love at first sight with Chunhyang, the daughter of a lowly "kisaeng".  
Mongryong pledges his eternal love and marries her.  When his father is 
transfered to the capital he has to follow to complete the state exams, 
leaving Chunhyang behind.  Byun Hakdo, the new governor, arrives who has 
heard of Chunhyang's beauty and orders her as his mistress.  When she 
refuses, she is beaten and thrown into prison to await her death.  Her only 
hope is if Mongryong can pass the state exams and return as the king's 
emissary to weed out corruption...
http://www.chunhyang21.co.kr
http://www.chunhyang21.com

===========================
OTHER LINKS: OFFICIAL SITES

>THE FOUL KING
http://www.foul.co.kr

>ISOLA
http://www.isola13.com

>JUNOMYUNG BAKERY: THE WIFE IN ROMANCE
http://www.bbangzib.co.kr

>LIES
http://www.shincine.com

>PEPPERMINT CANDY
http://www.peppermintcandy.co.kr

>POPPOYA: THE RAILROAD MAN
http://www.poppoya.co.kr

>RING 0: BIRTHDAY
http://www.ring-zero.net

============================
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000 ROTTERDAM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (26 January to 6 February 2000)
http://www.iffrotterdam.nl

Guests in attendance include Penek Ratanaruang, Zhang Yang, Lee Myung-se, 
Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Miike Takashi, Nakata Hideo and Donald Richie.  In 
addition to the main feature programme there will be an extensive programme 
of experimental shorts and various retrospectives including special focuses 
on directors Fukasaku Kinji and Oshii Mamoru.

Features:
2000 China - City Paradise
2000 China - Paper
2000 China - Suzhou River
1999 China - Not One Less
1999 China - Seventeen Years
1999 China - Shower
1998 China - So Close to Paradise
1999 Hong Kong - Cross Harbor Tunnel
1999 Hong Kong - Love Will Tear Us Apart
1998 Hong Kong - The Longest Summer
1999 Indonesia - Sri
1999 Japan - Audition
1999 Japan - Away with Words
1999 Japan - Barren Illusion
1999 Japan - Blue-Chong
1999 Japan - Charisma
1999 Japan - Dead or Alive
1999 Japan - Don’t Look Back
1999 Japan - The Frame
1999 Japan - Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
1999 Japan - Gemini
1999 Japan - Hazy Life
1999 Japan - Hysteric
1999 Japan - Jam Session: Official Bootleg of Kikujiro
1999 Japan - Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
1999 Japan - Kikujiro
1999 Japan - Kiss Me So Long I Can’t Breathe
1999 Japan - Ley Lines
1999 Japan - M/other
1999 Japan - NN 891102
1999 Japan - One Piece!
1999 Japan - Shikoku
1999 Japan - Tel Club
1999 Japan - Timeless Melody
1998 Japan - The Dimension Travellers
1998 Japan - The Geisha House
1998 Japan - Ring
1998 Japan - Tomie
1999 Korea - Lies
1999 Korea - Nowhere to Hide
1999 Korea - The Uprising
1998 Korea - Girls’ Night Out
1999 Singapore - Eating Air
1998 Singapore - That’s the Way I Like It
1999 Taiwan - Darkness and Light
1998 Taiwan - The Personals
2000 Thailand - Mysterious Object at Noon
1999 Thailand - 6ixtynin9
1999 Thailand - Nang Nak

-----------------------------------------------------------
2000 GOTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL (28 January to 6 February 2000)
http://www.goteborg.filmfestival.org

Check website for details of their North Korean retrospective.

Features:
2000 China - Suzhou River
1999 China - Seventeen Years
1998 China - So Close to Paradise
2000 Indonesia - Telegram
1999 Japan - Hakuchi: The Innocent
1999 Japan - M/other
1999 Japan - Millennium Traveller
1999 Japan - Moonlight Whispers
1999 Japan - Shabondama Elegy
1999 Korea - The Cut Runs Deep
1999 Korea - Lies
1999 Korea - Nowhere to Hide
1999 Korea - Rainbow Trout
1999 Korea - The Uprising
1998 Korea - Girls’ Night Out
1998 Korea - Yellow Flower
1999 Philippines - Fetch a Pale of Water
1999 Philippines - Woman on a Tin Roof
1998 Taiwan - The Personals

------------------------------------------------------------
2000 BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (9-20 February 2000)
http://www.berlinale.de

The official programme will be announced on Tuesday 1 February.  Expect new 
films from ZHANG Yimou and WONG Kar-wai in competition.  Prestigious slots 
are also expected for Stanley KWAN's "The Island Tales", Marilou 
DIAZ-ABAYA's "Muro Ami" and Mel CHIONGLO's "The Burlesk King".  With Gong Li 
heading the jury there will be a special screening of SUN Zhou's "Breaking 
the Silence".

The Japanese programme consists of ICHIKAWA Kon's "Dora Heita", HARADA 
Masato's "Jubaku" (aka "Spellbound"), HIGASHI Yoichi's "The Crossing", 
TSUCHIHASHI Masahiro's "Truths: A Stream", SABU's "Monday", YAMAMOTO 
Kosuke's "Rendez-vous", MITO Hineki's "Homesick", HIRANO Katsuyuki's "The 
White", NAKAE Yuji's "Nabbie's Love", INUDO Isshin's "Across a Gold 
Prairie", TSUCHIYA Yutaka's documentary "The New God" and "One Piece!". an 
omnibus of shorts by SUZUKI Takuji and YAGUCHI Shinobu.

There will be no Korean feature films or shorts in this year's Berlin IFF, 
just two documentaries: JANG Hee-sun's "Making Sun-Dried Red Peppers" and 
CHO Jai-hong's "Shoot the Sun by Lyric: The Fight for the Screen Quota in 
Korea".  The organisers of the Forum have fallen out with the Pusan 
International Film Festival to which they were not formally invited last 
year, while the main festival, having lost IM Kwon-taek's "Chunhyang" and 
LEE Chang-dong's "Peppermint Candy" to Cannes, have decided that nothing 
else will do.

One of the best Korean films of 1999, "Momento Mori" directed by MIN 
Kyu-dong and KIM Tae-yong will receive a market screening in its uncut form. 
  There will also be a market screening of the promo reel of Edward Berger's 
"Frau 2 Und Happy End", the official German remake of CHANG Yoon-hyun's "The 
Contact".

==========================
KOREAN FILMS IN PRODUCTION

>Anarchist
Director: YOO Young-shik; cast: JANG Dong-keon, JEONG Joon-ho, LEE Beom-su, 
KIM In-kwon, KIM Sang-jong.  Prod Co: Cine World.  Status: Post-production.
Five men who live in 1920s Shanghai as terrorists.

>Bi-Chun-Mu
Director: KIM Young-joon; cast: KIM Hee-jeon, SHIN Hyun-joon.  Prod Co: 
Taewon Entertainment. Status: Post-production.
Sales: Taewon Entertainment (twent at unitel.co.kr).
Newcomer Kim Young-joon takes on the cinematic adaptation of a popular 
Korean comic book: a swordplay epic set in Shanghai.

>Emergency Room
Director: CHOI Yoon-seok; cast: SHIN Eun-kyung, JIN Hee-kyung, CHOI 
Cheol-ho.  Prod Co: AFDF Korea.  Shoot: 3/12/1999.  Release: March 2000.
Movie adaptation of a popular Korean TV series set in a hospital.

>The Gingko Bed 2
Director: PARK Jye-hyun; producer: Jacky KANG; cast: SEOL Kyung-ku, LEE 
Mi-suk, CHOI Jin-shil, KIM Yoon-jin, KIM Seok-hoon.  Prod Co: Jacky Kang 
Films & All That Cinema.  Shoot: 27/1/2000.  Release: June 2000.
Fresh from the success of "Shiri", Jacky Kang produces this sequel to his 
1996 box office hit with an all-new star cast.  Original took approximately 
US$2m on its domestic theatrical release.

>Interview
Director: Daniel H BYUN; cast: LEE Jeong-jae, SHIM Eun-ha, KWON Min-joong, 
CHO Jae-hyun.  Prod Co: Cine2000.  Status: Post-production.  Shoot: 
21/9/1999.  Release: February 2000.
Sales: Mirovision (mirovision at channeli.net)
100 interviews on love from the director of celebrated short film 
"Homo-Videocus".

>JSA: Joint Security Area
Director: PARK Chan-wook; cast: SONG Kang-ho, LEE Byung-heon, SHIN Ha-kyoon. 
  Prod Co: Myung Films.  Shoot: 8/2/2000.  Release: June 2000.
Sales: CJ Entertainment (markyoon at cheiljedang.co.kr).
A neutral half-Korean Swiss Army Intelligence Bureau investigates the death 
of two North Korean soldiers at the De-Militarised Zone.

>Kilimanjaro
Director: OH Seung-wook; cast: AHN Sung-Ki, PARK Shin-Yang.  Prod Co: Uno 
Films.  Shoot: 12/12/1999.  Release: May 2000.
Sales: CJ Entertainment (markyoon at cheiljedang.co.kr).
Identical twin brothers brought up in a small fishing town have opposite 
personalities: one becomes a cop, the other an illegal fisherman.

>My Wild Life
Director, script: IM Sang-soo, producer: OH Jung-wan.  Prod Co: BOM Films. 
Status: Casting.  Shoot: 2/2000.  Release: June 2000.
Sales: BOM films (ojungwan at shinbiro.com).
Four teenage delinquents run away from home, making ends meet by working 
part-time at a hostess bar.  One day they head for the beach on stolen 
motorbikes.  From director of "Girls' Night Out".

>Secret
Director, script: PARK Ki-hyung; cast: KIM Seung-woo.  Prod Co: Dada Film.  
Shoot: 1/2000.  Release: May/June 2000.
Sales: Cinema Service (cineserv at netsgo.com).
The relationship between an old man and a young girl who possesses psychic 
powers from the director of "Whispering Corridors".

>Urine Nation
Director, script: E J-yong, Prod Co: Koo & C Film. Status: Casting.  Shoot: 
3/2000.  Release: June 2000.
Sales: Cinema Service (cineserv at netsgo.com).
Korean boy falls in love with a Japanese girl he discovers on an internet 
porn site from the director of "An Affair".

==========================
KOREAN BEST-TEN LISTS 1999

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN 1999
01. Shiri
02. Attack the Gas Station!
03. Tell me Something
04. Nowhere to Hide
05. Happy End
06. Yonggary
07. Ghost in Love
08. Phantom the Submarine
09. The Ring Virus
10. City of the Rising Sun

CINE21 MAGAZINE BEST TEN
01. Nowhere to Hide
02. Happy End
03. Momento Mori
04. The Spy
05. City of the Rising Sun
06. Rainbow Trout
07. Phantom the Submarine
08. Shiri
08. Mayonnaise
10. The Harmonium in My Memory
10. Fin de Siecle

KINO MAGAZINE BEST TEN (CRITICS)
01. The Uprising
02. Nowhere to Hide
03. Picnic [Short]
04. Mindullae [Documentary]
05. The Spy
06. Views [Short]
07. Leave Us Alone [Documentary]
08. City of the Rising Sun
09. Rainbow Trout
10. Fly Low

KINO MAGAZINE BEST TEN (READERS)
01. Nowhere to Hide
02. Shiri
03. Attack the Gas Station!
04. Tell me Something
05. The Spy
06. Art Museum by the Zoo
07. Phantom the Submarine
08. The Uprising
09. The Harmonium in My Memory
10. City of the Rising Sun

INTERNET SURVEY BEST TEN
01. Shiri
02. Nowhere to Hide
03. Attack the Gas Station!
04. Tell Me Something
05. The Harmonium in My Memory
05. Phantom the Submarine
07. Happy End
07. The Spy
09. City of the Rising Sun
10. Rainbow Trout

INTERNET SURVEY WORST TEN
01. Yellow Hair
02. Ghost in Love
03. Something to Die For (aka Money)
04. Calla
05. Dance Dance
06. Yonggary
07. The Mystery of the Cube
08. White Valentine
09. Tell Me Something
10. Dr K

Many of the Korean films mentioned in this section are reviewed at:
http://myhome.shinbiro.com/~darcypaq/kfilm99.html

Note: The majority of these lists were compiled before the December release 
of JEONG Ji-woo's "Happy End", MIN Kyu-dong & KIM Tae-yong's "Momento Mori" 
and SONG Neung-han's "Fin de Siecle.

xxx
======================
© Stephen Cremin, 2000
______________________________________________________
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