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Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance leads the pack going into the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 18 nominations.

It is followed by Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In with 14 nods and Philip Yung’s Papa with 11 nominations. All three films will face off alongside Adam Wong’s The Way We Talk and Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, in both the best film and best director categories.

The 18 nominations secured by The Last Dance is the highest in Hkfa’s history since Teddy Chen’s Assassins And Bodyguards received the same number in 2010. Chan...

Actress Mayim Bialik played the role of Amy Farrah Fowler, the equally straight-shooting girlfriend of Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory. The actress reportedly began her career as a child actor and even headlined the sitcom Blossoms before she took a break to focus on her education.

While she played a genius neuroscientist in the sitcom, her real life was not far from that as she had already received a PhD in neuroscience before she joined the show. The actress mentioned that her academic career actually helped her land the role as the writers would ask for suggestions from her to see if they had got the information right.

Mayim Bialik was a child star before she took a break from acting to focus on education Mayim Bialik in Blossoms | Credits: NBC

Mayim Bialik is best known for her role as Amy Farrah Fowler in The Big Bang Theory...

Tilda Swinton stars alongside Xin Zhilei (“Blossoms Shanghai”) and Chinese pop artist Leah Dou in a short film directed by Oscar-nominated German filmmaker Wim Wenders for Chanel’s 2024-2025 Métiers d’Art show which celebrates artistry and craftsmanship.

The show will take place Dec. 3 by the scenic West Lake in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. The latter provides a fitting backdrop for the Metiers d’Art show, given the city’s vibrant heritage of silk manufacturing and trade. The lush landscapes and lakes of Hangzhou have been a source of inspiration for many artists, notably Chanel founder Gabrielle Chanel whose imagination is reflected in Wenders’ film.

In her Paris home, Gabrielle Chanel contemplated the lake everyday, as rendered on a Chinese lacquer screen that adorned her private office at her home on Rue Cambon and was part of a collection of some twenty Coromandel pieces, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries,...

New York-based Obluda Films has boarded the long-in-production sci-fi detective film “Resurrection,” being directed by mainland Chinese auteur Bi Gan.

Obluda will join as co-producer and co-financier of the picture that counts mainland pop star-turned-leading actor Jackson Yee and Taiwan’s Shu Qi, as the lead cast. Another New York-based indie producer Jonathan Daniel Brown, of Party Crasher Films, will also join the partnership for the upcoming film.

After completing part of its shooting schedule, “Resurrection” is set to resume filming in the fourth quarter of this year. Paris-based Les Films du Losange recently came on board for international sales and distribution.

“Resurrection” tells the story of a woman whose consciousness enters an eternal time zone during a medical procedure. Trapped in a dreamscape, she encounters an android corpse and attempts to awaken it by recounting stories. As the android traverses these stories, its senses begin to awaken, driving a surreal journey of self-discovery.

The Asia Contents Awards & Global Ott Awards, co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and Ict and Busan Metropolitan City, and co-organized by the Busan International Film Festival and the National It Industry Promotion Agency, opened grandly with actors Kang Ki-young and Tiffany Young as hosts, and performances by Nerd Connection and Tri.Be added to the festive atmosphere.

Blossoms Shanghai

First, in the Best Creative category, which recognizes works that contribute to the diversification of content through innovative ideas and fresh formats, director Wong Kar-wai’s first feature series Blossoms Shanghai was honored with the award. Hu Ge, the lead actor of Blossoms Shanghai, also won Best Lead Actor (Male), making the series a double winner. Imperfect Us, the most nominated work this year, earned two awards: Ariel Lin for Best Lead Actor (Female) and Tanya Chua’s “Learn to Live Again” for Best Original Song, a newly introduced category. The People’s Choice Award,...

A new film incentive and the weak yen are attracting more international productions to Japan, according to the Japan Film Commission (Jfc).

The incentive, which launched in 2023 following an earlier pilot programme that helped finance projects such as HBO series Tokyo Vice, offers a cash rebate of 50% to selected productions whose direct production costs in Japan exceed $3.3m (¥500m) or whose total production costs exceed $6.7m (¥1bn) and whose direct production costs in Japan exceed $1.3m (¥200m ). The upper limit for subsidies is $6.7m (¥1bn).

The incentive has been awarded to six projects this year, including Brendan Fraser vehicle Rental Family...

Top prizes at Busan’s Asia Contents Awards & Global Ott Awards today went to Wong Kar-wai’s first feature series Blossoms Shanghai and Coupang Play’s Boyhood.

Blossoms Shanghai won the Best Creative prize and the series’ Hu Ge won Best Lead Actor (Male). Coupang Play’s Boyhood won Best Ott Original.

Best Director went to Indonesian co-directors Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah for Cigarette Girl.

Imperfect Us, the most nominated work at this year’s awards, received two prizes: Best Lead Actor (Female) for Ariel Lin and Best Original Song for Tanya Chua’s “Learn to Live Again.”

The newly-introduced People’s Choice Award went to Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hyeyoon from Lovely Runner after receiving approximately 600,000 votes from global viewers via Kinolights.

Netflix’s Mask Girl won Best Supporting Actor awards for both Ahn Jae-hong and Yeom Hye-ran.

The Best Writer honors were awarded to Ju Hwa-mi for The Atypical Family,...

Chinese drama series Blossoms Shanghai scooped two top prizes at the Asia Contents Awards & Global Ott Awards in Busan tonight (October 6).

The series, which marks the first foray into TV for auteur director Wong Kar-wai, won the best creative award for “the most outstanding work” as well as the best lead actor (male) prize for Hu Ge, who plays a self-made millionaire in 1990s Shanghai. The series was released on China’s Tencent Video streaming platform.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Further top prizes went to Coupang Play’s South Korean series Boyhood, which won best Ott original,...

Chinese drama series Blossoms Shanghai scooped two top prizes at the Asia Contents Awards & Global Ott Awards in Busan tonight (October 6).

The series, which marks the first foray into TV for auteur director Wong Kar-wai, won the best creative award for “the most outstanding work” as well as the best lead actor (male) prize for Hu Ge, who plays a self-made millionaire in 1990s Shanghai. The series was released on China’s Tencent Video streaming platform.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Further top prizes went to Coupang Play’s South Korean series Boyhood, which won best Ott original,...

Wong Kar-wai’s series debut “Blossoms Shanghai” won two of the top awards at the Busan International Film Festival‘s sixth annual Asia Contents Awards and Global Ott (streaming) Awards on Sunday. The Tencent Video Chinese series won best creative and best male lead actor for Hu Ge.

Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah won best director for Indonesian Netflix series “Cigarette Girl.” The best female lead actor award went to Ariel Lin for Pts Taiwan’s “Imperfect Us.”

Coupang Play’s Korean show “Boyhood” won best Ott original. Salem Entertainment’s “1286” from Kazakhstan won the best Asian contents award.

Ahn Jaehong and Yeom Hye-ran won the male and female supporting actor awards respectively for Netflix’s Korean show “Mask Girl.” The best male acting newcomer award was shared by Chae Jong-heop for TBS Television’s Japanese show “Eye Love You” and Kim Yo-han for Netflix’s Korean series “A Killer Paradox.

With his astounding debut Kaili Blues (2015) and the equally impressive 3D odyssey Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018), Chinese director Bi Gan emerged as one of the most promising new voices in cinema this last decade. Now he’s in the middle of production on his third feature, the sci-fi detective tale Resurrection, wrapping the second part of shooting and set to resume the final portion at the end of the year.

Led by Jackson Yee and Shu Qi, here’s the synopsis from Variety: “Resurrection tells the story of a woman whose consciousness falls into the “eternal time zone” during a surgical procedure. Trapped in many dreams, she finds an android corpse and tries to wake it up by telling it stories. The android then wanders through her stories and its senses gradually awaken.”

With cinematography from Dong Jingsong and costume designer Huang Wen-Ying (The Assassin) on board, this is...

Paris-based sales and distribution company Les Films du Losange has boarded “Resurrection,” a sci-fi detective movie directed by Chinese director Bi Gan, whose 2018 film “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” played at Cannes.

Headlined by Chinese-language stars Jackson Yee (“Better Days”) and Shu Qi (“The Assassin”), the movie recently wrapped the second part of its shooting schedule. It is expected to resume filming in the fourth quarter of this year.

“Resurrection” tells the story of a woman whose consciousness falls into the “eternal time zone” during a surgical procedure. Trapped in many dreams, she finds an android corpse and tries to wake it up by telling it stories. The android then wanders through her stories and its senses gradually awaken.

Co-produced by Charles Gillibert’s CG Cinema, the project marks Bi’s first film since “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” which contained a bravura final 59-minute sequence consisting of a single shot in 3D.

Busan International Film Festival has revealed the full line-up for its 29th edition, which will open with the world premiere of Netflix period drama Uprising, produced and co-written by Park Chan-wook, and close with Eric Khoo’s Spirit World, starring Catherine Deneuve.

At a press conference in Seoul today (September 3), it was also announced that Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa will receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award, while organisers addressed ongoing funding challenges facing the festival.

Uprising marks the first time a streaming title has been set as the opening feature of Asia’s largest film festival. The South...

Korea’s Busan International Film Festival has unveiled the full program of its 29th edition, which will open with the world premiere of Uprising, produced and co-written by Park Chan-wook, and close with Spirit World, starring Catherine Deneuve and directed by Singapore’s Eric Khoo.

Directed by Kim Sang-Man, Uprising marks Park’s first collaboration with Netflix. Gang Dong-won and Park Jeong-min star in the period epic, which Park co-scripted with Shin Chul, about two childhood friends who are turned into bitter adversaries.

Spirit World stars Deneuve as a legendary singer who flies to Japan for a final sold-out concert after which she embarks on an unexpected life in the spirit world with one of her biggest fans as her guide. Masaaki Sakai also stars in the film, a France-Singapore-Japan co-production that is being sold internationally by Goodfellas.

Busan also announced that Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa has been named Asian Filmmaker Of The Year.

Streaming Sensations

The Busan International Film Festival‘s sixth annual Asia Contents Awards and Global Ott Awards has revealed its nominees across 11 competitive categories.

Pts Taiwan’s “Imperfect Us” leads with five nominations, followed by Indonesian Netflix series “Cigarette Girl” with four. Wong Kar-wai‘s series debut “Blossoms Shanghai” (Tencent Video) and Korea’s “A Killer Paradox” (Netflix) each have three nods. Other multiple nominees include Korea’s “Daily Dose of Sunshine” (Netflix) and “Lovely Runner” (Cj Enm Studios/Bon Factory) and Thai Prime Video series “Enigma” (Gmmtv).

The best lead actor (male) category sees Hu Ge (“Blossoms Shanghai”), Yim Si-wan (“Boyhood”), Choi Woo-shik (“A Killer Paradox”), Wu Kang Ren (“Living”), Cho Jin-woong (“No way Out: The Roulette”) and Sakai Masato (“Vivant”) competing for the award.

For best lead actor (female), nominees include Dian Sastrowardoyo (“Cigarette Girl”), Park Bo-young (“Daily Dose Of Sunshine”), Nikaido Fumi (“Eye Love You”), Ariel Lin...

Prominent Japanese publisher Kadokawa has created a breathtaking tribute to one of its decade-old animated hits. In collaboration with acclaimed Japanese artisan Motoharu Asaka, Kadokawa recently released a stunning Ukiyo-e style woodblock print for the beloved -- yet tragic -- 2010 action-drama series, Angel Beats.

Ukiyo-e is an ancient Japanese art style that involves carving and painting images onto woodblocks and pressing them onto handmade sheets of paper called hosho. Kadokawa's "Angel Under Cherry Blossoms" ukiyo-e print features Kanade Tachibana as an elegant, kimono-clad heroine. Per PR Times, this piece is extremely limited, with only 100 total copies having been produced. Accordingly, Kadokawa's online store, which offers international shipping via its affiliated WorldShopping service, is selling strictly on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additionally, prospective buyers will be required to pay a whopping 71,500 yen (US$454.98) to have the privilege of displaying this breathtaking artwork in their homes.

Related Seiko Releases Its Gorgeously Detailed...

Amsterdam- and Beijing-based Fortissimo Films is to pre-sell Chinese crime drama “Family at large,” kicking off at the Cannes Market.

The film had previously been announced with sales handled jointly by Fortissimo and Rediance. Now, Fortissimo alone is representing rights worldwide, ex-China.

Directed by Kang Bo, the film is set in the chilly far north of the country. A man, nicknamed “Reindeer,”, is released from prison and becomes involved in a child-abduction case across Northeast China. The man, a pregnant young woman and a mute boy wade into the dense forests of the frozen North in search of an abducted child. The film exposes a family-run human trafficking organization and portrays the underworld of the Northern border of China.

The cast is headed by the in-demand Hu Ge “(“The Wild Goose Lake,” Wong Kar-wai’s TV series “Blossoms”), “Angels Wear White” star Wen Qi (aka Vicky Chen), Yan Ni and Song Jia.

Midi Z, the Taiwan-based Myanmar-born director whose career has expanded from no-budget documentaries and dramas to 2019 Cannes title “Nina Wu,” has wrapped “The Unseen Sister,” his first mainstream film in Mainland China.

As with “Nina Wu,” the protagonist is an actress successfully enduring various pressures and humiliations at work. But in “Unseen Sister” her artifice is threatened by an anonymous attempt to extort her and the sudden reappearance of her long-lost sister. The sister, who had been in Myanmar, brings with her incidents and revelations from the past as well as hints of a larger crisis linking the seemingly coincidental events of her return and the blackmail.

For the dual lead roles Z secured the services of rising Chinese actor Zhao Liying in the role of the actress and Xin Zhilei (“The Rescue” and Wong Kar-wai’s TV series “Blossoms Shanghai”) as her sister.

Production, which wrapped earlier this month,...

As we continue to explore the best in 2023, today we’re taking a look at the articles that you, our dear readers, enjoyed the most throughout the past twelve months. Spanning reviews, interviews, features, podcasts, news, and trailers, check out the highlights below and return for more year-end coverage as well as a glimpse into 2024.

Most-Read Reviews

1. Body Parts

2. The Exorcist: Believer

3. Barbie

4. Beau Is Afraid

5. Priscilla

6. Suzume

7. Hypnotic

8. No Hard Feelings

9. The Zone of Interest

10. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Most-Read Interviews

1. Claire Simon on Capturing the Female Body and What Sets Her Apart From Frederick Wiseman

2. “I Don’t Think Directors Should Be Amenable”: Erik Messerschmidt on Shooting The Killer and David Fincher’s Simple Process

3. Richard Kelly on Creative Heartbreak, Political Cinema, and Future Projects

4. Christopher Blauvelt on May December, Formatting for Netflix and 35mm, and Life Lessons from Harris Savides

5. Brandon Cronenberg on Infinity Pool,...

Blossoms Shanghai, a TV series based on a novel by Jin Yucheng, is set to premiere on Tencent Video on December 27, 2023. The series, directed by Wong Kar-wai, is a departure from his usual romantic and dramatic films, offering a glimpse into the intrigues of 1990s Shanghai. The cast includes notable actors such as Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tiffany Tang, and Xin Zhi Lei, and the trailers indicate that the series will be visually stunning and full of drama.

Blossoms Shanghai is an upcoming Chinese TV series and its release date, cast, story details, and trailers have been revealed in anticipation of the dramatic period piece. Based on the novel of the same name by Jin Yucheng, Blossoms Shanghai is a Chinese production set to premiere on Tencent Video, a Chinese streaming service that made headlines for censoring Fight Club. It's been nearly four years of waiting since Blossoms Shanghai was...

A decade after The Grandmaster, the wait for Wong Kar-wai’s next project has been lengthy, with his long-gestating Blossoms Shanghai first announced nearly five years ago. Now, after three years of filming, the series launches next week on China’s Tencent Video. Comprising 30 episodes of around 50 minutes each, the first four installments premiere on December 27, followed by two episodes per day.

Starring Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and Xin Zhilei, Wong Kar-wai is credited as producer and director. The story based on Jin Yucheng’s novel and follows Hu Ge’s A Bao, a businessman in Shanghai in two time periods: the 1960s and 1990s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” Wong previously said. “Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel Blossoms has been the perfect backdrop to visualize and share my love for my birth city,” said Wong Kar-wai. “With the series,...

Niu Chao’s ’Stories Of Our Youth’ among first titles.

China’s Blossoms Entertainment is presenting three upcoming TV shows from Cosmic Bliss Culture and Media at Hong Kong Filmart, marking the Beijing-based sales company’s first foray into TV series sales.

Stories Of Our Youth, directed by Niu Chao and Ma Chengcheng, stars popular actress Yang Zi (Immortal Samsara), Fan Chengcheng (Time Seems To Have Forgotten) and Jin Shijia (Under The Skin) in a 35-episode nostalgic coming-of-age drama about the bond between six best friends who live in the same neighbourhood in the 1990s.

The producer is Yang Chao,...

Niu Chao’s ’Stories Of Our Youth’ among first titles.

China’s Blossoms Entertainment is presenting three upcoming TV shows from Cosmic Bliss Culture and Media at Hong Kong Filmart, marking the Beijing-based sales company’s first foray into TV series sales.

Niu Chao’s Stories Of Our Youth stars popular actress Yang Zi (Immortal Samsara), Fan Chengcheng (Time Seems To Have Forgotten) and Jin Shijia (Under The Skin) in a 35-episode nostalgic coming-of-age drama about the bond between six best friends who live in the same neighbourhood in the 1980s. It is in post-production.

Blossoms is also promoting two...

Wong Kar-Wai has created his first Nft out of never-before-seen footage from his iconic film “In the Mood for Love,” which he will auction off via Sotheby’s in early October.

The minute-and-a-half-long short called “In the Mood for Love – Day One” features unseen shots from the film’s first day of production, Sotheby’s said, hailing the piece as the first Asian film Nft ever offered by an international auction house. It will be sold on Oct. 9 in Hong Kong as part of the company’s Modern Art autumn sale alongside jewelry, watches, Chinese ceramics, paintings and wine.

In a statement about the piece, the director spoke of his first day of shooting “In the Mood for Love” on Feb. 13, 1999.

“The first day of every film production is like the first date with your dream lover — it is filled with fright and delight, like skating on thin ice. An...

(This article contains major spoilers for the second episode of “Loki,” which dropped on Disney+ on June 16)

When the premiere episode of “Loki” teased the possibility of having two Lokis facing off against each other, fans relished the idea of having to privilege to experience a whole TV show in which Tom Hiddleston has to do battle against himself.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, this other Loki is a woman. And this version of the character is played by an English actress named Sophia Di Martino.

While Di Martino is not a household name here in the U.S., she’s certainly not new to the business — her on-screen career goes back to 2004, with most of her work coming on British television. Her most recent splash — other than “Loki,” obviously — was Channel 4’s acclaimed black comedy series “Flowers,” which Di Martino starred in alongside Oscar-winner Olivia Colman.

It...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria.The lineup for the Cannes 2021 official selection has arrived, featuring new titles from Sean Baker, Julia Ducournau, Bruno Dumont, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Mia Hansen-Løve, and even Sean Penn. This year's festival will also see the French premiere of F9, the latest of the Fast and Furious franchise, at a public screening. Cannes has also announced its roster for the Directors' Fortnight (which includes Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir Part II!), Critics' Week, and Acid. In collaboration with Kino Lorber, Dedza Films has announced the June 11 release of an international short film omnibus showcasing the works of emerging filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Founded by former Kino Lorber intern Kate Gondwe, Dedza will also be publishing a scrapbook of essays by 10 aspiring film critics on the selection of films. Rob Zombie has confirmed his next film,...

Wong Kar-Wai’s upcoming TV series “Blossoms” has released its first trailer, giving viewers a peek at the first new work from the auteur in nearly a decade.

Though Wong is most often thought of as a Hong Kong director, he was born in Shanghai. The “Blossoms” series is his first of two long-anticipated adaptations of a celebrated eponymous novel by Jin Yucheng, and appears to be a stylish love letter to his hometown. A film version of “Blossoms” is also in the works.

The series will consist of 24 hour-long episodes, his production firm Jet Tone Productions confirmed to Variety. Though Wong has produced and directed the pilot, he will only produce and helm some of the future episodes. It remains unclear how many others are already completed or in the works, and the series does not yet have a release date.

“Blossoms” nonetheless marks his first turn behind the...

Wong Kar-Wai is back!! Tencent Pictures is China has revealed the first promo trailer for his brand new web series + feature film project called Blossoms Shanghai, also known as only Blossoms (繁花) in China. This has been in the works for years and years, and is finally filmed and will be released this year (in China only to start). Both the film and the series are adaptations of a 2012 novel of the same name by Jin Yucheng, telling the story of a young entrepreneur named Mr. Bao as he seeks wealth, status and romance set against a backdrop of China's 1990s economic boom. The story of a "self-made millionaire" in Shanghai during the 1990s, a young opportunist with a troubled past. Wong has said it is a "deeply personal venture as a return to his hometown of Shanghai," and he has been working on its script and development for five years.

It’s been quite a year for Wong Kar-wai. The legendary Hong Kong auteur’s masterpieces were restored after a years-long process and arrived in a stunning Criterion box set. He’s also been hard at work on his next project, the long-gestating Blossoms Shanghai. First produced as a TV series with production beginning last July and recently ending, plus a movie version also in the works, we got Blossoms Shanghai“>our first look last year and now a gorgeous debut trailer has arrived.

Based on Jin Yucheng’s novel, the story of Blossoms follows three Shanghai residents from the early ’60s, at the end of China’s Cultural Revolution, and through the ’90s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” the director previously said. Starring Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Kris Wu, and Xin Zhilei, the project was written by award-winning Shanghainese screenwriter Qin Wen,...

Wong Kar-Wai’s production firm Jet Tone Films has released the documentary short “One-Tenth of a Millimeter Apart,” which gathers together new behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes that narrowly missed the auteur’s final cuts.

Wong narrates the 30-minute film, which premiered at the Hong Kong International Film Festival Friday after a screening of a 4K-restored version of his 1997 film “Happy Together.” The doc was developed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Jet Tone, which Wong founded in 1991 for the production of 1994’s “Ashes of Time.” The company has produced all of his feature films since then.

The movie tells the stories behind particular shots and scenes that hit the cutting room floor across all of his films since Jet Tone was established.

“We give our regards to all that is past and was possible. At their closest, they would have been part of these films, but for one-tenth of a millimeter,...

Wong Kar Wai’s emails are every bit as restrained, oblique, and poetic as you might expect from someone who wears sunglasses to the movies and conjured “In the Mood for Love,” but the right question (or maybe the wrong one) can trigger a sudden pulse of raw emotion.

Ask Wong if he’s concerned about the future of film, for example, and he responds with the rare answer that isn’t slightly canned or softened by metaphor: “I’m tired of all this ‘cinema is dead’ shit. People enjoy watching movies, period. What makes them hesitant are the risks (under Covid) and the costs of watching films in cinemas today. For people who really care about the future of cinema, I suggest they go buy a ticket to support their local cinemas when they reopen, because many of them are barely surviving. Or at least keep positive.”

These days,...

Beijing-based sales agency is also handling war epic Sacrifice and Vincent Zhao’s Counter Attack.

Beijing-based sales agency Blossoms Entertainment is launches sales on three new productions from leading Chinese studio Huayi Brothers at Filmart Online, headed by historical war epic Railway Heroes.

Starring Zhang Hanyu (Operation Red Sea) and Fan Wei (One Second), the film follows a group of Chinese railway workers during the Sino-Japanese War, who attempt to sabotage the enemy’s vital transport links whilst evading arrest. The film, directed by Yang Feng, is currently in production for release over China’s National Day Holidays in October.

Chinese indie sales agency Blossoms Entertainment returns to FilMart with a slate of large-scale commercial pictures sourced from a clutch of China’s biggest film studios.

The agency, operated by former Im Global staffers Vicky Ding and Leslie Chen, is pre-selling “Railway Heroes,” a tale of heroism and wartime sabotage which is targeting a National Day release in October. The film is directed by Yang Feng with a cast headed by Zhang Hanyu and Fan Wei.

“Never Stop,” a sports drama about the careers of two sprinters, is poised to release in China around the time of the Tokyo Olympics this summer. The cast is headed by “Shadow” star Zheng Kai (aka Ryan Zheng), with direction by Han Bowen.

Leste Chen’s “Upcoming” (aka “Sheng Xia Wei Lai”) marks the “Eternal Summer” director’s return to the romantic coming of age genre after more recent efforts in other directions including...

It’s a great time to be a Wong Kar Wai fan. Not only is the Hong Kong auteur at work on a new directorial project and planning a mysterious sequel to his 1994 classic “Chungking Express,” but seven of Wong’s best films have gotten brand new 4K restorations courtesy of The Criterion Collection and L’immagine Rtrovata. Janus Films will be rolling out the restorations later this year in a package titled “The World of Wong Kar Wai.”

The official “World of Wong Kar Wai” synopsis from Janus Films reads: “Films you’ll love for 10,000 years, the cinema of Wong Kar Wai is steeped in sensual colors, groundbreaking editing, and heart-wrenching drama. Janus Films is proud to present a touring retrospective that includes brand-new restorations of seven of the master’s most dazzling films, including the US premiere of ‘Chungking Express’ and the world premiere of newly restored films ‘As Tears Go By,...

Wong Kar-wai has written a sequel to his 1994 Hong Kong classic “Chungking Express,” but much of the project remains a mystery. A report from Variety states the sequel is titled “Chungking Express 2020” and that the script, written by Wong Kar-wai, was “submitted for government approval in Shanghai in April and approved on Wednesday, Sept. 23, meaning it can now move forward with plans for production.” The project is backed by the Shanghai Fanhuali Development Company, which is also working with Wong on his new project “Blossoms.”

The filing for “Chungking Express 2020” includes this cryptic plot synopsis: ““In ’90s Hong Kong, broken-hearted Policeman 223 encounters a blonde female assassin, and they spend a short time together overnight. Policeman 663, who also is getting over heartbreak, sees his life gradually changed by the intrusions of the ‘person of his dreams.’ In 2036, young Xiao Qian and May are unwilling to be held back by genetic partnering,...

Chinese authorities have registered and approved a new project written by Hong Kong-based auteur Wong Kar-wai, listed as “Chungking Express 2020.”

According to an official filing on the National Film Bureau’s website, the script was submitted for government approval in Shanghai in April, and was approved on Wednesday, Sept. 23. This means it can now move forward with plans for production.

The project was listed by Shanghai Fanhuali Development Company, a firm that is also involved in the TV serial “Blossoms,” which credits Wong as creator and producer. The company has previously been involved in just two films: Pema Tseden’s arthouse stunner “Jinpa,” and, incongruously, “Atm,” a slapstick-y 2019 remake of a Thai rom-com.

The filing offers a short, but slightly cryptic, plot summary: “In ’90s Hong Kong, broken-hearted Policeman 223 encounters a blonde female assassin, and they spend a short time together overnight. Policeman 663, who also is getting over heartbreak, sees...

You know, it if it wasn’t for that stupid pandemic, 2020 could have been a banner year for legendary filmmaker Wong Kar-wai. Not only are some of his best features getting 4K restorations and limited theatrical release this year, but the filmmaker was also set to begin work on a TV series and film, both based on the story “Blossoms.” But with the pandemic hitting, things have been delayed and 2020 isn’t such a prolific year for Wong.

Continue reading Wong Kar-Wai Reportedly Finished A Script For A ‘Chungking Express’ Sequel at The Playlist.

For a filmmaker who is not known for being very prolific, Wong Kar-wai has certainly made headlines as of late. Next week, his brand-new 20th-anniversary restoration of In the Mood for Love will finally debut at the New York Film Festival followed by a nationwide tour that includes other recent restorations of his work, and an eventual Criterion box set release. Meanwhile, production on his long-gestating, decades-spanning drama Blossoms is now underway with plans to make a TV version and a feature film. Now the director is returning to the universe of one of his most beloved films yet again.

Reports have surfaced from many Chinese media outlets (via Reddit) that Wong Kar-wai has scripted a sequel to his beloved 1994 romance Chungking Express. Titled Chungking Express 2020 and set in Chongqing in 2036, the China Film Administration approved the script back in April, which means it can move ahead. Here’s a...

It takes great maturity and confidence to make a film about the emergence of a young woman’s sexuality that also dares to ask complex, provocative questions while understanding there are no simple answers. Suzanne Lindon is such a filmmaker, and her brisk, entertaining debut Spring Blossom is such a film. Lindon directed, wrote, and stars in this remarkably assured story of a 16-year-old Parisian who falls for an older man. Though Blossom is a bit slight at just 73 minutes and sometimes prone to posing too many questions, this TIFF entry heralds the arrival of a major international talent.

Lindon is just 20 years old. Blossoms is not only her debut a writer-director, but also as an actor. As she explains in the film’s press notes, “I was 15 and it was the summer before starting high school and even though I was happy at school, with my friends or my family,...

Iconic auteur director Wong Kar-wai has finally confirmed “Blossoms Shanghai” will be his first dive into dramatic TV series production.

An adaptation of Jin Yucheng’s multi-award-winning Shanghai-set novel, “Blossoms,” the series also marks a return for Wong to his birthplace. Although he is associated with the free-wheeling Hong Kong film industry, Wong was born in Shanghai and studied in the Chinese commercial capital.

Wong is set as series producer and director of the pilot episode. Jet Tone (Xiangshan), a branch of Wong’s Jet Tone Films, will produce the series, with his related company Block 2 Distribution handling international sales. Tencent Penguin Pictures has acquired the rights for China, making it likely that the show will be released through the Tencent Video streaming platform.

The adaptation is written by Shanghainese screenwriter, Qin Wen. Production, entirely in Shanghai, will involve Wong partnering with Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Peter Pau. The cast...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThis year, Mubi is proud to be partnering with the Locarno Film Festival to unveil A Journey in the Festival's History, a selection of 20 classic films from previous editions of the event, each hand-picked by past alumni. Directors including Lucrecia Martel, Lav Diaz, Miguel Gomes, and many others have chosen individual films from the festival’s rich history, from Michael Haneke’s haunting debut feature, The Seventh Continent to Kidlat Tahimik's The Perfumed Nightmare and Marguerite Duras' India Song. The Opening Night film of the New York Film Festival is Steve McQueen's Lover's Rock, one of five films McQueen directed for his Small Axe anthology. The festival will also be premiering two additional Small Axe films, Mangrove and Red, White and Blue. And at the top: The official poster for Wong Kar-wai's Blossoms Shanghai,...

Back in 2015, Wong Kar-wai began development on the feature film Blossoms, based on the short stories by Jin Yucheng, intended to be his follow-up to his 2013 film The Grandmaster. But as the years passed, and Wong flirted with heading over to television with the now-dead Amazon series Tong Wars, Blossoms has bloomed into Blossoms Shanghai, a TV drama project […]

The post Wong Kar-Wai Sets ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ as His First TV Series appeared first on /Film.

Hu Ge to star in adaptation of Jin Yucheng’s award-winning novel.

Wong Kar Wai has confirmed that he is creating and producing a TV series, Blossoms Shanghai, based on the award-winning novel Blossoms by Jin Yucheng.

Filmed entirely in Shanghai, where the Hong Kong-based auteur was born, the series is written by award-winning Shanghainese screenwriter, Qin Wen, with cinematographer Peter Pau on board for “visual supervision” and Hu Ge (The Wild Goose Lake) set to star. Wong Kar Wai will direct the first episode.

Wong War Wai’s Jet Tone is producing with sister company Block 2 Distribution handling international sales.

Projects from Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai come and go, from the now-dead Amazon series “Tong Wars” to the suspended development and production on his film “Blossoms” back in February due to the coronavirus. While a movie is still in the works, that project now lives as “Blossoms Shanghai,” Wong’s first dramatic series and an adaptation of the epic, multi-award-winning novel “Blossoms” by Jin Yucheng. Check out the promotional poster for the film, featuring Hu Ge, below.

Created and produced by Wong, “Blossoms Shanghai” offers an homage to the “In the Mood for Love” director’s birthplace at the most intriguing moments in its recent history. The pilot is also directed by Wong. This is Wong’s first time behind the camera since 2013’s “The Grandmaster.”

Written by award-winning Shanghainese screenwriter Qin Wen, with visuals from Academy Award-winning “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” cinematographer Peter Pau, the series, according to the official synopsis,...

Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai (“In The Mood For Love”) moves secretly and at his own pace, often taking several years between projects. And per usual, the road to his latest film has been circuitous and perhaps filled with twists and turns and misinformation—perhaps some of it lost in translation or some of it warped from the notoriously controlling Chinese government, who knows. But the story of Wong Kar Wai’s latest project “Blossoms” goes a little something like this: following 2013’s “The Grandmaster,” lots of talk of projects that never come to fruition, an Amazon series called, “Tong Wars,” an 18-part online series which may or may not be the same project, a Gucci fashion/family dynasty story produced by Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, and then something called, “Blossoms.” First it’s a film, then a TV series that leads up to a film, and it’s...

Iconic auteur director, Wong Kar-wai has finally confirmed “Blossoms Shanghai” will be his first dive into dramatic TV series production.

An adaptation of Jin Yucheng’s multi-award-winning Shanghai-set novel, “Blossoms,” the series also marks a return for Wong to his birthplace. Although he is associated with the free-wheeling Hong Kong film industry, Wong was born in Shanghai and studied in the Chinese commercial capital.

Wong is set as series producer and director of the pilot episode. Jet Tone (Xiangshan), a branch of Wong’s Jet Tone Films, will produce the series, with his related company Block 2 Distribution handling international sales. Tencent Penguin Pictures has acquired the rights for China, making it likely that the show will be released through the Tencent Video streaming platform.

The adaptation is written by award-winning Shanghainese screenwriter, Qin Wen. Production, entirely in Shanghai, will involve Wong partnering with Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Peter Pau. The...

As promised, Wong Kar-wai has now embarked on his long-awaited project Blossoms, which was initially delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. With the production to continue for nine months, through spring of next year in Shanghai, we now have our first look in the form of promotional posters with the full-title reveal of Blossoms Shanghai.

Based on Jin Yucheng’s novel, the story of Blossoms follows three Shanghai residents from the early ’60s, at the end of China’s Cultural Revolution, and through the ’90s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” the director said last year.

Starring Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Kris Wu, and reportedly Xin Zhilei, the project will take two forms: a series (with the pilot directed by Wong Kar-wai), then a feature film directed by Wong Kar-wai, which the production company Jet Tone Films confirms is still in development.

Though the Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every country on the planet, the virus first took hold in China, resulting in the entire country shutting down weeks before the rest of the world followed suit. This means that the Chinese film industry has been experiencing a stoppage for months. But now, it appears that some productions are expected to get up and running this summer, with filmmaker Wong Kar-wai leading the way.

Read More: Wong Kar-Wai’s ‘Tong Wars’ Reportedly Nixed As Production Stalls On His Film/TV Series ‘Blossoms’

According to Variety, Wong Kar-wai is expected to begin production on his next film, “Blossoms,” in China sometime in July.

Continue reading ‘Blossoms’: Wong Kar-Wai’s New Feature Expected To Begin Filming In July & Last Until Early 2021 at The Playlist.

On this week’s episode of IndieSponge, Kevin Jagernauth and I talk about the 2020 Cannes hors les murs and the films that’ll float around in 2020/21 with the festival laurels/stamp and the films that’ll likely wait until the 2021 edition. We then delve into the great news of Wong Kar-Wai moving into production with Blossoms, and we circle one of the three projects that Cate Blanchett got attached to in the last week — hint: it’s the James Gray film about the history at Kew-Forest School where Donald Trump received some form of education in the 60s. We then talk about the surprising director attachment news of Luca Guadagnino possibly directing Scarface and the renaissance of George Miller – how Mad Max: Fury Road sprouted into the Furiosa prequel and how MGM has joined forces with the filmmaker on Three Thousands Years of Longing.…...

Wong Kar-Wai was forced to suspend production on his new film “Blossoms” in February amid the coronavirus pandemic in China, but Variety reports the project is now getting back on track with a planned shoot set to begin this July. According to Variety, Wong’s production has booked mainland China’s Hengdian World Studios from May to March 2021. The studio is located in the coastal Zhejiang province. Wong originally planned to film “Blossoms” on location in Shanghai, but it will be safer to manage safety precautions and film in a studio than on the streets of China.

Wong has already teased “Blossoms” as a spiritual sequel to his landmark 2000 romance drama “In the Mood for Love,” similar to his 2004 directorial effort “2046.” The feature film is based on Jin Yucheng’s 2013 novel and follows the lives of three Shanghai residents from the end of China’s Cultural Revolution in the...