The intimate and naturalistic Mandarin-language drama “Blue Sun Palace” has nabbed the French Touch prize from the Cannes Critics’ Week jury, putting Chinese-American writer-director Constance Tsang on the map as a talent to watch after her feature debut. Certain to see future festival action, the drama about three working-class Chinese immigrants in Flushing, NY, the film succeeds with touching performances from Ke-Xi Wu (“Nina Wu”), Lee Kang Sheng (Tsai Ming Liang’s iconic actor) and Haixpeng Xu (“Where Echoes Never End”) that could tempt distributors in the coming months.
Although the borough of Queens is pone of the most diverse places on the planet, the insular world of “Blue Sun Palace” is almost solely Chinese, unfolding in New York’s largest Chinatown. Taiwanese Amy (Ke-Xi Wu) and mainlander Didi (Haixpeng Xu) work along with two other women in a massage parlor with an exclusively male clientele. The sign on the door stipulates “No Sexual Services,...
Although the borough of Queens is pone of the most diverse places on the planet, the insular world of “Blue Sun Palace” is almost solely Chinese, unfolding in New York’s largest Chinatown. Taiwanese Amy (Ke-Xi Wu) and mainlander Didi (Haixpeng Xu) work along with two other women in a massage parlor with an exclusively male clientele. The sign on the door stipulates “No Sexual Services,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
It’s become something of a movie fashion to forestall the title credits until well after an establishing sequence, if not deeper into the film. But when the title appears onscreen in Blue Sun Palace, at the half-hour point, there’s nothing self-consciously stylish about it: It marks a dramatic, ground-shifting change in perspective, a gut-punch of a narrative fracture, and one that writer-director Constance Tsang executes with assurance.
At the helm of her first feature, Tsang has made a sharp and tender story about dislocation, centering on a trio of hardworking Chinese immigrants in New York. In the movie’s first 30 minutes, Tsang draws us into the intimate orbit of her expatriate characters: a construction company employee and two colleagues at a massage parlor. Then, the sudden absence of one of them sets everything askew. Absence is the current that drives the narrative: absence from family, from homeland, from purpose.
At the helm of her first feature, Tsang has made a sharp and tender story about dislocation, centering on a trio of hardworking Chinese immigrants in New York. In the movie’s first 30 minutes, Tsang draws us into the intimate orbit of her expatriate characters: a construction company employee and two colleagues at a massage parlor. Then, the sudden absence of one of them sets everything askew. Absence is the current that drives the narrative: absence from family, from homeland, from purpose.
- 5/19/2024
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Taiwan International Co-Funding Program (Ticp) from Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) continues to make an impact at the 74th Berlinale. Black Tea and Shambhala enter the main competition, while Sleep With Your Eyes Open competes at Encounters. Festival veteran Tsai Ming-Liang scored two official selections with his latest documentary Abiding Nowhere in Berlinale Special and The Wayward Cloud at Berlinale Classics Special.
Black Tea is Abderrahmane Sissako's follow up feature after Timbuktu with Taiwan as a key location and two Taiwanese actors Chang Han from A Brighter Summer Day and Wu Ke-Xi of Nina Wu playing alongside Nina Mélo in this cross-cultural romance. The film also received investment from Kaohsiung Film Fund.
Also in the main competition is Shambhala, the second feature from Nepal's Min Bahadur Bham, which sees a woman journey across the Himalayas to prove her innocence. Liao Ching-Sung and Roger Huang are two executive producers from...
Black Tea is Abderrahmane Sissako's follow up feature after Timbuktu with Taiwan as a key location and two Taiwanese actors Chang Han from A Brighter Summer Day and Wu Ke-Xi of Nina Wu playing alongside Nina Mélo in this cross-cultural romance. The film also received investment from Kaohsiung Film Fund.
Also in the main competition is Shambhala, the second feature from Nepal's Min Bahadur Bham, which sees a woman journey across the Himalayas to prove her innocence. Liao Ching-Sung and Roger Huang are two executive producers from...
- 2/16/2024
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) has added 15 work-in-progress projects to the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), rounding up a bumper line-up of the new Hkiff Project Market.
This year, Haf joins the inaugural Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg) to create the new Hkiff Industry Project Market, which will showcase 47 projects, including 26 previously announced in-development Haf projects and six Hcg projects.
The Wip section will introduce the latest works by notable filmmakers such as Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz, Mark Gill, Midi Z, Tan Chui Mui, and Yang Chao as well as by prominent and emerging actors,...
This year, Haf joins the inaugural Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative (Hcg) to create the new Hkiff Industry Project Market, which will showcase 47 projects, including 26 previously announced in-development Haf projects and six Hcg projects.
The Wip section will introduce the latest works by notable filmmakers such as Chang Tso-Chi, Lav Diaz, Mark Gill, Midi Z, Tan Chui Mui, and Yang Chao as well as by prominent and emerging actors,...
- 2/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
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 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,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese film sales company Parallax Films is poised to make a splash this week in Tokyo. The outfit has two titles in the Tokyo International Film Festival official selection and a host of festival-travelled Chinese films in the Tiffcom market.
Appearing in main competition is “A Long Shot,” a crime drama by first time feature director Gao Peng. The film is set in the 1980s when China’s modernization was only beginning to get under way. Nevertheless, in the rust belt of the North East, factories were already in decline and thefts were on the rise. The story follows a former sharpshooter who retires to become a factory security officer and who tries to steer away from crime the son of a woman he cares about. The picture stars Zu Feng, Qin Hailu and Zhou Zhengjie.
Florian Zinke, a German cinematographer who has other Asian film credits including “Nina Wu...
Appearing in main competition is “A Long Shot,” a crime drama by first time feature director Gao Peng. The film is set in the 1980s when China’s modernization was only beginning to get under way. Nevertheless, in the rust belt of the North East, factories were already in decline and thefts were on the rise. The story follows a former sharpshooter who retires to become a factory security officer and who tries to steer away from crime the son of a woman he cares about. The picture stars Zu Feng, Qin Hailu and Zhou Zhengjie.
Florian Zinke, a German cinematographer who has other Asian film credits including “Nina Wu...
- 10/23/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“Raising Arizona” meets “Lars and the Real Girl” in Galilee Ma's sophomore drama short: “Natasha”. Beset with a strange obsession with Natasha (Meiko), a sex doll, a middle aged woman conspires to rescue her from a brothel. Despite its wildly captivating premise and build-up, the unusual film grasps at modern realities of alienation and grief in Taiwan with dwindling success. Still, strangeness abounds in this melodramatic vignette, and leaves one in anticipation of Ma's future endeavors.
“Natasha” is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
The perennial ills of short filmmaking seem to be cases of brilliant ideas underdeveloped. “Natasha” opens with a splash, with an ominous, but tongue-in-cheek recital of a passage from the book of Revelations. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Immediately cutting away, we are thrust into the opposite...
“Natasha” is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
The perennial ills of short filmmaking seem to be cases of brilliant ideas underdeveloped. “Natasha” opens with a splash, with an ominous, but tongue-in-cheek recital of a passage from the book of Revelations. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Immediately cutting away, we are thrust into the opposite...
- 3/30/2023
- by Renee Ng
- AsianMoviePulse
At long last, after years of development, Abderrahmane Sissako is set to embark on his first feature since 2014’s Timbuktu. The Mauritanian-born Malian director’s next work is The Perfumed Hill, which will begin shooting this month.
As reported by Variety, the romantic drama, scripted by the director and Kessen Tall, will star Nina Melo (Girlhood), Han Chang (Little Big Women), and Ke-Xi Wu (Nina Wu) in an ambitious story set “between China’s tea hills, the Ivory Coast, and Cape Verde.” Picked up for a U.S. release by Cohen Media Group and Gaumont in France, the project has come to TIFF for buyers, and thus an expanded synopsis has arrived:
The movie follows the journey of Joice, who leaves the Ivory Coast to start a new life in Guangzhou, China, after saying “no” on her wedding day. She finds a job at a tea boutique owned by Cai,...
As reported by Variety, the romantic drama, scripted by the director and Kessen Tall, will star Nina Melo (Girlhood), Han Chang (Little Big Women), and Ke-Xi Wu (Nina Wu) in an ambitious story set “between China’s tea hills, the Ivory Coast, and Cape Verde.” Picked up for a U.S. release by Cohen Media Group and Gaumont in France, the project has come to TIFF for buyers, and thus an expanded synopsis has arrived:
The movie follows the journey of Joice, who leaves the Ivory Coast to start a new life in Guangzhou, China, after saying “no” on her wedding day. She finds a job at a tea boutique owned by Cai,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Eight years after delivering his Oscar-nominated film “Timbuktu,” Abderrahmane Sissako is set to make his anticipated directorial comeback with “The Perfumed Hill.” Gaumont is representing in international markets and will introduce it to buyers at at Toronto. The French studio will also distribute the film in France, while Cohen Media Group will release it in the U.S.
Re-teaming Sissako with his “Timbuktu” co-writer Kessen Tall, “The Perfumed Hill” is a romance drama set between China’s tea hills, the Ivory Coast and Cape Verde. It stars Nina Melo (“Girlhood”), Han Chang (“Little Big Women”) and Ke-Xi Wu (“Nina Wu”).
The movie follows the journey of Joice, who leaves the Ivory Coast to start a new life in Guangzhou, China, after saying “no” on her wedding day. She finds a job at a tea boutique owned by Cai, a Chinese man, in the vibrant region of Guangzhou, known as the “Chocolate City.
Re-teaming Sissako with his “Timbuktu” co-writer Kessen Tall, “The Perfumed Hill” is a romance drama set between China’s tea hills, the Ivory Coast and Cape Verde. It stars Nina Melo (“Girlhood”), Han Chang (“Little Big Women”) and Ke-Xi Wu (“Nina Wu”).
The movie follows the journey of Joice, who leaves the Ivory Coast to start a new life in Guangzhou, China, after saying “no” on her wedding day. She finds a job at a tea boutique owned by Cai, a Chinese man, in the vibrant region of Guangzhou, known as the “Chocolate City.
- 9/6/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Mubi’s U.S. lineup for next month has been unveiled, including some essential recent releases, notably James Vaughan’s Friends and Strangers, Radu Muntean’s Întregalde, Alice Diop’s We (Nous), the Isabel Sandoval-led short The Actress, Ougie Pak’s Clytaemnestra, and the new restoration of Hong Sangsoo’s Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors.
As part of Pride month and fitting as his latest film arrives, Andrew Ahn’s Spa Night is among the selections, alongside And Then We Danced, Being 17, and Lilting. Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, a pair of films by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Kim Bora’s House of Hummingbird are also in the lineup.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
June 1 – Wet Sand, directed by Elene Naveriani | Viewfinder | Pride
June 2 – And Then We Danced, directed by Levan Akin | Pride Unprejudiced: LGBTQ+ Cinema
June 3 – Friends and Strangers, directed by James Vaughan | Mubi Spotlight
June 4 – Final Set,...
As part of Pride month and fitting as his latest film arrives, Andrew Ahn’s Spa Night is among the selections, alongside And Then We Danced, Being 17, and Lilting. Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, a pair of films by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Kim Bora’s House of Hummingbird are also in the lineup.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
June 1 – Wet Sand, directed by Elene Naveriani | Viewfinder | Pride
June 2 – And Then We Danced, directed by Levan Akin | Pride Unprejudiced: LGBTQ+ Cinema
June 3 – Friends and Strangers, directed by James Vaughan | Mubi Spotlight
June 4 – Final Set,...
- 5/24/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Must of the Month
A great way to celebrate Pride this year is with The Signifyin’ Works of Marlon Riggs, a Criterion Collection box set that pays tribute to an essential voice in LGBTQ+ cinema and Black filmmaking. Before his death of HIV/AIDS complications in 1994, Riggs created a vital body of work that includes the sensual and poetic “Tongues Untied” — a film decried on the senate floor by Jesse Helms, and recommendations don’t come much higher — the incisive documentary “Color Adjustment,” about the history of Black characters on American TV, and brilliantly moving personal and experimental films like “Black Is… Black Ain’t” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regrets).” This compilation of a singular artistic voice belongs in every library.
New Indie
Carrie Coon and Jude Law gave firecracker performances in the under-seen “The Nest” (IFC/Shout Factory) from director Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene...
A great way to celebrate Pride this year is with The Signifyin’ Works of Marlon Riggs, a Criterion Collection box set that pays tribute to an essential voice in LGBTQ+ cinema and Black filmmaking. Before his death of HIV/AIDS complications in 1994, Riggs created a vital body of work that includes the sensual and poetic “Tongues Untied” — a film decried on the senate floor by Jesse Helms, and recommendations don’t come much higher — the incisive documentary “Color Adjustment,” about the history of Black characters on American TV, and brilliantly moving personal and experimental films like “Black Is… Black Ain’t” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regrets).” This compilation of a singular artistic voice belongs in every library.
New Indie
Carrie Coon and Jude Law gave firecracker performances in the under-seen “The Nest” (IFC/Shout Factory) from director Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene...
- 6/2/2021
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Opening Via Virtual Cinema On April 2, 2021 And On VOD & Digital Platforms “Taut, topical and terrifying. Wu is a tour de force in the title role…Florian Zinke’s slow-moving camerawork and Lim Giong’s haunting soundtrack help build the suspense that makes seeing Nina Wu a gripping experience.” — Clarence Tsui, South China Morning Post …
The post Inspired by Actual Events, Nina Wu, a Sumptuous, Stylized #MeToo Thriller, Opens Wide via Virtual Cinema, VOD & Digital Platforms on 4/2 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Inspired by Actual Events, Nina Wu, a Sumptuous, Stylized #MeToo Thriller, Opens Wide via Virtual Cinema, VOD & Digital Platforms on 4/2 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 4/9/2021
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Like reassembling shards of broken glass, disparate yet jagged memories haunt an actor on the cusp of stardom in Myanmar-born Taiwanese director Midi Z’s Nina Wu. Unflinching in its horrific subject matter and challenging in its construction, the film explores the aftermath of sexual violence through the prism of a traumatised, fracturing mind; a person and consciousness coming apart at the seams for reasons that are initially unknown.
Having moved to Taipei from her country hometown eight years previously, the eponymous Nina has all but given up on her acting career. Earning a pittance from short films, advertisements and a monetised webcam chat, her agent comes to her with a make-or-break role. The catch being that the proposed project includes full-frontal nudity and an explicit sex scene. Is this something she is prepared...
Having moved to Taipei from her country hometown eight years previously, the eponymous Nina has all but given up on her acting career. Earning a pittance from short films, advertisements and a monetised webcam chat, her agent comes to her with a make-or-break role. The catch being that the proposed project includes full-frontal nudity and an explicit sex scene. Is this something she is prepared...
- 3/30/2021
- by Matthew Anderson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Under the guise of a topical film detailing a #Metoo experience, Myanmar-born Taiwanese director Midi Z investigates the broader point of view of an actress in the contemporary film industry, focusing on the pressure, micro-aggressions and tension in her relationship with the director, other actors, and the media. It’s a weird and incisive portrait that owes a lot to actress Ke-Xi Wu, a frequent collaborator of Midi Z who wrote and conceived the project based on her own experience, and approached the director to bring it to the screen in addition to playing the main role.
Midi Z was previously known for social realism dramas such as Ice Poison (2014) and The Road to Mandalay (2016), from which Nina Wu (selected in the Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section) is a sleek, symbolically complex departure.…...
Midi Z was previously known for social realism dramas such as Ice Poison (2014) and The Road to Mandalay (2016), from which Nina Wu (selected in the Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section) is a sleek, symbolically complex departure.…...
- 3/27/2021
- by Tommaso Tocci
- IONCINEMA.com
Taipei actress Nina Wu — played by screenwriter Wu Ke-Xi in a steel-jawed dagger of a performance — hasn’t landed a movie role in the six years since she’s trickled down to the big city from the rural farm town where she was raised. In lieu of acting gigs, she pays the bills by working as a cam girl from her drab apartment, but most of the time she’s just another face in the bustling crowds.
Then: A chance to stand out. Nina’s agent dangles an audition for a risqué part in an erotic spy thriller from a hot young director, and while the thirtysomething actress is hesitant about exposing herself on screen (and to the vulnerability that shooting those scenes would require from her), her shit-eating agent makes it clear that this is less of a choice than a crucible. “I doubt any real professional would turn...
Then: A chance to stand out. Nina’s agent dangles an audition for a risqué part in an erotic spy thriller from a hot young director, and while the thirtysomething actress is hesitant about exposing herself on screen (and to the vulnerability that shooting those scenes would require from her), her shit-eating agent makes it clear that this is less of a choice than a crucible. “I doubt any real professional would turn...
- 3/26/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Midi Z was born in 1982 in Burma as a son of a cook and a doctor. At the age of 16, he moved to Taiwan and in 2011 he renounced his Burmese citizenship. In the same year he shot, directed and produced his first feature film “Return to Burma”, a story about the shift in his home country after the presidential elections of 2010. Over the course of his career, he has made five feature films and three documentaries, which have screened at international festivals. Among the awards Midi Z has received are a Taipei Film Award for Best Director and the Fedeora Award for Best Film at the Venice International Film Festival for his fourth feature “Road to Mandalay”. His most recent feature “Nina Wu” has received much critical acclaim and has been released in many countries.
On the occasion of the cinematic release of “Nina Wu” in Germany in September 2020 we...
On the occasion of the cinematic release of “Nina Wu” in Germany in September 2020 we...
- 8/1/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
HBO Asia has set “Dream Raider” as its first original sci-fi commission. The show is an 8-episode Mandarin language series, produced in Taiwan.
Set in the near future, “Dream Raider” features a misfit team of scientists and cops that are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal conspiracy that exploits human consciousness. The series opens with detectives investigating a case of missing girls and uncovers a mysterious cutting-edge technology that enables them to enter the dreamscapes of others in search of the truth.
Directed by Daniel Fu and Simon Hung, the series boasts a cast headed by David Wang, Vivian Hsu, Jason Wang, Weber Yang, Ellen Wu, Wu Ke-Xi (“Nina Wu”), Jun Kunimura, Aggie Hsieh, Garfield Chung, and Bella Wu.
Produced with the support of the Taipei Film Commission and the Taipei Cultural Foundation, the series is executive produced by renowned Hong Kong-based filmmaker Soi Cheang.
Starting on Aug.
Set in the near future, “Dream Raider” features a misfit team of scientists and cops that are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal conspiracy that exploits human consciousness. The series opens with detectives investigating a case of missing girls and uncovers a mysterious cutting-edge technology that enables them to enter the dreamscapes of others in search of the truth.
Directed by Daniel Fu and Simon Hung, the series boasts a cast headed by David Wang, Vivian Hsu, Jason Wang, Weber Yang, Ellen Wu, Wu Ke-Xi (“Nina Wu”), Jun Kunimura, Aggie Hsieh, Garfield Chung, and Bella Wu.
Produced with the support of the Taipei Film Commission and the Taipei Cultural Foundation, the series is executive produced by renowned Hong Kong-based filmmaker Soi Cheang.
Starting on Aug.
- 7/27/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Both dramas to release on home entertainment and digital platforms after virtual cinema debut.
Film Movement has picked up all North American rights to female-directed coming-of-age dramas Once Upon A River and Carmilla and will release both through its virtual cinema initiative this year.
Feature debutante Haroula Rose’s Once Upon A River is based on Bonnie Jo Campbell’s Midwestern novel of the same name.
The story takes place in 1970s rural Michigan as a traumatised young woman (newcomer Kenadi DelaCerna) embarks on a river odyssey to find her estranged mother. Film Movement acquired the film from the producers.
Film Movement has picked up all North American rights to female-directed coming-of-age dramas Once Upon A River and Carmilla and will release both through its virtual cinema initiative this year.
Feature debutante Haroula Rose’s Once Upon A River is based on Bonnie Jo Campbell’s Midwestern novel of the same name.
The story takes place in 1970s rural Michigan as a traumatised young woman (newcomer Kenadi DelaCerna) embarks on a river odyssey to find her estranged mother. Film Movement acquired the film from the producers.
- 5/15/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Psychological thriller “Nina Wu” by Taiwan-based Burmese writer and director Midi Z, was premiered in the “Un Certain Regard” section of Cannes Film Festival. Midi Z has proven before to be a fine and meticulous storyteller, enriching his narration with nuances, planting small significant details. This personal style well fits “Nina Wu” and its Hitchkockian development.
Nina Wu (Ke-Xi Wu) left Taichung 8 years ago following, like many girls, her dream of an acting career in the big city of Taipei. Despite her efforts, in all those years Nina has collected only a handful of minor roles as extra in indie movies or commercials and she’s resorted to moonlighting as a cam-girl. One day, the long-awaited audition arrives; it’s for a Cold War era spy-noir movie, “Romance of the Spies” and Nina’s agent warns her that she must be prepared to perform a full frontal nudity and explicit sex scenes.
Nina Wu (Ke-Xi Wu) left Taichung 8 years ago following, like many girls, her dream of an acting career in the big city of Taipei. Despite her efforts, in all those years Nina has collected only a handful of minor roles as extra in indie movies or commercials and she’s resorted to moonlighting as a cam-girl. One day, the long-awaited audition arrives; it’s for a Cold War era spy-noir movie, “Romance of the Spies” and Nina’s agent warns her that she must be prepared to perform a full frontal nudity and explicit sex scenes.
- 3/28/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Nina Wu Film Movement Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Midi Z Screenwriters: Ke-Xi Wu, MidiZ Cast: Ke-Xi Wu, Yu-Hua Sung, Yu-Chiao Hsia, Ming-Shuai Shih Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 3/10/20 Opens: Tbd Could it be that even in faraway Taiwan, the people who make films are inspired […]
The post Nina Wu Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Nina Wu Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/15/2020
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSJean-Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol at the Cahiers du Cinéma offices in 1959. (Photo by Jack Garofalo)Seven out of nine of the editorial staff of Cahiers du cinéma, which recently announced its new ownership by a group of "bankers, tech entrepreneurs, and film producers," have resigned. The writers have cited a conflict of interest regarding the publication of critical reviews. This year's Berlinale has come to an end. A complete catalog of coverage can be found here, along with a list of the festival's winners. Recommended VIEWINGNetflix has released a teaser for Damien Chazelle's Paris-set miniseries, The Eddy.Václav Marhoul's The Painted Bird, an adaptation of the controversial Jerzy Kosiriski novel, follows the wanderings of a young boy in Eastern Europe at the end of World War I. Read our review of the film here.
- 3/4/2020
- MUBI
"I don't care if it's natural or not. This is a movie." Film Movement has debuted the official Us trailer for Nina Wu, made in Taiwan by a Myanmar-born filmmaker. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival last year. After toiling for years in bit-parts, aspiring actress Nina Wu finally gets her big break with a leading role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. The part, which calls for nudity and explicit sex scenes, is made all the more challenging thanks to the director's unending belittlements. Can Nina fight against the odds in life and stand undefeated? Or is it just real life that no one can escape from endless hardships? The mesmerizing, stylized thriller is reminiscent of Mulholland Drive and Black Swan lead by an incredible lead performance. Also stars Vivian Sung, Yu-Chiao Hsia, Li-Ang Chang, ...
- 2/28/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With the #MeToo movement shedding light on the terrible conditions that many women faced while trying to excel in Hollywood, it’s clear that there was likely more tragic drama going on behind-the-scenes of many films than seen in front of the camera. And with “Nina Wu,” those situations are brought to light, as one actress grows paranoid and begins to question her own reality as a result of abuse and harassment.
“Nina Wu” debuted at last year’s Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard section.
Continue reading ‘Nina Wu’ Exclusive Trailer: Post-#MeToo Thriller Shows An Actress Losing Her Grasp On Reality at The Playlist.
“Nina Wu” debuted at last year’s Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard section.
Continue reading ‘Nina Wu’ Exclusive Trailer: Post-#MeToo Thriller Shows An Actress Losing Her Grasp On Reality at The Playlist.
- 2/24/2020
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Across Asia Film Festival (Aaff) in Cagliari, in the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia, is back on the 14th of December with a Programme focused mainly on the Philippines and Taiwan, including collateral events, guests and some interesting gems, like a restored edition of the classic Lino Brocka’s “Manila in the Claws of Light”, a Masterclass with directors Shireen Seno and John Torres and the Italian Premiere of “The Kalampag Tracking Agency” an ongoing curatorial initiative between Shireen Seno of Los Otros and Merv Espina of Generation Loss.
Across Asia Film Festival is focused on most interesting languages of recent cinematographic production from Asia, with the goal of promoting and developing cultural exchanges between Italian and foreigners communities. Stefano Galanti and Maria Paola Zedda are the creators and the artistic directors of the event.
“Nina Wu” by Midi Z
The Festival will kick off with “The Night of the...
Across Asia Film Festival is focused on most interesting languages of recent cinematographic production from Asia, with the goal of promoting and developing cultural exchanges between Italian and foreigners communities. Stefano Galanti and Maria Paola Zedda are the creators and the artistic directors of the event.
“Nina Wu” by Midi Z
The Festival will kick off with “The Night of the...
- 12/6/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Before you watch ‘Nina Wu,’ do not have the mindset that you are about to watch a film about the #MeToo movement,” said “Nina Wu” director Midi Z. “Because if you do, you will be disappointed.”
At a talk session held during the Singapore International Film Festival on Sunday (Nov. 24), the Taiwan-based Burmese director said that many Hollywood critics had understood the film as part of the #MeToo movement, and as a response to the Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood. But those critics had been unfulfilled after watching the film and had criticized it for its lukewarmness.
“But it is true that the current, and final, version of the script as well as was some of the characters in the film were inspired by the #MeToo Movement,” said lead actress Wu Ke-xi, who wrote the screenplay.
Featuring an actress who is humiliated as she achieves her breakthrough role and flees...
At a talk session held during the Singapore International Film Festival on Sunday (Nov. 24), the Taiwan-based Burmese director said that many Hollywood critics had understood the film as part of the #MeToo movement, and as a response to the Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood. But those critics had been unfulfilled after watching the film and had criticized it for its lukewarmness.
“But it is true that the current, and final, version of the script as well as was some of the characters in the film were inspired by the #MeToo Movement,” said lead actress Wu Ke-xi, who wrote the screenplay.
Featuring an actress who is humiliated as she achieves her breakthrough role and flees...
- 11/25/2019
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
“Of course it’s a loss,” commented executive committee chairman, Ang Lee, on the lack of mainland Chinese entries.
Two Taiwanese titles, Chung Mong-hong’s A Sun and John Hsu’s Detention, were the big winners at the 56th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei on Saturday night (November 23), each taking five prizes.
Chung’s drama, about a family torn apart when the youngest son is sent to a juvenile detention centre, won in both the best narrative feature and best director categories and also took prizes for best leading actor (Chen Yi-wen), best supporting actor (Liu Kuan-ting) and best film...
Two Taiwanese titles, Chung Mong-hong’s A Sun and John Hsu’s Detention, were the big winners at the 56th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei on Saturday night (November 23), each taking five prizes.
Chung’s drama, about a family torn apart when the youngest son is sent to a juvenile detention centre, won in both the best narrative feature and best director categories and also took prizes for best leading actor (Chen Yi-wen), best supporting actor (Liu Kuan-ting) and best film...
- 11/24/2019
- by 14¦Screen staff¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Chung Mong-hong’s Taiwanese family drama A Sun scooped the best narrative feature prize at the 2019 Golden Horse Awards, which were held today in Taipei. Scroll down for the full list of winners.
Chinese authorities boycotted this year’s ceremony, provoked by political fallout from last year’s ceremony, meaning no Chinese actors, directors and producers were entered into the nominations pool. As such the winners are primarily from Taiwan, as well as other Asian nations including Malaysia and Singapore.
A Sun, which premiered at Toronto, follows a family of four that fractures under the weight of unmet expectations, unexpected tragedy, and uncompromising pride. It also won best director for Chung Mong-hong – his second win in the category after he triumphed for The Fourth Portrait in 2010 – as well as best leading actor for Chen Yi-wen, and the supporting actor and editing prizes.
John Hsu’s psychological horror-thriller Detention was also...
Chinese authorities boycotted this year’s ceremony, provoked by political fallout from last year’s ceremony, meaning no Chinese actors, directors and producers were entered into the nominations pool. As such the winners are primarily from Taiwan, as well as other Asian nations including Malaysia and Singapore.
A Sun, which premiered at Toronto, follows a family of four that fractures under the weight of unmet expectations, unexpected tragedy, and uncompromising pride. It also won best director for Chung Mong-hong – his second win in the category after he triumphed for The Fourth Portrait in 2010 – as well as best leading actor for Chen Yi-wen, and the supporting actor and editing prizes.
John Hsu’s psychological horror-thriller Detention was also...
- 11/23/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s finally time for the prestigious Taiwanese Award Ceremony “Golden Horse Awards” (23rd November 2019) and this is year the event is heavily influenced by the the snowballing effect of director Fu Yue’s cry for independence during her acceptance speech for the documentary “Our Youth In Taiwan” at last year’s edition. The statement caused a stir, ended with China boycotting the Golden Horse and Hong Kong directors being advised to stay away.
On the other hand, China’s Golden Rooster Awards has just opened and announced that from now on it will be held permanently in Xiamen and annually, instead of every two years. Therefore the two events will happened almost at the same time.
The “Golden Horse Awards” lineup is consequently “different” this year and – to stay positive – Taiwanese film-makers will have a greater chance to showcase their work and be awarded.
Leading the competition is the horror movie “Detention” with 12 nominations,...
On the other hand, China’s Golden Rooster Awards has just opened and announced that from now on it will be held permanently in Xiamen and annually, instead of every two years. Therefore the two events will happened almost at the same time.
The “Golden Horse Awards” lineup is consequently “different” this year and – to stay positive – Taiwanese film-makers will have a greater chance to showcase their work and be awarded.
Leading the competition is the horror movie “Detention” with 12 nominations,...
- 11/23/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
International premiere of “Flowers of Evil”, Hong Kong “Fagara” as the opening film, and Japanese “Bone Born Bone” at the closure of Five Flavours 13th edition!
This year, as always, the festival will provide an opportunity to discover original voices of young and recognized directors from South Korea, Bhutan, Thailand or Vietnam. We will explore the charms and ills of Japanese peripheries: its harbour cities, outskirts and marginal territories. We will watch films highly appreciated by festival juries. Special consideration will be given to Hong Kong which today is experiencing a serious political crisis: our guest will be Fruit Chan, a star of its independent cinema. However, the Programme has also a place for juicy genre cinema: horror, action, perverse comedies are an ideal remedy for the November weather in Warsaw.
Here is the Programme in its strands:
New Asian Cinema
Like every year the competition section presents challenging, daring films,...
This year, as always, the festival will provide an opportunity to discover original voices of young and recognized directors from South Korea, Bhutan, Thailand or Vietnam. We will explore the charms and ills of Japanese peripheries: its harbour cities, outskirts and marginal territories. We will watch films highly appreciated by festival juries. Special consideration will be given to Hong Kong which today is experiencing a serious political crisis: our guest will be Fruit Chan, a star of its independent cinema. However, the Programme has also a place for juicy genre cinema: horror, action, perverse comedies are an ideal remedy for the November weather in Warsaw.
Here is the Programme in its strands:
New Asian Cinema
Like every year the competition section presents challenging, daring films,...
- 10/25/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Nina Wu,” a dark drama about the Asian film industry, sexual harassment, and one woman’s paranoia, will get a release in North American theaters in 2020.
Rights to the Taiwanese-produced picture, which premiered at the Cannes festival in the Un Certain Regard section, were acquired by New York-based distributor Film Movement.
The film was directed by Taiwan-based Burmese director Midi Z, and originally written by lead actress Wu Ke-xi, who draws on her own experiences.
In the film, an aspiring actress finally gets her big break with a leading role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. The part, which calls for nudity and explicit sex scenes, is made more challenging by the director’s repeated humiliations. While seemingly on the brink of professional triumph, the woman’s psychological resolve begins to crack, and she becomes convinced that a mysterious woman may be stalking and attacking her.
The acquisition...
Rights to the Taiwanese-produced picture, which premiered at the Cannes festival in the Un Certain Regard section, were acquired by New York-based distributor Film Movement.
The film was directed by Taiwan-based Burmese director Midi Z, and originally written by lead actress Wu Ke-xi, who draws on her own experiences.
In the film, an aspiring actress finally gets her big break with a leading role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. The part, which calls for nudity and explicit sex scenes, is made more challenging by the director’s repeated humiliations. While seemingly on the brink of professional triumph, the woman’s psychological resolve begins to crack, and she becomes convinced that a mysterious woman may be stalking and attacking her.
The acquisition...
- 10/24/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The 30th Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) announced its full Festival line-up at the Shangri-La Hotel today, staying true to its roots as a discovery ground of the spirited stories in Southeast Asia, an enabler to the regional filmmaking scene and talents, and a tastemaker of global developments in cinema.
A leading international film festival in the region and part of the Singapore Media Festival (Smf), Sgiff will present a dynamic array of over 90 films by auteurs from 40 countries that take the pulse of Asian and international cinema.
Sgiff’s Programme Director, Kuo Ming-Jung said, “In the past year, captivating stories told by brilliant filmmakers have unfolded in varying styles and genres across the global cinematic landscape. As with our line-up each year, we hope to bring distinctive films from around the world to the audience, while staying committed to the strong belief in giving a voice to our own...
A leading international film festival in the region and part of the Singapore Media Festival (Smf), Sgiff will present a dynamic array of over 90 films by auteurs from 40 countries that take the pulse of Asian and international cinema.
Sgiff’s Programme Director, Kuo Ming-Jung said, “In the past year, captivating stories told by brilliant filmmakers have unfolded in varying styles and genres across the global cinematic landscape. As with our line-up each year, we hope to bring distinctive films from around the world to the audience, while staying committed to the strong belief in giving a voice to our own...
- 10/24/2019
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors.
The Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has revealed the line-up for its 30th edition, which runs Nov 21-Dec 1.
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors. Most of the contenders are already award winners, including Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains which earned best film and best director at First International Film Festival in Xining, Yosep Anggi Noen’s The Science Of Fictions, which received a special mention at Locarno,...
The Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has revealed the line-up for its 30th edition, which runs Nov 21-Dec 1.
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors. Most of the contenders are already award winners, including Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains which earned best film and best director at First International Film Festival in Xining, Yosep Anggi Noen’s The Science Of Fictions, which received a special mention at Locarno,...
- 10/22/2019
- by 1100978¦Silvia Wong¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
For its 30th edition the Singapore International Film Festival has avoided programming novelty and instead focused on assembling excellence – mostly indie titles — from Asia and further afield.
The festival, which previously announced local filmmaker Anthony Chen’s second feature “Wet Season” as its opening night gala presentation, announced the balance of its programming on Tuesday. Other galas are set to include “Downton Abbey,” and “Nina Wu.” Hirokazu Koreeda’s “The Truth” was named as the closing film. The festival runs Nov. 21 – Dec. 1.
The nine-film competition section includes: “Dwelling in The Fuchun Mountains”; Indian animation, “Bombay Rose”; Indonesia’s “The Science of Fictions,” and “Verdict,” all of which have received favorable reception elsewhere on the festival circuit.
Prizes for the competition will be decided by a jury that includes India’’s Anurag Kashyap, Indonesia’s Nia Dinata, Singapore’s Amir Muhammad, and Hong Kong’s Pang Ho-cheung.
One sidebar section includes Asia-Pacific festival favorites including “Balloon,...
The festival, which previously announced local filmmaker Anthony Chen’s second feature “Wet Season” as its opening night gala presentation, announced the balance of its programming on Tuesday. Other galas are set to include “Downton Abbey,” and “Nina Wu.” Hirokazu Koreeda’s “The Truth” was named as the closing film. The festival runs Nov. 21 – Dec. 1.
The nine-film competition section includes: “Dwelling in The Fuchun Mountains”; Indian animation, “Bombay Rose”; Indonesia’s “The Science of Fictions,” and “Verdict,” all of which have received favorable reception elsewhere on the festival circuit.
Prizes for the competition will be decided by a jury that includes India’’s Anurag Kashyap, Indonesia’s Nia Dinata, Singapore’s Amir Muhammad, and Hong Kong’s Pang Ho-cheung.
One sidebar section includes Asia-Pacific festival favorites including “Balloon,...
- 10/22/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Iconic Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo will be honored at the 39th edition of the Hawaii International Film Festival. In addition, the fest revealed its lineup which includes Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit as its opening night film and will feature Maui native Destin Daniel Cretton’s Just Mercy as a centerpiece presentation. The fest runs November 7-17 at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18.
The fest looks to advance understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America by presenting films from around the world. This year, Hiff will present 205 films from 31 countries.
The festival’s Spotlight on Hong Kong will honor a special guest John Woo, one of the most influential figures in Hong Kong cinema. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the original Hong Kong theatrical release one of Woo’s most influential and revered films,...
The fest looks to advance understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America by presenting films from around the world. This year, Hiff will present 205 films from 31 countries.
The festival’s Spotlight on Hong Kong will honor a special guest John Woo, one of the most influential figures in Hong Kong cinema. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the original Hong Kong theatrical release one of Woo’s most influential and revered films,...
- 10/11/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The nominations for this year’s Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan were unveiled Tuesday, with no Chinese films in contention amid the political fallout from last year’s ceremony.
Now in their 56th year, the awards have traditionally been seen as among the most prestigious for Chinese-language film. But tension bubbled over last year after Taiwanese filmmaker Fu Yue said onstage during an acceptance speech that she hoped Taiwan could be regarded as “independent.”
China classifies Taiwan as a renegade province rather than a separate country, and, according to various reports, authorities declared that China’s actors, directors and producers would not be allowed to submit to year’s Golden Horse Awards.
Instead, this year’s nominees list is largely composed of Taiwanese films, with a handful of features from Hong Kong and elsewhere also up for prizes. Taiwan’s Detention, John Hsu’s thriller, leads the pool with 12 noms including Best Narrative Feature,...
Now in their 56th year, the awards have traditionally been seen as among the most prestigious for Chinese-language film. But tension bubbled over last year after Taiwanese filmmaker Fu Yue said onstage during an acceptance speech that she hoped Taiwan could be regarded as “independent.”
China classifies Taiwan as a renegade province rather than a separate country, and, according to various reports, authorities declared that China’s actors, directors and producers would not be allowed to submit to year’s Golden Horse Awards.
Instead, this year’s nominees list is largely composed of Taiwanese films, with a handful of features from Hong Kong and elsewhere also up for prizes. Taiwan’s Detention, John Hsu’s thriller, leads the pool with 12 noms including Best Narrative Feature,...
- 10/1/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Leaff is back this year on the 24th of October until the 3rd of November, with a rich and articulated programme, including more than 60 titles from 11 countries East and Southeast Asia! Check out the titles now.
Opening Gala
Exit
Exit | Lee Sang Geun | Korea | 2019 | 103 mins
_______________________
Leaff Official Selection
Nina Wu
A Girl Missing | Koji Fukada | Japan | 2019 | 111 mins
The Wild Goose Lake | Diao Yinan | China | 2019 | 113 mins
Europe Raiders | Jingle Ma | Hong Kong | 2018 | 100 mins
To the Ends of the Earth | Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Japan | 2019 | 120 mins
Balloon | Pema Tseden | China | 2019 | 102 mins
Rainbow’s Sunset | Joel Lamangan | Philippines | 2019 | 105 mins
Cities of Last Things | Ho Wi-ding | Taiwan | 2019 | 107 mins
Nina Wu | Midi Z | Taiwan | 2019 | 103 mins
The Pool | Ping Lumphapleng | Thailand | 2018 | 91 mins
Long Live the King | Kang Yun-sung | Korea | 2019 | 118 mins
The Science of Fictions | Yosep Anggi Noen | Indonesia, Malaysia | 2019 | 106 mins
_______________________
Competition
Summer of Changsha
All About Ing | Huang Zi | China | 2019 | 110 mins
Another Child | Kim Yoon-seok | Korea | 2019 | 118 min
Deep...
Opening Gala
Exit
Exit | Lee Sang Geun | Korea | 2019 | 103 mins
_______________________
Leaff Official Selection
Nina Wu
A Girl Missing | Koji Fukada | Japan | 2019 | 111 mins
The Wild Goose Lake | Diao Yinan | China | 2019 | 113 mins
Europe Raiders | Jingle Ma | Hong Kong | 2018 | 100 mins
To the Ends of the Earth | Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Japan | 2019 | 120 mins
Balloon | Pema Tseden | China | 2019 | 102 mins
Rainbow’s Sunset | Joel Lamangan | Philippines | 2019 | 105 mins
Cities of Last Things | Ho Wi-ding | Taiwan | 2019 | 107 mins
Nina Wu | Midi Z | Taiwan | 2019 | 103 mins
The Pool | Ping Lumphapleng | Thailand | 2018 | 91 mins
Long Live the King | Kang Yun-sung | Korea | 2019 | 118 mins
The Science of Fictions | Yosep Anggi Noen | Indonesia, Malaysia | 2019 | 106 mins
_______________________
Competition
Summer of Changsha
All About Ing | Huang Zi | China | 2019 | 110 mins
Another Child | Kim Yoon-seok | Korea | 2019 | 118 min
Deep...
- 9/19/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Crouching Tigers includes titles such as Cesar Diaz’ Our Mothers and Anthony Chen’s Wet Season.
Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff) has unveiled the bulk of its programme for this year’s edition, including the world premiere of Indian filmmaker Tushar Hiranandani’s sports drama Bull’s Eye, which will screen as a special presentation on Pingyao Night.
Hong Kong filmmaker Jacob Cheung’s The Opera House, starring Mason Lee and Ouyang Nana, will also receive its world premiere at Pyiff as the closing film.
So far the festival, founded by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke with Marco Mueller as artistic director,...
Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff) has unveiled the bulk of its programme for this year’s edition, including the world premiere of Indian filmmaker Tushar Hiranandani’s sports drama Bull’s Eye, which will screen as a special presentation on Pingyao Night.
Hong Kong filmmaker Jacob Cheung’s The Opera House, starring Mason Lee and Ouyang Nana, will also receive its world premiere at Pyiff as the closing film.
So far the festival, founded by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke with Marco Mueller as artistic director,...
- 9/17/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Five Flavours Asian Film Festival, one of the most European important events entirely dedicated to cinematographies of East, South-East and South Asia, has revealed its new visual image that, similarly to previous years, is inspired by the current Lunar Calendar Year of the Pig, a symbol of prosperity, wealth and success. At the same time the Festival has also revealed few bits and pieces of the programme, forming quite an intriguing selection.
The most important section of the festival is the Competition called “New Asian Cinema” showcasing the latest and most daring auteur films from countries such as Singapore, Korea, Vietnam or Thailand, usually accompanied by Q&a sessions with festival guests.
The subject of this year’s national focus will be Japan and independent cinema produced outside of large cities in the section called “Japan: Out of Focus“. It will be an opportunity to discover Japan far from popular imagination.
The most important section of the festival is the Competition called “New Asian Cinema” showcasing the latest and most daring auteur films from countries such as Singapore, Korea, Vietnam or Thailand, usually accompanied by Q&a sessions with festival guests.
The subject of this year’s national focus will be Japan and independent cinema produced outside of large cities in the section called “Japan: Out of Focus“. It will be an opportunity to discover Japan far from popular imagination.
- 7/14/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“They don’t just want to take my body, they want to take my soul!” So runs the overripe line of dialogue that actress Nina Wu (Wu Kexi) has to repeat again and again in “Nina Wu,” the fascinating, glitchy, stylish, and troublesome new film from Taiwanese director Midi Z (“The Road to Mandalay”). Nina practices the line in the mirror, rehashes it in auditions (and “auditions”) and then in take after take until it becomes a kind of mantra that threads through the film, or less poetically, the line of gibberish that a doll might parrot when you pull its string. Each time, Nina cries. And each time, the words seem to get rawer, a little of their clichéd glibness scuffing off, as we discover that the film is very much about how the taking of a body can cue the taking of a soul, and furthermore, how insidiously...
- 5/27/2019
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Eight years after her move to Taiwan, Nina Wu (Wu Ke-Xi) finally gets the audition she needs to jump-start her career: “Romance of the Spies,” a 1960s-era spy noir. To her discomfort, after exclusively working on short films and small projects, this glamorous new role calls for full frontal nudity and explicit sex scenes, including a threesome. As Nina acclimates to the bizarre world of the film set, in which comfort and safety are deprioritized in favor of art, she also grapples with family illness, the return of an old flame (Vivian Sung), and the mysterious recurrence of a menacing figure who haunts her dreams (Kimi Hsia).
Continue reading ‘Nina Wu’: Midi Z’s Lukewarm Take On The #MeToo Era Film Set [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Nina Wu’: Midi Z’s Lukewarm Take On The #MeToo Era Film Set [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2019
- by Caroline Tsai
- The Playlist
Palarae also stars in the film, produced by his production outfit Pixel Play Entertainment.
Malaysia’s Jazzy Pictures has boarded as co-producer The Lies I Tell, which marks the directing debut of Bront Palarae, one of the biggest stars in Malaysia.
Palarae also stars in the film, produced by his production outfit Pixel Play Entertainment, along with Indonesia’s Aimee Saras, Thailand’s Vittaya Pansingarm, and fellow Malaysian actors Fabian Loo, Umi Aida, and Remy Ishak.
The film is about a successful motivational speaker who becomes obsessed with tracking down his wife’s secret lover. It is now in post.
Malaysia’s Jazzy Pictures has boarded as co-producer The Lies I Tell, which marks the directing debut of Bront Palarae, one of the biggest stars in Malaysia.
Palarae also stars in the film, produced by his production outfit Pixel Play Entertainment, along with Indonesia’s Aimee Saras, Thailand’s Vittaya Pansingarm, and fellow Malaysian actors Fabian Loo, Umi Aida, and Remy Ishak.
The film is about a successful motivational speaker who becomes obsessed with tracking down his wife’s secret lover. It is now in post.
- 5/18/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The team behind the thriller Nina Wu (Zhuo Ren Mi Mi) had a simple message for the world when asked for their reaction after their pan-Asian production was selected as part of this year’s Un Certain Regard section.
“We want our voice to be heard loud and clear,” was their official statement to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a sentiment shared by filmmakers throughout Southeast Asia as markets in this wildly diverse region continue to expand and chart new territory in terms of the films they make and how they are making them. Nina Wu is a case in point, tackling ...
“We want our voice to be heard loud and clear,” was their official statement to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a sentiment shared by filmmakers throughout Southeast Asia as markets in this wildly diverse region continue to expand and chart new territory in terms of the films they make and how they are making them. Nina Wu is a case in point, tackling ...
- 5/17/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The team behind the thriller Nina Wu (Zhuo Ren Mi Mi) had a simple message for the world when asked for their reaction after their pan-Asian production was selected as part of this year’s Un Certain Regard section.
“We want our voice to be heard loud and clear,” was their official statement to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a sentiment shared by filmmakers throughout Southeast Asia as markets in this wildly diverse region continue to expand and chart new territory in terms of the films they make and how they are making them. Nina Wu is a case in point, tackling ...
“We want our voice to be heard loud and clear,” was their official statement to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a sentiment shared by filmmakers throughout Southeast Asia as markets in this wildly diverse region continue to expand and chart new territory in terms of the films they make and how they are making them. Nina Wu is a case in point, tackling ...
- 5/17/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Midi Z, whose “Nina Wu” unspools in Un Certain Regard, has no doubt that Taiwan is the country that made him.
Z, whose real name is Zhao Deyin, has Chinese roots and hails originally from Myanmar. He won a scholarship at age 16 and relocated to Taiwan to complete high school and attend university.
Since graduating, he has become a cutting-edge emblem of Taiwan’s new arthouse scene, which was previously identified with the precision of masters Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang. For the most part, Z makes films that are set in Myanmar or its Southeast Asian neighbors, and he says that shooting overseas is part of the freedom that he cherishes about Taiwan.
“I’m 100% sure that I would not be the same filmmaker if I were living somewhere else,” he says. “I’m related to both. I have family still in Burma. Together, these two places make me the artist I am today.
Z, whose real name is Zhao Deyin, has Chinese roots and hails originally from Myanmar. He won a scholarship at age 16 and relocated to Taiwan to complete high school and attend university.
Since graduating, he has become a cutting-edge emblem of Taiwan’s new arthouse scene, which was previously identified with the precision of masters Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang. For the most part, Z makes films that are set in Myanmar or its Southeast Asian neighbors, and he says that shooting overseas is part of the freedom that he cherishes about Taiwan.
“I’m 100% sure that I would not be the same filmmaker if I were living somewhere else,” he says. “I’m related to both. I have family still in Burma. Together, these two places make me the artist I am today.
- 5/14/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Every major film festival has a programming team; at Cannes, the festival identity is usually embodied by one person. Since Thierry Fremaux was promoted to General Delegate of the Festival in 2007, the festival leader has become its sole public face, addressing every question about its selection process, responding to backlash about its choices, and guiding filmmakers up the red carpet each night.
But the festival has always relied on a network of programmers, and in the wake of conversations about the need for gender parity around the world, Cannes revealed its gender-balanced programming team earlier this year. The news came with a new position: Former film journalist Stephanie Lamome had been promoted from an earlier role on the eight-person selection committee to serve as artistic advisor of the film department. The new role requires her to comb through submissions and oversee many of the finer details of the programming process.
But the festival has always relied on a network of programmers, and in the wake of conversations about the need for gender parity around the world, Cannes revealed its gender-balanced programming team earlier this year. The news came with a new position: Former film journalist Stephanie Lamome had been promoted from an earlier role on the eight-person selection committee to serve as artistic advisor of the film department. The new role requires her to comb through submissions and oversee many of the finer details of the programming process.
- 5/14/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Set within the film industry and examining corrosive, bullying culture, “Nina Wu” is certainly a movie for the #MeToo era. But Harvey Weinstein makes no appearance either in the new trailer, or in the completed picture.
Instead the film, which will have its premiere in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival this month, focuses on an actress who has gone through hell to deliver a breakthrough performance. But just as she is on the verge of triumph, her psychological resolve begins to give way. She flees back to her countryside home, but drags with her delusions that she is being stalked and belittled by another actress.
The film is a twin-fold showcase for fast-rising star Wu Ke-xi. The film is the first produced from one of her screenplays. And she doubles up as the leading lady of the film within a film, and of “Nina Wu.”
The Cannes-bound...
Instead the film, which will have its premiere in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival this month, focuses on an actress who has gone through hell to deliver a breakthrough performance. But just as she is on the verge of triumph, her psychological resolve begins to give way. She flees back to her countryside home, but drags with her delusions that she is being stalked and belittled by another actress.
The film is a twin-fold showcase for fast-rising star Wu Ke-xi. The film is the first produced from one of her screenplays. And she doubles up as the leading lady of the film within a film, and of “Nina Wu.”
The Cannes-bound...
- 5/11/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Taiwanese actress Ke-Xi Wu stars and co-wrote the screenplay that is inspired by Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Luxbox has boarded sales on Midi Z’s psychological thriller Nina Wu, following an aspiring actress’s rise to fame and loosely inspired by the events around the Harvey Weinstein scandal, ahead of its premiere in Cannes Un Certain Regard.
Z’s muse, Taiwanese actress Ke-Xi Wu stars as a struggling actress who gets her big break with the lead role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. She finds the role difficult and involving a lot of full nudity and explicit sex scenes.
Luxbox has boarded sales on Midi Z’s psychological thriller Nina Wu, following an aspiring actress’s rise to fame and loosely inspired by the events around the Harvey Weinstein scandal, ahead of its premiere in Cannes Un Certain Regard.
Z’s muse, Taiwanese actress Ke-Xi Wu stars as a struggling actress who gets her big break with the lead role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. She finds the role difficult and involving a lot of full nudity and explicit sex scenes.
- 5/6/2019
- ScreenDaily
The official selection of films for the 72nd Cannes Film Festival was announced earlier today, along with all the Asian films that will be participating at the Festival this year. While there are not many Asian films that feature this year, there are some big names and some interesting titles that have been selected.
Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite”
Going head to head are the latest films by Bong Joon-ho and Chinese director Diao Yinan. Bong Joon-ho’s latest family drama “Parasite”, starring Song Kang-ho and Lee Sun-kyun in leading roles, will screen In Competiton, where his last film “Okja” also participated. Five years after his Berlin Film Festival conquering thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice”, director Diao Yinan will also be competing with his latest film “The Wild Goose Lake”, which sees him reteam with his Silver Bear winning actor Liao Fan. Palestinian director Elia Suleiman’s travelogue film “It Must...
Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite”
Going head to head are the latest films by Bong Joon-ho and Chinese director Diao Yinan. Bong Joon-ho’s latest family drama “Parasite”, starring Song Kang-ho and Lee Sun-kyun in leading roles, will screen In Competiton, where his last film “Okja” also participated. Five years after his Berlin Film Festival conquering thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice”, director Diao Yinan will also be competing with his latest film “The Wild Goose Lake”, which sees him reteam with his Silver Bear winning actor Liao Fan. Palestinian director Elia Suleiman’s travelogue film “It Must...
- 4/19/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
The line-up includes films by Terrence Malick, Ken Loach, Céline Sciamma and Bong Joon-ho.
The Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival has been announced.
Festival President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux revealed the line-up at a press conference in Paris which was live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. More films will be added closer to the festival.
The selection includes films by Terrence Malick, Ken Loach, Céline Sciamma, Xavier Dolan and Bong Joon-ho. Four of the 19 Competition titles are directed by women.
Fremaux said that Quentin Tarantino’s new film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is not ready,...
The Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival has been announced.
Festival President Pierre Lescure and General Delegate Thierry Frémaux revealed the line-up at a press conference in Paris which was live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. More films will be added closer to the festival.
The selection includes films by Terrence Malick, Ken Loach, Céline Sciamma, Xavier Dolan and Bong Joon-ho. Four of the 19 Competition titles are directed by women.
Fremaux said that Quentin Tarantino’s new film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is not ready,...
- 4/18/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The Mandarin-language film is written by and stars Wu Kexi.
The Road To Manderlay director Midi Z has wrapped the $2m psychological thriller Nina Wu which is inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the launch of the #metoo movement.
Based on a screenplay by his muse Wu Kexi, the star of Midi Z’s four previous features, Nina Wu is a Mandarin-language psychological thriller and the first film by the Myanmar-born, Tawian-based filmmaker to shoot in Taiwan.
Wu plays a young woman who moves to the city to realise her dreams in the entertainment industry but is struck by...
The Road To Manderlay director Midi Z has wrapped the $2m psychological thriller Nina Wu which is inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the launch of the #metoo movement.
Based on a screenplay by his muse Wu Kexi, the star of Midi Z’s four previous features, Nina Wu is a Mandarin-language psychological thriller and the first film by the Myanmar-born, Tawian-based filmmaker to shoot in Taiwan.
Wu plays a young woman who moves to the city to realise her dreams in the entertainment industry but is struck by...
- 11/29/2018
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
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