The annual SFFIlM Festival has officially unveiled its 2024 lineup, with two first-time feature filmmakers bookending the fest.
Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical feature “Dìdi (弟弟)” opens the festival April 24 after premiering at Sundance 2024. Wang was also recently Oscar-nominated for his short film “Nai Nai & Wài Pó” which had been supported by Sffilm grants.
The 67th annual festival closes out with Josh Margolin’s “Thelma” starring June Squibb, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell, and late actor Richard Roundtree in his final role. The feature screens April 28.
Programming highlights include “The Idea of You,” “Sing Sing,” “Janet Planet,” and Sundance award-winning documentary “Porcelain War.” A private screening of opening night film “Dìdi (弟弟)” in Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos will be held at the Dolby Cinema @ 1275 Market exclusively for cast and crew, Sffilm Festival filmmakers, and Sffilm fellows and grantees. A Sffilm members’ screening of “Mother, Couch” will also take place after the film debuted...
Sean Wang’s semi-autobiographical feature “Dìdi (弟弟)” opens the festival April 24 after premiering at Sundance 2024. Wang was also recently Oscar-nominated for his short film “Nai Nai & Wài Pó” which had been supported by Sffilm grants.
The 67th annual festival closes out with Josh Margolin’s “Thelma” starring June Squibb, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell, and late actor Richard Roundtree in his final role. The feature screens April 28.
Programming highlights include “The Idea of You,” “Sing Sing,” “Janet Planet,” and Sundance award-winning documentary “Porcelain War.” A private screening of opening night film “Dìdi (弟弟)” in Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos will be held at the Dolby Cinema @ 1275 Market exclusively for cast and crew, Sffilm Festival filmmakers, and Sffilm fellows and grantees. A Sffilm members’ screening of “Mother, Couch” will also take place after the film debuted...
- 3/27/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Chinese-American actress Joan Chen has spent the last week watching China’s “brave” and “refreshing” independent cinema, but she cautioned young filmmakers against what she sees as a current wave of “correctness” that she believes is stifling the art of filmmaking.
Describing the movement as “the enemy of art,” Chen said she believed conformity to what society currently believes is “correct” has resulted in the scope of creativity and subject matter becoming “narrower and narrower.”
“It’s happening in the U.S.,” said Chen. “But I want [young filmmakers] to forget about what is correct and just tell us what they want to tell us.”
Chen was speaking on the sidelines of the 17th First International Film Festival, hosted by the central highland city of Xining, where she has taken on the role of jury head.
The festival — which ends on August 1 — is the leading event of its kind for independent Chinese cinema.
Describing the movement as “the enemy of art,” Chen said she believed conformity to what society currently believes is “correct” has resulted in the scope of creativity and subject matter becoming “narrower and narrower.”
“It’s happening in the U.S.,” said Chen. “But I want [young filmmakers] to forget about what is correct and just tell us what they want to tell us.”
Chen was speaking on the sidelines of the 17th First International Film Festival, hosted by the central highland city of Xining, where she has taken on the role of jury head.
The festival — which ends on August 1 — is the leading event of its kind for independent Chinese cinema.
- 7/31/2023
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
by Iain Mitchell
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Joan Chen's directorial debut, “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl”. It's a film that despite the star power of its director and visible cultural impact (its title is now likely more associated with the American experimental rock band who took their name from it) feels curiously under-seen these days.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Given the still ubiquitous debate about Asian representation in Hollywood, there's a sad irony that Chen, probably best known for her turn as Josie Packard in the original series of “Twin Peaks”, came to direct “Xiu Xiu” in part due to lack of opportunities afforded to her that weren't tired ‘Dragon lady' stereotypes. Even in Chen's highly positive experience of making Bernardo Bertolucci's “The Last Emperor” she noted in an interview with NPR that the film's producers were...
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Joan Chen's directorial debut, “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl”. It's a film that despite the star power of its director and visible cultural impact (its title is now likely more associated with the American experimental rock band who took their name from it) feels curiously under-seen these days.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Given the still ubiquitous debate about Asian representation in Hollywood, there's a sad irony that Chen, probably best known for her turn as Josie Packard in the original series of “Twin Peaks”, came to direct “Xiu Xiu” in part due to lack of opportunities afforded to her that weren't tired ‘Dragon lady' stereotypes. Even in Chen's highly positive experience of making Bernardo Bertolucci's “The Last Emperor” she noted in an interview with NPR that the film's producers were...
- 5/18/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
In a normal year, the biggest film event in May would be the Cannes Film Festival. Now, summer has started with all of its prominent film events canceled or transformed, but Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube have found one way to keep programmers busy. We Are One: A Global Film Festival starts May 29 at YouTube.com/WeAreOne, and continues for 10 days with a slew of films and pre-recorded conversations from 21 festivals. The selections will stream for free on YouTube during their scheduled times.
Of course, it’s easy enough to get lost on YouTube, but the We Are One programming has enough reliable perspectives to make the exploration worthwhile: Participating festivals include Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Toronto, New York, BFI London, Karlovy Vary, and Locarno. While only 13 of the 100 films are world premieres, the lineup provides a diverse window into different curatorial sensibilities, festival events, and filmmaker perspectives.
It may not...
Of course, it’s easy enough to get lost on YouTube, but the We Are One programming has enough reliable perspectives to make the exploration worthwhile: Participating festivals include Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Toronto, New York, BFI London, Karlovy Vary, and Locarno. While only 13 of the 100 films are world premieres, the lineup provides a diverse window into different curatorial sensibilities, festival events, and filmmaker perspectives.
It may not...
- 5/27/2020
- by Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Zack Sharf and Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
China’s foremost screenwriter, Yan Geling, has teamed with Italian director and producer Cristiano Bortone to adapt Yan’s novella “The Secret Talker.”
Set during the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the film is a romantic thriller centering on a Chinese woman, married to an American college professor, who thought she had found freedom and peace of mind until she suddenly starts receiving emails from a mysterious stalker. The obsessive relationship begins to reveal dark secrets of her past life in China.
“The Secret Talker” is expected to go into production in 2019 with a major Chinese actress as female lead and an American star as male lead.
Yan, who is both an author and screenwriter, was recently responsible for the novel “Youth,” a bittersweet, nostalgic tale of a military entertainment troupe. The book sold close to 1 million copies, and director Feng Xiaogang’s film adaptation was the biggest hit of the Christmas period,...
Set during the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the film is a romantic thriller centering on a Chinese woman, married to an American college professor, who thought she had found freedom and peace of mind until she suddenly starts receiving emails from a mysterious stalker. The obsessive relationship begins to reveal dark secrets of her past life in China.
“The Secret Talker” is expected to go into production in 2019 with a major Chinese actress as female lead and an American star as male lead.
Yan, who is both an author and screenwriter, was recently responsible for the novel “Youth,” a bittersweet, nostalgic tale of a military entertainment troupe. The book sold close to 1 million copies, and director Feng Xiaogang’s film adaptation was the biggest hit of the Christmas period,...
- 5/11/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Want to know the status of a particular movie, TV show, or band? Wondering what a certain actress is up to these days? Send your entertainment-related questions to askafterellen@gmail.com — with your first name, city and country — and we'll try to answer as many as we can.
Question: I loved But I'm a Cheerleader, and I have watched Itty Bitty Titty Committee ten times now. Enough already! When is Jamie Babbit's next movie coming out?
― Tina, Columbia, MD
Jamie Babbit
Answer: Did you check out Babbit's 2005 feature, The Quiet, starring Elisha Cuthbert, Camilla Belle and Edie Falco? If not, the cast alone should be enough to send you to the video store.
I passed your question along to Babbitt, who told me:
I'm currently casting for my new film called Breaking The Girl. It's tonally in the vein of Body Heat, with lots of bi beauties and femme fatales.
Question: I loved But I'm a Cheerleader, and I have watched Itty Bitty Titty Committee ten times now. Enough already! When is Jamie Babbit's next movie coming out?
― Tina, Columbia, MD
Jamie Babbit
Answer: Did you check out Babbit's 2005 feature, The Quiet, starring Elisha Cuthbert, Camilla Belle and Edie Falco? If not, the cast alone should be enough to send you to the video store.
I passed your question along to Babbitt, who told me:
I'm currently casting for my new film called Breaking The Girl. It's tonally in the vein of Body Heat, with lots of bi beauties and femme fatales.
- 6/2/2009
- by karman
- AfterEllen.com
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