Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Mobius and HKIFF news alerts

At the end of last month, I gave readers of this blog a sneak peek at my choices for the Mobius Home Video Forum's "Best of...2006" Poll. And starting from today, interested parties can go over here to take a look at the full poll results -- one which, rather surprisingly, had a far more mainstream look to it than in previous years -- and often quite thought-provoking write-ups of the other voters (who, I have to say, included fewer Asian Cinema discussion board frequenters than I would have liked).

Should you be the kind of film fan who is not just content to scan other people's viewing cum voting lists though, I'd recommend that you also make sure to start visiting -- if you haven't already -- the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) website as the program for this year's HKIFF is now up there. And while you're at it, perhaps give some pause towards considering whether you wouldn't like to head over to Hong Kong to personally check out some of that film festival's offerings.

If truth be told, post glancing rather briefly at the 2007 HKIFF's film program, I must admit to not being as wildly plus immediately excited with what's on offer at the 31st HKIFF as I was with the 30th. And this despite yet another Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia movie -- in this case, The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong Kong, 1977); which, more than incidentally, is the actress' personal favorite of all the films which she's appeared in -- being one of the festival's featured offerings.

Still, this is not to say that this premiere film festival -- which will be on from 20th March to 11th April this year -- won't have such as its share of world, international and Asian (as well as local Hong Kong) premieres; among which will be world premieres of the latest efforts from directors Fruit Chan, Herman Yau and Lu Yue together with Asian premieres of new works by the diverse likes of Lars von Trier, Gaspar Noe and Amir Muhammad.

Something else which the HKIFF organizers appear keen to boast about the 31st HKIFF having is a special screening of a stop motion animation version of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf to the musical accompaniment of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Then there's the pretty impressive fact that the HKIFF's program this year encompasses 23 days worth of screenings of some 300 films from over 52 countries around the globe.

From among this cinematic richness, here are five works which have already caught my fancy: Milkyway Image veteran Yau Nai-hoi's Asian Premiering Eye in the Sky (one of whose screenings has sold out its online bookings already!); master filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Go Master (ditto re one of its screenings having already sold out as far as the online option is concerned); the prolific Yoji Yamada's Love and Honour (which has but a single screening at the HKIFF!!); Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman's Nanking documentary (for whose single screening online booking is no longer an option); and auteur Ann Hui's The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (yet another film whose single screening has already sold out as far as online bookings are concerned!!!).

And yes, I have very little doubt that I'd find other films of interest if or when I decide to more seriously plus thoroughly look through the 2007 HKIFF's program. Rather, the bigger question seems to be whether, even at this early date, I'd be able to get tickets to the screenings that I'll want to attend! ;S

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey you love to go to HK anyway and this is a good a reason as any! Go and then tell us what it was like :)

YTSL said...

Hi Eliza --

What can I say other than admit that of course I am getting incredibly tempted to go. And this especially after Tim Youngs broke the news over on Mobius that the Hong Kong Film Archive also will be screening LOVE MASSACRE on 1st April... ;S

Anonymous said...

ytsl

I totally agree with eliza bennet. Hong Kong is calling you!!!!!!

YTSL said...

sbk --

Tee hee hee! And well, you know that health willing, I'd be off to Hong Kong in an instance... ;S