[2010.12.29] THE GRANDMASTERS CELEBRATES THE SIL-METROPOLE ANNIVERSARY

Once distributed over 1,000 films, the Sil-Metropole Organization celebrated its 60th anniversary with an even last night in Beijing. Many film professionals attended. Most of the attention went to the Wong Kar Wai directed THE GRANDMASTERS (YUT DOI JUNG SI)'s cast including Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhang Ziyi, Zhao Benshan, Chang Chen, Song Hye-Kyo, Xiao Shenyang and Wang Qingxiang, who rushed from the Guangdong set. The team presented an oild painting poster to the company.

The Hong Kong film representative group was enormous, with Sil-Metropole famous film professionals Zhang Xinyan, Zhu Hong, Pak Yan, Henry Fong Ping and Paw Hee Ching, Ann Hui On Wa, Stanley Kwan Kam Peng, Karen Mok Man Wai, Teresa Mo Shun Kwan, Pang Ho Cheung, Gordon Chan Ka Seung, Ng See Yuen, Eric Tsang Chi Wai and others. Mainland representatives included host Zhang Guoli, Jia Zhangke, Siqin Gaowa and others. The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region director Li Gang also attended. At the event Sil-Metropole chief Song Dai looked back at the exciting history of

Sil-Metropole in the past 60s and announced Sil-Metropole's future developments and new ideas.

Around 5:30PM, guests began to arrive on the red carpet. Yet THE GRANDMASTERS cast did not enter through the red carpet. The banquet began at 6:15PM, the event showed THE GRANDMASTERS promotional film that did not have any scene from it at all. Host Zhang Guoli with his sunglasses on joked that this trailer was mysterious enough, after such a long shoot the trailer had no scene at all. Then actors Leung Chiu Wai, Song Hye-Kyo, Xiao Shenyang, Zhang Ziyi, Zhao Benshan, Wang Qingxiang appeared on stage.

Speaking of the fight scenes, Wai Jai said that he was not worried as he practiced for a long time. He practiced so many that his arm was broken at the hand of his mentor. Zhang Guoli joked that the scene of Wai Jai's arm being broken was not preserved, which truly was a regret for

Chinese film because it was worth a lot of money. The fight scene in the rain he said was very difficult and took all 30 days. Zhang Guoli joked that it only took 30 days, someone had to thank Wong Kar Wai. Normally it might take 3 months. Zhang Ziyi in the film played a martial art expert, Zhang Guoli praised her eight diagram palm in the snow scene was very pretty. Zhang Ziyi said that this scene was shot last winter. At the time workers joked that this shoot would not complete as they predicted whether they would have to shoot it again next year. Surprisingly they were right. She recalled the 30 degree below zero (Celsius) shoot environment as truly tough. Chang Chen played an eight diagram expert. For the film he trained two years but the training benefited him a lot. Even his health improved. Song Hye-Kyo in the film played Wai Jai's wife, but they did not stand together on the stage last night. Song Hye-Kyo joked that in the film she had to be with Wai Jai all the time in the film so she had to keep her distance. This was her first film shoot in China, she truly was pleased to be able to work with a group of such great actors. She thanked director Wong Kar Wai for his help, because at first she was not too used to it. Director Wong helped her a lot. Wong Kar Wai appeared in the end to pose for a group photo with the cast. Originally Zhang Guoli asked Wai Jai to make a kung fu pose but Wai Jai only had his hands in his pockets and played cool. He explained that he was dressed modernly so he made this pose. The actors finally sang a birthday song to celebrate Sil-Metropole's 60th year, but they looked somewhat embarrassed.

The Pang Ho Cheung produced LOVER's DISCOURSE (LUEN YUN SHUI YU) will be released in Beijing. Last night he came to celebrate. As for the upcoming LOVE IN A PUFF (JI MING YU CHUN GIU) sequel and rumors that Daniel Wu (Ng Yin Cho) joining the cast as the third party between Shawn Yue Man Lok and Miriam Yeung Chin Wa, he said that the script was still being written and the cast has not been decided. He joked that if Ng Yin Cho joined he might play Yue Man Lok's third party. Their relationship development would be even funnier. What if Chin Wa became pregnant? He joked that whether she would work with a big belly like Anita Yuen Wing Yi did with PROTEGE (MOON TOH).