Movie Box Review

courtesy of takungpao.com

Zhang Ziyi with the film LOVE FOR LIFE (JUI OI) won the sixth Rome Film Festival award for elegance and temperament and broke the streak of the award going to Italian actresses.  With the award in hand Zhang Ziyi said  with a smile, "This trip to Rome has been like an Italian feast, the award is like a bottle of champagne that was saved for our final celebration."

The film festival presented this award to Zhang Ziyi mainly for the numerous bright spots that she created in her art life.  The committee said, "She mixes strong performance abilities with harmony and elegant grace, all of which have been thoroughly on display in movies like CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, MEMOIR OF A GEISHA and LOVE FOR LIFE.   No one is more deserving of this award for elegance and temperament than her."  Dressed in pink Zhang Ziyi first greeted everyone in Chinese then said in English, "First I would like to thank the Rome Film Festival for giving me this honor.  Film to me is everything.  Since age 17 film has occupied my life.  Such an encouragements very important to actors."  She also did not forget to emotionally thank director Gu Changwei.

Zhang Ziyi humorously said with the award when asked about being the first Chinese actress to win this Rome Film Festival award, "This trip to Rome has been like a rich Italian feast, the award is like a bottle of champagne that was saved for our final celebration."  She also said that she was very relaxed on this trip to Rome.  "I hope this small budget film would get more recognition.  If through the influence of this film festival even more people can experience the feelings that the film delivers, this is my greatest wish."  Gu Changwei also said that she already received a lot from this production, so this trip was more relaxing.  He said, "Through this film, Ziyi again returned to the sight of European viewers, which pleases me very much.  Making a movie is like putting together a party.  LOVE FOR LIFE has so many excellent actors, everyone performed so outstandingly.  Everyone because of the film have a period of time that they spent 'together', which was enough.  I have to thank everyone."

courtesy of takungpao.com

The 20th China Golden Rooster Hundred Flower Film Festival opens today in Hefei.  As the festival image ambassador, Vicki Zhao Wei on the 18th afternoon appeared at a Hefei cinema for a Zhao Wei film exhibit opening ceremony.  Zhao Wei revealed that after completing PAINTED SKIN 2 (WAT PEI 2) she will begin work on her debut as a director.  She might star as well.

This year's film festival will have opening ceremony, new national film introduction and screening, Hong Kong and Taiwan special topic film exhibit and other activities.  The 19th Chinese Golden Rooster Hundred Flower Best Actress Zhao Wei would appear twice, on the 18th for her film exhibit and on the 19th for the opening ceremony.  She might perform the film festival theme song DREAMS COME TRUE.

From the nominations, this year's Golden Rooster Award competition would be fierce.  Best Actress nominees included Golden Horse Best Actresses Xu Fan and Lu Liping, who have been nominated with AFTER SHOCK and CITY MONKEY respectively.  Also nominated are THE PIANO IN A FACTORY's Qin Hailu, CLOSE TO ME's Yan Bingyan, MOTHER's Na Renhua, and SUI SUI QING MING's Qian Peiyi.

As for Best Actor, LOVE FOR LIFE's AIDS patient Aaron Kwok Fu Sing would compete with THE PIANO IN A FACTORY's Tokyo International Film Festival Best Actor and Shanghai International Film Festival Media Award Best Actor Wang Qianyuan and the Huabiao Award winning film SHEN ZHOU 11's Liu Zhibing, veteran actor Zhu Xu and others.

courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

The Aaron Kwok Fu Sing and Zhang Ziyi starred film LOVE FOR LIFE (JUI OI) was selected to compete in the 6th Rome International Film Festival.  In the film Sing Sing's subversive image has already become a focus.  With this time his acting had another breakthrough.  Many film critics were surprised that a native Hong Kong actor was able to bring to life a farm village youth.

After LOVE FOR LIFE's release, Sing Sing said that the biggest challenge of playing this character was capturing the farm villager's thinking and behavior, even how he walked.  Sing Sing revealed that actually he has always wanted to play this type of characters because he discovered that even he has never seen himself like this.

courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

2011 FIRST youth film festival two nights ago took place at the Xinning Qinghai University.  Zhang Ziyi with LOVE FOR LIFE (JUI OI) won Best Actress again and the "the Chinese filmmaker with the most international university student attention".  Daniel Wu (Ng Yin Cho) with OVERHEARD 2 (SIT TING FUNG WON 2) defeated SHAOLIN (SUN SIU LUM JI) and DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (DIK YUN KIT ji TUNG TIN DAI GOK)'s Andy Lau Tak Wa to win Best Actor.  In the Best Actress category, Zhang Ziyi had over 30,000 votes more than second place Fan Bingbing.

This event hoped through young university student exchanges to discover even more new filmmakers.  When jury members and guest presenters Teddy Chan Tak Sum and Guan Hu presented the award to Zhang Ziyi, she humorously said, "I too just ended my summer vacation.  I am preparing to start school with my course DANGEROUS LIAISON, thank you everyone for your recognition and high grade of my course last year LOVE FOR LIFE.  I hope very much to have the chance to work with young directors in the future.  I too hope that I will be able to provide them with an even better platform, for young filmmakers with ideas in China to be able to display their own stage."  At the same time she again won the "Chinese filmmaker with the most international university student attention".  She took a deep breath, carried that heavy "brick", smiled and said, "Tonight all the friends who won said that this award was heavy like a brick.  I too told friends that this could be called the 'youth film golden brick award'.  I volunteer to be the best spokesperson."

Ziyi also said, "Among Chinese actresses I have to the one who have been beaten with bricks the most and the most viciously.  Yet I want to tell everyone, as long as you still have a breath, as long as you haven't been beaten to death, you have to bravely stand up and happily run toward your goal and your dream."  This self ridicule won the cheers and the applause of the entire venue.  Later reporters asked her about her gossip with Leon Lai Ming.  She said, "It's absurd.  I hope from now on people will keep making up stories for me, after fooling reporters they can fool me."

courtesy of singtao.com

Deanie Ip Tak Han with A SIMPLE LIFE (TOH JEH) shone at the Venice Film Festival.  Yesterday the Federation of Motion Film Producers of Hong Kong according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences film selection rules decided to recommend A SIMPLE LIFE to represent Hong Kong in competition for the 84th Oscar Best Foreign Film Award nomination.  The Academy will arrange for screening in the U.S. starting next month and the official nominations will be announced early next year.

Sister Deanie was very happy to learn that A SIMPLE LIFE would have a chance to represent Hong Kong at the Oscars.  She said, "I am very happy to be a part of the film!"  Lead actor Andy Lau Tak Wa also said
that he was very happy.  He hoped through the real emotions would be able to touch every person in the world and also hoped for even more people to know director Ann Hui On Wa and Sister Deanie as well as other outstanding actors of A SIMPLE LIFE.

The Federation board said that this year had many outstanding Hong Kong films.  Films that received board member support included WU XIA and OVERHEARD 2 (SIT TING FUNG WON 2).  Finally A SIMPLE LIFE received the most votes and was selected to represent Hong Kong in competition for an Oscar Foreign Film Award nomination.

Meanwhile Mainland Chan will compete for the Oscar Foreign Film nomination this year with Zhang Yimou's new film HEROES OF NANJING as SACRIFICE, LOVE FOR LIFE, and WU XIA all faltered.  As for Taiwan, famous Taiwan director Wei Te-Sheng's SEEDIQ BALE will compete.  The film competed against A SIMPLE LIFE and other films at the Venice Film Festival and went home empty handed.

courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of singtao.com