Peter Chan, Andy Lau, Jet Li
Peter Chan's New Epic To Screen Before 2008
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/24/63@208639.htm
Zhang Ziyi promotes jewelry in Beijing
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007- ... 886597.htm
Zhang Ziyi had tough shoot on Canadian set of 'The Horsemen' with Dennis Quaid
http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainm ... d4&k=88756
Film connects generations in aftermath of Saigon's fall
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_5512343
http://journeyfromthefall.com
http://journeyfromthefall.com./Theaters.aspx
The Blood of Yingzhou - Oscar-winning filmmaker says Chinese government more open about AIDS
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/ ... a-AIDS.php
Book review - "All That Matters" | Growing up in Vancouver's Chinatown
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/b ... hoy25.html
First Asian Film Awards
Boy, did it rain on this parade
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story ... 42,00.html
YOU can expect rain to cause a typhoon in Hong Kong, and he did.
Pop star Rain (right) and actress Maggie Q present the best composer award. -- REUTERS
The hottest property in an open-necked shirt to hit Asia, Rain made tidal waves in the Fragrant Harbour at the inaugural Asian Film Awards on Tuesday night.
His fans held up flickering neon signs and shrieked every time Rain was mentioned.
You should have seen the startled look of the man announcing the wet weather.
The Asian 'Oscars' launched the 3rd Entertainment Expo (EE) 2007, a mega umbrella (not rain again) expo encompassing a film market (Filmart), the Hongkong International Film Festival and the Hongkong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).
Singapore movie buffs - if you know you've got a film in you just dying to get out, you hafta talk to HAF for the money. Kelvin Tong did, and look where he is today.
EE is organised by Hong Kong's Trade Development Council. It is so efficient that despite attracting 450exhibitors from 30countries, it found time to make sure the 200 paparazzi were fed.
A great wall of paperbags with choice sandwiches and water were distributed to those working the red carpet at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The first cry of recognition from behind the velvet ropes was for Song Kang-ho, up for Best Actor for The Host (South Korea).
TV cameras stopped a girl in a beige ballgown, whoddad (Cantonese for who)? Tycoon Stanley Ho's youngest daughter. But by which wife?
An elegant woman and young man posed for pictures. Are they famous?
Mok Mun Wai's mother and brother, dunno how you say her English name.
The feisty Karen Mok was opening presenter and raised Asia's flags when she announced, 'They use our computers, they drive our cars, they remake our movies, they want to be like us, welcome to the first Asian Film Awards.'
The reserved Tony Leung was far more modest. He is third-time ambassador of EE and described his role as that of 'a salesman'. His sales target - to win more overseas investments for co-productions in the entertainment industry.
About The Departed (Oscar-winning Hollywood remake of the Chinese Infernal Affairs) he said: 'I grew up on the films of Martin Scorsese and I loved what he did with The Departed, even with his different culture and background. He also made it 15minutes shorter!'
Screams of 'Sit! Sit!' were for a pretty young thing named Ah-Phio-Nah (Cantonese Fiona), currently popular for being in a movie with Jackie Chan's son Jaycee.
Chan Senior himself was not about, although T-shirts he designed were found in the Design Gallery showcasing inventive local lifestyle creations. There is no stopping the man.
Another lovely trotted down the carpet to shouts of 'Isabella! Isabella!' That was apparently not her name. It's the title of her nominated film.
Mandarin is not good enough here in the Special Administrative Region - 10th anniversary this year - because Cantonese still rules.
'Fan Bingbing! Fan Bingbing!' This could mean anything to monolingual me, but the beauty in the purple gown was from China and touted to be the new Zhang Ziyi.
In fact, any newbie from the mainland is the next ZZ, who herself, once upon a time, was the new Gong Li.
The most handsome front row in the 5,000-strong hall of the AFA ceremony was, left to right, Michelle Yeoh, Andy Lau, Luc Besson, Maggie Q, Rain and Chang Chen.
When Rain went onstage to present for best composer, he said, in a rare sentence of English: 'Without music, I won't be Rain, just a guy'.
He was nominated for best actor in I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK under his Korean name, Jung Ji-hoon.
He explained: 'I did not want my song-and-dance name to overshadow my acting name as I am a newcomer to acting and wanted to start fresh in drama.'
The Hong Kong film industry is also starting afresh, in a manner of speaking.
In the 80s, the output was 300hit-and-run movies a year. But the industry took a beating during the Asian financial crisis. Now, it has bounced back.
It can now make 30 films a year - of which two dozen will be of such a high standard that Hollywood comes calling for remakes. The rest of the West is shopping at the Filmart for Asian movies to distribute.
One buyer said: 'Nobody makes horror like Asia. It's what they don't show that's terrifying.'
Singapore, never one to lag behind, has gone from strength to strength.
Building from five companies attending the first EE, there are 20 this year. We Not Stupid Law.
And you thought we did not have a movie industry to speak of. Shhh.
