The 32Nd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF)

20 February 2008 For Immediate Release

The 32nd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) announces Opening and Closing Films Asian Film Awards 2008 (AFA) to bestow Two Top Honors Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum 2008 (HAF) boasts Top Asian Film Directors under One Roof

The latest edition of Hong Kong’s annual cinema extravaganza is ready to unfold! Presented by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, the 32nd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), Asian Film Awards 2008 (AFA) and Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum 2008 (HAF) bring to filmmakers and film lovers exciting motion pictures from around the globe, a star-studded award ceremony and an unparalleled platform for project financing.

Kabei – Our Mother and Soul of a Demon Selected as HKIFF Opening Films Shine a Light and Coffee or Tea Confirmed as Closing Films

Supported by Giordano Concepts, the 32nd HKIFF is proud to open this year’s film festival with Japanese maestro Yamada Yoji‘s Kabei – Our Mother and Taiwanese director Chang Tso-Chi‘s Soul of a Demon. The 76-year-old Yamada once again demonstrates masterful skills in his 80th film to date and presents a sweet, gentle, weepy recollection of Japan on the eve of the Second World War. Lead actress Yoshinaga Sayuri offers a noble, touching performance as the unassuming mother who is saddled with unexpected responsibilities, while Asano Tadanobu, one of the best known young Japanese actors at the moment,is again chameleon-like as the fiercely faithful Yamazaki.

An HAF 203 project, helmer Chang Tso-Chi tells a Taiwanese aboriginal tale in Soul of a Demon with magical realism. The film features colorful and enchanting indigenous flavors. Director Yamada Yoji and Asano Tadanobu from Kabei - Our Mother, Chang Tso-Chi, along with lead actors Tseng Yi-che and Chen Pei-chun from Soul of a Demon, are all expected to attend HKIFF’s opening ceremony on 18 March to meet the audience in person. Screening info for the two opening films is as follows:

Kabei – Our Mother Soul of a Demon Tuesday, 18 March, 17:45 Tuesday, 18 March 21:45 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Theatre 1 Theatre 2

Shine A Light, the highly anticipated Rolling Stones documentary by Academy Award Best Director Martin Scorsese and Coffee or Tea, from veteran local director Shu Kei and his protégé Kwan Man-hin, have been selected as this year’s closing films. Assembling an incredible team of cinematographers to capture the raw energy of the legendary band from multiple angles, Scorsese filmed the Stones over a two-day period at the intimate Beacon Theater in New York City in the fall of 2006 in order to immortalize the world's greatest rock 'n roll band on film. Shine A Light’s two screenings at HKIFF are bound to sell out in record time!

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited 香港中環德輔道中 31-37 號中國聯合銀行大廈 7 樓 7/F, United Chinese Bank Building, 31-37 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2970 3300 Fax: (852) 2970 3011 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.hkiff.org.hk

Starring Kate Yeung, Coffee or Tea is an intimate story about a modern love triangle. Director Shu Kei returns from the academic arena to the filmmaking scene to co-direct this film with a top student of his at the Academy for Performing Arts. The dynamics of a veteran and an emerging director give this film an unusual perspective. Screening info for the closing films is as follows:

Shine A Light Coffee or Tea Sunday, 6 April, 12:30 / 20:45 Sunday, 6 April, 18:00 Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Grand Theatre Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Grand Theatre

The 32nd HKIFF offers numerous Gala Premieres, highly acclaimed Hollywood productions, fresh fare with popular starlets, animated features from around the world, cutting edge midnight screenings and masterpieces from veteran and new auteurs, promising audiences three full weeks of feast of sight and sound. The full program lineup and ticketing information will be announced at a press conference on 21 February, with well known directors and actors from several local productions in attendance. Please stay tuned for more exciting news from HKIFF!

Yoji Yamada and Yuya Ishii Win AFA Lifetime Achievement Award and the Edward Yang New Talent Award, respectively

Organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, sponsored by Hong Kong’s Film Development Fund and Trade Development Council, and juried by an international group of 18 distinguished film professionals, the Asian Film Awards (AFA) will celebrate excellence in Asian cinema in a gala award ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 17 March 2008. As one of the largest and most prestigious film awards in Asia, this year’s edition will bestow two honorary trophies – the AFA “Lifetime Achievement Award” and the “Edward Yang New Talent Award” to recognize filmmakers who have made outstanding contributions to cinema, and exhibited exceptional gift in cinema, respectively.

The 2008 recipient of the AFA Lifetime Achievement Award is the prolific Japanese master, Yoji Yamada. In addition to opening the 32nd HKIFF with his 80th film, Kabei – Our Mother, this occasion also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the birth of ‘Tora-san’, the character he famously created in the It’s Tough Being a Man series. Yamada especially selected the classic Tora-san’s Sunrise and Sunset to be shown alongside 19 other 2008 AFA nominees, including the Hong Kong premiere of The Sun Also Rises’s international version, in the 32nd HKIFF. See below for a full list of the 19 films.

Also hailing from Japan, fledgling director Ishii Yuya will receive the inaugural Edward Yang New Talent Award. Ishii has won rave reviews for his candid style, acute characterization, as well as rich visual and acoustic compositions, injecting a refreshing voice into Asian cinema. AFA is honored to have Yang’s widow, famed pianist Kaili Peng and their young son, Sean, present this special distinction to Ishii in person.

The establishment of the Edward Yang New Talent Award not only aims to continue the late Taiwanese director’s legacy of nurturing young filmmakers but also to once again acknowledge Yang’s illustrious artistic accomplishments. At the same time, the award will enhance the significance of AFA, making it a truly world-class film awards event.

AFA nominated films screening at HKIFF are as follows: 1 Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame 11 Mongol 2 Frozen 12 Om Shanti Om 3 God Man Dog 13 Opapatika 4 Help Me Eros 14 Ploy 5 The Home Song Stories 15 Secret Sunshine 6 I Just Didn’t Do It 16 Slingshot 7 Little Moth 17 Sun Also Rises (HK premiere of international version) 8 Love of Siam 18 Those Three 9 Lust, Caution 19 The Warlords 10 Mad Detective

Six Top Asian Directors Form Unprecedented Lineup at the 2008 HAF

As a project market designed for industry elites, the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) attracts outstanding directors and producers from all over Asia and through pre-arranged meetings with investors, promotes co-financing and co-production opportunities.

Marching into its 6th year, HAF will take place from 17 to 19 March, 2008 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Top Asian helmers such as Park Chan-wook, winner of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize; Li Yang, 2003 Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear winner for Outstanding Artistic Achievement; box office smash hits, Ring and L: Change the World director Nakata Hideo; winner of the 2007 Pusan Int’l Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize for his directorial debut, The Red Awn, China’s Cai Shangjun and local filmmakers Alexi Tan (Blood Brothers), Carol Lai (Floating Landscape) and the third-time returnee to the forum, Pang Ho Cheung, have all confirmed their attendance at HAF to meet with international producers and financiers.

The unparalleled success of HAF can be validated through the results of its previous project selections. Soul of a Demon by Taiwanese director Chang Tso-chi, financed at HAF 2003, premiered at this year’s Berlinale and is an opening film of the 32nd HKIFF. Also from the same year emerged Kenneth Bi’s The Drummer, which became the first Hong Kong film to be selected for World Cinema Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in the US. The Drummer will be screened at 32nd HKIFF in the Hong Kong Panorama section. Winner of the 2005 HAF Award, veteran director Ann Hui’s The Way We Are will make its World Premiere at this year’s HKIFF in a star-studded red-carpet gala event.

For more information on projects selected for HAF 2008, please click on the following link: http://www.haf.org.hk/haf/eng/project2008.htm

To download the above Press Release and associated photos, please go to the following FTP: ftp://[email protected] login: ftp1 password: ftp1357

This press release is distributed by Perfect Advertising & Production Co., Ltd. on behalf of the Hong Kong Int’l Film Festival Society. Please contact the following for press inquiries:

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The Society The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society is a non-profit, non-government organization which develops, promotes and encourages creativity in the art and culture of film through the presentation of the annual Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF). The Society is also committed to organize regular programs and other film culture activities throughout the year, in order to promote the art and creative business of cinema, with an international dimension and outlook. Starting from 2007, the Society further demonstrated its dedication to the development of a vibrant film culture by organizing three flagship events, namely the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), the Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) and the Asia Film Awards (AFA).

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) (March 17 – April 6, 2008) Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia’s most reputable platforms for filmmakers, film professionals, and filmgoers from all over the world to launch new works and experience outstanding cinema. Since 2005, HKIFF has officially incorporated as an independent, charitable organization - the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Limited. In 2007, HKIFF extended its festival period to an unprecedented 23 days to coincide with the opening of FILMART, screening 300 titles from around the world.

The Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) (March 17 – 19, 2008) HAF is a film project market that brings promising Asian filmmakers with upcoming film projects to Hong Kong for co-production ventures. A three-day event, HAF provides a unique opportunity for filmmakers to discuss their projects in private with film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers and other film-related business people. As one of the core events of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, previous HAF editions took place in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007 with many internationally acclaimed directors participating. Most HAF projects have been successfully produced and shown at major international film festivals.

Asian Film Awards (AFA) (March 17, 2008) Inaugurated in 2007, the Asian Film Awards (AFA) is a pioneering program to honor filmmakers with outstanding achievements in the field of cinema. A panel of jury composed of 18 professionals, whose experiences and expertise in cinema are internationally recognized, selects among eligible films produced in the region in the previous year. AFA award trophies are presented to outstanding individuals or collective efforts in 12 categories. The AFA Presentation Ceremony takes place as part of the red-carpet and star-studded Entertainment Expo Hong Kong Opening Gala. Eminent filmmakers and superstars from around the world will be invited to bestow awards upon winners in each category, making the ceremony an elaborate extravaganza.