18 | Thursday, November 28, 2019 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION
From left: A scene in the petthemed film, Adoring, features actor Wallace Chung; the twistpacked film, The Whistleblower, casts actor Lei Jiayin and actress Tang Wei as the leading characters; actor Hu Ge plays a fugitive gangster in The Wild Goose Lake. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Battling for boxoffice gold
Blockbusters are vying for a major market share of the country’s film industry’s most lucrative season, where the New Year and Spring Festival period will see a raft of new releases, Xu Fan reports.
bunch of new blockbust open on the first day of Spring Fes ers are gearing up to con tival, Detective Chinatown 3 repri tend for China’s most ses the roles played by actors lucrative boxoffice sea The country will see Wang Baoqiang, Liu Haoran and sonA surrounding the New Year and Tsumabuki Satoshi, as well as an explosion in the Spring Festival periods. fresh faces like Thai action star The latest statistics from Beacon, number of excellent Tony Jaa. the moviedata tracker affiliated works, which will fuel Following the protagonist with tech giant Alibaba Group, detectives’ adventures in Bangkok shows that up to 81 new movies the expansion of the and New York depicted in the first are due to be released between industry over the next and second installments, the new Thursday and the first day of the film is set in Tokyo and shot using upcoming Spring Festival, which one or two decades on Alexa Imax cameras, ensuring will fall on Jan 25. an unprecedented highstandard visual quality. During the recently concluded Director Chen Sicheng reveals 28th China Golden Rooster and scale.” there will be more comedic sce Hundred Flowers Festival, which Peter Chan, director narios in the new film. It will fea was held in Xiamen, Fujian prov ture several landmark locations in ince, a string of forthcoming Japan, including Akihabara and blockbusters gathered their stellar ing place at night — aims to offer Shinjuku. casts together in a bid to grab the an indepth look at people strug Figures from boxoffice tracker headlines. gling on the edge of society and Maoyan show that Chinese cine An early runner in this most their efforts to find dignity and ma grossed over 59 billion yuan competitive of movie seasons, meaning in their lives. buster Lost franchise, is also ($8.39 billion) from the start of director Diao Yinan’s latest offer Perhaps its most powerful rival, entering the fiercely competitive January to late November. ing, The Wild Goose Lake — which The Whistleblower, an action market with two widely anticipat Most industry insiders and is due to open on Dec 6 — was one packed thriller that sees actress ed comedies: Lost in Russia and observers expect the boxoffice of the most soughtafter films at Tang Wei team up with actor Lei Adoring. haul in 2019 will surpass that of the Rooster festival. Jiayin, will also be released across As the third installment of the 2018, which stood at 61 billion Starring actor Hu Ge and actress mainland theaters on Dec 6. Lost series, Lost in Russia — which yuan, given the large number of Kwai Lunmei, the story follows a Featuring a twisting plot, the sees Xu team up with actress Yuan blockbusters due for release. fugitive gangster, who crosses 139minute film depicts a Chinese Quan and actor Shen Teng — turns “I have witnessed the develop paths with an innocentlooking employee of an Australian energy to the theme of family tensions, ment of the Chinese film industry woman hiding a big secret. company having a onenight stand recounting the story of a business for more than a decade. I know Seeking breakthroughs in their with the wife of a Chinese mining man trying to patch up his rela many Chinese directors who are acting careers, Hu and Kwai both tycoon. After the fateful night, the tionship with his mother on a passionate about and devoted to prepared extensively for their woman is scheduled to board a train trip to Russia. The movie will cinema. The country will see an roles. Hu endured tough training plane that later crashes into the be released on Jan 25. explosion in the number of excel sessions in closequarters combat, sea. But the woman miraculously With Xu serving as the executive lent works, which will fuel the while Kwai lived in a shabby apart survives, and her secret draws the producer, the petthemed film expansion of the industry over the ment building in a lowincome man into a crosscontinent adven Adoring, which will debut on Dec next one or two decades on an area of Wuhan, Hubei province, to ture to unravel a thrilling crime Top: Director Xue Xiaolu (center) alongside actor Lei Jiayin and 31, has gained a lot of attention unprecedented scale,” says direct better understand her character, a involving bribery and the security actress Tang Wei at the 28th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers thanks to its unlikely “stars” — a or Peter Chan at a forum during struggling native of the city. of an entire city. Festival in Xiamen on Nov 20. Above: Filmmaker Xu Zheng (left) pig, and several cats and dogs. the Golden Rooster festival. Diao reveals he found inspira The movie is the latest drama takes a photo with the crew of the film, Adoring, at the festival. The film consists of six short sto Chan’s forthcoming sports film, tion for his character from a news with director Xue Xiaolu at the ries, depicting actors of different Leap, about China’s national wom story about a criminal who called helm, as she shifts from light ages reexamining their lives en’s volleyball team, is also one of his closest relative and asked her hearted romances to bigbudget hits like Finding Mr Right, Book of festival that a news story about a accompanied by their beloved the most anticipated blockbusters to turn him in to the police. action flicks. Love and My People, My Country, Chinese Australian arrested in a pets. Its stellar cast includes Wu of the Spring Festival period. It’ll Recalling the two years it took to Shooting to fame after direct which she codirected with six bribery case in 2009 provided her Lei, Zhang Zifeng, Wallace Chung, open on Jan 25. write the script, Diao says the ing Ocean Heaven, starring Jet Li, other directors. with the inspiration for the film. Yang Zishan, Zhong Chuxi and movie — which takes on a dark Xue has solidified her position Xue told an audience at a special Actor and filmmaker Xu Zheng, William Chan. Contact the writer at tone with most of the scenes tak on the Alist through boxoffice screening at the Golden Rooster who’s best known for his block An anticipated sequel set to [email protected] US film casts Chinese stage veteran in pivotal role
LOS ANGELES — Actress Zhao Independent Spirit Awards nomi tural revolution” (196676). “I could really sense her love for Shuzhen, who has captivated audi nated her for an acting prize. The “People started to recognize me in her grandma.” ences with her performance as the Farewell was also nominated for the street. I became very popular As a grandmother to two grand grandmother in The Farewell, is best feature. and very famous because the show sons from her two daughters, it essentially unknown to most Ameri Word of mouth led Wang to Zhao, was a big hit,” she says. “That was the wasn’t a stretch. can audiences. who had never acted in a US produc first time I’d experienced being “I’m always concerned with the Go to her IMDB page and it looks tion before. Diana Lin, who had mobbed by fans who wanted my wellbeing of my grandchildren, ask as though writerdirector Lulu already been cast to play Billi’s moth autograph or to take pictures.” ing them “Are you cold? Are you Wang’s reallife family drama is her er, recommended her to the director. And she hasn’t stopped working warm? If you’re going out, drive safe only credit. But that couldn’t be fur “I worked with her before and she since, but that work never took her ly. Do you have boyfriend or girl ther from the truth. In her native was a great person to work with. to Hollywood, nor did she even think friend yet?” she says, laughing. China, the 75yearold is not only a Zhao is a great friend as well,” Lin about trying to make a go of it on her In fact, it is this kind of selflessness veteran of stage and screen — she’s says. “She was the first person I own. So when she received word that that makes her suspect that Nai Nai also a big star. thought of! I used to call her Caty Wang wanted to speak to her about didn’t even realize she was ill. It was a pivotal role for the film Auntie (like Kitty) because the way the role, she was a little hesitant at “She’s not concerned with her own and for Wang personally. The Fare she smiles is warm and soft and first. In fact, Wang was told that they wellbeing. She’s only concerned well is based on the filmmaker’s sweet. Also, when I was a little girl, wouldn’t be able to even afford her. with the wellbeing of her children actual life, in which her family dis probably about 14, I watched her A scene from The Farewell shows Zhao Shuzhen (left), who is cast “I called and begged her, basically, and grandchildren,” Zhao says. “She covers that their beloved grand theater plays because we were in the as the grandmother of director Lulu Wang’s alterego, Billi, played and cried,” Wang says. “(I) said, ‘This never thinks about herself.” mother is terminally ill, decides to same theater company in Harbin by Awkwafina (right). CASI MOSS / A 24 VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS is based on my own grandmother, Zhao is only now realizing the keep that fact from her and stages a city.” and I really need somebody who is as kind of impact her Farewell perform wedding so they have an excuse to Zhao fell into acting almost acci compassionate as she is strong. And ance has made stateside, making the gather everyone together to say dentally. At age 16, she accompanied and I very quickly entered into the Central Television launched in I feel that you have both of those rounds in Los Angeles, attending goodbye. The heart of the film, a friend to the Harbin Grand Thea mindset of the character and he 1978 that she’d even have the qualities. That makes you sort of awardsseason parties, screenings which is currently available on home ter in Northeast China and ended up thought I did a good job. But it’s not opportunity to start acting in front iconic.’ To me, she feels like my and doing media appearances. video and has awards buzz behind it, auditioning for the drama school as as though at the time I had a particu of a camera. After that, she started grandmother, your grandmother. “I’m so grateful and delighted by is about the relationship between well. lar passion for acting or interest in making appearances on various She feels like everybody’s grand the attention from the media, from Wang’s alterego, Billi (Awkwafina), “I didn’t intend on becoming an the career. It just sort of happened.” television shows and dramas. Then mother.” the audiences, and people asking for and her grandmother, Nai Nai. actress,” she says through a translat Over the next 40 years, she’d in 1993 everything changed when Zhao says: “I became very moved autographs and pictures,” she says. Zhao got her first awardsseason or in Los Angeles. “The chief exam appear in over 100 plays with the she was cast as the mother on a and I started crying, and it was at recognition last week when the Film iner gave me a scenario to play with, company. But it wasn’t until China popular show set during the “cul that juncture where I said I’ll do this. ASSOCIATED PRESS