The final CUEAFS open screening of the academic year…
And we’ve saved the best till last!

Sion Sono (“Suicide Club”, “Exte: Hair Extensions”) directs the action-comedy-satire-romance and mind bending masterpiece that is “Love Exposure”, starring Hikari Mitsushima (“Kakera- A Piece of our Life”) and Sakura Ando (“Oh! My Buddha!”). Critically acclaimed and voted Japanese film of the decade on the prestigious website Midnight Eye, beating of the likes of “Battle Royale”, “Love Exposure” touches on themes of religion, family, sex, love, lust, guilt and of course “peek-a-panty” photography.

An undeniably must see experience to finish off CUEAFS film screenings for the 2009/10 academic year.

“‘Love Exposure’ stirs so many emotions, however, that even if you’ve read every review in the world, you’ll want to express yourself after you’ve seen it…”

(Twitch.com)

“Sono manages to elevate this potentially seedy and glib yarn to something approaching pop-philosophical genius… this is a film that will have you tingling with pleasure from charming start to heart-pounding finish.”

(Time Out)

ETG 34/2pm

To celebrate the triumphant return from the Udine Far East Film Festival, CUEAFS present a screening of the  Pang Ho-Cheungs’ award winning  ”Isabella” (2006, Hong Kong), staring Isabella Leong and Chapman To.

CUEAFS are also extremely proud to premiere the exclusive screening of an interview with Hong Kong star Chapman To shot at the festival by members of the society. Chapman talks about his new film“La Comedie Humaine” (which premiered at Udine), “Isabella”, “Infernal Affairs” and the state of the Hong Kong film industry!

Synopsis:
“Touching and beautiful, though calculated and questionably substantial. Edmond Pang’s artful drama seems to be proclaiming its own significance rather than actually earning it. However, Pang hits his marks exceptionally well, and gets fine performances from Chapman To and Isabella Leong. For current HK Cinema, this is still better than we probably deserve.”

(Ross Chen: lovehkfilm.com)

The penultimate screening of the academic year, not to be missed!

Spencer Murphy interviewing Chapman To at the Udine Far East Film Festival 2010 in Italy:

Day 5:

• The Message (2009), by Antoniya Petkova
• Gallants (2010), by Nadia Baird

Day 6:

• Seven 2 One (2009), by Elena Rapondzhieva
• Invisible Killer (2009), by Ruodong He
• Phobia 2 (2009), by Nadia Baird
• Possessed (2009), by Antoniya Petkova
• Slice (2009), by Antoniya Petkova

Day 7:

• Echoes of the Rainbow (2010), by Elena Rapondzhieva
• Echoes of the Rainbow – The Nostalgia of Hong Kong in the 60s, by Ruodong He
• Secret Reunion (2010), by Ruodong He

Day 8:

• The Founding of a Republic (2009), by Antoniya Petkova
• Identity (2009), by Antoniya Petkova
• Boys on the Run (2010), by Nadia Baird

Day 9

• Castaway on the Moon (2009), by Antoniya Petkova

From Indonesia came the international film “Identity” (2009) by Aria Kusumadewa – a dark and depressing story of nameless and ‘rightless’ people, living in absolute poverty – a daily reality in Indonesia. Adam (Tio Pakusadewo), who works in the mortuary section of a hospital, befriends a nameless girl and desperately tries to solve her problems, whilst he himself faces an eviction. As the story develops, more and more problems begin to arise, as Adam becomes more involved in the story of the young girl and is dedicated to saving her, even after her death. A story about the importance of having an identity and a dark portrayal of the everyday life of millions of Indonesians.

Another international premiere arrived from Taiwan: “Hear Me” (2009) by Cheng Fen-Fen is a touching youth romance, which deals with the issue of disability and the right of the hearing impaired to a normal life. The film tells the story of two deaf sisters, one of which is a swimmer, striving to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, whilst the other struggles to build a normal relationship with Tian Kuo, thinking he is also hearing impaired. Both sisters encounter difficult problems in the course of events, due to their disability, but their sister’s bond is able to overcome everything, as they support each other through the difficult choices they have to make. The film is light-hearted and funny, whilst dealing with important issues, and it holds a surprising ending for the audiences.

Premiering in Europe was the Chinese historical epic “The Founding of a Republic” (2009) by Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin, made by the China Film Group to mark the 60^th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The film tells the tale of the Communist ascendancy and triumph and recounts the history of China from 1945 to 1949. The audience is presented with complicated political events in the period after the Second Sino-Japanese war and during the civil war, which led to the founding of the Chinese Republic. An impressive cast, as the film stars some of the most popular Chinese faces in the cinema industry, such as Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyi, Fan BingBing, Andy Lau and many many others. Although sometimes described as dull, the film is not overwhelmed by political party propaganda and delivers its story in a way that would appeal to younger audiences and would educate them on the history of China.

From Hong Kong the audience was fortunate enough to receive Teddy Chen’s “Bodyguards and Assassins” (2009) which held its Italian premiere in the evening of April 30. The film tells the story of Chinese politician Sun Yat-sen who is on his way to meeting other activist leaders in a try to overthrow the Qing government. As the Qing court sends its most skillful assassins to make sure the activist doesn’t make it to the meeting, a group of bodyguards is gathered to make sure Sun Yat-sen arrives at the gathering and to distract the assassins for one hour, while important questions are discussed. The film is quite slow for the first part and it is sometimes difficult to follow all the personal stories, that are interweaved within it, the second part is packed with action and fighting scenes, which are at points uncomfortably ridiculous and don’t deliver. However, a pleasant experience for everyone with a marvelous musical accompaniment by the genius of Peter Kam, which could only be guilty for its unnecessary length.

Premiering internationally from Japan was Miura Daisuke’s “Boys on the Run” (2010). Based on a manga by Kengo Hanazaw, the film tells the story of 29-year-old virgin Tanishi, who works for a small company that sells toys for vending machines and spends his time obsessing over Chiharu, a beautiful co-worker, and watching porn. Just when things start to look up and Chiharu seems to be reciprocating Tanishi’s feelings, a rival salesman snatches her and turns Tanishi into an unsuspected hero. While keeping the audience entertained with the right-on-point punch lines and combining them with the sometimes disgusting realism, the film might please some, but mostly leaves the viewers uncomfortable with its lack of direction and even though it maybe redeems itself just a little in the final moments, it might be disappointing to those with high expectations.

And last but not least, Thailand had its own representative – in the presence of director Nithiwat Tharatorn the teenage drama “Dear Galileo” (2009) had its international festival premiere. Two girlfriends, Cherry and Noon, decide to travel and work as waitresses in Europe, whilst trying to escape from their own lives – one is running away from school, the other – from love. With only one rule of never leaving each other, no matter what happens, the two girls head off to see England, France and Italy, while proving the strength of friendship which overcomes human-created borders.

With seventeen films in their pockets over the course of less than four days, CUEAFS members packed their bags, unwilling to leave without seeing the final selection of films, which proved to be as impressive as the ones already seen. With only a few films to slightly disturb with either unnecessary length or inevitable plot holes, the Udine Far East Film Festival 2010 certainly delivered! All those who attended FEFF 12 will definitely be keeping their eyes peeled for the festival’s next edition and will be lining up for the chance to see as many films as possible and to speak to directors, producers and stars, whilst receiving impressive insight into the past, present and future of East Asian cinema.

This time South Korea was represented by two police thrillers, very similar in story and very different in style. “Running Turtle” (2009) by Lee Yeon-woo takes a laid back approach whilst telling the story of a rather unlucky police officer, whose life changes for the better when a wanted fugitive moves into his town. Cho Phil-sung (Yun-seok Kim) is an unhappy husband with a gambling problem who steals money from his wife to bet on a bull fight and his luck suddenly works, bringing him a fortune. However, his happiness is short-term, as a famous criminal steals the money and disrupts Cho’s marriage and professional career and the suspended officer becomes obsessed with catching the thief and getting his life back.

“Secret Reunion” (2010) by Jang Hun is based on the same principle – a secret service agent, Han-gyu, whose misfortune leads to his discharge from the National Intelligence Service, comes across a familiar face – Ji-won, a criminal working for a killer known as Shadow, whose pursuit six years earlier resulted in the negative consequences for Han-gyu’s career. The former agent, now reinvented as private investigator, rediscovers his old obsession and does everything he can to capture the killer, working together with Ji-won. However, the story is presented in a much more fast paced manner and by the end it moves away from the ordinary police story, touching upon the ideas of family and friendship that lasts forever.

From Hong Kong comes the black comedy “La Comedie Humaine” (2010) by Chan Hing-kai and Janet Chun – a hilarious parody of Hong Kong action films. After the arrival of two killers in Hong Kong, one of them passes out on the roof of a building and finds himself under the care of a scriptwriter, who he soon develops friendship with and uses his ‘killer experience’ to help the unfortunate writer in completing a screenplay. The film, which is full of satirical references, delivers a great laugh to all audiences, whether or not familiar with the referenced Hong Kong films.

The melodrama “Echoes of the Rainbow” (2009) by Alex Law is a perfect combination of comedy and drama that shows the innocent and marvelous world through the eyes of a child. The film tells the story of two brothers – an eight-year-old boy, Yes, and his elder brother Desmond. The brothers couldn’t be more different, as Yes is a spoiled child, whilst Desmond is successful in everything he does – from being a model student to a top athlete at school. The film, being the true story of director Alex Law’s childhood, follows the adventures of the brothers, and delivers a spectacular combination of romance, drama and laughter, all narrated through the innocence and naivety of the young boy.

by Antoniya Petkova

The conflicts between filmic content that can be commercially popular and the stories that can offer an audience the unique perspective of its creator are most specifically present in the relationship of recent years between Hong Kong and mainland China. This has been examined for its influence over Hong Kong’s declining film industry or as some see it: “the death of independent Hong Kong cinema”.

Two films from Hong Kong, “Gallants” and “La Comedie Humaine“ received their international premier at this year’s festival (whilst not yet released to their local audience) and have been described by a festival spokesperson as: “representing part of an interesting trend in Hong Kong cinema right now that is seeing filmmakers of mid-budget films move back towards local themes.”

“Gallants” directors Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng joined Chapman To, respected actor and producer of “La Comedie Humaine” for a panel discussion about the future of independent, Cantonese-language films that can co-exist with the cinema of mainland China without compromising artistic vision or the freedom of content.

As well as the language difference seen especially to affect comedy genres using wordplay for their humour, many films in Hong Kong are also financed by mainland Chinese Industries and with Hong Kong’s population at only seven million, mainland China is typically their predominant external audience.

For Chapman To, “Hong Kong people don’t go to the cinema anymore and there are lots of reasons for this– so we have to make films that aim to the China market.” In the same vein he emphasized that “Without the China market, maybe the budget [for local films] is not that high, but we have freedom and that’s why I like it.”

For young directors such Kwok and Cheng, having an industry megastar like Andy Lau to produce their first film “Gallants” in offered some relief from another of the burdens of financial uncertainty facing independent filmmakers: (Derek Kwok) “For Andy Lau, he didn’t just invest in a movie, he gives a lot of freedom for the young directors to develop their ideas and realize their project.”

For Clement Cheng: “Even though a lot of people say that [film] financing in Hong Kong is quite difficult now, actually if you want to make a movie then it depends on your scale; if you want to make a smaller movie there are still possibilities but you have to stand firm [because] even though the market may not be that favorable there may be other factors to take into account.”

Both Kwok and Cheng’s deliberate decision to speak in Cantonese could in itself speak volumes about the determination of Hong Kong people to continue to have their unique national identity recognized and represented through their own films. Cheng used a recent discussion they both had with Hong Kong director Patrick Lung Kong to illustrate the specific importance of this feature in capturing the spirit of Hong Kong culture. Lung Kong was also the subject of a retrospective entitled “The Reformer” at this year’s festival with seven of his films ranging from drama to action screened.

“In the 60’s when he [Lung Kong] was making films himself, Cantonese language films were falling whereas there was a rise in movies that were spoken in Mandarin. Since then fifty years have passed and we are facing that problem today. He said to us: As long as Cantonese as a language is going to be spoken, there will be Cantonese films made and so Hong Kong Cinema will not disappear.”

Interestingly, perhaps his final statement was an attempt to address outside concerns that tensions over target markets, financing and cultural differences will inhibit the continuation of great Hong Kong cinema: “There are two types of films and it doesn’t matter what language they are in; there are only good films and bad films.”

by Nadia Baird

SM: How are you finding Udine and the Festival so far?

CT: I really like Udine – the weather’s wonderful, the food is good and the women are beautiful (laughs). And this festival is not like others I’ve been to. It’s better in my opinion, because of the whole atmosphere. And I love that it doesn’t have a “red carpet”. The whole experience is very relaxing and enjoyable.

SM: You started your career as an actor and now you are also a film producer. How did you get involved with producing films?

CT: Five years ago I invited some friends over to dinner at home and I said: “The way things are going for Hong Kong cinema, small directors have no future. The China market is open, but only to big directors and the others don’t stand a chance. I have a plan – to unite small and new directors in a sort of union and I’ll be the producer. The idea is for them to work as a team – while A directs B and C help.” So me and my friends continued our evening and the next morning I got a call from one of them, saying: “About what we discussed last night, I’m not interested right now”. And one by one they all said that. In the end it was just me and Pang Ho-Cheung (director, “Dream Home”) and we found the company “Not Brothers” (because not everybody is your brother). Together we produced “Isabella” and “Trivial Matters” and now for my upcoming film we’ll be working with a young new director. This is good because we’re making the budget smaller this way and at the same time we’re giving a new-comer a chance.

SM: “Isabella” is a very local Hong Kong film. When you are making a film for a local Hong Kong audience, do you intentionally make it in such a way that it would be picked up internationally?

CT: Well, Hong Kong is the base. But take the Far East Film Festival for example. A film can be made for local audience, but other places and people will also like it. When I’m working, I’m concentrating on making a strong Hong Kong movie, rather than trying to please everyone.

SM: Your new film “La Comedie Humaine” has a very local (Cantonese) sense of humour. Do you make any considerations for the mainland Chinese market?

CT: Making a successful film for the China market in the style of “Bodyguards and Assassins” is easy. But comedy is strict, because happiness is a very strict, genuine feeling. Something is either funny or it’s not. It is not easy to make a successful comedy for the China market. For example, in “La Comedie Humaine”, there’s a scene where I’m nude and shot from the back. China doesn’t allow that in its films. My latest production also can’t be picked up in China, because it features a sex-scene, and Chinese films don’t feature sex, nudity or ghosts.

SM: One of the scenes in your film “Trivial Matters” features a prostitute from mainland China. Is it a conscious decision to make films, which are critical of China’s film restrictions?

CT: Making movies is my job. The fact is that there is prostitution, sex and someone told me there are ghosts (laughs). I’m not trying to be critical or anti-communist. A film is a film. We’re not making a fantasy production like “Avatar” – we’re trying to show what we really see.

SM: You have also starred in some massive Hong Kong films. If you’re offered a big role, would you accept it to be able to sponsor your own projects?

CT: It’s about balance. Actors are like prostitutes in a way. Sometimes we have good offers and sometimes – not so good. But this is how we earn our living. What can you do, sometimes you give in. The important thing is to balance it.

SM: You’ve worked with many directors. One of them is Herman Yau. What was that like?

CT: He’s the only good person among Hong Kong directors (laughs). Directors are usually very strong characters. But he is just genuinely good, doesn’t yell and works fast. He doesn’t think about how well his productions will do in the box office, he just makes films. He is a bit crazy, but he is special and a very good friend of mine.

SM: So what are we to expect from you in the future? Anything with Herman?

CT: Oh, it’s not that easy, you have to queue and a lot of investors are involved. As an actor – I like to do comedy. It’s easy to act well, but it’s not easy to make people laugh. Life itself is not easy, so it’s better to laugh. As a producer – I’d like to work with new directors and give them chances.

The full video interview and podcast will be available on the CUEAFS website and Cine-Vue soon!

Transcript by Elena Rapondzhieva

Photographer: Andreea Dascalu

东亚电影协会爱乌迪内远东电影节的第三天，Spencer Murphy有幸采访到“Possessed”的编剧兼导演，李勇俊。他在前一天协同他的电影代表作来到意大利电影节的首映礼参展。

“Possessed” is one of the best Korean horrors in recent years. In Lee Yong-Ju’s personal opinion, this is due to the fact that the film touches upon a rather unexplored ground: “Usually, Korean horror is about good vs. evil.” Where this film differs, though, is that it reflects the conflict between Christianity and shamanism. The religious contradictions are a common issue in modern Korean society, as shamanism, even though looked on with rather negative connotations and considered to be superstition, has been a great part of Korean history and still exists in today’s world。As a whole, the film does reflect upon common issues from contemporary Korea: “Particular situations and issues are represented by the characters in the apartments”, which issues wh might not be necessarily associated with the West.

“Possessed”是近些年韩国最好的一部恐怖影片。用李勇俊导演的观点来看，那就是由于影片触及到了还未开发的领域：“一般来说，韩国恐怖讲述的是正义对抗邪恶。”然而这部影片反映的是基督教与黄教之间的冲突。 在韩国当代社会中，宗教矛盾是非常话题，比如说黄教，即使它被当作是消极影响并被当作迷信来看待的宗教，但它仍然在韩国历史上占据了很大的部分并且仍然生存在当今的世界。作为整体来看，电影从当代韩国反映出了一个普遍的现象，“尤其是代表着一些住在公寓中的人们的真实情况。”或许这些话题和西方世界并不存在必然联系。

On the question of whether the film was consciously and purposefully scripted to fall into the horror genre, Lee’s answer was that he usually focuses on the item and the message that he is trying to get across, whilst the particular genre comes as a rather natural decision, following the development of the writing process. When discussing the issues of different religions in producing the script, Lee was amazed that “people are eager to know what God means”, even though they cannot possibly do.

在关于影片是否有意编写为恐怖片题材范畴。李导演的回答是，他一直在尝试越过一些被固定的类别电影，但当你在创作剧本的同时，一些特定的电影类别会自然而然地影响到你的决定。当讨论到创作剧本时，不同宗教话题是否影响电影创作，李导演非常吃惊地回答到，“人们总是那么渴望去明白上帝意味着什么。”，即使他们永远都不可能明白。

“Possessed” has been compared to a lot of other films, such as “The Exorcist” and “Don’t Look Now” by British  director Nicolas Roeg whislt US film critics also find similarities with Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby“According to Lee, the film has similarities to those films that “build the suspense”, rather than rely on other shock tactics to achieve their purpose. The film also  shares similar themes with “Spider Forest” and “Hansel and Gretel”, the issue of forgotten memories of social trauma, represented in the character of the janitor/war veteran in “Possessed”. However, Lee Yong-Ju admitted that this was not a consciously scripted intention of the film.”.

“Possessed”被拿来与许多电影比较，比如“驱魔人”英国导演尼古拉斯.罗伊格的“见鬼”。许多美国电影评论家也在罗曼.波兰斯基“魔鬼圣婴”找到相似之处。“根据李导演的说法，整部影片构建起来的悬疑的确是和其他影片有相似之处，但却不是纯粹地套用其他影片的惊悚技术来达到本片的目的。影片与“蜘蛛丛林”和“鬼怪密林”也有近似之处， 关于内心深处的创伤与无法忘记的记忆，在影片中表现在看门人与老兵等人的角色之中表现出来。然而，李勇俊也承认这部影片剧本创作的意图并不是那么清楚。

Korean horror is often connected with Japanese horror under the same category of Asian extreme, for Lee, the biggest difference between both areas is in the quantity of films produced. Japanese horror continues to flourish, whilst Korean horror production has greatly reduced in recent years. In addition, the horrors from South Korea usually cover “a large spectrum – from the simple to the complicated story”, and they tend to “overcome the image of the typical ghost”, portrayed in films such as “The Ring”.

在亚洲类别的恐怖电影中，韩国恐怖总是和日本恐怖联系在一块，对李导演而言，在这两个亚洲国家创作电影的过程中，最大的不同就是影片质量。 日本恐怖是持续性的高产，而韩国恐怖电影创作则在近些年来严重减产。另外，韩国恐怖电影经常覆盖了”很大的范围——从简单到复杂的故事“，以及倾向于“避免创作出典型类别的鬼怪形象”，尤其是像“鬼来电”中对鬼怪的刻画。

At the moment, Lee Yong-Ju is working on a melodrama about memory and love with the tagline “commemorate the past”, which audiences will be looking forward to seeing in the near future.

与此同时，李勇俊正在创作一部关于回忆和打着“留住过去”为口号的爱情故事音乐剧。他也希望观众们能期待这么一部即将诞生的好作品。

The whole interview with Lee Yong-Ju from the Udine Festival will soon be available as a podcast and video on the CUEAFS website.

在乌迪内电影节上对李勇俊的全程采访视频片段将很快出现在考文垂东亚电影协会的官网之上。

Photographer: Andreea Dascalu

From Korean director Lee Yong-Ju came “Possessed” (2009) – a ghost horror touching upon delicate issues from contemporary Korean society. Hee-jin (Nam Sang-mi) is a student, studying in Seoul, who comes home to look for her lost younger sister. While the detective investigating the disappearance of the girl seems to believe it is a simple case of a child running away, and the deeply religious Christian mother is convinced only prayers will bring the young So-jin back, things start to unravel and mysterious events preceding the disappearance of the girl are revealed. Intriguing debut from first-time director Lee Yong-Ju, the film slowly builds the suspense, while at the same time talks about delicate issues such as the contradiction of religions and the consequences of blind faith.

Very different in style and construction is the Thai horror “Phobia 2″ (2009), sequel to the very successful 4bia from 2008. The film consists of five different film sequences – Novice by Paween Purijitpanya, Salvage by Parkpoom Wongpoom, Visute Poolvoralak’s Ward, Backpackers by Songyos Sugmakanan and Banjong Pisanthanakun’s In The End. In Novice, a young boy is sent to a Buddhist temple, where mysterious supernatural events occur; Salvage brings retribution to a car dealer, selling ‘bewitched’ cars to unsuspecting customers; Backpackers is a zombie-genre story about two hitch-hikers, taking a ride on the wrong truck; in Ward, a hospitalised boy notices strange things around the dying man next to him; and finally, Banjong Pisanthanakun’s In The End, parody of his previous Alone, offers an entertaining outlook on horror film codes and conventions. Whilst delivering a spine-chilling experience to the audience, “Phobia 2“ entertains with the different stories and styles within and delivers a perfect ending, which breaks the stereotype and allows the viewers to relax in their chairs.

Also from Thailand arrives the mystery thriller “Slice” (2009) by director Kongkiat Khomsiri. Prisoner Tai has vivid dreams about a red suitcase, full of body parts; a serial killer chops up their victims and puts them in a red suitcase. As detective Papa Chin is nowhere near to bringing the investigation to a close, he relies on the connection between Tai’s dreams and reality and gives him 15 days to find the killer. As Tai remembers his childhood relations with the tortured boy Nut, he finds clues in his memories that lead him to discovering a disturbing truth. Although sometimes categorised as a slasher/horror, the film delivers a very different vibe and leaves audiences uncomfortable after the gory scenes and violent images, as well as the portrayal of deeply disturbed mind of a young boy and the consequences of his painful childhood.

Still no disappointments from the selection of films, as audiences keep their eyes on their watches for every next screening and the theatre hall gathers both critics and film lovers and promises them the experience of a lifetime.

An impressive selection from China and Hong Kong has been one of the highlights of the fifth and sixth day of the festival, including two international premieres, as well as the appearance of directors Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok to present their premiering “Gallants” and give the opportunity to journalists and film critics to have a deeper insight view into the ideas and making of the film. 从电影节的第八天与第九天开始，来自中国大陆和香港的电影就被作为大会的亮点向公众推广，其中包括了两部国际首映式，同时《打擂台》的导演郑思杰和郭子健也给与了记者，电影评论人关于自己的对电影制作的一些见解和想法。

The Hong Kong martial arts comedy “Gallants” (2010) is a reflection of traditional Kung-Fu cinema and in many ways appeals to Western audiences. The film tells the story of Cheung, an underpaid underestimated bullied  employee, stuck in his dead-end job as a real estate agent. When Cheung got transferred to a small town in order to complete a deal, he finds himself in the middle of a fight between the two oldest Kung-Fu schools. The comedy features some of the famous faces from the 50s and 60s Kung-Fu cinema and it delivers a laugh to everyone, playing with stereotypes, martial arts’ styles and making Chinese viewers chuckle at the delicate use of Cantonese wordplay.香港功夫喜剧《打擂台》是传统香港功夫电影的传承，同时也从很多方面吸引了西方受众。电影讲述的故事是关于一个在房产公司备受欺负，做着毫无出路事情的年轻人。当他有一次去小城镇完成工作任务时，他碰巧发现自己处于两个门派的打斗之中。这部功夫喜剧中不仅出现了50年代60年代功夫票房中熟悉的面孔，而且在给观众带来笑声的同时，也运用了传统功夫电影拍摄中令中国观众捧腹大笑的广东话搞笑风格。

Also from Hong Kong comes the European premiere of Seven 2 One (2009) by Danny Pang, shifting the style and tone and presenting the audience with a storyline working backwards, examining the events leading to a robbery-gone-badly. The film starts with a robbery at a convenience store, which goes terribly wrong and from then on the narrative develops as a flashback, showing the stories of seven different people, who end up involved in the event. Waitress Ling and her long-term boyfriend are faced with difficult decisions; a girl is ending her homosexual relationship; the cashier girl at the supermarket is being molested by her boss;。 two brothers, one a successful policeman and the other a good-for-nothing, who dates the cashier girl, fall out. Piece by piece, the narrative connects all of them to show how the smallest of decisions people make sometimes work as the butterfly effect and change the lives of unexpected victims.同时，香港远道而来参加欧洲首映的《7人2事》，将电影的风格和格调向观众以倒序的方式呈现出来，让观众清楚地看到在以打劫到杀人大剧情下每一个细节的发展。电影以打劫便利店为开端，随着故事在同时时间不同人物和地点的快速发展，从最初的旁白讲述形式瞬间倒转到每一个人物情节的发展。玲小姐和他相处已久的男朋友面对和非常艰难的抉择；一个女孩正准备结束她的同性恋关系；超市的收银员女孩正遭受她老板的性骚扰。两兄弟，一个是成功的警员，另一个一事无成，却同时和超市的女孩有着男女朋友关系。 一环扣一环，环环相扣，电影以叙述的方式链接着他们之间并且通过人们做的细小决定以蝴蝶效应的方式改变了一些最终受害者无法预料的结局。

Premiering from mainland China is “The Invisible Killer” (2010) by director Wang Jing, looks over a much more in-depth ideological concept of modern Chinese society and the subtle influence of Internet, which acts as an invisible puppet-master, dictating people’s decisions. Detective Wong Jing is investigating a murder case of which Lin Yan is the unfortunate victim, whilst the virtual world is getting more and more involved into the story, leading to an unexpected revelation. Based upon actual events and reflecting the modern society of China today, the film asks difficult questions as to the actual influence of Internet on people’s lives. 大陆的另一部首映又导演王竞电影“无形杀”，以非常深层的意识层面剖析当代中国社会与互联网带给人们生活的影响。互联网已经扮演了一个无形的操手，时时刻刻影响着人们的抉择。侦探王景正在调查一桩命案，而林燕正是这不幸的受害者，当虚拟世界一步一步卷入整个事件时，真相也一步一步被揭示。建立在真实事件，反映出当代中国社会的意识形态，影片向人们提出了“当互联网影响到人们生活后，人们如何面对”的问题。

Differing immensely from “The Invisible Killer” when it comes to ideology, “The Message” (2009) by Chen Kuofu and Gao Qunshu is not as challenging when it comes to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre itself.。The film tells the story of five Chinese decoders working for the Japanese during the Chinese puppet government in 1942, suspected of co-operating with the Chinese resistance and lured in a castle by the determination of a Japanese colonel to solve the mystery and reveal the spy.The story is built in a way that quite resembles Hitchcock’s work and the plotline reveals slowly and intensely as in an Agatha Christie novel, engaging the audience and subtly forcing it to discover the insurgent.从《无形杀》到《风声》，当电影从密码，社会约定俗成这种类型的惊悚上升到考量社会意识形态时，这样的转变是无法比拟的影片讲述了五个中国密码破译人员在1942年伪国民政府时期被当作共产党卧底潜伏在国民党中的“内鬼”。故事建立在 类似于大卫，希区考克风格的阿加莎·克里斯蒂小说情节，紧张，快节奏，让观众全情投入故事,然后慢慢揭示谜底。

The Udine Far East Film Festival continues to deliver for journalists, film critics and cinema lovers, whilst bringing together different cultures and genres, each presenting their own codes, conventions and stereotypes. The programme for the coming days proves to be just as impressive, and features more international film premieres, and guest speakers from across the spectrum of Asian cinema.乌迪内远东电影节正持续给新闻工作者，电影评论家，电影爱好者传达着高质量的影片，同时也将不同文化类别的影片题材聚合在一起，分别表现他们自己的特色，风格。整个影展在这段时间内推出了令人印象深刻的影片，以及多部电影的国际首映仪式，还有整个亚洲范围内著名的导演嘉宾。

by Antoniya Petkova