Int’l Critics Line: Todd McCarthy On Hong Kong’s Oscar-Shortlisted ‘Better Days’

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentBerlin Grand Jury Prize winner “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” Japanese writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s deft three-story reflection on chance, the legacy of love and the contrariness of erotic desire, has clinched further key territory sales for its sales agent M-Appeal World Sales.Fast on the footsteps of clinching the top Berlinale 2021 Silver Bear in March 5’s Berlin prize announcement, “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” this week closed Spain

Jessica Kiang Oh great, another movie about dead girls and the grizzled cop/greenhorn cop duo tracking their killer. At least “Limbo,” from Soi Cheang (the “Monkey King” franchise) looks slick — often literally, with photogenic rain showers making its trashed Hong Kong slum locations as reflective as silver.

coronavirus outbreak and abuses against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, and the British governments decision to open a pathway for residency and eventual citizenship for millions of Hong Kong residents.China last month banned the BBC from the small number of hotels, residential compounds and offices where it had been shown, in apparent retaliation for its reporting on China and Britain's revocation of the license of state-owned Chinese broadcaster CGTN.Britain has condemned a Chinese crackdown on

 Ng was no stranger to standing up to the government and three months prior to his death had succeeded in a case with the high court ruling that same-sex married couples can inherit the estate of their spouse without a will, which the Hong Kong government is appealing. Despite this, Li has been unable to fulfil his late husbands wishes because Hong Kong does not recognise same sex marriages, even those that were officiated in other countries.In fact, because Li’s gay marriage is not recognised

Rebecca Davis editorFive competitive local titles have announced as of Monday that they will be vying for box office supremacy in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, a public holiday.They include a long-anticipated video game adaptation, an omnibus pandemic film helmed by three different female big shots from China, Hong Kong and the U.S., a sleek Aaron Kwok-starring thriller, a TV series adaptation and the first title from helmer Li Yu not to star the now-disgraced Fan Bingbing in 14

Nomadland has been censored in China due to comments the director made about the country in a past interview.In 2013, Zhao, who became the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Director last month.Initially, the film’s upcoming release was promoted in China, with state media lauding Zhao as “the pride of China”.On Friday (March 5) though, show times for the film were removed from ticketing websites and references to the film began to disappear.As the Guardian reports, a

the upcoming CW drama series, led by ' Olivia Liang and legendary actor Tzi Ma, and only ET exclusively premieres the action-packed minute-long promo. (See the first photos from .)A modern-day reimagining of the 1970s series and starring a predominantly Asian cast, follows a young Chinese American woman, Nicky Shen (Liang), who drops out of college and goes on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefUA Cinemas, one of Hong Kong’s leading movie theater operators, has collapsed. The company said on Monday morning that it had applied for voluntary liquidation.“UA Cinemas has always been committed to providing the highest quality of cinematic entertainment to all audiences in Hong Kong since it was founded in 1985 by Mr.

Rebecca Davis editorChina on Friday said it would revamp Hong Kong’s electoral system to tighten its grip on the city, a strong move against the region’s democratic governance and freedoms that has incited backlash from critics abroad.Beijing’s rubberstamp parliament, known as the National People’s Congress (NPC), convened for the first day of its annual week-long meetings on Friday.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefImax China, the supplier of giant screen cinema facilities and services in Greater China, is one of the purest plays on the mainland Chinese movie exhibition market available to investors.

Nick Schager Film CriticFor subtlety’s sake, it’s better if coming-of-age stories don’t feature subplots in which characters are asked to pen their own autobiographical tales of maturation, and then spend time debating the merits of J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” as well as their personal similarities to its protagonist, Holden Caulfield.

Rebecca Davis editorWarner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s “Godzilla vs.

Ng Man-tat, the Hong Kong actor best known for his comic collaborations with Stephen Chow, has died. He was 70.

Ng Man-tat, the star Shaolin Soccer and frequent collaborator of Kung Fu Hustle filmmaker Stephen Chow, has died.

Rebecca Davis editorTaiwan has denied prominent Hong Kong film producer and entertainment mogul Charles Heung Wah-keung and his son visas to live there, citing national security concerns.Heung is known for founding Win’s Entertainment in the 1980s and 1990s powerhouse China Star Entertainment, the Hong Kong-listed production company and distributor that helped cement the stardom of Hong Kong cinematic icons such as Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, Stephen Chow, Andy Lau, Johnnie To, and many more.

Vivienne Chow Back in the heyday of Hong Kong movies, the city’s film stars and those groomed by the Hong Kong industry were among the biggest stars in Asia.Now, facing the twin pressures of coronavirus’ impact on productions and performances and, for some, a cold shoulder from mainland Chinese audiences, many Hong Kong stars are becoming digital creators and entrepreneurs.Not only have film and TV opportunities dried up, well-paid promotional gigs, such as ribbon-cutting ceremonies for shop

Rebecca Davis editorTony Leung Chiu-Wai and Andy Lau will team up in a new major action movie titled “Goldfinger,” local reports said Friday.The two beloved Hong Kong-born A-listers haven’t worked together since the end of the “Internal Affairs” trilogy 18 years ago.The reunion will be written and directed by Felix Chong, the screenwriter for the “Internal Affairs” series.

EXCLUSIVE:  Ludi Lin is set to join The CW’s forthcoming reboot of the classic series Kung Fu.