Extraordinary Cinema from Asia: Classic to
Contemporary
2007 Korean American Film Festival and
Asian Film Festival, Together in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, October 17, 2007 – The San Francisco Korean American Film Festival (SFKAFF) in association with the San Francisco Asian Film Festival (SFAFF) announced the dates for their joint 2007 film festival. The 11-day event will be held from November 8th to 18th, 2007, at three locations – 4 Star Movie Theatre, Castro Theatre, and San Francisco State University's August Coppola Theatre.
As this year's theme states "Extraordinary Cinema from Asia: Classic to Contemporary", SFKAFF and SFAFF are screening 7 older films from the 50's to 80's with 33 recent films, shorts and documentaries. Five countries – South Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand are represented. The older films from these countries have unique stories which are still by today's standards considered cherished works. This year holds a great line up of modern contemporary films focusing on various subjects from plastic surgery to sex, and genres from thriller to musical, truly something for every one.
Frank Lee – programmer for the SFAFF says "A wide variety of films are ready for your favor and mood. Just name it; we have it." Adam Hartzell – programmer for SFKAFF states, "What audiences have seen from South Korean movies is just a starting point to what this festival has to offer".
San Francisco Korean American Film Festival achieved huge success last year and this year in association with the San Francisco Asian Film Festival, together, will reach a broader audience with attendance from the young and old. This year's festival is a great chance for families, lovers, and friends to experience what Asian films have to offer.
<S.F. ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL INTRODUCTION>
The
10th San Francisco Asian Film Festival
Our
San Francisco Asian Film Festival aims to bring to all of you film lovers some
of the best of Asian cinema with a wide variety of films from around the globe.
Want the newest horror, action, drama, epic adventures or even cult films? You
name it; we have it. And this year we are bringing our opening and closing
nights to the Castro Theatre so more of you can enjoy the Asian film goodness.
To
kick off this festival we are screening the epic feature GENGHIS KHAN: TO THE
ENDS OF EARTH AND SEA at the Castro Theatre. Having topped the box office in
Japan, the $30m Japan-Mongolian co-production, directed by Shinichiro Sawai
(¡®W¡¯s Tragedy¡¯), tells the story of the vast ambitions and indomitable spirit
of historical figure Genghis Khan. Beautifully shot over a period of four
months on location in Mongolia, this is one epic surely not to be missed on the
big screen. There will also be an opening night gala before the screening. Come
hang out with fellow Asian film lovers and discuss about Asian cinema over a
glass of champagne!
Our
closing day/night line-up at the Castro is also nothing short of exciting,
including TUYA'S MARRIAGE, CONFESSION OF PAIN, FLASH POINT, THE BANQUET and
INVISIBLE TARGET. THE BANQUET is an award-winning period drama directed by
Xiaogang Feng. Following the tradition of Chinese Wu-Xia film, the film is a
loose adaptation of Hamlet with a
kung-fu twist. INVISIBLE TARGET from Hong Kong tells the story of three police
officers being thrown together to bring down a criminal gang of seven. No
doubles are used for the film's stunt sequences. The actors in the film
performed their own stunts, and they don't disappoint.
Surely
SFAFF film goers have a bigger appetite for HK action films than that. That's
why we also have FLASH POINT, starring Donnie Yen whose name is synonymous with
mind-blowing action. DRAGON TIGER GATE, based on a popular comic in HK, combines
CGI effects with traditional kung fu, and the result is spectacular. We all
know that HK cinema is more diverse than just having the action genre.
ISABELLA, featured in our festival, is a rare breed in HK cinema as it is an
indie film that enjoyed both critical and commercial success. We might not be
able to give you Johnny To this year but we give you EYE IN THE SKY, a gripping
political thriller directed by To's apprentice Nai-Hoi Yau. In the mood for
love--and musicals? Don't miss PERHAPS LOVE, directed by HK auteur Peter Chan,
that is often compared to MOULIN ROUGE.
Throughout
these eleven days of cinematic fun, we are offering a diverse line-up of
quality films, such as winner of Golden Bear at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival
TUYA'S MARRIAGE and the magical-realist fable KHADAK from Mongolia. There are
horror films SICK NURSES and VIDEO CLIP from Thailand, which has grown
increasingly prominent for the genre in recent years. Takashi Miike's dark
superhero spoof ZEBRAMAN, the quirky-sexy THE STRANGE SAGA OF HIROSHI THE
FREELOADING SEX MACHINE, and YAKINIKU, THE MOVIE prove that Japan is still the
leader of the funny and the absurd when it comes to cinema. 200 POUND BEAUTY,
despite being the lone Korean import from SFAFF this year, will surely amaze and
amuse our audience at the same time.
As
a special treat and for one screening only, we present to you NANKING, a
documentary about the rape of Nanking, one of the most tragic events in
history. It has not been released in the U.S. yet and has already been
generating Oscar buzz. More treats you say? We are bringing Ruan Lingyu's
silent classic, THE GODDESS (1934), to the big screen. The film has been named
by director Chen Kaige as his favorite film of the 1930s. Watch it and find out
why.
All
in all, our 10th San Francisco Asian Film Festival, in association with the San
Francisco Korean American Film Festival, promises not to disappoint. We know
you miss us; we miss you too.