The program lineup of the 6th Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) was unveiled at a press conference on September 24. A group of Hong Kong actors and directors were in attendance to introduce their movies selected for the festival. Kung fu actress Kara Hui exercises her acting muscles in the closing film At the End of Daybreak, playing the mother of a son (Tsui Tin Yau) accused of raping his underage girlfriend. She revealed how the filming of this dark and disturbing drama was more physically demanding than any action film she had made as the fight scenes between her and her son were very emotionally charged.

The other closing film, Danny Pang's thriller-comedy Seven 2 One, made a big entrance as the horror master marched in with his headline-making ensemble cast to support the event. Capturing all eyes, actresses Elanne Kong, Chrissie Chau, Wylie Chiu, Stephanie Cheng and actors James Ho, Gary Chiu, Izz Xu, and DJ Leo Chim seemed to have sweet memories of their mock hold-up at a convenience store that spirals out of control into murder and nightmare. Perhaps less fortunate was young singer Percy Fan, who had to devour an egg tart the size of a pineapple bun as required by her role in Risky Liu's Pastry.

The film festival itself will feature more heavyweight Asian filmmakers. Confirmed guests for the event include: Fifth Generation Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang and Japanese actor Odagiri Joe of opening film The Warrior and the Wolf; renowned Korean director Park Chan Wook, bringing with him the other opening film Thirst; and Mainland director Du Haibin, whose 1428 was recently awarded Best Documentary at the Venice Film Festival. Malaysian director Ho Yuhang returns with his new film At the End of Daybreak after winning the New Talent Award with Rain Dogs at the 2006 HKAFF, while controversial Japanese filmmaker Sono Sion is this year's "Director in Focus", with seven of his films showing in the festival.

The 6th Hong Kong Asian Film Festival runs from October 15 to 30, 2009. Seventy-five features, shorts, documentaries, and animated films from all over the region will be screened at the festival.

Text / dian

Japanese comic artist Usui Yoshito, best known for the manga series Crayon Shin-chan, has passed away at the age of 51. Usui was reported missing by his family when he did not return from a hiking trip on September 11. His body was later found on September 19 at the bottom of Mt. Arafune. It is believed that Usui fell to his death from a 120-meter high cliff.

Usui entered the manga circle in 1987 and gained enormous fame in the 90s with the Crayon Shin-chan series, which revolves around the everyday life of mischievous 5-year-old Nohara Shinnosuke. The anime version of the manga began broadcast in 1992, and enjoys continuous popularity to this day.

According to Usui's publishing company, there are still unpublished Usui manuscripts, but that it remains to be seen how the Crayon Shin-chan series will be handled in the future.

Text / Snoopy

Nominations for the 44th Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan's answer to the Emmys, were recently announced. PTS's highly rated buddy cop thriller Black & White leads the race with 11 nominations including Best Drama, Best Director for Tsai Yueh Hsun, Best Supporting Actor for Kingone Wang, and Best Actor for both Vic Chou and newcomer Mark Chao. The two heartthrobs will be competing against idol Show Luo (Hot Shot) and veterans You An Shun (Zou Guo Hou Wei Dao) and Chang Chih (Justice for Love). Also making strong showings in the nominations, PTS law drama Justice for Love, SETTV police drama Police et vous, and SETTV's ratings-winning romance My Queen are all vying for Best Drama and Best Director along with Black & White and the Hakka TV drama Marriage For Three Women.

Like with last year's Destiny Love, Ethan Ruan again didn't make the cut for Best Actor, but his My Queen co-star Cheryl Yang is on the Best Actress shortlist with Lee Kang Yee (Justice for Love), Tammy Chen (The Story of Time), Fion Fu (You're My One and Only), and Liu Rui Qi (Marriage For Three Women). Newcomer singer-actor Wen Sheng Hao also got a Best Supporting Actor nod for My Queen.

In the highly competitive Best Variety Program category, the final five are Quan Min Zui Da Dang, Challenge 101, Guess Guess Guess, One Million Star, and Let's Dance. Meanwhile, Best Variety Program Host nominations went to Jacky Wu and Aya Liu (Guess Guess Guess), Hu Gua (Challenge 101), Matilda Tao (One Million Star), Harlem Yu (The Million Star), and Quan Min Zui Da Dang's political comedy team.

The 44th Golden Bell Awards will be held on October 20, 2009 in Taipei.

Text / Sanwei

J-pop diva Kuraki Mai topped the Oricon weekly charts with her tenth-anniversary best-of compilation All My Best, which was released September 9. Selling 137,000 copies in its first week, All My Best is Kuraki's second consecutive Oricon #1 album this year following her album touch Me! that reached the top in January.

Kuraki Mai promoted her 10th anniversary compilation with a free concert simply titled Mai Kuraki 10th Anniversary Event (All My Best) held at the Lazona Kawasaki Plaza on September 8. Some 12,000 fans came to see the singer, breaking the venue's capacity record. Kuraki is currently busy with her nationwide 10th Anniversary Mai Kuraki Tour 2009 which will continue until the end of the year.

Text / Snoopy

Japanese maverick Kitano Takeshi is writing, directing, and starring in a new yakuza film which just started shooting in Kobe in late August. After completing his idiosyncratic trilogy of self-referential films - Takeshis' (2005), Glory to the Filmmaker! (2007), Achilles and the Tortoise (2008) - Kitano is finally returning to the modern gangster genre he first made his name on with films like Violent Cop and Hanabi. Anticipation for the film is extremely high as this is Kitano's first yakuza movie since 2001's Brother.

Slated for a 2010 release, the as yet unnamed film revolves around a group of yakuza trying to make their way in the underworld amid violent politics and power struggle. Other than Kitano, the other three main yakuza players are portrayed by Miura Tomokazu (Adrift in Tokyo), Shiina Kippei (Shinobi), and Kase Ryo (I Just Didn't Do It). The supporting cast includes Kitamura Soichiro, Kohinata Fumiyo, Ishibashi Renji, Kunimura Jun, Sugimoto Tetta, and Tsukamoto Takashi.

Text / Sanwei

Wedding bells have been ringing all over the Asian entertainment world lately. The Hong Kong media broke the news on three big marriages in a clean sweep in August. Diva Miriam Yeung secretly wed her boyfriend of two years, businessman and former VRF member Real Ting, in early August in Las Vegas. As the two married spontaneously, no special preparations were made and they simply signed their marriage certificate witnessed by Ting's elder cousin. Miriam later commented that she had no intentions to deceive the public, but simply wanted to complete the work on hand before making her wedding news known.

Andy Lau raised a media storm by admitting that he registered his marriage to longtime Malaysian girlfriend Carol Chu in June 2008, finally acknowledging a relationship that had been under wraps for many years. Faced with complaints that he had deceived fans, Andy apologized about keeping his marriage a secret. Fellow pop king Leon Lai was also revealed to be married to model Gaile Lok since March 2008. Though Lai has been characteristically averse to giving a straight answer, Lok confirmed the news.

In Korea, top actress Lee Young Ae tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend on August 24. Lee and groom Jung, a Korean-American IT entrepreneur, held a low-profile wedding in the United States. The news of Lee's marriage came as a surprise to the entertainment industry as the 38-year-old actress had kept her wedding plans secret. Lee plans to settle in the U.S., but will consider continuing her work as an actress in Korea. Tablo of Epik High and Old Boy actress Kang Hye Jung also recently announced they're expecting and planning to wed in October.

Text / Snoopy

Korean actress Jang Jin Young passed away of stomach cancer on September 1, 2009 at the age of 35. One of Korea's most well-known stars, she succumbed to the disease after a one-year battle, and less than two months after getting married. Jang was laid to rest on September 4.

Starting her entertainment career as a model and Miss Korea contestant, Jang Jin Young appeared in several TV dramas in the mid-90s before making her film debut in Ghost in Love in 1998. After eye-catching turns in The Foul King and Siren, she took on her first starring role as a battered wife in Sorum, which won her Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Awards. She went on to star in varied films like Over the Rainbow (2002), Blue Swallow (2005), and Between Love and Hate (2006), and picked up a second Blue Dragon Best Actress award for Singles in 2003. Jang Jin Young's last work was the 2007 SBS drama Lobbyist.

Text / Sanwei

After a string of Hollywood movies, Jet Li finally returns to China for an unprecedented move in his 27-year career. For the first time, Jet Li will star in a film that doesn't require the martial arts king to tap into his action skills!

The film, poetically named Ocean Paradise, was announced at a press conference held recently in Beijing. According to the writer-director Xue Xiaolu, she sees in Li a tender quality that was rarely explored in his previous films, and she believes he has the acting muscles to pull off a fully dramatic role. The Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor plays the loving dad of an autistic boy portrayed by young actor Wen Zhang (from TV drama Struggle). Their relationship forms the backbone of the touching story, and Li admits to being moved to tears while reading the script.

The father-son duo has a charming co-star in Taiwan actress Guey Lun Mei (Secret), who plays a circus clown. Talents behind the scenes include world-famous cinematographer Christopher Doyle and Academy Award-nominated production designer Hai Chung Man. The film is currently being shot in Qingdao, China, and should be out in cinemas next spring.

In recent years Li has devoted a great deal of time to his One Foundation, and he even took a one-year hiatus from acting in order to concentrate on his charity work. Now he is coming back to filmmaking in full force. Fans can see him on the big screen again soon in the historical epic The Founding of a Republic, in which he has a cameo role. He is also rumored to appear alongside Andy Lau in a remake of his debut film The Shaolin Temple (1982).

Text / dian

Organized by China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, the biennial Huabiao Awards is considered one of the top events in Chinese Cinema. The 13th edition took place in Beijing on August 29, dishing out dozens of awards in a star-studded ceremony.

Coming out on top was the Peking Opera artist Mei Lanfang biopic Forever Enthralled directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Chen Kaige. It swept five major awards: Excellent Drama Film, Director, Actress (for Zhang Ziyi), Male New Actor (for Yu Shaoqun), and Technical Excellence, narrowly outshining fellow Mainland Cinema big shot Feng Xiaogang's war epic The Assembly, which won Excellent Drama Film, Director, Actor (for Zhang Hanyu), and Film Score.

This year, new categories were created for Chinese filmmakers based outside Mainland China. Excellent Director went to John Woo (Red Cliff), Excellent Actor was Donnie Yen (Ip Man), and Excellent Actress Shu Qi (If You are the One).

The importance of the Huabiao Awards is reflected in the line-up of VIPs attending the ceremony. Besides the aforementioned winners, other notable names like Zhang Yimou, Chow Yun Fat, Stephen Chow, Wong Kar Wai, Jackie Chan, Jiang Wen, Peter Chan, Vicki Zhao, Zhou Xun, Xu Jinglei, Ge You, Vivian Hsu, Carina Lau, and Raymond Wong were there to pick up or present prizes.

Text / dian

K-pop's 2009 battle of the rookies has belonged to the girls with the debuts of 2NE1, 4Minute, and T-ara in quick succession over the summer, and the fight is far from over. Though embroiled in a much-publicized legal dispute with three members of Dong Bang Shin Ki, idol-making juggernaut SM Entertainment has some good news to offer as they're debuting their latest creation in September, girl group f(x).

Described as "Asia's Pop Dance Group", f(x) is formed by five members: 22-year-old Chinese talent Victoria who starred in the music videos of SHINee's "Noona Is So Pretty" and Super Junior M's U; 16-year-old Luna; 16-year-old Chinese-American rapper Amber; 15-year-old Sulli, who appeared in Seo Dong Yo, Ba:Bo, and Punch Lady; and 14-year-old Krystal, who is the younger sister of Girls' Generation's Jessica and the leading lady in SHINee's Juliette music video. The use of a variable for the group's name alludes to the members' varied talents and ability to succeed in Korea and overseas. In addition, the "f " stands for "flower", and the "x" refers to the female chromosome. f(x) will hold a showcase debut on September 2, and unveil their debut single LACHATA.

Just so there are some Y chromosomes in the mix, Cube Entertainment is also unveiling their new boy band B2ST in September. B2ST, which stands for "Boys 2 Search the Top", features many familiar faces in its six-member lineup including AJ, who debuted as a solo artist earlier this year; SO-1 (Jang Hyun Seung), the eliminated sixth member from Big Bang's pre-debut reality program; Yoon Doo Joon, one of the eliminated JYP trainees from 2AM and 2PM's pre-debut reality program Mnet Hot Blood; and former Xing member Poppin' Dragon. B2ST currently has a reality documentary program airing on MTV Korea, and will reportedly debut with a new version of AJ's solo single Dancing Shoes in mid-September.

Text / Sanwei

Popular Hong Kong movie villain Shing Fui On, a.k.a. "Dai Sor", died of nasopharyngeal cancer on August 27. He was 54.

Shing had been battling with the disease since being diagnosed with it in 2004. The prolific character actor had more than 300 movies to his name since his debut in 1975, mostly playing gangsters and at times goofy thugs. He came to fame with his role "Dai Sor" (Big Silly) in Ringo Lam's Prison on Fire (1987), and the character's nickname stuck with him, establishing his comic villain image.

Shing was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards twice, first with The Law Enforcer in 1987, and then with Stars & Roses in 1990. His only leading man vehicle was The Blue Jean Monster (1991) in which he played an undead cop. Besides being an actor, "Dai Sor" also ran for public office in 2003, but he lost out in the election for a seat in the District Council. His last film was the Pang Brothers thriller The Detective (2007).

Text / dian

Blockbuster disaster movie Haeundae has become the fifth Korean film to cross the ten million admissions milestone. Joining The Host, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, King and The Clown, and Silmido in Korea's top five all-time domestic grossers, Haeundae opened in Korea on July 23 and took its tsunami straight to the box office, hitting the one million mark in only four days. The Hollywood-style big-budget disaster movie reached the ten million mark in its fifth week of release.

Helmed by Sex is Zero and My Boss, My Hero director Yoon Je Kyun, Haeundae is about Korea getting struck by a massive tsunami. The film's title refers to its ground zero, the popular Haeundae Beach located in southern port city Busan. An all-star ensemble cast that includes Sol Kyung Gu, Park Joong Hoon, Ha Ji Woon, Uhm Jung Hwa, and Lee Min Ki play the different people - from Park Joong Hoon's geologist to Lee Min Ki's lifeguard - who are swept into the film's human drama and thrilling battle for survival.

Having conquered the Korean box office, Haeundae is opening in China to high expectations on August 25. The film's distribution rights have been sold to many other regions including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, United Kingdom, and Germany.

Text / Sanwei

Typhoon Morakot devastated Taiwan on August 8, triggering serious floods and mudslides in the mid- and southern regions of the island, with hundreds losing their lives and thousands losing their homes. In response, the Hong Kong entertainment industry, spearheaded by the Performing Artistes Guild, organized the "Artistes 88 Fund Raising Campaign". Held on August 17 at the Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo, the event gathered support from various media outlets and artists from both sides of the strait, and was broadcast to 200 million viewers worldwide.

More than 300 artists participated, including Eric Tsang, Alan Tam, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, and Sammi Cheng from Hong Kong; Sylvia Chang, Harlem Yu, Richie Jen, David Tao, Jam Hsiao, and Tsai Chin from Taiwan; and Liu Xuan, Zhang Guoli, Xu Jinglei, and Anson Hu from Mainland China. The stars held hands and sang the theme song Tao Tao Qian Li Xin in a chorus to kick off the 4-hour charity show, which raised over HK$50 million that will be handed over to the victims in Taiwan via the Hong Kong Red Cross.

Taiwan herself has seen several similar fundraising functions, and the biggest one was the "Spread the Love" charity marathon organized by CTV and CTiTV on August 14. The 7-hour show took place on the studio lot used by the One Million Star talent search program, and was emceed by top variety show hosts Matilda Tao, Chang Fei, Hu Gua, Jacky Wu, and Chang Hsiao Yen. Over 500 artists came to perform and call for donations, including Jet Li, Andy Lau, Leon Lai, Leehom Wang, Shu Qi, David Tao, Tsai Chin, Jody Chiang, Elva Hsiao, Show Luo, Sodagreen, Nicky Wu, Angela Chang, and Crowd Lu, raising more than NT$500 million in the end.

Text / dian

Kung fu god Bruce Lee is no less influential more than thirty years after his departure, seeing that Hollywood studios are mining his classics for remakes, while several Chinese films in the works have written him in as either the central or side character. All these projects are faced with one major challenge, though, and that is to find a suitable actor for the role.

Kung Fu Hustle star and well-known Bruce Lee admirer Stephen Chow was originally the director and co-star of the highly anticipated movie adaptation of The Green Hornet. In the 1960s television version, Lee played the heroic sidekick Kato, whom Chow was slated to play in the remake. However, citing creative differences, Chow eventually quit the job, and Korean actor Kwon Sang Woo was once speculated to be his fill-in. Columbia Pictures later put all rumors to rest by announcing that the production has brought in Taiwan superstar Jay Chou as the replacement. A self-proclaimed Bruce Lee fan, Jay is said to have impressed the new director Michel Gondry for being "incredibly unique and charming".

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. has tapped Korean superstar Rain, who not long ago received martial arts training in order to star in the studio's upcoming actioner Ninja Assassin, to be the new Bruce Lee in a remake of his 1973 classic Enter the Dragon. Now known as Awaken the Dragon, the new version trades the tournament-on-an-island setting for an underground fight club, and changes the hero's background from a Shaolin monk to an FBI agent. Director Kurt Sutter (TV's The Shield) claims his noir-style update is more Raging Bull than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and he intends to depict the brutality of Shaolin kung fu.

On the Chinese front, filmmakers apparently prefer unknowns to big names. Jay Chou was once linked to Ip Man 2 to play the kung fu icon in his younger days, but the film, which has just begun lensing in China, has instead chosen a 10-year-old newcomer as the young Bruce Lee and future disciple of Ip Man. Also, a biopic project authorized by Lee's family vows to offer the most accurate portrayal of Lee's real-life stories, and the first film in the proposed trilogy will get a newcomer to play the legend in his teens.

Text / dian

Many familiar Korean stars are unveiling debut albums in the coming weeks. The most anticipated release is naturally Big Bang leader G-Dragon's first solo album, which was originally scheduled for April, but got delayed in the midst of the group's Japan activities. A new release date has been set for G-Dragon's solo debut, and it's his 21st birthday, August 18. Incidentally, Big Bang's major debut Japanese album is coming out a day later on August 19.

Dropping on the same day as G-Dragon's solo album is the debut release of powerhouse songwriter and former YG Entertainment producer Brave Brothers, who's behind K-pop hits like Son Dam Bi's Crazy and Bad Boy, and Big Bang's own Last Farewell. Many names have been thrown around as featured artists for his single album Attitude, including Lee Min Woo, Son Dam Bi, and 4Minute's Hyun A.

For a more uncanny musical debut, do-all actress Ku Hye Sun, who is signed with YG Entertainment, is releasing a new-age instrumental album in the end of August. Since her breakout performance in Boys Over Flowers, Ku Hye Sun has been busy with everything from publishing a novel to holding an art exhibition to writing and directing her own short film. Adding songwriting to her list of talents, she composed all of the album's tracks, and invited famous musicians to play them. Ku's songs are also expected to be used in her upcoming directorial feature.

Popular actor Lee Min Ki from Spring of Dalja and Hauendae is also making the jump to music with his debut mini-album No Kidding, which hits shelves on August 11. The actor-turned-singer collaborated with local and foreign producers like French electronica musicians Kid Loco and Popular Computer and Korean bands Skrew Attack and One-Two.

Text / Sanwei

Hong Kong pop singer/actress Gillian Chung suffered a huge blow to her career after the sex photo scandal early 2008, and she has been absent from the big screen ever since, either because her movie was shelved (The Fantastic Water Babes) or her scenes were cut (Forever Enthralled, W.). Now the Twins starlet has taken another step towards a cinematic comeback, playing her first major post-scandal movie role in Babes director Jeff Lau's new fantasy comedy Yue Guang Bao He.

Currently shooting in Guangzhou, China, Lau's film is said to be akin in tone to his The Eagle Shooting Heroes , parodying John Woo's epic Red Cliff while also borrowing plot elements from his own works like A Chinese Odyssey and Timeless Romance. Again exploring the theme of time travel, Yue Guang Bao He is about a guy who slips back in time to the Three Kingdoms Era of ancient China, along with certain characters from the movies Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7, and Crazy Stone. The picture stars Ronald Cheng, Alex Fong Lik Sun, and Betty Sun of Lau's latest film Metallic Attraction: Kungfu Cyborg, along with a huge supporting cast of Hong Kong and Mainland stars, plus A Chinese Odyssey actresses Athena Chu and Ada Choi reprising their popular roles. Playing side characters are Eric Tsang, Sandra Ng, Gigi Leung, Stephy Tang, Kenny Bee, Yuen Biao, Lam Suet, Patrick Tam, Guo Degang, Guo Tao, Huang Bo, and several of Stephen Chow's frequent co-stars. It is reported that Gillian plays the princess warrior Sun Shangxiang, famously portrayed by Vicki Zhao in Red Cliff.

However, even though Gillian's scenes have been shot, they are not guaranteed to make the final cut, as after the news of her participation leaked, the production company revealed that they may have to resort to the scissors to avoid trouble when they submit the film to the Chinese censors.

Text / dian

Singer-songwriter YUI will sing the theme song for the talked about new movie Kaiji that brings together Death Note stars Fujiwara Tatsuya and Matsuyama Kenichi. YUI's upcoming single It's All too much will be the theme song, and Never say die will be featured as an inserted song. The double A-side single is scheduled for release in October; the film will open on October 10.

Helmed by Sato Toya, Kaiji revolves around Fujiwara's Ito Kaiji, who leads a life in poverty and debt and tries to change his destiny in an all-deciding gamble. The film is based on the manga Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji (a.k.a. "Ultimate Survivor Kaiji") by Fukumoto Nobuyuki which started serialization in 1996. The series turned into a bestseller with accumulated sales of over 13 million, and won Fukumoto a Kodansha Manga Award. Besides Fujiwara and Matsuyama, Kaiji's cast also includes Amami Yuki, Kagawa Teruyuki, Yamamoto Taro, Matsuo Suzuki, and Sato Kei.

Text / Snoopy

The official lineup for the 66th Venice Film Festival was announced on July 30. Twenty-three films will be competing for the Golden Lion, including Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore's opening film Baaria. The shortlist this year is dominated by European and American films, with a handful of Asian and Middle Eastern features in the mix. Two-time Golden Lion winner Ang Lee will preside over the main jury.

Two Chinese films are in the running for the top prize, Peony Pavilion director Yonfan's Prince of Tears and Shamo director Soi Cheang's Accident. Yonfan's first film in five years, Prince of Tears is set in 1950s Taiwan during the White Terror period when the military violently persecuted suspected communists. Starring Fan Chih Wei, Joseph Chang, Terri Kwan, and Zhu Xuan, the film revolves around the intertwined lives and romances of the protagonists in the midst of the political chaos. Produced by Johnnie To and starring Louis Koo and Richie Jen, Accident is about a hitman who carefully choreographs his kills to look like accidents, but he starts to lose his cool and his mind after a botched mission. Also in competition is Japanese cult director Tsukamoto Shinya's English-language Tetsuo The Bullet Man, the third film in his cyberpunk series.

The Orrizonti/Horizons section includes four Mainland China films. Du Haibin, whose Umbrella was nominated in the same category two years ago, returns to Venice with 1428, a documentary about victims of the Sichuan earthquake. The other Chinese nominations are writer Guo Xiaolu's documentary Once Upon A Time Proletarian: 12 Tales of a Country, Sixth Generation director Guan Hu's rural comedy Cow starring Crazy Stone funnyman Huang Bo, and Liu Jie's Judge starring Mei Ting. Bui Thac Chuyen's Adrift (Vietnam), Pepe Diokno's Engkwentro (Philippines), and Amit Dutta The Man's Woman and Other Stories (India) are also screening in this section.

The closing film of the festival will be the Chinese anthology Chengdu, I Love You helmed by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan, Korean director Hur Jin Ho, and Mainland China rocker Cui Jian. Featuring the cast of Jung Woo Sung, Gao Yuanyuan, Anya, Guo Tao, Sitar Tan, and Huang Xuan, the film unrolls three love stories set in Chengdu in 1976, 2008, and 2029.

The 66th Venice Film Festival will be held from September 2 to 12, 2009.

Text / Sanwei

Hong Kong screen goddess Michelle Reis will grace the silver screen again after an absence of six years. The popular actress, now a married woman, has turned down many acting roles since starring in Miss Du Shi Niang in 2003. But when offered a cameo role in Bodyguards and Assassins by producer Peter Chan, who first approached her 10 years ago when the project started, she accepted right away. According to Chan, Reis plays a small but pivotal part that would change the destiny of a beggar played by her former rumored beau, Canto-pop king Leon Lai.

The debut release from Chan's new production outfit Cinema Popular, Bodyguards and Assassins is shaping up to be the Chinese movie of the year. The big-budget movie is under the direction of Teddy Chen (The Accidental Spy), and has been making headlines thanks to its star-studded cast that keeps getting brighter by the day. Besides Lai and Reis, the exciting ensemble also includes Donnie Yen, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Simon Yam, Nicholas Tse, Eric Tsang, Hu Jun, Wang Xueqi, Fan Bingbing, Zhou Yun, Wang Bo Chieh, singer Chris Lee, and basketball star Mengke Bateer.

The historical action drama is set a century ago in Hong Kong. Sun Yat Sen lands in the then British Colony to raise funds for his anti-Qing revolutionary cause. The Qing Government sends a squad of assassins to get him, and in response, the revolutionary movement hires several kung fu bodyguards to protect the man that represents the hope of the nation. The production splashed HK$43 million to construct a 1:1 scale set of Central District circa 1905 for the shoot. Principal photography just wrapped this week, and the film is set to storm box offices in December, as the producers aim to score RMB400 million in Mainland China alone!

Text / dian