terracotta: london’s far eastern film festival

London’s second annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival has unveiled their selection of fifteen hand-picked films from Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, to screen at the Prince Charles Theatre from 6-9 May, 2010.

From Japan there’s a host of manga/novel adaptations, fantasy films and anime, including Japan Academy-award-winning anime, Summer Wars and K-20 Legend of the Mask (below right).  There’s also a sci-fi comedy (below left) called Fish Story (or for the Japanophiles, Fisshu sutōrī) whose tagline ‘Can a punk rock song save the world from a meteorite impact?’, is almost ridiculous enough to warrant a viewing. 

Highlight of the bill (particularly for those not into manga/fantasy/anime) is a double feature from French documentarist, Yves Montmayeur, who will also attend for a Q&A after the screenings on Saturday 8 May.

First up is In the Mood for Doyle, following award-winning cinematographer Christopher Doyle for a year from Asia to Hollywood. The native Australian Doyle, who’s fluent in Chinese and Mandarin and apparently now speaks English with Chinese inflections (much like American Ian Hideo Levy who now speaks English like a Japanese person) is highly acclaimed for his enchanting photography on many of Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai’s films, including In the Mood for Love and 2046.

Doyle also oversaw cinematography on the martial arts epic Hero, the understated The Quiet American and Rabbit-Proof Fence, about three Aboriginal children heading home across the Australian Outback.

Following In the Mood for Doyle is another Montmayeur documentary, Yakuza Eiga (Yakuza Eiga: Une histoire du cinéma yakuza), a history of yakuza (Japanese gangster) films.

By interviewing actual yakuza, along with directors such as Takeshi ‘Beat’ Kitano (Boiling Point, Sonatine and many more) and Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer and the delightfully non-yakuza-themed comedy-horror-musical, Happiness of the Katakuris), Montmayeur presents a look at yakuza and their representation - hideous shirts and all - in Japanese cinema.

My final pick of the programme (which just happens to screen before the above double feature, meaning I’m going to be in for a whole lotta popcorn) is the 2008 Korean film, Antique (Seoyangkoldong yangkwajajeom aentikeu). Directed by Min Gyu Dong and based on a Japanese shōjo manga (comic for little girls) called Antique Bakery, Antique is reportedly one of the most successful Korean films ever.

In this ‘tantalizing story of four sweet men’, a gorgeous young man uses his trust fund to open a cake shop so he can ogle girls, only to end up being ogled by the legendary (male) patissier he hires. High jinks ensue, thanks to the addition of a young apprentice and a bumbling-security guard-turned-waiter, plus a whole lot of food porn.

Check the Terracotta Film Festival site for dates, times and tickets, or start with the Antique trailer below which wonders, Cake and men. Taste them to know them?

<Summer Wars poster from The Brownie Post, K20 from BC Magazine, 2046 photo from cwangdom, Hero from Chris John Beckett, Sonatine still from Poodleface, Antique bakery cover from Wikipedia, preview from the Terracotta website>

The oriental yeti/when wombats attack

So hunters in Sichuan province think they have discovered a new mammal, dubbed the ‘Oriental yeti’. A photo of the beast – resembling a hairless bear with a kangaroo-like tail – has been splashed across the UK papers with skeptics declaring its merely a belated April Fools’ hoax, or a civet with mange. You remember civets, they’re the most respected coffee farmers in the world*.

You may also remember mange, as it was blamed for wild wombat behaviour earlier this morning. It appears a man stood on a wombat, who then dragged him to the ground for some ol’ fashioned fisticuffs, before said man grabbed an axe and overcame the crazed marsupial. Only in Perth could this happen.

As for the ‘yeti’, only science will reveal his true identity. Perhaps we can look to Lu Chin, the hunter responsible for bringing him in, who suggested one theory:

There are local legends of a bear that used to be a man and some people think that’s what we caught.

Okay. Either way, the guy’s going to need a new moniker as ‘Oriental’ always sounds a bit colonial. It’s strange how the British don’t seem to think so. Over here, Orientals are Asians and Asians are Indians…and an Oriental yeti may actually be a Chinese man.

The mind boggles.

*One cup for £50! Good thing the money was going to charity.

Due to how sad and sickly the caged ‘Oriental yeti’ looks, and the general tone of this site, I much prefer Formatbrain’s version of the mysterious yeti, above, while the buck-toothed wombat (who was not involved in today’s incident) is care of Feverblue.

Hey china! stay off my reef

A Chinese coal carrier ran aground on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef over the weekend, spilling enough Texas tea to stretch for three kilometres.

The main problem here – apart from the difficulty/cost of cleaning up the mess and the ongoing damage to the Reef, is that the the ship was 13 nautical miles/30km off course in a restricted area (i.e. where the fish live). State premier, Anna Bligh, told The Age (in true Aussie fashion):

This ship has acted illegally going into these restricted areas (of the marine park). The commonwealth government is now investigating how this happened, and I hope, frankly, they throw the book at them.

That’ll learn ‘em. If not, the shipping company, Shenzhen Energy, may be fined AU$1 million for breaking shipping laws (with the captain charged an additional AU$250,000).

The last major oil spill off the Eastern seaboard cost AU$27 million to clean up, which the government hoped to claim from the shipping company responsible. Swire Shipping responded by saying their insurance would pay AU$20 million, in accordance with international conventions. Any more would cause freight insurance to skyrocket.

Australia’s Greens party are now calling for mandatory ship pilots on all vessels navigating the Reef. This means people who actually know the waters would come aboard and steer the ship through a safe passage, at a cost of about AU$8,000. However, Bligh’s government has apparently bowed to pressure from coal and oil companies, and refused to make these valuable marine pilots compulsory.

Compare this to Panama, where pilots who navigate the Canal must undergo eight years of training before they start earning their US$90K annual salary (not including tips). They’re some of the most respected men (and women) in the country, in one of the most sought-after careers. These pilots have an extremely difficult and dangerous job, steering through the Canal anything from private yachts to massive cargo ships carrying radioactive waste. Their navigation skills are essential, as the Canal is narrows to just 33 metres at the locks. (Perhaps I’m easily impressed…but then, I’m not known for my driving skills).

It’s sad that in Panama, the ship captains are so grateful to the pilots that they often tip them thousands of dollars in cash, while the Australian government is too scared to upset the shipping companies by charging them half as much, and all at the risk of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Even worse, Bligh’s government is now in talks to increase shipping through the Reef, making the need for pilots all the more pertinent.

**UPDATE 7 APRIL 2010**

I have been informed by an anonymous source:

It’s not gratitude, it’s bribery.

Well, that ruins my entire argument now, doesn’t it? People in Panama may be crooked but Australia is stupid to exploit the Reef for capital gain.

I can’t believe it’s not kosher

I thought I had it tough, giving up dairy for Lent*.

Turns out our Jewish friends observing Passover (Mar 28 – Apr 6) have a much more difficult task, avoiding many staple items, particularly chametz – bread, grain and leavened products. They also relinquish corn, rice, peanuts, buckwheat (that’s soba), mustard & poppy seeds, alcohol, all beans (including tofu), peas and chickpeas. (Judging by the unhappy cat below, a lack of peas not actually be a problem). Even the childhood favourite Play-Doh is out for the duration of the festival.

Why so strict, you ask? Blogging Rabbi Paul Kipnes describes chametz as being ‘full of air – or perhaps full of itself’, quoting Philo, a Greek-Jewish philosopher who said chametz is a form of pride. Rabbi Paul explains:

Removing chametz on Passover from our homes, our lives, our families, is a struggle between who we really are now and who we can be, once we strip away all the trappings of self-importance.

(Something tells me I would’ve stuck to my Lenten promise had I considered it in such insightful terms and it represented ditching inflated pride, as opposed to a daily chocolate habit).

Whereas once chametz items were actually thrown out (or thrown on a massive bonfire) in preparation for Passover, today’s modern folk can simply sell their leavened goods for a nominal fee. Sydney restaurateur/aspiring politico Peter Doyle paid AU$200 to buy the leavened products (& alcohol!) from thousands of Jewish families in Australia. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald about his short-lived bounty, Doyle said:

I have free access to it and I can go into anyone’s home and take what I want.

Awesome. But as he’s a upstanding, conservative guy hoping to make it big with the Liberals, he’s agreed to return the chametz at the end of Passover. Rabbi Paul, on the other hand, has announced it’s okay to eat rice and beans, which means vegan Jews will actually have something other than matzo (unleavened bread) to eat.

And for those in the US who aren’t sure when Passover is about to occur, keep your eyes on the supermarket drinks aisle. Coke caps go yellow for a short period every year to signify the use of sucrose (sugar) in place of high fructose corn syrup – you know, the stuff that makes American chocolate taste kinda funky. According to Chemical & Engineering News, Coke was one of the first major brands to go kosher back in the 30s, with the certifying rabbis having to first promise to never reveal the secret ingredient. 

And if anyone (who isn’t Jewish) is craving a New Coke, head to Yap or American Samoa. They actually still drink it.

Disclaimer: I am not Jewish. In fact, save for my occasional visits to Church on significant holidays (and that pesky pilgrimage across Spain), I’m rather lackadaisical with my faith. Please let me know if there are any errors in the above, or if you have any preferences between sugar Coke and the corn syrup stuff.

*Just don’t tell Jesus about Wednesday night’s mac&cheese. The Regent in Kensal Green has got it goin’ on.

Today’s tunes

• I am Duckeye – rock pyramids & general mayhem.
• Sydonia – touring down under, pretty much always. Currently on the road with Between the Buried & Me.