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>
