quote of the week

“It's a cold night out there today, and it's getting colder.”
(another pathetic weather report (occasional))

...and in competition this year:

News just in that for its 75^th anniversary edition, this year's 64^th Venice International Film Festival includes among others in the line-up for competition (Venezia 64 section) “Sukiyaki Western Django”, that highly anticipated western by director maverick Miike Takashi!
And Jia Zhang-Ke's latest, “Wuyong”/”Useless” will premiere in the Orizzonti program, a film about Chinese fashion designer Ma Ke and not to be confused with “Ciqing shidai” (“The Age of Tattoo”), which project I reported on earlier among outstanding prospects for this year, as that one is apparently suspended for the time being.

(pic©www.labiennale.org)

quote of the week

“He'd talked to Keith a couple of times only. This was an American, not a New Yorker, not one of the Manhattan elect, a group maintained by controlled propagation. He tried to gain a sense of the younger man's feelings about politics and religion, the voice and manner of the heartland. All he learned was that Keith had once owned a pit bull. This, at least, seemed to mean something, a dog that was all skull and jaws, an American breed, developed originally to fight and kill.”
(Don DeLillo, Falling Man (2007))

“the torch” #11 – angry.political.cinema

Critical and challenging column “The Torch” this week advocates the position that meaningfully engaged contemporary filmmaking should not shy away from taking sides, from being political by taking a stance on relevant issues concerning our life and times – and not just stand idly by complaining. Given the enormous power film possesses as a medium to shape and build the minds of its audience, to address an ill and raise awareness, every single creative out there, wherever, should be compelled to act if they encounter a situation that needs to be altered because it causes others to suffer, should they not? So it wouldn't be just being querulous and unruly – although that also may play its rightful part in any open society – but rather a first and important step to instigate a change for the better where it is most urgently called for. Why not should the artist be the one to decide and get involved?
Have a look here and take up your stance!

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“Life's (...) but a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
(W. Shakespeare, Macbeth (1606/1623))

Royston Tan roundup 07-07

Yes, I promised to keep you updated – and failed you miserably, I know...
But to make up for what's been lost (if anything), here's a brief roundup of some of the latest and confirmed information about what my favorite director, Royston Tan, has in store for us this season; and there is some.
First of all let me point out to you that come August 2^nd there will be a (hopefully not so) rare opportunity to catch him as an actor (sic!) impersonating: himself, in that highly anticipated feature “Becoming Royston” by director Nicholas Chee, the very one I already informed you about occasionally in here (see post directly below).
Then, and you've heard it already of course, only a week after that RT's next film “881” will premiere in Singapore, for which event there allegedly will be a huge, live getai performance taking the stage in VivoCity. Please, anyone who can make it there, do report back to me if you can, it's sure going to be flashy! For any more details, teaser trailers and behind-the-scenes pics, do have a look at pym friendly royston-tan.blogspot.com, because this is the source to trust in this matter and always worth a visit. Not least since undergoing a complete redo on its 1^st anniversary recently (Congrats, bodyguard!), see for yourselves.
Kinda obscure by comparison but no less interesting is the latest screening of one Russian/Canadian ensemble short film titled “Hotel Vladivostok” of which Royston directed a 5 min. sequence back in September 2005. Not much information on this one, except that its original concept seems to have been of seven directors taking up the camera (and a set cast of five actors) in turn to come up with something or other. “No script. No rules. No budget”, and each shot to their fancy and whim of the moment, conferring the non-consecutive outcome to 35mm stock; and to posterity and our joint wonder... This one actually picked up the special award by the festival's official mobile operator MegaFon at the 4^th Vladivostok International Film Festival “Pacific Meridian” (VIFF) where it premiered the following year in 2006. Why all this yesterday's news now? Well, to my knowledge it was last shown April 18^th at this year's Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) and I wonder: when and where next?
And last but not least, something short should surely be in the works, as ever: stay tuned.

(pic©Zhao Wei Films/MediaCorp Raintree Pictures/MDA/Scorpio East Pictures/Infinite Frameworks)

“Becoming Royston“ on screen and on record

There’s good news not to be overlooked as Originasian’s debut feature “Becoming Royston” (Nicholas Chee, Singapore) is finally heading for its theatrical release in SG. So anyone from the vicinity who’s happening by, don’t miss it!
Here’s the details:

August 2^nd 2007 @ The Picturehouse
Special Showcase | Cathay Cineleisure Level 5 | showtime: TBA

And when you’ve seen it with your friends and family, the whole lot, make sure to cast your favourable ballot on IMDb where “BR” is on record now, albeit in somewhat jagged fashion; improvement’s pending.
Also you can download the film’s main theme “Regret” on this site’s friendly link Sinema.sg, here, check it out.
To anyone who’s not yet familiar with this indie production, track it by having a look at proto-ymagon’s earlier reporting here.

(pic©Originasian Pictures LLP)

Sabu on film

Attending a seminar with Japanese director/actor Sabu (Tanaka Hiroyuki) yesterday, left me with many lasting impressions of a very nice man and inspired filmmaker, with a renewed belief in the strength of a visual encounter with reality.
Instead of an account of the raw materials, which I'd have to deal out to you mostly undigested anyway, here's a recap of what's been on the agenda so you can pick from the menu whatever dish serves you best and follow up on these lines to your own liking:

Sabu-san stated his mild wonder on observing the ever changing ways of jeans fashion...
he mused about walking and running not as mere ways of covering a distance but a state of existence rather, the universal human condition and our forever deathward race...
he asked that any original idea be seen through to the end, even if it's not particularly good...
he shared his observation of the future lying to the left and the past to the right hand side...
he added that this however, may vary due to different idiosyncrasies in different cultures...
he reported on how he uses to detail his scripts down to every single bit and piece of a scene's ultimate composition...
he told about partial amnesia, about waking up one morning in some nondescript hotel room with seaweed in your trouser pockets, then stepping to the window - to discover you're in HK...
there was a quick mentioning of having inspired Tom Tykwer back in 1997 (sic!)...
Sabu-san filled us in on his intention to shoot his next film in Germany (yes yes!), touched on the peculiar problems of location scouting in Berlin and revealed his hopes for filming with Beat Takeshi in the future...
above all, he strongly suggested to all of us a keen sense of inspiration, a believe in the power of intuition and simply, the joy of making films.

Many thanks be for the patience he displayed and the obvious passion for his craft that he let us have more than just a slight glimpse of. To anyone concerned: do watch his movies when you can, it's worth it!

(pic©www.de.emb-japan.go.jp)

quote of the week

“He was like a man from the provinces in one of the capital's theaters, who's racking his brains at trying to figure out the actors and their respective parts.”
(Mori Ogai, Kanzan Jittoku (1916))

HU-Japanologie: Screenings in July

The Japan Film-AG continue their screenings with two more films this month, including Shinoda Masahiro’s “Shinjû ten no Amijima”/”Double Suicide” on July 12^th, while there will be no projections at the Arsenal this month and next – your deserved summer break. Have a look at all the details here.
But above all: do take note of the fantastic opportunity to catch renowned director/actor Sabu/Tanaka Hiroyuki (Posutoman burusu, Kôfuku no kane, Shisso) in an exclusive Q&A at the Mori-Ôgai-Gedenkstätte, Luisenstr. 39 on July 10^th, from 6pm! Not to be missed!

(pic©hu-berlin.de)

“the torch” #10 – in the crux: voice-over narration

There's a call going out this week from Sinema's column “The Torch” as its sub-series “in the crux” voices a simple and clear-cut demand: let images speak! If your medium of choice be in the realm of all things visual and their power to speak out for you as a genuine act of self-expression, why not trust in that very power to communicate and convincingly tell your story to the full? What if anything can be won by applying the peculiar technique of voice over narration to a film's on-screen unfolding? In the limelight are the numerous implications to this particular technical aspect of film making, a challenging discussion is opened up of whether it is really that simple to create visual poetry by textually giving a voice to moving images? You can follow the line of argumentation for yourself: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“One must make the great changes for oneself or it doesn't amount to destiny.”
(Shirley Hazzard, The Great Fire (2004))