Cineasia #6 in the starting blocks

For all you who are always on the look-out for the best in everything that's not exactly you, but different, here is something you might like if film and Asian cinema in particular are among your principal fields of interest, as I assume they would since you are reading this blog:
this year's (well actually it's last year's) Cineasia is getting ready to bring us some delicious menu of the latest and best in movies from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, China among others, and, most eagerly awaited by me personally, Singapore!

I've been reporting on this before, but anyway, here are the basics once more:

• when – April 28th – May 1st
• where – Museum Ludwig in Cologne
• what – see for yourself on Cineasia's official webby here, where shortly you'll find the program and everything else in much detail.
  

Just quickly, I want to point out these highlights to you: there will be “Tekkon kinkreet” shown, this solid anime by Michael Arias, likewise “Paprika”, Kon Satoshi's highly anticipated latest, “Berbagi suami/Love for Share” by Nia Di Nata from Indonesia, “D.I.Y” by Royston Tan, a German first for that musical short film, and finally you wouldn't want to miss the World Premiere of “Becoming Royston”!

Let's not waste this splendid opportunity and simply show up in time at the venue to feast on it all! One last thing: there will be an audience award for the first time this year that you can vote on, so it's really all your choice, see?

(pic©cineasia-filmfestival.de)

quote of the week

“What do you say to cats?”
(Snoopy/Peanuts (Charles M. Schulz))

my list of 57th Berlinale best films

1. Bushi no ichibun/Love and Honor (Yamada Yoji, Japan (2006))
2. Kain no matsuei/Cain's Descendant (Oku Shutaro, Japan (2006))
3. Strange Culture (Lynn Hershman-Leeson, USA (2007))
4. Takva/A Man's Fear of God (Özer Kiziltan, Turkey (2006))
5. La León (Santiago Otheguy, Argentina (2007))
6. Tekkon kinkreet (Michael Arias, Japan (2006))
7. Ichijiku no kao/Faces of a Fig Tree (Momoi Kaori, Japan (2006))
8. Senkyo/Campaign (Soda Kazuhiro, Japan (2006))
9. Apa khabar orang kampung/Village People Radio Show (Amir Muhammad, Malaysia (2007))
10. Luo ye gui gen (Zhang Yang, China (2007))

57th Berlinale 2007 round-up – So, what's it been this year?

There has been much reporting on how this year's Berlinale was perceived a real failure, lacking in anything that one has come to expect of a festival of its size and standing. As this of course is a judgment leveled against the Competition itself, I nevertheless have to agree on the point that it was a disappointment, alright. It may be all my own fault, the choices were clearly mine to make after all. Still, I am not the only one, I know that for a fact, and maybe you could already sense as much from my short evaluations of the previous ten days.
Even taking into account that I did by no means expect this year's edition to bring anything like that truly stupefying, that singular string of revelations and masterpieces I was so lucky to see last time around, but I have certainly been hoping for more.
No, 57 just didn't live up, there simply wasn't anything brilliantly special, anything to substantially enhance my understanding of the art of film making, verging awe.

From all this I exempt the winner in my programming, whom it was very easy indeed to identify, but this one virtuously elegant period drama alone (part three in Yamada's samurai trilogy and six time Japanese Academy Award winner) just couldn't make up for what was generally a rather meager vintage. And I will have to think about the follow-ups a bit longer.
We had two Korean films with yodeling in them (sic!) and that was sure fun, although the hallyu may very well show its circuit wear and be displaying signs of abating somewhat. Maybe programmers ought to keep that in mind for next year. They definitely should turn their attention to considerably increase the level of professionalism in the films' presentation and finally begin to take their short film section serious – or else cancel it altogether, for it was a shame, really. Documentaries were strong and that's a plus.
So here is my little catalog of prizes I would like to give away if it were for me to do so:

• best film: “Bushi no ichibun/Love and Honor”, Yamada Yoji (Japan)
• best actor/actress: Kimura Takuya as Shinnojo Mimura in “Bushi no ichibun/Love and Honor” (Japan)
• best score: Plaid for “Tekkon kinkreet” (Japan)
• special mention for cinematographic originality: “Kain no matsuei/Cain's Descendant”, Kudo Risa (Japan) & “Ichijiku no kao/Faces of a Fig Tree”, Kugimiya Shinji (Japan)
• funniest movie: “Senkyo/Campaign”, Soda Kazuhiro (Japan)
• most enjoyable sex scenes: “Hu hwae ha ji An ah/No Regret”, Leesong Hee-il (South Korea)
• best last line: “From on here you see everything.” from “Tekkon kinkreet” (Japan)
• prettiest poster: “Hu hwae ha ji An ah/No Regret”, Leesong Hee-il (South Korea)

As you see, it is all Asian cinema, but let me assure you that this was only in part due to what you could possibly call my very own “preferences”, I give you that. But honestly, every film has its chance with me and quality is anything but a question of origin. Proven fact.
Most intriguing for me personally was attending the Berlinale Talent Campus (for which there cannot be praise enough and thanks to the organizers!), exchanging views about and gaining insights into ways and strategies for (co-)producing local content for international audiences or making films with friends, there was so much inspiration in fact, it certainly set me onto the tracks. However much I will forever stick to writing, and literature at that, as being my creativity's dominion and prefer it to scripting, after this Filmfestival experience I have to say that I am tempted to venture into film, almost to the point of certain resolve.
Despite (and because of) all this, I will be around again for next year's Berlinale for sure.

(pics©berlinale.de; Shochiku Kinema Kenkyû-jo)

quote of the week

“His policy of juvenile optimism no matter what was beginning to annoy even him besides not working anymore anyway.”
(Thomas R. Pynchon, Against The Day (2006))

10/1 – Berlinale Day 10

It's so-called “Berlinale Kinotag” today as this year's festival draws to an end, with all the awards being accorded their respective recipients, all the directors, producers and actors headed someplace else, it is still a good enough opportunity to see what they've left us with, which is their films - and that's what we have come here for after all, isn't it? So what you haven't been able to get tickets for you can have a go at now; and that's what I did as well.

37^th Forum
“Ichijiku no kao/Faces of a Fig Tree”, Momoi Kaori (Japan)
What's normalcy to you? Lovely, us from a different angle.

Ozon's “Angel” was the official closing film for Competition, alright, but I let myself be ushered out by Berlinale's ultimate screening in 2007, which brought it all to a fitting grande finale in actual fact:

22^nd Panorama
“Dasepo sonyo/Dasepo Naughty Girls”, Lee Je-yong (South Korea)
Soap parody of instantaneous high-school singing. In style, farcic-all, Yeah!





That's it, “Now single up all lines!” (T.R.P. A.T.D.) and see you again next year!



(pics©berlinale.de; World Production/Mirovision)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 9

Recovery with Latin cinema, first one short (“Guacho/Fatherless”, Juan Minujín (Argentina); OK but not great) and then a black-and-white feature film:

22^nd Panorama
“La León”, Santiago Otheguy (Argentina)
Tension and grace in absorbing beauty. Jungle tranquility worth seeing!

Time to congratulate the lucky winners (and all those who are not exactly losers either)!
Well done!

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 8

22^nd Panorama
“Ferien/Vacation”, Thomas Arslan (Germany)
Ill-balanced, formulaic family grotto; worse: I've seen it all before.

22^nd Panorama
“Férfiakt/Men in the Nude”, Károly Esztergályos (Hungary)
One big, pretentious closet cliché. Hungarian literature is way better!

- A wasted day at the movies, there's the Berlinale 2007 for you!
- Nah, fortunately this doesn't happen too often. It will sure get better.

(pic©berlinale.de)

“the torch” #4 – on Real Love

With the latest issue of “The Torch” you'll get a playful, somewhat rather lightweight piece on one of not only cinema's but of all art's most prominent recurring themes: the strange and seemingly inexhaustible wonder of so-called “Real Love”. There will probably be no solution or final recipe on how to obtain it, be it in your movie or in life, exactly, but at least you don't have to fear being sold anything in the way of a formula either as it's all tongue-in-cheek, really, (and I hope you can) get it here.

(pic©mo)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 7

I am very much in favor of diversity anyway, so after yesterday's entertaining J-day I thought I would stay the course while at the same time switching the format. So it was anime for me today, some rather obscure species around here, still.

30^th Generation
“Tekkon kinkreet”, Michael Arias (Japan)
Unscathed by the city? Visually gratifying, huge score, superb subtitling.

The days ahead mean the showdown on this Berlinale and savouring the event while it's ongoing makes me look forward to the films, naturally, but also to the burning question of who wins what being finally, irrevocably answered. And as this is industry-important and decides on careers as well, I wish the best for everyone in competition, even as I myself have bypassed most of it to see the ones not likely to be screened big time in Germany again. Picking up the gems, it is.
And on it goes...

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 6

Today I had two young Japanese directors' impressing new movies, two world premieres in fact, showing each in their very distinct way a foreign yet strangely recognizable present-day Kawasaki. The first a documentary on the public issue of running for a seat in the City Council, the latter a strictly grotesque fictionalization of things private – but neither the one nor the other in any way too strictly the one or the other. Very contemporary!

37^th Forum
“Senkyo/Campaign”, Soda Kazuhiro (Japan)
Candid portray of human give and take, humorous and gripping.

37^th Forum
“Kain no matsuei/Cain's Descendant”, Shutaro Oku (Japan)
Irritating, strong and refreshing, it's human dysfunction on bleak display.

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 5

By way of preliminary assessment halfway through the event I'd have to say that I shall hope part II will get better, in terms of the films I choose to watch, for, frankly, so far there has been nothing really that exceptional to be actually stunnig. But there's still time – and today I even took some of it to simply relax...

22^nd Panorama
“Takva/A Man's Fear of God”, Özer Kiziltan (Turkey)
Somber depiction of devoutness failing reality check, credible and impartial.

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 4

Had to keep my ears open all day long and listen up as useful inside views and knowledge were being shared and given out freely by Jia Zhang-Ke and other esteemed fellows of the industry – just for it all to be topped off by a World Premiere, now that's what I call a busy but rewarding day.

5^th Berlinale Talent Campus
“By popular demand”
Co-producing brings outside requisitions; remain subversive and make your film!

5^th Berlinale Talent Campus
“Film co-ops”
Risk sharing in co-operative ventures might grow your revenue capacity.

37^th Forum
“Apa khabar orang kampung/Village People Radio Show”, Amir Muhammad (Malaysia)
Scratches on deviant history: Malaysia's communist past in exile. Good!

(pic©berlinale.de)

quote of the week

“Plot is always cheap to come by but it is not central, really.”
(Peter Stamm, Literatur im Foyer (19.01.2007))

10/1 – Berlinale Day 3

First it's been about picking up plenty of inspiration and motivation for me, and to learn from experienced people in the business like Wim Wenders or Ning Ying, which opportunity was provided for on the

5^th Berlinale Talent Campus
“Metrobranding”
Urbanity as story is inexhaustible, just beware the curated city-film.

22^nd Panorama
“Luo ye gui gen/Getting Home”, Zhang Yang (China)
Another sentimental journey teaches how reverence is in the deed.

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 2

The thing gears up a notch with lots of Japanese period drama for me, and passion alright.

22^nd Panorama
“Bushi no ichibun/Love And Honor”, Yoji Yamada (Japan)
Meticulously crafted straightforward storytelling, engaging, intense and some fine acting.

57^th Berlinale Spezial
“Sakuran”, Ninagawa Mika (Japan)
Yoshiwara Pop: pointlessly lavish, meaty and cheesy, tiresome yet passable.

22^nd Panorama
“Hu hwae ha ji An ah/No Regret”, Leesong Hee-il (South Korea)
Dare be my man, over-dramatized and pathetic as you wish.

(pic©berlinale.de)

Monkeylove on record

I’ve added my personal favorite among Royston Tan’s short films, mesmerizing ”Monkeylove“, to his IMDb record just now, which is still horribly incomplete and ragged; work’s in progress, though, as I will be forthcoming with more of the relevant data each bit at a time.
After he's only so recently secured his landmark win at this year's Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, taking home the Competition's Grand Prix, you registered and professional users can now finally cast your votes on this one here.

(pic©Zhao Wei Films)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 1

In for a slow start:

Panorama Dokumente
Opening Film: “Strange Culture”, Lynn Hershman Leeson (USA)
Insightfully biased documentary, pleasurably defending civil liberties against state paranoia.

Just enough time for me to squeeze in half of the Short Films Competition I, which once again proved, if such was necessary, that the Berlinale is just no home to these. Sorry, but seems to me that for our Filmfestspiele to recover some of the lost ground with respect to this important genre still more re-organizing effort is called for.

37^th Forum
“Aju teukbyeolhan sonnim/Ad Lib Night”, Lee Yoon-ki (South Korea)
Big-city escape construed from delicately random impersonation - a mild disappointment.

(pic©berlinale.de)

my list of ingredients that make for a good movie

1. good acting
2. structure
3. evocative score
4. long takes
5. the characteristic sound of things
6. un-written dialog
7. self awareness
8. humor
9. variations on a major theme
10. epiphany

10/1 - keeping it short

Whilst the Berlinale is underway and keeping me busy I'll give you short updates on what my own, personal programming has in store: 10/1, ten words per film to give you my first sketchy impressions as I go along my (hopefully entertaining) visual itinerary. If it's called for however, I shall come back to any one particular film or topic of relevance in more detail after all the fuss has subsided somewhat and once again allows for plain thinking (and writing).
So, come Friday, let's enjoy the show!

(pic©berlinale.de)