The Asia House: Festival of Asian Film 2008

The Asia House Festival of Asian Film 2008 UK Film Premiere 881 Singapore, 2007, 115 minutes, Directed by Royston Tan, Friday 22 August at The Renoir Cinema 6.30pm Little Papaya and Big Papaya dream of escaping the dreariness of their everyday lives and becoming stars of the glittering, flamboyant and uniquely Singaporean musical showcase known as Getai. Their rise to the top is beset with struggles and dramas – a Faustian pact with the magical Goddess of Getai and bitter rivalry with the unscrupulous Durian Sisters which culminates in a challenge to an all-singing all-dancing face-off, with the loser leaving the Getai scene for good. Singapore’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 2008 Academy Awards and a local, record breaking box office sensation, 881 is a magical, heart-wrenching musical extravaganza from director Royston Tan, the winner of over fifty international and local awards and hotly touted as one of Asia’s most promising breakout talents. UK Film Premiere Seven Days South Korea, 2007, 120 minutes, Directed by Shin-Yeon Won, Saturday 23 August at The Renoir Cinema 6.30pm Jiyeon (Yunjin Kim) is a hard working, hot-shot lawyer and single mother of a seven-year-old girl. During a school sports day, her daughter disappears. Jiyeon receives an anonymous phone call: the caller has the girl. He proposes a deal. No ransom. He wants Jiyeon to prove a convicted murderer not guilty at his appeal. Within seven days. If she fails, she’ll never see her daughter alive again. With the clock against her, Jiyeon begins to reinvestigate the crime in a desperate search for evidence to defend the killer. The ringing won’t stop... Massively successful in South Korea, Seven Days is an explosive, no-holds-barred thriller in the vein of 24 and se7en, a hyperkinetic race against the clock as a mother confronts mob violence, corruption and her own morality to save her daughter’s life. Supported by Icon Film Distribution UK. UK Film Premiere Night Bus Iran, 2007, 90 minutes, Directed by Kiumars Pourahmad, Tuesday 26 August at The Renoir Cinema 6.30pm Night Bus takes place on a single night during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. A young private is assigned the difficult mission of delivering a bus full of POWs from the front line back to Iran. He faces a long, dark night on the rickety bus with an elderly nagging driver. When his fellow soldier is blinded by a roadside mortar, he is left on his own with a busload of hostile prisoners. Winner of the 2007 Asia Pacific Screen Awards: Grand Jury Prize and 2007 Iran Cinema Celebration in the Best Film and Best Screenplay category. UK Film Premiere The Photograph Indonesia, 2007, 98 minutes, Directed by Nan Achnas, Wednesday 27 August at The Renoir Cinema 6.30pm Sita, a karaoke bar hostess, moves in to a small attic room located inside a house-cum-studio belonging to Johan, a Chinese-Indonesian travelling photographer. Driven to a life of prostitution, she falls into the hands of a ruthless pimp. Johan comes to her rescue and Sita decides that she can no longer return to her shady profession. She offers herself to be Johan’s servant for free, in return for her rent. Sita finds out that Johan has only months to live. This prompts her to help him fulfil three final wishes which are represented by three photographs. His final wish - the most important and difficult one - is to find his successor as a photographer. Note: There are scenes in this film which some may find disturbing. UK Film Premiere Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon China, 2008, 102 minutes, Directed by Daniel Lee, Thursday 28 August at The Renoir Cinema 6.30pm Based on the 14th Century epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon is set during A.D. 190 – 280. Zhao Zilong (Andy Lau), a common man, heeds the call of duty and rises through the ranks to command an army charged with liberating the land from an evil warlord. Inspired by a dream of unifying his divided nation, Zhao’s heroism becomes legend, but as the years pass and the throne changes hands the war still rages on. When a newly-enthroned king decides peace can only be achieved by defeating the warlords once and for all, the ageing Zhao embarks on his final and greatest campaign, a road to adventure that will crown his name in glory for all time. Starring Andy Lau, Sammo Hung and Maggie Q. Supported by Icon Film Distribution UK. All screenings take place at the Renoir Cinema, The Brunswick, London WC1N 1AW Asia House Friends, Curzon members £8 (discount only available by phone or in person). Others £10. Tickets available from Renoir Cinema only: 0871 7033 991 www.curzoncinemas.com