P.I.G. Screening Series: Die Hard at the Grumpy Pig

On December 10, P.I.G. launches its Shanghai screening series with a special collaboration with our friends at The Grumpy Pig. And what better way to ring in the season than with a Hollywood holiday classic: “Die Hard” (1988). We’ll be screening the film and serving a special, Die Hard-themed menu – reserve now to make sure you don’t miss it! The Grumpy Pig x P.I.G. China “Movie & Grub”: Christmas Edition Tuesday, December 10, 2013, 8pm @ The Grumpy Pig, Shanghai Space Limited. Reservations: 6217-3355 GrumpyGrub1 Did you forget that “Die Hard” is an amazing Christmas movie? Watch the trailer again to refresh your memory…

Debut Feature “Bends” Opens in Hong Kong

After premiering at Cannes in May and touring the international festival circuit to much acclaim, “Bends” (過界), the debut feature of Hong Kong director Flora Lau, finally opened in Hong Kong in late November. Produced by P.I.G.’s own Melissa Lee, the film has attracted much media attention for its sensitive portrayal of the meta-relationship between Hong Kong and Shenzhen through two complex characters, portrayed by icon Carina Lau and young star Chen Kun. If you’re anywhere near Hong Kong, try to catch it in cinemas, or else wait for other territory release dates coming up. Read the in-depth New York Times profile here, as well as coverage from the SCMP, the WSJ, and an interview with Flora Lau from Indiewire. Also it’s worth exploring the beautiful Bends website, created by HK design star Rex Koo, which features behind-the-scenes extras and making-of videos. Trailer below: First of 3 making-of clips: BENDS_MAKING_OF – The_Story from Flora Lau on Vimeo.

November Roundup: News on Film, Digital and Beyond

(Real Chinese astronauts from Shenzhou-9 launch)
GRAVITY
(Sandra Bullock in current blockbuster “Gravity”)

Selected readings, links, and other buzzworthy items:

Gravity’s Big Impact: Gravity is breaking box office records in China, soaring past other current releases; while Gravity’s director Alfonso Cuaron wants China to take him to space, for real (reports Xinhua):
“I know that I will never do another space movie. It took too long. But I would go to space as soon as I was invited,” Cuaron told Xinhua in an exclusive interview given while he was in Beijing promoting “Gravity,” which debuted on the Chinese mainland on Tuesday. “So I’ll keep on pleading. Maybe then Chinese authorities will want to send me to space. I would be very happy to accept the invitation, very honored,” he said.

China’s Micro-Movie Zeitgeist: BBC piece on how micro-movies evade Chinese censorship; even Chinese airlines are using micro-movies in in-flight entertainment systems.

Hollywood x China: “Hollywood and China: in Figures” by Jonathan Landreth offers a useful look at the relationship by the numbers; LAT piece “Hollywood meets a sleeping powerhouse” is a good basic primer on current dynamics; NPR showcases “Hollywood’s New Strategy: Supporting Chinese-Made Blockbusters” and the flipside where “China Pits Hollywood Blockbusters Against Each Other
“; The Hollywood Reporter examines the Chinese presence at AFM earlier this month; The Guardian on what it gleaned from US/China Film Summit at AFM; Variety on how marketing platform FansTang Plans to Deliver Hollywood Content in China;

Festival Circuit: The Guangzhou Documentary Film Festival kicks off; as well as one part of the beleaguered China Independent Film Festival in Nanjing; the ASEAN Festival launches in Singapore; Asia-Pacific Film Festival runs in Macau mid-December; Beijing recently hosted the Chinese Folk Women Festival; Shanghai’s expat-geared “Meiwenti Film Contest” still seeking short film submissions until November 30 for its Dec 14 event; and an interesting UK academic research group exploring the phenomenon of film festivals in China.

Other: A report on Ang Lee at the Art of Transnational Cinema event at Harvard University; and the frankly disgusting teaser poster for upcoming TIny Times 3 (reported to start production soon in Rome).

Films to See: China Heavyweight

Great profile on the acclaimed documentary film China Heavyweight, check out the beautiful cinematography/stills from Sun Shaoguang!

Via Canada’s documentary blog, also called POV! – Point of View Magazine
[Photo: Sun Shaoguang, from China Heavyweight, dir. Yung Chang (2012)]

Dressing the Screen: Fashion Film in China

This upcoming British Council event in Beijing looks fantastic – . More details below: The British Council is delighted to announce Dressing the Screen, an exhibition in China of close to 100 films that will bring together work by some of the worlds most famous and innovative fashion designers and film-makers from the last 50 years. Organised in collaboration with the

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Chinese lifestyle magazine Modern Weekly International, and Swarovski Elements, Dressing the Screen will open in Beijing on 26th October 2012 and run for two weeks. Featured designers and filmmakers will include SHOWstudio’s Nick Knight and Ruth Hogben, Alexander McQueen, Tim Walker, Rifat Ozbek, Vivienne Westwood, Ossie Clark, Hussein Chalayan, Gareth Pugh, Henry Holland and Burberry. The exhibition will highlight pivotal moments in fashion, film and technology – from pre-internet experiments such as the early films of Ossie Clark, Rifat Ozbek, Bodymap and Bella Freud, to pioneering technological advancements such as POST magazine, Burberry’s holographic catwalk show and Cassette Playa’s Augmented Reality.