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Terracotta Far East Film Festival Lauch 2013 Programme

Tickets are now on sale for the fifth edition of the annual Terracotta Far East Film Festival.
Over the years the festival has seen the event go from strength to strength. This year is set to be the biggest yet, expanding to 27 films spread over 4 sections and 2 venues from 06 - 15 June 2013.

The core of the festival will remain a hand-picked selection of the best CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA at The Prince Charles Cinema. This all UK Premiere section reflects the vibrancy and energy in Asian filmmaking today. Ranging from realist dramas to romance, light comedies to spy action thrillers, swordfighting epics to gothic fairytales, the festival aims to balance the representation of Asian countries.

Terracotta Festival 2013 (TFEFF13) will open with Hong Kong action COLD WAR on Thursday 06 June 2013.

This year’s edition will also see a return to last year’s Terror Cotta Horror night on Friday 07 June in association with Film 4 Frightfest. The triple bill has now extended to an all-night horror marathon.

The organisers also have added the “IN MEMORY OF” section to mark the tenth anniversary of two of Hong Kong’s best loved and most missed stars: Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui.

Terracotta Festival 2013 will close out at the ICA with “SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia”. 11 - 15 June will be an entire week dedicated to Indonesian cinema, from the country's freshest emerging talent alongside work by established filmmakers. This new section will bring rare insight into one of Asia’s rising film powerhouses.

Guest actors and directors will be attending the festival to introduce their films, host Q&A sessions and run Masterclasses on various aspects of what it means to be a filmmaker today. Filmmakers in attendance will be announced closer to the festival dates.

Terracotta Far East Film Festival full Programme:


IN MEMORY OF: Leslie Cheung & Anita Mui

DAYS OF BEING WILD by WONG Kar Wai, Hong Kong – Wed 29 May 2013, 20:45
1994/ Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles/ 94mins/ starring Leslie CHEUNG, Maggie CHEUNG, Andy LAU, Tony LEUNG Chiu Wai
One of the most acclaimed masterpieces of modern cinema from one of Hong Kong’s finest auteur directors.


ROUGE by Stanley KWAN, Hong Kong – Thurs 06 June 2013, 17:50
1988/ Cantonese with English subtitles/ 96mins/ starring Anita MUI, Leslie CHEUNG
Part Romeo & Juliet, part ghost story, an outstanding and timeless classic.


HAPPY TOGETHER by WONG Kar Wai, Hong Kong - Fri 07 June 2013, 12:30
1997/ Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles/ 96 mins/ starring Leslie CHEUNG, Tony LEUNG Chiu Wai, CHEN Chang
The story of a gay love triangle slowly fragmenting and dislocating amidst the beautiful city of Buenos Aires.



CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA

COLD WAR by Sunny Luk, Longman Leung, Hong Kong – Opening Film Thurs 06 June 2013, 19:50
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Cantonese with English subtitles/ 102 mins/ starring Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Andy Lau
Police dealing with a sophisticated hijacking of a police van are outwitted at every turn.



LOVE ME NOT by Gilitte LEUNG, Hong Kong – Fri 07 June 2013, 14:30
UK Premiere/2012/ Cantonese with English Subtitles/ 92 mins/ starring Kenneth CHENG, Afa LEE
A sweet and daring portrait of blurred sexuality and love complications.



WHEN A WOLF FALLS IN LOVE WITH A SHEEP by HOU Chi-Jan, Taiwan – Fri 07 June 2013, 16:35
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English Subtitles/ 86 mins/ starring KO Chen Tung, CHIEN Man Shu, KUO Shu Yao, Nikki HSIEH
Vivid colours, lush set pieces and stop motion animation create a surreal, dreamy vision of Taipei.



YOUNG GUN IN THE TIME by OH Young-doo, South Korea- Fri 07 June 2013, 18:35
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Korean with English subtitles/ 95mins/ starring HONG Young-geun, HA Eun-jung, CHOI Song-hyun
Quirky, low-budget time travel romp filled with sex shops, robot hands and Hawaiian shirts.



KARAOKE GIRL by Visra Vichit VADAKAN, Thailand - Fri 07 June 2013, 20:30
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Thai with English subtitles/ 77 mins/ starring Sa SITTIJUN, The Sittijun family.
Realistic, unseedy portrayal of a lovely and lovelorn Bangkok hostess.



THE ASSASSINS by ZHAO Yiyang, China – Sat 08 June 2013, 12:00
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English subtitles/ 107 mins/ starring CHOW Yun Fat, TAMAKI Hiroshi, Crystal LIU Yi Fei
CHOW Yun Fat in a historical swordfighting epic tale of love, power and betrayal.


THE STORY OF YONOSUKE by OKITA Shuichi, Japan – Sat 08 June 2013, 14:20
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 160 mins starring KORA Kengo, YOSHITAKA Yuriko
A story of a college student with an unusual name and a warm heart, spanning his college days in 1980’s Tokyo, as told by his closest friends and associates.


DRUG WAR by Johnnie TO, Hong Kong – Sat 08 June 2013, 17:30
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English Subtitles/ 107 mins/ starring Louis KOO, SUN Honglei, LAM Suet
Johnnie To’s fast moving actioner features a police captain and an arrested and coerced drug lord out to smash a major drug ring.


THE BERLIN FILE by RYOO Seung-wan, South Korea – Sat 08 June 2013, 19:45
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Korean with English subtitles/ 120mins/ starring HA Jung-woo, Gianna JUN, HAN Suk-Kyu, RYOO Seung-bum
North and South Korean agents in Berlin are tangled up in a BOURNE style multi-agency web of deceit.


SEE YOU TOMORROW, EVERYONE by NAKAMURA Yoshihiro, Japan - Sun 09 June 2013, 12:25
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 120 mins/ starring HAMADA Gaku
Filmmakers behind the hugely entertaining FISH STORY bring you a multi-layered look into life on a Japanese council estate.


A WEREWOLF BOY by JO Sung-hee, South Korea - Sun 09 June 2013, 15:30
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Korean with English subtitles/ 125 mins/ starring SONG Joong-ki, PARK Bo-young, YOO Yeon-seok
Fantasy romance along the lines of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, taking a traditional fairytale structure and setting it against a 1960's technicolor Korea.


THE BULLET VANISHES by LAW Chi Leung, Hong Kong – Sun 09 June 2013, 18:00
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Mandarin with English Subtitles/ 108 mins/ starring LAU Ching Wan, Nicholas Tse
Detectives are called to a munitions factory where murders involving “phantom bullets” are puzzling the forensics teams and spooking the local workforce.


THE LAND OF HOPE by SONO Sion, Japan - Sun 09 June 2013, 20:05
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 133 mins/ starring HAMADA Gaku, ORTEGA Naomi
SONO Sion takes a step back from his usual over-the-top film-making style for a restrained drama dealing with a family’s struggles after the aftermath of a Fukushima-style nuclear power plant explosion in their town.



Terror Cotta Horror All-Nighter
COUNTDOWN by Nattawut POONPIRIYA, Thailand – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Thai and English with English Subtitles/ 90 mins/ starring Pachara CHIRATHIVAT, Jarinporn JOONKIAT, Pattarasaya KRUESUWANSIRI
New Year’s Eve in New York City goes wrong for three flat-mates when their drug dealer overstays his welcome and turns psycho on them.


BELENGGU by Upi, Indonesia – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 100 mins/ starring Abimana ARYASATYA, Avrilla.
Visions of violent murders, a giant, knife throwing rabbit and a mysterious femme-fatale. What is really going on in Elang’s head?


HENGE by HAJIME Ohata, Japan – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere / 2012/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 54 mins/ starring MORITA Aki, KAZUNARI Aizawai
What would you do if the person that you loved most in the world turned into a monster right before your eyes?


THE GHOST STORY OF YOTSUYA by NAKAGAWA Nobuo, Japan – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
1959/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 76 mins/ starring AMACHI Shigeru, KITAZAWA Noriko, WAKASUGI Katsuko
A classic retrospective presentation of an old Japanese Macbeth-like folk tale.


ZOMVIDEO by MURAKAMI Kenji, Japan – Fri 07 June, 23:30- 07:10
UK Premiere / 2011/ Japanese with English Subtitles/ 76 mins starring YAJIMA Maimi, NAKAJIMA Saki
Could you survive a zombie apocalypse? Zomvideo will show you how.


SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia

THE DANCER by Ifa ISFANSYAH, Indonesia – Tue 11 June, time tbc
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 107 mins/ starring Oka ANTARA, Prisia NASUTION, Slamet RAHARJO, Dewi IRAWAN, Hendro DJAROT, Lukman SARDI
The story of a girl destined to be the ronggeng of her village in the 60's political turmoil. Indonesia’s official entry at the 85th Academy Awards.


LOVELY MAN by Teddy SOERIAATMADJA, Indonesia – Wed 12 June, time tbc
UK Premiere/ 2011/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 76 mins/ starring Donny DAMARA, Raihaanun NABILA, Yayu aw UNRU, Luddy SAPUTRO
A provocative, powerful father-daughter story unlike any you’ve seen.


WHAT THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT LOVE by Mouly SURYA, Indonesia – Thurs 13 June, time tbc
UK Premiere/ 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 105 mins/ starring Karina SALIM, Ayushita NUGRAHA, Nicholas SAPUTRA, Anggun PRIAMBODO, Lupita Jennifer
At a special needs boarding school, the students are like any other teenagers: they attend classes, pursue artistic endeavours, and occupy their minds with love and dreams.

POSTCARDS FROM THE ZOO by Edwin, Indonesia – Fri 14 June, time tbc
2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 96 mins/ starring Ladya Cheryl, Nicholas SAPUTRA, Adjie Nur AHMAD
Premiered at Berlinale, a story which revolves around Lana, a girl who was raised in a zoo after she was abandoned.


OPERA JAWA by Garin NUGROHO / Arturo Gp / Arswendi, Indonesia – Sat 15 June, time tbc
2006/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 125 mins starring Martinus MIROTO, Artika Sari DEVI, Eko SUPRIYANTO
A traditional Indonesian tragedy is reworked into a visually stunning musical in OPERA JAWA.

THE BLINDFOLD by Garin NUGROHO, Indonesia – Sat 15 June, time tbc
UK Premiere / 2012/ Indonesian with English Subtitles/ 90 mins starring Jajang C. NOER, Adriani ISNA, Eka Nusa PERTIWI
The story of three young people lured into a radical Islamic organisation.



Venues:

IN MEMORY OF: Leslie Cheung & Anita Mui, CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA, Terror Cotta Horror All-Nighter at Prince Charles Cinema
7 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BY / Box Office : +44 (0)20 7494 3654

Tickets at Prince Charles Cinema: £8.50 non members, no concessions/ £6.00 (PCC Members)

(Friday afternoon: £6.50/ £4.00)


Festival Pass: £59.50 non members/ £48 members

EARLY BIRD PASS*: £55 non members/ £45 members (excludes Terror Cotta Horror Night and ICA Spotlight on Indonesia)

*if you buy early before Sunday 12th May, midnight

Terror-Cotta Horror All-nighter: £22 non members/ £19.50 members

SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia at Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA):
The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH / Box Office: +44 (0)20 7930 3647

Tickets at ICA: £10 / £8 Concessions / £7 ICA Members

More information or to  book tickets head over to Terracotta website: www.terracottafestival.com

Love Exposure Blu-ray Review

If you're like been a fan of Japanese pop culture it's been a journey of many great times but also a journey of many stressful when those who don't understand the finer  details attack unselfishly. If we where to choose a sole representative to let the world know the reasons why we love this culture, Sion Sono could be an ideal spokesman with his film Love Exposure may do the trick to convince the non believers.

In a style of a cooking Tv programme get a big bowl throw in plenty of kick-ass martial arts action, a tablespoon of Humour, scratching of religious cults, a slice of sexual perversions, boy meets girl, a litre of porn barons, family relationships. Give it a good mix before adding Sono's tender mix of voyeurism and don't forget to add upskirt panty shots, give it 4 hours in your DVD or Blu-Rayer result a film that has a lot to offer.

Yu (Takahiro Nishijima) has always been a well-behaved kid probably due to his devout Christian upbringing but when his mother dies torment prevails. Because of Yu's upbringing, it forces him to confess his sins on a daily basis however he is a normal kid and has no legitimate sins to confess. Determined to become a true sinner and appease his demanding priest father who's just been seduced by a woman whose broken his heart. Yu finds the ultimate sin, Porn trains to become a sneak upskirt photographer which gets the attention from his father he's been seeking. After loosing a bet with his sinner pals Yu is forced to dress as a girl (Sasori) and its this time he meets a beautiful girl Yoko (Hikari Mitsushima). Their first time together was glorious ending the night with a kiss, all-out street brawl but that's not the end of it Yoko thinks Yu is a woman and both maybe been manipulated by a devious cult leader named Aya (Sakura Ando).

Going back to that famous saying from Alfred Hitchcock by judging a film by the strength of your bladder, Love Exposure maybe touching 4 hours running time which may not agree with some bladders. However we have an advantage the great film maestro didn't have, DVD/Blu-Ray players. That epic running time may be a putt off for many people however with your remote control you can play this film in parts, pause but with Love Exposure it provides an entertainment value that you will only pause to refill your glass (or empty your bladder) as it'll keep your grip on your tv screen.

When I chat to fellow cinephiles and when Sono's name is introduced to the mix if it's not Suicide Club for many fans the stepping stone into his world is Love Exposure. Ironically myself it was Coldfish then Suicide Club been my route into the deranged mind of our cordial Japanese host.

Love Exposure is that satirical homage to those non-believers who call Asian/Japanese as perverted and satanic (2 things I was labelled by a friend of our family when I was 15!). It mocks those who ridicule the culture but also mocks how sexually repressed the Japanese are too.It's ridiculous to think this is the same nation who privately liberated  sexually, have machines on streets that provide everything from  your favourite soft drink  too worn School uniforms. Sono really taps into the dark underlinings of his nations obsession with eroticism, but he approaches the topics in an astute but humorous kind of way.

What we mustn't forget here Love Exposure is a teen romance/coming of age story also, which really highlights when it comes to falling in love, love does work in mysterious ways or in Son's film absurd ways. Life isn't simple but with love comes hurt too. This is no Mills & Boon story there are no saints but those we label sinners really are saints who have lost direction to be the saints, we need direction and religion is one way to find the right direction. Living in a country  where religion has brought chaos and order (Scotland), I've seen the good and ugly side which gets a little upsetting when a person cant practice a faith without prejudice. Someone can be a devout follower of a faith but following a religion where God is treated more like a rockstar is quite funny but also unsettling reminds me of Dogma and the Jesus statue in shades  pointing at you. When your soul and mind are damaged you can fall prey to who use religion for other means making you opened to easy persuasion.

Those stories you hear about Sono been the master Nihilist, king of voyeurs Love Exposure is a perfect example of why he's worthy of those titles. Sono presents Love Exposure like one of those old naughty peepshows, undefined, seductively addictive, engaging, absurdly humorous but passionately gratifying. How many films these days can tick all the boxes for film satisfaction? Not many but Love Exposure can and it's why it's worthy of being called an essential piece of contemporary Japanese Cinema.

Paul Devine | ★★★★1/2

action, comedy | Japan, 2009 | 18 | 6th August 2012 (UK) | Third Window Films |
Dir:Shion Sono,Takahiro Nishijima,Hikari Mitsushima,Sakura Andô

Himizu DVD Review

Terracotta 2012 Review: Himizu

Trailer For Sion Sono's Himizu

Sion Sono's COLD FISH Coming to UK on DVD/Blu-Ray June 27th

TIFF 2010:Trailer for Sion Sono's COLD FISH

source Twitch
If you loved LOVE EXPOSURE by Sion Sono you'll love his new one COLDFISH  a 'true-life serial killer story'which is to be previewed at this years Venice & Toronto Film Festivals and early signs that this movie is one of  his best and will eventually become his best work.
Trailer after the break....