Social media and film press is rife with complaints that blockbusters make it impossible to find anything else to watch. Here at The Reel Bits, we put Asia in Focus and know that isn’t the case. There is something out literally every week from the cinemas of Japan, China, South Korea, or Thailand.
We also want to make it easy for you to find out what’s going on and where. September sees three film festivals – KOFFIA, SUFF and TWFF – continue their runs while a number of box office hits, from THE LONGEST SHOT to the US-Chinese THE FAREWELL, make their way to our shores.
Korean action/comedy Exit is still playing in select locations playing, and you can still catch Momoru Hosoda’s terrific anime film Weathering With You in cinemas. What I’m saying is: you have no excuses for not supporting Asia cinema in Australia.
The Longest Shot 最长一枪
5 September 2019
This one falls into several of our wheelhouses by being an Australian-Chinese co-production. From debut director Xu Shunli, the film is set in 1930s China where a hitman ready to retire takes on two contracts: but the target of one contract is the consignor of the other.
The Farewell
5 September 2019
Fresh from its Australian debut as the MIFF Closing Night film, the Awkwafina vehicle from director Lulu Wang showcases the talented performer in a story “based on an actual lie.” A geographically estranged family gathers together around their grandmother in China under the pretence of a wedding to say goodbye after she is diagnosed with cancer. The only problem is that nobody wants to tell her that. Funny, charming, heartbreaking, and genuine, this will be on a lot of “best of” lists this year.
Fagara 花椒之味
12 September 2019
From the makers of Love in a Puff and The Simple Life, and produced by Ann Hui (Our Time Will Come), this follows a Hong Kong woman who discovers the existence of two unknown sisters, one in Taiwan and one in China, after the death of her father. Director Heiward Mak’s most recent screenplay was for the blockbuster Golden Job, so this one will have some attention on it.
First Love
14 September 2019 (SUFF)
Melburnians will have already flocked to this at MIFF, and now Takashi Miike‘s 103rd feature film comes to Sydney as part of the Sydney Underground Film Festival. follows Leo (Masataka Kubota), a young boxer and Monica (Sakurako Konishi), a call girl, who become involved with a drug smuggling scheme and are pursued by a cop, a yakuza, and some Chinese triads over the course of one night.
The Chinese Pilot (中国机长)
30 September 2019
Director Andrew Lau Wai-Keung tells the real-life story of civilian pilot Captain Liu Chuanjian (Zhang Hanyu, Operation Mekong), who successfully landed (sorry, spoilers for reality) a Sichuan Airlines A319 plane carrying 119 passengers after its windshield shattered in-flight at 32,000 feet above the Tibetan Plateau. It’s China’s answer to Captain Phillips.
KOFFIA
22 August – 12 September 2019
The Korean Film Festival in Australia continues throughout September, landing in Brisbane and Melbourne after successful stints in Sydney and Canberra. With dozens of films to choose from, and a Bong Joon-ho retrospective, there’s sure to be something you’re into. I’ve even put together a list of top films to see for you all. You’re welcome.
Taiwan Film Festival in Sydney
14 – 22 September 2019
Back by popular demand, TWFF is showing some of its highlights again this month. It’s your last chance to catch the excellent trio of The Island That All Flow By (川流之島), Ohong Village (蚵豐村) and Nina Wu (灼人秘密) on the big screen in Australia. Check out the festival site for tickets.
Japanese Film Festival
The last big film festival of the Australian calendar, one of our favourite festivals ever kicks off its Regional and Classics programs in September. The Regional program – running through Bunbury, Hobart, Alice Springs, Coffs, Harbour, Darwin, Adelaide, Cairns, Townsville, Gold Coast and Newcastle – includes Tatsushi Omori’s Every Day A Good Day, Masakazu Fukatsu’s Dad’s Lunch Box, and Mamoru Hosoda’s animated favourite Mirai.
The Main Program, which should be announced this month, kicks off during October in Canberra and continues through to December in Melbourne. Titles playing in September (at the NFSA in Canberra) include The Adventures of Tobisuke (1949), Black Cat Mansion (1958), The Ghost Story of Yotsuya (1959), and The Living Koheiji (1982). The same titles will make their way to Sydney in October. Check the JFF website for details.
NEXT MONTH: October is set to be even bigger for Australian releases of Asian cinema, with the kick-off of the main Japanese Film Festival and their classics program.
