The Lunar New Year (or “Chinese New Year”) film has been a staple across Hong Kong for at least thirty years with the tradition carrying over to mainland China and beyond.
From the Winners and Sinners to the Alls Well That Ends Well series, the chance to ring in the new year with movies celebrating Chinese culture – and the historical importance of film as an export in Hong Kong – has been fun, frivolous and always crowd-pleasing.
Australia has been lucky enough to be part of this cinematic round-up with greater frequency in the last few years. The January 2020 line-up sees an impressive half-dozen films, a combination of late 2019 and brand-new 2020 releases, hitting local cinemas throughout the month.
Missing in action from our schedules (so far) is Xu Zheng’s latest road movie Lost in Russia, the Stanley Tong/Jackie Chan joint Vanguard, and Peter Chan’s sports movie Leap, about the China women’s national volleyball team. Guess we can’t win them all.
Adoring (9 January)
Larry Yang’s star-studded ensemble hit Chinese cinemas on NYE 2019, and we get it just over a week later. Wallace Chung, Beibi Gong, and Landi Li lead a cast in a series of six interconnected stories about the comings and goings of pet centre owner Vivian and the care she provides to the animals of the community.
Ashfall (9 January)
While we live out a real national climate emergency across the country, this is an oddly timed South Korean disaster film about the eruption of Baekdu Mountain, dormant since 1903 and located on the Chinese-North Korean border. Korean directors Lee Hae-Jun (Golden Slumber, Castaway on the Moon) and Kim Byung-Seo (Cold Eyes) helm an impressive cast consisting of Ha Jung-woo, Lee Byung-hun, Ma Dong-seok, Jeon Hye-jin, and Suzy Bae as they tell the story of a joint North/South Korean team trying to avert catastrophe.
Liberation (9 January)
Following a group of soldiers during the final days of the infamous Battle of Pingjin of 1949, directors Chang Xiaoyang and Li Shaohong deliver what will no doubt be one of the jingoistic Chinese war films that we see at least once a year. Which isn’t to say that we won’t enjoy the copious amounts of explosions and such. It stars Stars Wallace Chung, Elane Zhong, Zhou Yiwei, Philip Keung, and Yang Mi.
The Rescue (25 January)
The first of the ‘proper’ CNY releases to ring in the Year of the Rat, coming at us day and date with its home market, Hong Kong action director Dante Lam brings us another action blockbuster. Here Lam promises to do for the Chinese coast guard what he did for the navy in Operation Red Sea. Eddie Peng stars as Gao Qian, who must put aside differences with the “beautiful but outspoken” Fang Yuling (Xin Zhilei) to (wait for it) rescue some people.
Detective Chinatown 3 (25 January)
The New York-set Detective Chinatown 2 was one of the most fun Chinese New Year films of 2018, so this year Madman is helping us keep the tradition with this Tokyo-shot film that see the titular detectives once again team up to travel and solve mysteries. Joined by Japanese actress Masami Nagasawa (Masquerade Hotel), series director Sicheng Chen returns to wrangle Tang Ren (Wang Baoqiang), his ‘distant relative’ Chin Feng (Liu Haoran) and martial artist Tony Jaa onto our screens!
BONUS: Konosuba! God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! – Legend of Crimson (30 January)
This isn’t strictly a CNY film – not least of which because it’s a late 2019 Japanese anime feature – but its Australian and New Zealand release is perfectly timed to enjoy it alongside the summer fun. It ticks all the right boxes too, following two seasons and as many OVAs of this popular anime series. With some good reviews already circulating, expect this to be a packed house of fun this summer.
Found something you like? From weekly releases to festivals, follow all of The Reel Bits coverage of Asian cinema in Australia and around the world at our Asia in Focus portal.
