10th New York Asian Film Festival
July 1-14, 2011 at the Walter Reade Theater and Japan Society
co-presented with Film Society of Lincoln Center, in association with Japan Society/JAPAN CUTS
The New York Asian Film Festival is ten years old! Here’s what the internet has to say about that, “The ten year old's motor skills are well developed and he is an excellent cyclist, skater, and swimmer. The ten year old also shows great skill at sports such as baseball and soccer.” Not so much. But still! We’ve done a lot.
Ten years ago we started with a cute little pet: 11 movies shown over 7 days at the Anthology Film Archives. Today, that adorable gremlin has grown into a mighty monster: over 40 films, dominating the summer filmscape for two weeks at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Japan Society. Two of our founding members have moved on (the unflappable Brian Naas and the dynamic Paul Kazee), two new members have signed up (the unflappable Dan Craft and the dynamic Marc Walkow) and we now whisper sweet nothings into the ears of foreign dignitaries who pay some of our bills.
We’ve gotten bigger. Some of our movies have gone on to US release (Love Exposure, Green Chair, House). Some of the movies we’ve screened have gone on to become cult favorites, loved secretly and passionately by people with impeccable good taste (A Bittersweet Life, Funky Forest: the First Contact). Other movies have become our Audience Award winners, such as My Sassy Girl (2002), Ping Pong (2003), Please Teach Me English (2004), The Taste of Tea (2005), Always - Sunset on Third Street (2006), Memories of Matsuko (2007), Fine, Totally Fine (2008), Love Exposure (2009) and a tie between Gallants and Castaway on the Moon (2010).
But what hasn’t changed is who we are. The New York Asian Film Festival isn’t about identity politics, it’s not about art, it’s not about money, it’s not even really about our sponsors (but don’t tell them that). At the end of the day, we’re just four guys who don’t draw a salary, doing this because we are hopelessly, stupidly, forever in love with these movies.
But there is one person we have a responsibility to - that’s you. The person who bought a ticket, picked up this program and is waiting for the show to begin. Maybe you had a bad day at work, and you just want to forget about that awful Jerry in Accounts Payable. Maybe you’re fighting with the person you love. Maybe you’re with a bunch of friends and you all just want to have some fun. Maybe you’re curious about what kind of stew could make a serial killer drop his guard and get caught by the cops (The Recipe) or what the hell a Milocrorze is? Or an Abraxas for that matter?
Whoever you are, you just entered into a bargain with us and that bargain is the only thing on Earth that we take seriously. You gave us your hard-earned cash and in exchange we promised to show you something you’ve never seen before. We have, essentially, promised that we are going to blow your mind. Rest assured: we are going to do everything in our power to hold up our end of this deal.
Because after ten years, the one thing that hasn’t changed, is the thing that makes the four of us happier than anything on this planet. The sight of all of you, sitting in a dark room, not as a bunch of strangers but as an audience, going bananas for what you’re seeing on the big screen.
After all this time, you still thrill us. And this year we promise we’ll do our best to thrill you back.
It’s been eleven long months we’ve spent without you, our favorite people on earth, our audience.
We’ve missed you.
Welcome back.
Sidebars
WU XIA: HONG KONG’S FLYING SWORDSMEN
SEA OF REVENGE: NEW KOREAN THRILLERS
SU CHAO-PIN: TAIWAN’S KING OF ENTERTAINMENT
Films
13 ASSASSINS (2010)
ABRAXAS (2011)
BKO: BANGKOK KNOCKOUT (2010)
B.T.S. (BETTER THAN SEX) (2002)
BATTLE ROYALE (2000)
BATTLEFIELD HEROES (2011)
BEDEVILLED (2010)
THE BLADE (1995)
A BOY AND HIS SAMURAI (2010)
BUDDHA MOUNTAIN (2010)
THE CABBIE (2000)
THE CHASER (2008)
THE CITY OF VIOLENCE (2006)
DARK ON DARK (2010)
DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTON FLAME (2010)
DRAGON INN (1992)
DUEL TO THE DEATH (1983)
FOXY FESTIVAL (2010)
GANTZ (2011)
GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER (2011)
HAUNTERS (2010)
HEAVEN’S STORY (2010)
HORNY HOUSE OF HORROR (2010)
KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR (2011)
THE LAST DAYS OF THE WORLD (2011)
LOVE & LOATHING & LULU & AYANO (2010)
MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED! (2010)
THE MAN FROM NOWHERE (2010)
MILOCRORZE – A LOVE STORY (2011)
NINJA KIDS!!! (2011)
OCEAN HEAVEN (2010)
OSAMU TEZUKA’S BUDDHA: THE GREAT DEPARTURE (2011)
PUNISHED (2011)
RAW FORCE (1982)
THE RECIPE (2010)
REIGN OF ASSASSINS (2010)
RIKI-OH: THE STORY OF RICKY (1991)
RINGING IN THEIR EARS (2011)
SELL OUT! (2008)
SHAOLIN (2011)
TROUBLESHOOTER (2010)
VERSUS (2000)
YAKUZA WEAPON (2011)
THE YELLOW SEA (2010)
ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (1983)
Selection of short films from the 9th Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival
MASTER PIECE (2009)
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL (2010)
THE KEY (2010)
ENTERING THE MIND THROUGH THE MOUTH (2009)
THE BRASS QUINTET (2010)
TUNNEL (2010)
DEBRIS (2009)
FAMILYSHIP (2009)
MY MOM’S GREAT KIMCHI STEW (2009)
C-KAL (2009)
MR. TAP’S HOLIDAY (2010)
Guests
Tsui Hark (DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, THE BLADE, DRAON INN, ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN)
Ryoo Seung-wan (THE UNJUST, CITY OF VIOLENCE)
Lee Joon-ik (BATTLEFIELD HEROES)
Yoshimasa Ishibashi (MILOCRORZE: A LOVE STORY)
Takayuki Yamada (MILOCRORZE: A LOVE STORY, 13 ASSASSINS)
Na Hong-jin (THE YELLOW SEA, THE CHASER)
Su Chao-pin (REIGN OF ASSASSINS, THE CABBIE, B.T.S. BETTER THAN SEX)
Tak Sakaguchi (YAKUZA WEAPON, VERSUS)
Yudai Yamaguchi (YAKUZA WEAPON, VERSUS)
Kwok Hyeok-jae (TROUBLESHOOTER)
