Hong Kong action cinema gets a heavy dose of adrenaline with Road to Vendetta, a Hong Kong–Japan co-production that serves as the feature directorial debut of Njo Kui-ying. Stepping behind the camera at 50, the former pop idol delivers a film that clearly understands the appeal of the genre: fast, stylish, and driven by energy,…
28th Far East Film Festival: “My Name” Review
On April 3, 1948, Jeju Island became the site of a coordinated armed uprising as communist guerrillas launched pre-planned attacks on police stations, officials, and civilians. In the early hours, hundreds of insurgents struck multiple targets, killing officers, destroying homes, and using fear to deter participation in the May 10 elections that would lead to…
28th Far East Film Festival: “All Green” Review
In All Greens, director Takashi Koyama considers what life is like for underprivileged Japanese youth and their quest to get out of their small town. How might they go about that? By selling those titular greens… aka weed. Set in Ibaraki prefecture, where Koyama grew up, teen Boku Hidemi (Sara Minami) has an abusive father,…
28th Far East Film Festival: “Kokuho” Review
What does it take to become the master of an art form? That’s the question at the heart of Lee Sang-il’s exquisite film Kokuho, which recounts the rise of young prodigy Kikuo Tachibana (played by Ryo Yoshizawa and Soya Kurokawa) in the world of kabuki. Kikuo, the son of a Yakuza boss, has a talent…
28th Far East Film Festival: “I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish” Review
Macau is often shown as a city of bright lights and easy fortune, where casinos rise like temples of luck and excess. But behind the glamour, there is another reality made up of ordinary people living in the shadow of debt and hope. I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish, directed by Chao…
28th Far East Film Festival: “Someone Like Me” Review
For many people with disabilities, intimacy is not simply a private matter; it is influenced by social barriers, misunderstandings, and often, limitations placed on them by others. There is a persistent assumption that people with disabilities are either asexual or should not pursue romantic or physical relationships at all. Families can become overprotective, sometimes out…
28th Far East Film Festival: “The World of Love” Review
Yoon Ga-eun has long been recognised for her work in capturing the emotional world of young people with rare honesty. From her early short films Guest (2011) and Sprout (2013) to her acclaimed features The World of Us and The House of Us, she has consistently explored childhood and the often complicated journey toward adulthood….
28th Far East Film Festival: “Blades of the Guardians” Review
In Blades of the Guardians, director Yuen Woo-ping returns to the wuxia tradition with a film that emphasises the physical and moral foundations of the genre. Known internationally for influencing the style of cinematic combat – just look at The Matrix trilogy and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Yuen treats the film as a way…
28th Far East Film Festival: “The Blood of Wolves” Review
Yakuza films, as a genre, have evolved exponentially since they first emerged in the silent movie era of the Japanese film industry. Initially depicted as sympathetic Robin Hood-like characters who were forced to live their lives as outlaws, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the violent, brutish image of Yakuza as we know it came…
28th Far East Film Festival: KOCCA on Screen with Yoo Yeon-seok in Attendance
A new “letter” is being added to the story of the 28th Far East Film Festival: K. K stands for Korea, and also for KOCCA – the Korea Creative Content Agency. One of the key highlights of this year’s edition is a new collaboration between the Udine-based festival and KOCCA, the South Korean government organisation…
VIEW OF THE ARTS 