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"East" New York
Hong Kong star Andy Lau and the final film from Akira Kurosawa headline the 23rd annual Asian American International Film Festival.
By MICHAEL BERRY
Offoffoff.com
On July 21, the 2000 Asian American International Film Festival
(AAIFF) comes to New York. Now in its 23rd season, AAIFF has become
something of an institution and, with the growing popularity of Asian
cinema in the U.S. in recent years (thanks largely to such Honk
Kong superstars as Jacky Chan, Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, and John Woo), is
proving to be an increasingly important forum for introducing the newest
and most cutting-edge cinema from Asia. In past years AAIFF film has
proved to consistently shock, fascinate, offend and inspire, and from
this year's schedule, it seems clear that this year will be no
exception.
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| ASIAN-AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL |
23rd annual Asian American International Film Festival, featuring new Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Korean and American films.
Related links:
Official site
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Among the highlights of this year's festival is the opening-night
feature, "Running Out of Time" (Fri., July 21, and Sat., July 29, 7 p.m.),
starring Hong Kong superstar
singer and actor Andy Lau as a diamond thief in what is being heralded
as the most spectacular performance of his 15-year acting career. A
big winner at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards, the HK equivalent of
the Academy Awards, the buzz is that this Johnnie-To-directed action
thriller may very well be Lau's ticket to Hollywood. Andy Lau, who
will be making his first-ever stateside film festival appearance, will
also be joined at the Friday-night screening by Joan Chen ("The Last
Emperor," "Xiu Xiu").
Other don't-misses include: "Madadayo" (Sat., July 22, 3 p.m.) the final directorial
masterpiece from the man who is arguably the most influential and
innovative directors of all time, Akira Kurosawa. "So Close To Paradise"
(Sat., July 29, 3 p.m.)
from sixth-generation avant-garde director Wang Xiaoshuai ("Frozen"), a
social drama set in the '80s about two friends who find themselves
in love with the same woman. And "Buenos Aires Zero Degree" (Sat., July 29, 7 p.m.), the
much-anticipated and talked-about documentary about the making of Wong
Kar-wai's controversial "Happy Together."
The 23rd International Asian American Film Festival runs
July 21-23 and 28-29, 2000 at Florence Gould Hall at the French
Institute/Alliance Francaise. For schedule and ticket information call
Asian CineVision at (212) 989-1422 or visit their site at
www.asiancinevision.org/ff2000.
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Festival articles
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JULY 20, 2000
OFFOFFOFF.COM • THE GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE NEW YORK
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