the immortal

One project I’m looking forward to is director Victor Vu’s latest foray with The Immortal, reteaming him with fellow cohorts Jason Ninh Cao and action director Vincent Tran (Doctor Strange) since collaborating for last year sci-fi action thriller Loi Bao. Both are actually on my own menu as we speak with the latter already having had its regional rollout in Vietnam and with any luck the film won’t be too far off from some wholly welcome acquisition news in due time.

At any rate though, the project now stands poised for a little more profusion with an upcoming festival premiere at this year’s sixth edition of the East Winds Film Festival, now announcing Loi Bao as event’s Opening Gala and with Vu serving as one of this year’s special guests. Vu’s 2015 novel adaptation, Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass and 2014 thriller, Vengeful Heart, are also being slated for special screenings following the event’s launch on April 30.

Hit up the announcement below and the official website for good measure!

East Winds Film Festival, the only major film festival of East Asian cinema outside of London and the first of its kind in the Midlands, returns to the UK City of Culture between 30th April and 4th May for its sixth edition, taking place at Coventry University’s state-of-the-art Square One 3D Cinema.

Promoting a broad spectrum of popular cinema from throughout the East Asian region, the festival has grown significantly in size and reputation since its commencement in 2011 and it is quickly making its way to the forefront of film festivals in the country.

The success of the 2017 event, which saw more than 1,500 filmgoers from across the West Midlands enjoy a total of 19 International, European and UK Premieres, bears testimony to East Asian cinema’s position as one of the most exciting and influential industries in the world.

In true East Winds style, this year’s selected Opening Gala film will keep audiences on the edge of their seat and craving for more. Victor Vu’s action-packed origin story “Loi Bao” will come to life on the silver screen for its World Festival Premiere, taking audiences on the journey of a terminally ill man who undergoes an illegal and experimental medical treatment that gives him superhuman abilities.

An award-winning director behind some of the highest grossing films in Vietnamese cinema history, Victor Vu has been confirmed as one of the special guests at this year’s edition.

Vu gained international acclaim with his 2015 coming of age drama “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass”, the country’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 89th Academy Awards, and 2014 record-breaking thriller “Vengeful Heart”, both of which will be showcased as special screenings.

Based on a best-selling novel and set in rural Vietnam, “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” is the touching story of two young brothers whose lives are changed forever by a brutal act of violence, leaving them to discover the true meaning of friendship.

In direct contrast, “Vengeful Heart”, which is set to receive its World Festival Premiere, follows a newly married couple thrown into an endless and frightening nightmare after the wife receives a transplant of a cursed heart that causes here to have terrifying visions.

East Winds represents a unique opportunity for West Midlands audiences to not only immerse themselves in some of the most hotly anticipated East Asian productions, but also to meet directors, actors and producers in an informal environment.

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