festivals and events
Hey New York City! Check Out What’s Ahead For JAPAN CUTS 2016 In July!
Make note of the embedded playlist below this paragraph with all the trailers available, and read the announcement just beneath with every single detail you could need, as well as links to the official Japan Society website!
THE RETURN OF THE TRILOGY Kicks Off Roadshow This Summer For Alamo Drafthouse
The official announcement is below with all you need to know, and a link to do what you need to do to get a seat as fast as 12 parsecs!
Subway Cinema Lines Up Its Titles For The 6th OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST
Subway Cinema, the crew behind the legendary New York Asian Film Festival (celebrating its 15th anniversary!) is teaming up with Metrograph to unleash the 6th OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST – a barrage of the rarest, wildest, and most incredible martial arts and action movies from the 60’s through the 90’s.
'Blade' Fans Are Throwing A BLOODRAVE In Amsterdam This October!
However, according to Your EDM, the event hosts have acknowledged this particular inquiry, saying, “…It is pushing borders, but we want to see how far we can go…”. And whatever happens, they’re apparently going to the tune of 1,300 gallons of it.
JAPAN CUTS 2014 Announces 27 Titles And Much More!
New York, NY — North America’s largest showcase of Japanese film and “One of the loopiest… and least predictable of New York’s film festivals” (New York Magazine), JAPAN CUTS: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema returns for its eighth annual installment.
Jackie Chan To Launch Self-Titled 'International Action Week' For SIFF 2015
It’s not exactly news that actor and action superstar Jackie Chan loves action movies, and his lifelong devotion to kung fu and the magic of cinema speaks for itself, evolving from his younger years as a Peking opera performer and professional stuntman, to actor, award-winning Hong Kong and Hollywood superstar, philanthropist and Guiness World Record holder. However, this week, Chan‘s generosity continues to prove boundless, in light of the events at the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival underway this month.
Next year when the festival launches again for its 18th year, Chan will partake in a new sidebar event title Jackie Chan International Action Week, a week that will incorporate a forum about action movies, and screenings of various action movies from around the world – including Chan‘s own films followed by a prize ceremony a public online voting system. The week long event will also include seminars on innovative action choreography and technique, as well as look into the use of computer technology for action design.
In a statement from Chan according to THR, Chan says, “Jackie Chan International Action Movie Week aims at commending excellent film-makers who have made great contributions to the world’s action movies, shown extraordinary performances, technical innovations guided new action talents, and made great efforts in passing on Chinese action movie traditions or promoted its development,”.
The news comes in light of Chan‘s current production of his new period action epic with director Daniel Lee titled Dragon Blade, one of three scheduled productions for the year next to the forthcoming production of Skiptrace with Renny Harlin directing, followed by the sequel production of Chinese Zodiac 2.
The 17th annual Shanghai International Film Festival contines as of June 14 through this Sunday. To learn more about the festival, visit their official website.
CANNES 2014: What's New With Idris Elba?
From being a ‘Loser’ and a ‘Taker’ to being the gatekeeper of Asgaard and canceling the apocalypse in a Jaeger, actor Idris Elba has served his own good fair share of excitement for filmgoers in several action roles throughout his career in recent years. Point in fact, some fans have even gone so far in the past few years as to generate talk among fans of him hopefully inheriting the role of James Bond in the 007 franchise – rumors he no less dispelled earlier this year.
But that doesn’t mean the action will disappear. Nope, not by a long shot. The Marché du Film in Cannes is in full effect this month, and Elba has made quite a few headlines along the way, starting with the current production of Sin nombre helmer, Cary Fukanaga’s new war drama, Beasts Of No Nation. Fukanaga’s script is based on the inspired work of author Uzodinma Iwela, whose 2005 novel publication (attributed to late Nigerian recording artist, Fela Kuti’s 1989 album of the same name) centers on the story of a young boy forced into servitude as a child soldier in an unnamed West African country. Red Crown Productions is currently putting the film together on-location in Ghana with WME holding North American rights for the film’s expected arrival by next year.
Also on deck is recent announcement of North American pick up for director James Watkins’ latest international suspense thriller, Bastille Day by Focus Features. Actress Adèle Exarchopoulos joins Elba in a script by Andrew Baldwin about a rogue CIA agent who is reluctantly forced to partner with an American con-artist to foil a terrorist plot in France. Vendome Pictures and Anonymous Content are producing the film which is expected to shoot this summer with financing by international sales agent Studiocanal.
In addition, there’s much more ahead for Elba fans and action cinephiles alike, especially for those who have grown fond of Banlieue 13, Taken and From Paris With Love helmer Pierre Morel whose new film, The Gunman, also earned a spot in Cannes this week. Based on the 2002 novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette, Elba joins actors Ray Winstone, Javier Bardem and leading man Sean Penn who plays a special forces soldier suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whose pursuit of a new life with his childhood sweetheart is stopped short when the organization he works for pulls him back in the field forcing him to trek across Europe in order to clear his name. Open Road Films picked up the North American rights to the film last week prior to unveiling its sales poster, which you can check out below.
Elba is also poised to star with actress Taraji P. Henson in the forthcoming September thriller, No Good Deed, his latest reunion with director Sam Miller since the 2010 UK television crime drama, Luther. As to whether or not he will return to guard the Bifrost once more as Heimdall for the Ragnarok storyline in Thor 3 for Marvel, that remains to be seen as things are still very early.
Stick around.
H/T: Variety, Screendaily, AICN, Cocoa Fab
DRAGONFEST Returns This Sunday!
BURBANK, CA. – (NewMediaWire) – May 15, 2014 – The city of Burbank prepares to host the largest martial arts convention on the Western coastline. Referred to at the Dragonfest Convention and hosted by the Martial Arts History Museum, is set to draw in thousands of martial arts enthusiasts, fans and lovers of the kung fu theater genre. Dragonfest will be held in the grand ballroom at the Holiday Inn Media Center this Sunday, May 18, 2014.
Survive The Night When THE PURGE: BREAKOUT Hits Your City!
The first installment of The Purge got some mixed reactions by critics when it was released last year. I personally enjoyed the first and look forward to the sequel, The Purge: Anarchy when it releases later this summer.
Bearing this in mind, those who enjoy the dystopian future America that writer and director James DeMonaco has crafted will get to endulge the experience first hand in the form of what is being described as an “immersive real-life horror escape-experience” when Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions launch “The Purge: Breakout” this summer. The official press release below has all the details:
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., May 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Purge: Breakout, an immersive real-life horror-escape experience, will travel throughout the United States this summer, offering fans an opportunity to step inside the world of the film franchise The Purge, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions announced today. The Purge: Anarchy arrives in theaters nationwide on July 18, 2014.
In The Purge: Breakout, it’s the annual Purge Night, when citizens across the country exercise their right of anarchy. Your group is being held captive by a demented psychopath, 30 minutes before The Purge begins. Trapped in his house, groups must work together—solving a series of increasingly complicated, mind-bending puzzles and clues—to breakout from captivity and survive the most terrifying 12 hours of the year.
“Our goal with The Purge: Breakout is to bring the universe of The Purge films directly to the audience,” said Jason Blum, founder and CEO, Blumhouse Productions. “This experience allows fans across the county the chance to immerse themselves in the intricate world that the series’ writer/director, James DeMonaco, has so painstakingly crafted. We hope that they enjoy being scared out of their minds.”
Based on popular escape-room adventures taking Asia and the United States by storm, this mobile attraction will be set up in unique locations across America, fully immersing visitors into a horror experience like no other.
The Purge: Breakout tour begins in Atlanta on May 30 and travels to Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas throughout the summer. Its last stop will be from July 11 – 20 in Los Angeles.
For more information, FAQs and ticketing, please visit www.thepurgebreakout.com.
If you’re new to The Purge franchise, the first film is already available wherever films are sold. The sequel, The Purge: Anarchy, releases on July 18, and if you missed the most recent trailer, check it out below.
H/T: SF Business Times
JOURNEY TO THE EAST: Hong Kong Cinema Legends Vincent Lyn And Robert Samuels Head To ‘Moving Image’ Museum This Month!
Martial arts film buffs and action fans alike who take a particular interest in the 80’s and 90’s niche of classic Hong Kong action cinema might be familiar with long time best friends, comrades in film and brothers in life, actors Vincent Lyn and Bobby Samuels. Both carry a memorable shared legacy in Asian action cinema, with such respective credits as The Blonde Fury, Red Wolf, and the 2001 Roberto Lopez film, Blazin’ to name a few. And on May 16,, the two will take the stage once again at New York City’s Museum Of The Moving Image for Journey to the East: The Tao of Kung Fu and Stardom, a Q & A discussion panel held as part of the museum’s monthly Fist and Sword series.
Check out the description:
Kung-fu cinema in Hong Kong has been shaped by its pantheon of legendary actors, who have become as synonymous with the genre as its filmmakers. This discussion with selected film clips, moderated by Fist and Sword co-curator Warrington Hudlin, features two martial artists who were born and raised in the West, and through their extraordinary skill, determination, and risk-taking, became part of a pioneering lineage of action stars in Hong Kong. Bobby Samuels is the first African-American inducted into the Hong Kong Stuntman’s Association. His prolific film career—spanning fifteen features over two decades—began in 1990 when he moved to Hong Kong. He has worked with legendary directors and choreographers such as Sammo Hung and Yuen Woo-ping. Vincent Lyn is an action star, model, author, and Grammy-winning musician. He discovered his Ling-Gar kung-fu family lineage when he went to Hong Kong to connect with his half-Chinese heritage. There, he quickly rose to stardom, starring in over 25 feature films. Jackie Chan called Lyn one of the best fighters he has ever worked with; they were both featured in the spectacular climatic battle sequence in Operation Condor (1991). Vincent Lyn will sign his book Kung Fu in the Real World: The Ling Gar Legacy (2011, Budo International Publishing Co.) in the Moving Image Store following the discussion.
The series has already held a few amazing events this year, including a screening of Zoë Bell’s latest action horror, Raze, and an early star-studded screening of Gareth Evans’ latest film, The Raid 2, which is still touring the world. This month’s events will be no different, with Lyn and Samuels taking questions, sharing their stories and experiences and much more.
“I am extremely excited and honored to be a part of this event, a first of its kind,” says Samuels. “For the first, I will finally share my experiences of living and working with Sammo Hung and other prolific directors in Asia. I hope to inspire a new generation to take a leap of faith and go for your dreams. With dedication and a lot of luck I was able to beat the odds, especially as a African American. Vincent and I will share our career paths with the public for the first time, along with highlights of our films in Hong Kong.”
Samuels will also be making a scheduled appearance at the Urban Action Showcase and Expo this November to represent new co-directorial debut with The Last Days Saga helmer Kaloni Davis titled Beast, from Global Star Productions and starring Samuels’ action prodigy, actor Gary Peebles. For more information on the UASE, (click here).
In the meantime, tickets for Journey to the East: The Tao of Kung Fu and Stardom will cost $12 with $9 for senior citizens and free entry for museum members. To purchase your ticket, get location info and learn more information about the museum, head over to their official website.
DRAGONFEST Returns This Year!
BURBANK, Calif. – (NewMediaWire) – April 24, 2014 – The city of Burbank is surrounded by some of the most notable studios in the motion picture and television industry: Disney, Dreamworks, Warner Bros., Nickolodeon, the Cartoon Network and so many more. It is considered the media industry capitol of the world. Now, you can add the “martial arts capitol of the world” as Burbank will be hosting one of the largest martial arts conventions in America. The DRAGONFEST convention, which will take place on May 18, is a place in which thousands of fans will be able to enjoy martial arts history and meet some of the greatest pioneers of the arts.