Lee Hoi-Sang (15 April 1941 in British Hong Kong - 9 September 2024).

A direct disciple of Wind Chun grand master Ip Man and veteran actor of nearly 40 years playing various roles in Hong Kong films and TV dramas. Lee Hoi-Sang used his martial arts skills in various roles as well as teaching the art to students. He died 9 September 2024 at the age of 83 due to a bacterial infection.

Full filmography
1974    Shatter - Referee Hanson Lee - Uncredited
            Heroes Two - Tibetan Lama Fighter in Red - Kung Fu Invaders
            The Drug Addict    - Boss Tseng (Lung Tai) - Xi Du Zhe
            Mad World of Fools - Brief Appearance - Guai Ren Guai Shi
            The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires - Uncredited
            Young Lovers on Flying Wheels - Xu Ci Hua   
            Paris Killers - Support Role
   
1975    The Spiritual Boxer - Shum   
            The Young Rebel - Master Liu   
            Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Peking Opera Thug - Uncredited
            Big Brother Cheng - One of Prince Ji's Men
   
1976    The Condemned - One of Sheng's Men   
            Million Dollars Snatch - Detective   
            Bruce Lee: The Man, the Myth - Challenger to Bruce Lee on the set of Enter the Dragon - Documentary

1977    Enter the Invincible Hero - Intro Fighter - Archive Footage
            Executioners from Shaolin - Monk Chi San   
            Deadly Angels - Chen Lai (Thug)   
            The Invincible Armour - Hu Lung   
            Money Crazy - Chan's Bodyguard - Fat Chin Hon
            Soul Brothers of Kung Fu - Master Hai Sheng Lee - Bei Po
            Winner Takes All - Support Role   
            He Has Nothing But Kung Fu  - Wang's Top Fighter
   
1978   Enter Three Dragons - Iron Head   
            The 36th Chamber of Shaolin - Abbot of Justice   
            Dynamo - Bald Training Partner   
            Soul of the Sword - Sire's Chief Pole Fighter - Sha Jue
            Shaolin Mantis - Mongol Fighter   
            Bruce Lee in New Guinea - Blue Cape Fighter - Big Boss in Borneo
            Enter the Fat Dragon - Professor Pai's Karate Thug   
            The Tattoo Connection - Eyepatch - Cameo
            Swordsman and Enchantress - One of 2 Zombies of the West   
            Hello, Late Homecomers - Support Role   
            The Extras - Tiger   
            Warriors Two - Ya Chao (Iron Fist)   
            Shaolin Challenges Ninja - Bald Pupil   
            Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog - Crab Claw Master (White Brow Monk)   
            Descendant of Wing Chun - Ma Lung   
            Heroes of the East - Martial Art Student   
            Follow the Star - Kidnapper   
            Enter the Game of Death - First Boss
   
1979    Kung Fu Genius - Li Hai Sheng - Tian Cai Gong Fu
            The Incredible Kung Fu Master - Yang Wei   
            The Best Hustler Wins - Teahouse Strongman   
            Bruce and the Iron Finger - Bald Killer   
            Three Avengers - Guo Lie - Enter Three Dragons
            The Reckless Cricket - Street Performer (Old Fellow)   
            Money Trip       
            Green Hat Guy      
            Knockabout - Painter Danno   
            Fists and Guts - Big Pang (Blacksmith)   
            Legend of Feng Hsui - Bit Part
            Odd Couple - Bald Thug with Knives   
            Butcher Wing - Master Woo Ching Cheng   
            Last Hurrah for Chivalry - Pak Chung Tong   
            Goose Boxer - White-Crested Crane   
            Magnificent Butcher - Master Ko Ba Tin   
            My 12 Kung Fu Kicks - Kwai (Iron Skin Master)   
            The Shadow Boxing - Zhou Qian Tai - Spiritual Boxer 2
            Ol' Dirty Kung Fu - Lung Yung Feng - Mad Mad Kung Fu
            Funny Children
       
1980    Bastard Kung Fu Master - Kung Fu Monk - Cameo
            The Kung Fu Warrior - Support Role   
            The Young Master - Kam's Second Bodyguard   
            An Old Kung Fu Master       
            The Buddhist Fist - Mr. Chen   
            Young Outcasts - Hai-Sheng Li   
            The Sword - Chou Huan   
            Laughing Times - Ting's Bodyguard   
            Two Toothless Tigers - Support Role
   
1981    Game of Death II - Bald Spade Fighter Monk - Assistant Stunt Coordinator
            Phantom Killer - Kam Tin Bar (Chin Tien Pa) - Pink Skull
            The Gold Hunters - Lee Shan - Rat Street
            Krazy Kops   
            Security Unlimited - Robber with Pump-gun   
            The Prodigal Son - Chang's Kungfu Teacher
   
1982    Shaolin Prince - Monk Dao Kong - Stunt Coordinator
            The Big Sting - Shark   
            Mercenaries from Hong Kong - He Ying's Bald Killer
   
1983    Play Catch - Billion's Thug - Shao Ye Wei Wei
            Shaolin and Wu Tang - Brother Fa-Chi   
            Demon of the Lute - Chia-Sheng (Red-Haired Evil)   
            Shaolin Intruders - Abbot Kong Xing - Stunt Coordinator
            Men from the Gutter - Zeng Cai   
            Project A - Li Chou Kou   

1984    The Supreme Swordsman - Qing Qing's Grandfather   
            Crazy Kung Fu Master - Bald Gangster   
            The Company - Gangster   
            Wits of the Brats - 4 Eyes   
            The Lightning Fists of Shaolin - Instructor Zheng Hong - Stunt Coordinator
            Lust for Love of a Chinese Courtesan - Bald Swordsman (Ju San's Brother)   
            The Ghost Informer - Robber   

1985   Crazy Shaolin Disciples - Master Kua (Monk Guy Hong)   
            Disciples of the 36th Chamber - Tiger Lei   
            The Protector - Wing (Hong Kong Version) - Uncredited
            Crazy Romance - Prison Guard in Van   
            My Lucky Stars 2: Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars - Boss Lau's Driver   
            Heart of Dragon - Rascal at Restaurant - The First Mission

1986    Peking Opera Blues - Captain (Soldier with Moustache)   
            The Family Strikes Back - One of Kiu's Henchmen   

1987    Project A Part II - Choy
   
1988    One Way Ticket to Bangkok
       
1989    Miracles - Sang (Thug)
   
1990    Front Page - Dragon
   
1991    Don't Fool Me - Big Mouth   
            Legend of the Dragon - Blind Temple Keeper   
            The Banquet - Man at Dinner
   
1993    First Shot - Rice Shop Boss (Chiu's Man)   
            Bogus Cops - Triad in Bar - Zou Lao Wei Long
            The Kung Fu Scholar - Copper Head
   
1994    The Wild Lovers - Prisoner - Chi Re Qing Yuan

1995    Kung Fu Cop
       
2003    Dragon Loaded
       
2008    The Luckiest Man - Fat's Buddy
   
2009    Kung Fu Chefs - Great Grandfather
   
2011    The Fortune Buddies - Kung Fu Expert
   
2012    I Love Hong Kong 2012 - Kwok Ching's Colleague   

2020    Kung Fu Stuntmen - Self - Documentary

7 September 2024, (Sat) 6:30 PM local time, if you're in the Los Angeles area the 2nd Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival is showing Director Tsui Hark's 1991 film ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA in a 4K restoration.

Once Upon a Time in China sees Jet Li inhabit and redefine the role of real-life folk hero Wong Fei-hung, the main character of the world's longest-running movie series – yes, even more prolific than James Bond. As worldwide colonial forces seek to invade and rule over 19th-century Guangzhou, Wong, the locally popular doctor and martial arts teacher, must save his city from further conflict between East and West. In the role that cemented his stardom, Li portrays Wong's masculinity not only with bedazzling martial arts choreography, but also with modern-day vulnerability,

Please visit the website for more information and for tickets here: ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA

Also visit Hong Kong On Screens film festival website for additional films that will be featured this year: List of featured films

 

Did you know? Many classic films from Hong Kong have won key awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, known as one of the "big three" film festivals in the world. Recipients include major directors such as Ann Hui, Yim Ho, Allen Fong, and Stanley Kwan and this year, SUK SUK director Ray Yeung joins the ranks with his new film ALL SHALL BE WELL, winning two awards including the Teddy Award for Best LGBTQ Film across all sections, marking Hong Kong's first Teddy Award in 26 years after HOLD YOU TIGHT. Yeung's international achievement is well worth celebrating, and the Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival is proud to host the Los Angeles Premiere of his film! Tickets are still on sale through our official website: ALL SHELL BE WELL

More films shown at the 2nd Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA, USA: List of Films

Hong Kong On Screen is a non-profit organization supported by volunteers. Please help them by giving your donations: Donation

Global Box Office News

This season Disney, together with its 20th Century Studios brand, led summer 2024 with $1.53 billion (USD) thanks to a comeback in brands Pixar with 'Inside Out 2' and MCU with 'Deadpool & Wolverine', as well as its Fox brands of 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' and 'Alien: Romulus'. Disney is up 121% over last summer's $692 million misfires of 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny', 'The Haunted Mansion' and the foreign fallout of 'Little Mermaid'.

Universal came second that also includes Focus Features films with $754.6M (+23% from the summer of 'Oppenheimer', the studio grossing $616M) built chiefly on the backs of 'Twisters' and 'Despicable Me 4'. 'Fall Guy' didn't fire off summer, and it was always meant to be off-season programming, but talk about getting blood from rock with $92.9M for that feathered fish off a $27.7M opening, a 3.3x multiple. That's close to the same multiple of David Leitch's last directed summer movie, 'Bullet Train' - it is noteworthy.

Sony was third after starting the summer streak back in early June with 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die', followed by its female romance renaissance, 'It Ends With Us'. The Culver City lot collected $520.4M including Sony Classics and Crunchyroll labels. The studio wasn't without their failures as they swung for the fences with this weekend's Blumhouse title 'Afraid' ($4.4M 4-day), 'Harold and the Purple Crayon' ($17M) and their distribution of Apple's silly expensive $100M 'Fly Me to the Moon' ($20.4M), off which Sony collected a distribution fee.

Paramount is next for the summer with $250M fueled by 'A Quiet Place: Day One' ($138.9M) and 'If' ($111.1M). Not serious for the Melrose lot which is about to get swallowed up by Skydance after a long summer negotiations - Skydance is the current motion picture administration in charge now. No need to get an ego and turn it upside down with fresh faces when the factory is humming, capisce?
After a robust spring with Legendary's 'Dune: Part Two' and 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire', which stateside combined grossed close to half billion, Warner Bros. couldn't crack $170M (-81% from the summer of 'Barbie' which drove $877M) comprised of two Shyamalan family movies, 'Trap' and 'The Watchers'; Kevin Costner's three-hour part-one western, 'Horizon', and George Miller's 'Mad Max: Fury Road' ($168M) price tag prequel, 'Furiosa', which the Burbank, CA lot had great faith in, however, the film didn't register with any mass audience at $67.4M.

Remembering Hong Kong's great actress Cheng Pei-Pei (6 January 1946 in Shanghai, China - 17 July 2024 in San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA) whose career continued on for decades with over a 100 films behind her, making a name for herself among the best-known actors. She was lead actress in King Hu's 1966 film Come Drink With Me, played Jade Fox in the Ang Lee directed 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and also acted in Disney's 2020 remake of Mulan.

She was born Jiang Pei-Pei in Shanghai. she was the eldest of four siblings; she had a brother and two sisters. Her father, Jiang Xuecheng, was a Kuomintang member who worked for the Shanghai Municipal Police in Shanghai International Settlement. After World War II, Jiang established China's first ink factory. In 1952, when Cheng was 6, her father was labeled a counter-revolutionary and sent to a labor camp in Inner Mongolia; she never saw him again, he died in 1963 without his family knowing. Cheng's mother was initially her father's secretary and later decided to change the children's surname to her own to protect them from their father's political consequences.

Cheng attended World Elementary School in Shanghai where she was a schoolmate of future movie stars Grace Chang and Chen Hou. She went to the Shanghai No. 3 Girls' High School, where she was a schoolmate of Lydia Shum. She also studied ballet for six years in Shanghai. In the mid-1950s, Cheng's mother and siblings moved to Hong Kong, leaving Cheng in the care of a nanny in Shanghai before the nanny also left. Cheng lived independently for several years and following her mother finally moved to Hong Kong in 1960. In 1963, she was admitted to the training program at Shaw Brothers Studio. After graduating she joined the studio and made her film debut in The Lotus Lamp (1965), playing the male scholar Liu Yanchang opposite Lin Dai. Cheng followed this with her first female lead role in the Taiwanese drama film Lovers' Rock (1964).

Due to her Mandarin skills and dance background, she quickly worked her way up in the Hong Kong film industry at a time when the Mandarin-language productions commanded higher budgets and wider distribution than Cantonese works. Cheng gained fame for starring in the Hong Kong wuxia film Come Drink with Me directed by King Hu in 1966. The story of the film was set during the Ming Dynasty, Cheng playing 'Golden Swallow' who is a skilled swordswoman on a mission to rescue her brother. Cheng continued to play expert swordswomen in a number of films throughout the 1960s.

In 1970, at the peak of her career, Cheng married and subsequently retired from acting, moving to the United States for her husband's business endeavors. She attended business school at the University of California, Irvine and also taught Chinese dance in Southern California. In the 1980s she founded a television production company in the United States and traveled across Hawaii and Northern California at her own expense to produce a documentary series about Chinese Americans. Both Cheng's TV business and her marriage failed around the same time. In 1987 she divorced from her husband but continued to live with him for two years. In 1989, her company declared bankruptcy and Cheng moved out of their house.

With the comedy Flirting Scholar (1993), Cheng successfully returned to acting in the 1990s Hong Kong. In 2000, she returned to international attention with her role as Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  directed by Ang Lee, whom Cheng had befriended in the 90s when she was host of KSCI's Mandarin talk show, Pei-Pei's Time.

Into the 21st century, she became active across Greater China with Chinese TV dramas such as Young Justice Bao (2000), Chinese Paladin (2004), and The Patriot Yue Fei (2012), as well as Singaporean TV dramas Spring of Life (2002) and Women of Times(2006). She gained new popularity among the younger generation with Chinese reality show Divas Hit the Road (2014). Her notable international credits included the action film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009), the British drama Lilting (2014), the Canadian drama Meditation Park (2017), and Disney's live-action remake of Mulan (2020) as the match maker.

Upon receiving a lifetime achievement award in Hong Kong in 2015, Cheng reflected on her acting career as follows: "I always remember that I represent the Hong Kong people. So no matter where I am in the world, I will always identify myself as a Hong Kong actress and maintain the professionalism that a Hong Kong actress should have."

Filmography

2022        The King of Wuxia - as Self
2020        Mulan - as The Matchmaker

2019        Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks - as Self
2019        Bell Chamber - as Qin Yi
2019        In a New York Minute - as Amy's Mother
2019        Flirting Scholar from the Future - as Mistress Hua
2017        Meditation Park - as Maria
2017        Blind Date (52 episodes)
2017        Little Valentine (40 episodes) - as Niu Zhenzhen
2016        Goldstone - as Mrs. Lao
2016        Dragon Girls! - as Herself
2016        Good Take, Too! - as (segment "The Lighthouse of My Life")
2016        The Sleeping Beauty (80 episodes) - as 秦奶奶
2015        Lost in Wrestling - as Yuanyuan
2015        回到未來錢 (1 episode)
2014        The Eyes of Dawn
2014        The Scroll of Wing Chun White Crane
2014        Lilting - as Junn
2014        Divas Hit the Road (8 episodes)
2014        The Legend of Run Run Shaw - as Herself
2013        千金归来 (50 episodes) - as Mother Rong
2013        Legend of Hua Mulan (57 episodes) - as Grandma Xia
2012        Singular Cay
2012        非常后妈 (30 episodes) - as 杜奶奶
2012        自古英雄出少年 (38 episodes) - as 贝婆婆
2012        Time and Tide Wait for No Man: A Touch of King Hu - as Self
2011        Speed Angels - as Auntie Fen
2011        Coming Back - as God Ni
2011        Legendary Amazons - as She Taijun
2011        Shanghai Legend (16 episodes) - as 毛坚
2011        The Guardsman
2011        My Wedding and Other Secrets - as Mrs Chu
2010        一一向前冲 (28 episodes) - as Dr. Tian
2010        A Weaver on the Horizon (36 episodes)
2010        Flirting Scholar 2 - as Madame Wah
2010        Fortune King Is Coming to Town! - as Mrs Liang

2009        Remembrance Of Dreams Past (42 episodes) as 陆老夫人
2009        Blood Ties - as Madam Lee
2009        Taishan Kung Fu
2009        Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - as Zhilan
2009        Basic Love
2008        Kung Fu Killer 2 - as Myling
2008        Kung Fu Killer - as Myling
2008        Love Under the Sign of the Dragon - as Tham
2008        Special Boys - as 兰姑妈
2007        They Wait - as Aunt Mei
2007        The Counting House - as Lia
2007        Shanghai Baby - as Conny
2006        Book and Sword: The Final Battle
2005        House of Harmony - as Amah
2005        李卫辞官 (42 episodes) - as 李卫母
2005        Dandelion (22 episodes)
2005        Strange Tales of Liao Zhai (36 episodes) - as 苗婆婆【阿宝】
2005        A Century of Light and Shadow - as Herself
2005        Insuperable Kid Huoyuanjia
2004        The Miracle Box - as Joanna's Mom
2004        Shui yue dong tian (30 episodes) - as 龙婆
2003        Cinema Hong Kong: The Beauties of the Shaw Studio as Herself
2003        Cinema Hong Kong: Wu Xia - as Herself
2002        Springs of Life (1 episode) - as Yun Shu Heng
2002        Naked Weapon as Faye Ching
2002        The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies - as Self
2002        Romance of Book and Sword (46 episodes) - as Empress Dowager Chongqing
2002        Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger - as Liu Ru Yan
2002        Book and Sword - as Huang Tai Hou
2001        Grit & Polish: Heroines from Hong Kong - as Self
2001        Shadow Mask - as Red Goddess
2001        Legendary Fighter: Yang's Heroine (40 episodes) - as 佘赛花
2001        Heroes in Black (20 episodes) - as 冯 母
2000        Lavender
2000        Young Justice Bao (40 episodes) - as Bao's Mother(包夫人)
2000        Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - as Jade Fox
2000        Fist Power - as Brian's mother

1999        The Truth About Jane and Sam - as Sam's mother
1999        A Man Called Hero - as Bai Sulian
1999        Hua Mulan (48 episodes) - as Li Liang's Mother
1999        Four Chefs and a Feast
1999        Young Master Of Shaolin (40 episodes) - as Wumei
1999        Lord Of Imprisonment (56 episodes) - as 老板娘
1998        马永贞之争霸上海滩 (22 episodes)
1997        Master Ma (42 episodes)
1996        Top Fighter 2 - as Self (Archive Footage)
1996        How to Meet the Lucky Stars
1996        Wong Fei Hung Series : The Final Victory
1995        Wong Fei Hung Series (20 episodes)
1994        From Zero to Hero
1994        Lover's Lover
1994        The Gods Must Be Funny in China
1994        Wing Chun - as Ng Mui
1994        Kung Fu Mistress
1993        Kidnap of Wong Chak Fai - as Kung Tse Sam
1993        Flirting Scholar - as Madame Wah
1988        Painted Faces - as Ching

1984        Huo Dong Ge (30 episodes) - as 陈士超
1983        All the King's Men
1982        Lady Piranha- as Jo 'Lady Piranha' Chan

1974        Whiplash - as Hu Pien-Tze
1973        None But the Brave - as Shao Ying
1972        The Yellow Muffler - as Singer
1971        The Shadow Whip - as Miss Yun/Yang Kai Yun
1971        The Lady Hermit - as Leng Yu Shuang (Lady Hermit)
1970        Brothers Five - as Heroine Yen Hsing-kung
1970        Lady of Steel - as Fang Ying Qi

1969        The Golden Sword - as Ngai Jin-Feng
1969        Raw Courage - as Shangguan Xiuyi
1969        The Flying Dagger - as Yu Ying
1969        Dragon Swamp - as Qing-Erh / Fan Ying
1968        The Jade Raksha - as Leng Qiu Han (The Jade Raksha)
1968        That Fiery Girl - as Hot Chilli/Pearl
1968        Golden Swallow - as Golden Swallow Xie Ru Yan
1967        Operation Lipstick - as Li Bing
1967        Blue Skies - as Chen Yun
1967        The Dragon Creek - as Kuo Erh Niu
1967        The Thundering Sword - as So Jiau Jiau
1967        Hong Kong Nocturne - as Chia Chuan Chuan
1966        The Joy of Spring - as Herself (Cameo)
1966        Princess Iron Fan - as White Bone Demon
1966        Come Drink with Me - as Golden Swallow
1965        The Lotus Lamp - as Liu Yan-Chang
1965        Song of Orchid Island - as Olan
1964        Lover's Rock - as Lin Chiu-tzu
1964        The Last Woman of Shang - as Dancing girl

The Busan International Film Festival has grown from Korea's first international film festival to Korea's largest, and has become a film festival loved by many filmmakers and audiences not only in Asia but also in the world. As of 2019, 299 works were invited from a total of 85 countries, and the number of theaters that started with 6 has increased to 37. In addition, the 'Busan Cinema Center' opened in 2011, which is an exclusive venue of the Busan International Film Festival and has become a landmark in Busan.

In the early days of its establishment, it was simply focused on building the best film festivals in Asia and promoting Korean films to the world. Today, it is also serving as a bridgehead to promote Asian films to the world by discovering and supporting various films and talented filmmakers.

As a non-competitive film festival that rose to the top in such a short period of time, the Busan International Film Festival played a decisive role in making Busan the center of the film industry as well as the city of film.

About the festival

28 Screens in 7 Theaters
Busan Cinema Center, CGV Centum City, LOTTE CINEMA Centum City, KOFIC Theater
※ Community BIFF: MEGABOX Busan Cinema, Busan Museum of Movies, Hansung 1918 Busan Lifestyle Culture Center

279 films in total
Official Selection: 224 films from 63 countries (World + International Premiere: 99 films / World Premiere: 86 films / International Premiere: 13 films )
Community BIFF: 55 films

This year

1) Increased number of screenings, expansion in quantity and quality
Compared to last year's 209 screenings, this year's screenings will increase by roughly 8%, to 224. This is the result of efforts to maintain a scale befitting Asia's top film festival through self-financing, despite the 50% cut in government subsidy compared to last year. To keep up with the increase in screenings, the KOFIC Theater has been secured as an additional venue.

2) The Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award – KUROSAWA Kiyoshi
The recipient of this year's Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award will be director Kurosawa Kiyoshi. Kurosawa has made many genre films such as Cure (1997), Pulse (2001), and Retribution (2006), but he has gained a wider fandom with his unique individuality as an auteur. This year, two of his new films will be shown at the Busan International Film Festival: Serpent's Path (2024) and Cloud.

3) Special Program in Focus – 'Miguel GOMES, a filmmaker of Joyful Melancholy'
A Special Program in Focus on Miguel Gomes, who won the Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival this year for Grand Tour, and established himself as a young master of the 21st century with his feature Tabu (2012), will be presented. Busan International Film Festival 2024 will showcase eight feature films of the auteur, and invite the director—also a former film critic—to shed light on his cinema.

4) Special Program in Focus – 'Teen Spirit, Teen Movie'
A Special Program in Focus that gathers new films with teenage narratives from around Asia will be presented. These coming-of-age films that have garnered much international attention include: Tiger Stripes (2023), which won the Grand Prix Prize at Critics' Week during Cannes Film Festival 2023; City of Wind (2023), winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at Venice International Film Festival 2023; My Sunshine, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival 2024; and Happyend, which was invited to the Orizzonti section of Venice International Film Festival 2024.

5) Special Program in Focus – 'In Memory of LEE Sun-kyun'
A Special Program in Focus of the works of the late actor Lee Sun-kyun, who passed away in 2023, will be presented. Lee's well-known films Paju (2009), Our Sunhi (2013), A Hard Day (2014), Parasite (2019), Land of Happiness, as well an episode from the limited TV series My Mister (2018), will be screened, for a total of six works. This will be an opportunity to reflect on the significance and presence of Lee Sun-kyun as an actor.

6) The newly inaugurated 'Documentary Audience Award'
The festival is introducing the Documentary Audience Award in order to promote and popularize Asian documentary films and filmmaking. The award will be given to the film that received the highest rating from festival audiences in the Wide Angle – Documentary Competition section, with a prize of KRW 10,000,000.

7) Festival offers Forum for Open Discussion and Communication
The Busan International Film Festival has always strived to create a space for open discussion and communication within the festival. This year the BIFF, in collaboration with major film companies, has initiated an open space for industry professionals, audience members, and experts to interact and communicate. Major participating groups include CJ ENM, NETFLIX, The E&M, and DMP Studio. Glenn S. Gainor (Head of Physical Production Amazon Original Movies, Amazon Studios), TJ Falls (Vice President of Visual Effects, Lucasfilm), and others will be featured panelists.

Microsoft to showcase Coalescence of Contents and Technology
Since drawing attention for its message "AI Is Not Creative, You Are" at Marché du Film 2024, Microsoft will be hosting a booth at the Busan International Film Festival and Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), marking its first appearance at an Asian film festival. At BIFF Hill, part of the Busan Cinema Center, Microsoft will host a lounge where audience members can experience AI firsthand. Microsoft's ACFM booth will preview a Copilot feature, showcasing the coalescence of technology and contents.

9) Community BIFF, BIFF Everywhere, Connecting the Future
Community BIFF and BIFF Everywhere will connect its participants under the name of the cineaste. The keyword of the 7th Community BIFF is 'Future', and the keyword of the 4th BIFF Everywhere is 'Connect'. These two events set out to collaborate with various corporate institutions, academia, and other organizations, in pursuit of a brighter future for the next generation. Encouraging all young spirits who have their own aspirations, Community BIFF and BIFF Everywhere will step up as an irreplaceable, community-driven cultural celebration encompassing almost everything including film, dance, music, literature, science, technology, and urban landmarks.

10) ACFM launches 'Producer Hub' & AI Conference
This year, ACFM has established 'Producer Hub' to actively support information sharing and networking for producers aiming for international co-production and financing. South Korea has been selected as the 'Focus Country' for the first year, and various panel talks and networking events will be held accordingly. Strengthening its core conferences and hosting AI and OTT-related conferences, ACFM plans to provide the grounds for in-depth discussions on how Asia's IP and film industries can combine AI technology to be a trendsetter in today's rapidly changing digital environment, as well as survival strategies of Asian OTT platforms.

11) Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards
Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT (ACA&G.OTT) Awards 2024, now in its 6th year, is set to take place on Oct 6, 18:00 KST at the Busan Cinema Center. Since its inception in 2019, ACA & G.OTT Awards has encouraged the growth of the Asian contents market and expanded its scope globally since 2023, celebrating worldwide television, OTT, and online creative content. This year, ACA & G.OTT 2024 has selected 41 nominees from 10 countries across 11 categories, out of 201 submissions from 16 countries. The final winners will be determined by seven international jurors.

Please also visit the Official Website for additional information

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Hong Kong's legislature has passed a new law banning films deemed to violate China's national security interests, limiting freedom of expression in the territory. Punishment for violating the law includes up to three years imprisonment and $130,000 (USD) in fines.

Critics say the legislation will stifle the vibrant local film industry. Last year, China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong that effectively outlawed dissent. The legislation, which came after huge pro-democracy protests in 2019, criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Critics say it is aimed at crushing dissent but China says it is meant to maintain stability. The film censorship law was approved in the opposition-free Legislative Council. It gives the chief secretary - the second-most powerful figure in the city's administration - the power to revoke a film's licence if it is found to "endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite activities that might endanger national security".

Why is Hong Kong worried? Hong Kong's year under controversial law experts and content producers have raised worries about the impact of the legislation, which does not cover films posted online, on creativity and freedom of expression.

The bill was passed by a simple showing of hands, at the last meeting of the council's much extended current term. And despite the lack of opposition in the legislature, lawmakers still debate. Councillor Luk Chung-hung claimed it was political films that hindered creativity, not the proposed censorship law. Another councillor, Priscilla Leung, who is also a law professor, insisted the bill was in full compliance with human rights laws, and she hoped to stop such films from "brainwashing" young people.

Filmmakers will certainly be concerned. Dr Kenny Ng of the Hong Kong Baptist University's Film Academy said the new law would see film distributors worrying if their already-approved films would be withdrawn, meaning more uncertainty in the industry. Book publishers have admitted to self-censoring and the largest pro-democracy paper, Apple Daily, closed earlier this year amid a national security investigation. Meanwhile, many opposition figures are already in prison or in exile.

Hong Kong has created a world wide fan base with millions of fans who are now upset and fear that their favorite style of films will never be the same. The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese-language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of political and economic freedom than mainland China and Taiwan, and developed into a filmmaking hub for the Chinese-speaking world (including its worldwide diaspora).

For decades, Hong Kong was the third largest motion picture industry in the world following US cinema and Indian cinema, and the second largest exporter. Despite an industry crisis starting in the mid-1990s and Hong Kong's transfer to Chinese sovereignty in July 1997, Hong Kong film has retained much of its distinctive identity and continued to play a prominent part on the world cinema stage. In the West, Hong Kong's vigorous pop cinema (especially Hong Kong action cinema) had a long and strong cult following, which was part of the cultural mainstream, widely available and imitated.

The 1994 film of The Crow is the ultimate in '90s goth movies, so much so that it even came with a tragedy of its own, when star Brandon Lee was accidentally shot and killed on set by a mistakenly forgotten live bullet in a gun used for the film. It was Brandon's defining role, and remains so by default, but the movie's eternal and its soundtrack by established hitmakers (The Cure) connected with the followers and audiences. The film's success has also brought success to merchandises related to it ever since. The film, however has never been followed up by another hit from the comic frenchise.

The Crow is a 2024 American gothic superhero film directed by Rupert Sanders from a screenplay by Zach Baylin and William Schneider. A reboot of The Crow film series, it is the fifth film in the franchise, and is the second film, after the 1994 film, to adapt the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric / The Crow, a man who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his girlfriend

This year several studios came together and attempted a restart and released the remake of the film, hoping to start another franchise that can be successfully followed by more films. The film opened on 23 August 2024 but did not do nearly as well as expected.

THE NEW STORY

To escape Roeg, a centuries-old crimelord who has made a pact with the devil to send the souls of innocents to Hell in exchange for eternal life, a young woman named Shelly takes refuge in a rehabilitation institution, where she meets and befriends Eric, a young man with a troubled childhood. When Marian, Roeg's right-hand, arrives at the institution looking for Shelly, they both escape together.

Eric and Shelly fall in love, bonding over their shared love of music. One night, however, Roeg's men find and murder them both. In the afterlife, Eric wakes up in an abandoned trainyard where Kronos, a spirit guide, explains that he will have to kill Roeg in exchange for getting Shelly back. Eric, revived and assisted by a crow, hunts down and kills Roeg's men. He later discovers that Roeg took possession of Shelly's mind, forcing her to kill another woman, causing Eric to doubt his love for Shelly. Because of this, Eric is told by Kronos that he can now never live again with his lover.

Despite this, Eric's love for Shelly is stronger than his will to live and he makes a deal with Kronos to take Shelly's place in Hell after he completes his mission. He tracks Marian to an opera house, killing all of Roeg's men and Marian herself, who discloses Roeg's location before Eric decapitates her. Roeg manages to subdue Eric and attempts to steal his powers before Eric is able to transport them both to the trainyard, where he quickly finishes Roeg and saves Shelly's soul.

After a brief reunion between the lovers, Shelly is revived on the night of their deaths while Eric accepts his fate, content in his belief that their souls will one day find each other again.

 View the Official Trailer from Lionsgate

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Acclaimed actor Nicholas Tse is increasingly moving to behind the camera to continue Hong Kong's long tradition of action cinema. In Herman Yau's explosive thriller Customs Frontline (2024), he not only plays the role of an officer who goes up against an arms smuggling operation but also makes his debut as an action director, building on 25 years of experience that has included working closely with Jackie Chan and the late Benny Chan.

It is not the first time Tse has diversified, having debuted as a singer in 1996 before moving into acting. His feature credits include New Police Story, Beast Stalker and more recently Raging Fire. For his performance in 2010's The Stool Pigeon, Tse won the Hong Kong Film Award for best actor, making him the first person to have won in the three major acting categories – best actor, best supporting actor and best new performer – at the awards.

Also known as an entrepreneur and TV chef, directing might next be on the cards with the highly-anticipated sequel New Police Story 3.

We congratulate Nicolas for his current achievements and wishing him much success in his career and life in the future.

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While Shang-Chi 2 is confirmed, there's been little in the way of hard news around the sequel to Simu Liu's MCU debut, though The Direct did report in February 2023 that Shang-Chi 2 is allegedly now on Marvel Studio's production calendar. It's not listed on Marvel's current MCU Phase 5 and 6 lineup, although it may be one of the "secret" unconfirmed projects attached to a handful of unannounced MCU movies in 2024 and 2025.

Shang-Chi 2 is happening, though little is known about the anticipated MCU movie and its potential release date, story, or returning cast. Shang-Chi was one of the first characters Marvel Studios planned to introduce when plans for what became the MCU began in the mid-2000s. Unfortunately, it wasn't until 2021 that Shang-Chi finally managed to get his own solo film on the big screen, but Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings formally introduced Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline in a big way — one which more than creates room for the impending Shang-Chi 2.