Asia’s top film festival opens with a thriller

BUSAN - Agence France-Presse

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is the star of ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’ AFP Photo

A glittering line-up of top Asian cinema stars converged on the South Korean port city of Busan on Oct 4 for the opening of the region’s premier international film festival.
 
Along with Korean heartthrobs Lee Byung-hun and Jun Ji-hyun, Chinese stars Tang Wei and Cecilia Cheung are attending the 10-day Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
 
Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi -- currently taking legal action against a number of news outlets over claims the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” star was a prostitute who had sex with senior Chinese officials -- is also scheduled to attend.
 
Launching the 17th edition of the festival will be the world premiere of Hong Kong thriller “Cold War” which stars screen veterans Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai.
 
“It’s an honor to have this film open BIFF, the first time a Hong Kong film has done so,” said Kwok at the event’s opening press conference.
 
“We hope it will remind the world that there are a lot of talented filmmakers in Hong Kong and they are still making exciting films.” In the tradition of Hong Kong thrillers such as “Infernal Affairs” (2002) -- remade by Hollywood into the Oscar-winning “The Departed” (2006) -- “Cold War” looks at corruption in the city’s police force.
 
Co-director Longman Leung said he hoped the film would help refocus attention on Hong Kong cinema, which has been hit by falling production numbers and attendances in recent years. Festival director Lee Yong-kwan said in choosing a Hong Kong production to open the gala, the festival was serving its intended purpose of promoting films from the region.