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Asian cinema

Asian cinema
Views, news, and reviews of films from the continent's biggest movie production centres.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Vietnamese refugees arrive in Hong Kong. Some are wearing the green or khaki shirts of the Vietnamese military. Photo: courtesy of Les Bird

A Vietnamese refugee returns to the Hong Kong island where echoes of a lost childhood remain

Entrepreneur Katie Aung revisits the remote site of the detention camp that shaped her younger years.

Reading Time:7 minutes
The stuffed crab shell at Seventh Son is dipped in egg and breadcrumbs twice before being fried. Photo: Alexander Mak

Masters of Hong Kong’s ‘kung fu’ cuisine on the struggle to save Cantonese classics

Reading Time:8 minutes
Engineers at the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Liu Heung-shing

The human faces of China’s belt and road strategy, through Liu Heung-shing’s lens

Reading Time:6 minutes
A wig factory in Aberdeen in 1967. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: ‘Made in Hong Kong’ - craft industries that built the city

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A hot pot restaurant in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Photo: Getty Images

China’s regional cuisines: survival strategies written in flavours

Reading Time:5 minutes
Rail and road in Kunming, Yunnan province, China. Photo: Xinhua

Rail and road: the benefits of China’s full-system transport makeovers

Reading Time:4 minutes
MORE IN POSTMAG
Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
A scene from Isaac Chong Wai’s An Intimate Surrender, running at Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun Contemporary until August 9. The live-art show draws heavily on the 1993 movie Farewell My Concubine starring Leslie Cheung to explore intimacy and collective vulnerability through movement. Photo: courtesy of Tai Kwun
Art

Hong Kong artist channels Leslie Cheung film Farewell My Concubine for live show

Berlin-based Isaac Chong Wai’s all-male Hong Kong show An Intimate Surrender draws on the 1993 gender-fluid romance to explore vulnerability.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Jacob Cheung’s Cageman and Intimates became his most memorable films

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

The appeal of Ghibli: why films like Totoro continue to find fans

Hong Kong entertainment

Screen legend Patrick Tse saved my brother from drowning, woman recalls

Social media user pays tribute to the late actor, reveals how he came to her younger brother’s rescue.

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Veteran actor Patrick Tse died on July 16 at the age of 89. Photo: Handout
Asian cinema: Korean films

My Sassy Girl at 25: how Jun Ji-hyun’s star turn changed South Korean cinema

Jun Ji-hyun’s role as a brash young woman in the 2001 romcom subverted gender stereotypes, today inspiring actresses like Park Eun-bin.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Maggie Cheung went from commercial film eye candy to art-house legend

After being cast for her looks early in her career, Cheung proved herself in serious roles, then stepped away from the industry altogether.

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K-drama news

Profile | Who is Nam Joo-hyuk, star of Netflix K-drama The East Palace?

Returning to the screen after three years, model-turned-actor Nam Joo-hyuk has starred in a number of hit Korean dramas.

Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk is currently starring in the Netflix K-drama series The East Palace. Photo: Instagram/skawngur
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How 94-year-old Bowie Woo became Hong Kong’s ultimate evergreen entertainer

Since becoming a film star in 1953, ‘Sau Gor’ has adapted to remain a feature of Hong Kong screens, and his recent concert set a world record.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Prolific Hong Kong director Andrew Lau looks back on his most iconic films

From the Young and Dangerous series to The Storm Riders and Infernal Affairs, Andrew Lau has captivated audiences for decades.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Classic Hong Kong cinema

In this feature series on the best of Hong Kong cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved industry.

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Tony Leung Chiu-wai in the film “In The Mood For Love”. Photo: Jet Tone Production
American cinema

East meets West

In this feature series, we spotlight world cinema where East meets West, including notable China-US co-productions.

A scene from Christopher Nolan’s 2008 Batman film, The Dark Knight, which was partly shot in Hong Kong. Photo: Warner Bros
Film reviews

Review | The President’s Cake: Cannes-winning Iraqi drama is an instant classic

Hasan Hadi’s profound film follows a young Iraqi girl trying to find ingredients for a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Kung Fu Soccer: Stephen Chow loses his touch with Shaolin Soccer spin-off

Dilraba Dilmurat and Zhang Xiaofei lead a team of female football martial artists in Chow’s film that falls far short of its 2001 predecessor.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How pioneering studio UFO redefined early-1990s Hong Kong cinema

Peter Chan’s studio revolutionised Hong Kong cinema, scoring numerous hits during its short life, such as Comrades, Almost a Love Story.

The key people behind UFO, pictured in 1993: (clockwise from the front) Eric Tsang, Peter Chan, Jacob Cheung, Claudie Chung and Lee Chi-ngai. Photo: SCMP
European cinema

Why flop movie Shatter is a perfect 1970s Hong Kong time capsule

Shatter, featuring Peter Cushing, Lily Li and Ti Lung, was a box office failure in 1974, but offered a glimpse of a Hong Kong in transition.

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Stuart Whitman in a still from Shatter, a collaboration between the UK’s Hammer Film Productions and Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Studio. Photo: Hammer
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

6 surprising facts from Jet Li’s new book, including his near-death moment

From his many names to dishwasher woes, Beyond Life and Death shares things about the Chinese martial artist fans may not have been aware of.

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Singapore

Do Singapore ministers watch films? Joke raises hackles amid dialect debate

The culture minister’s quip about being too busy to go to the cinema has some critics jumping up from their seats.

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Mainland China

Video | How a Chinese indie film conquered the box office

Lan Hongchun’s story about love, loyalty and immigrant struggles has struck a chord with the overseas Chinese diaspora, topping the box office with US$290 million.

Lan Hongchun’s story about love, loyalty and immigrant struggles has struck a chord with the overseas Chinese diaspora, topping the box office with US$290 million
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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | A Dance with Rainbows: Taiwanese coming-of-age boxing drama packs a punch

Director Lee Yi-shan delivers a quietly powerful Taiwanese sports drama in A Dance with Rainbows, starring Lin Yi-ting.

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Hong Kong culture

Opinion | Before we hail Hong Kong cinema’s return, let’s ensure its survival

The rules we make around artificial intelligence and creative work today will define what the city’s culture and economy look like tomorrow.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

‘Oldboy’ Choi Min-sik on revenge, craft and Notes from the Last Row

Choi Min-sik points out parallels between 2003’s Oldboy and his new role in Netflix series Notes from the Last Row.

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Veteran actor Choi Min-sik has made an enduring impact on Korean cinema and television through works such as the 2003 film Oldboy and, more recently, the Netflix series Notes from the Last Row. Photo: Ji Sang Chung
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Beyond The Killer: why Law with Two Phases is Danny Lee’s best police film

Danny Lee’s nuanced role in Law with Two Phases redefined Hong Kong police dramas, showcasing gritty realism and complex character arcs.

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Eddie Chan (left) and Danny Lee in a still from Law with Two Phases (1984). Lee put in his most nuanced performance in the film, which he also directed.
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Twins’ Charlene Choi went from Cantopop teen idol to top Hong Kong actress

Since finding fame with Twins’ Gillian Chung 25 years ago, “Ah Sa” has navigated scandals and reinvented herself to become a force in showbiz.

Fame and celebrity

California to institute Bruce Lee Day, in first for a Chinese-American

May 17, the day Lee returned to San Francisco after spending his childhood in Hong Kong, will be his annual namesake day.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Unidentified Murder: twisty Hong Kong comedy shows admirable ambition

This award-winning comedy about an online prank that ends in a murder is a quirky story underpinned by the performances of its lead actors.

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Ling Man-lung as Mark (left) and Renci Yeung as his girlfriend Man in a still from Unidentified Murder (category IIB, Cantonese), directed by Kwok Ka-hei and Jack Lee.
American cinema

‘I benefited’: Renny Harlin on working in China during its ‘Wild East’ film era

The Finnish filmmaker talks about the ‘great’ years he spent in China during its pre-pandemic film boom and how using AI can benefit movies.

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Director Renny Harlin during the Director Masterclass at the Mediterrane Film Festival in Malta on June 26. Photo: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock for Mediterrane Film Festival.
Hong Kong

Will Fosun’s luxury project revive Hong Kong’s Movietown magic?

Fosun Group begins HK$10 billion transformation of legendary studio, signalling confidence in Hong Kong’s property recovery.

TV shows and streaming video

Review | Human Vapor: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi anchor Netflix’s bold sci-fi thriller reboot

This exciting tale of a mysterious serial killer who can turn into a murderous cloud of gas is a reimagining of a classic Japanese thriller.

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