"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" actresses Mavis Fan and Kwai Lun Mei
The 2012 Berlin Film Festival may have just wrapped a few days ago, with the Italian docudrama Caesar Must Die taking home the Golden Bear for Best Picture, but there’s no doubt that Chinese filmmakers made a strong impression at the international fest.
Acclaimed director Zhang Yimou was on hand with star Christian Bale for his new film The Flowers of War, about the Nanking Massacre in 1937. The film won rave reviews from critics. Danish journalist Martin Wolsgaard declared, “I think it’s almost safe to say it’s the best film I am going to see at this festival.”
Also at the Berlin Film Fest was Cityonfire.com favorite Tsui Hark with his new 3D wuxia film Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.
The film co-stars Jet Li and Zhou Xun and serves as an update on the 1966 film Dragon Gate Inn and Hark’s own 1992 venture New Dragon Gate Inn. With a budget of $35 million US dollars and 3D design from the visual effects supervisor of James Cameron’s Avatar, there’s no doubt that Hark’s movie is destined to impress American audiences when we finally get the chance to see it.
Lastly, the 1964 Chinese hand-drawn animated feature The Monkey King received a 3D update courtesy of Avatar and Harry Potter effects designers. The film screened out of competition to the delight of younger audiences at the Berlin Film Fest. The character of the Monkey King continues to fascinate Chinese audiences, with Donnie Yen set to star as the folk hero in an effects-heavy blockbuster this July.
