Tag Archives: terracotta film festival

Terracotta Film Festival: Dancing Queen [Lee Suk-Hoon, S. Korea,2012]

This second film of the Korean Breakfast Club double bill was a comedy with a little more social punch, dealing with gender roles in Korean society, politics and show business. The story focuses on Jung-Hwa (Uhm Jung Hwa) once known as the Madonna of Shinchon who once dreamed of being a singer before marrying her childhood [...]

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Terracotta Film festival: Couples [Jeong Yong-Ki, S. Korea, 2011]

Couples is not an easy storyline to explain, but that is perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. A remake of the film ‘Stranger of Mine‘ (Ken Uchida, Japan 2005), the main action takes place during one day as we follow the story of several couples and how their lives intertwine and [...]

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Terracotta Film Festival: The Woodsman and the Rain [Shuichi Okita, Japan, 2011]

I make no secret of it as its good to know what the reviewer’s bias is, but the first reason this film was on my list was because Oguri Shun was one of the two main leads. Born into a theatrical family, he is actually a very good actor and I’ve enjoyed all the dramas [...]

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Terracotta Film Festival: From Up On Poppy Hill [Goro Miyazaki, Japan, 2011]

Studio Ghibli has consistently produced animation that has appealed to a wide range of people across the globe. Hayao Miyazaki is well known for uplifting and adorable ‘Totoro’, the magical and often dark ‘Spirited Away’, ‘Princess Mononoke’ and ‘Naussica’ to name a few. (I’m actually very fond of Panda! Go Panda!’) but this is son [...]

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Terracotta Film Festival: Masterclass with Guo Xiaolu

I first encountered Guo Xiaolu when her thought provoking  documentary ‘Concrete Revolution’ was shown in London and then through her novel ‘Village of Stone’. I had actually been intending to miss her film ‘UFO in her eyes’ as my day was already packed with things to watch and four films on the go was not [...]

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Terracotta Film Festival: Return to Burma [Midi Z, Burma/Taiwan, 2011]

The first film ever shot in Burma and presented at film festivals internationally, this was a must on my list of films to see. I’d read a lot about Burma from various sources such as Pascal Khoo Thwe’s ‘From the land of Green Ghosts’; The Stone of Heaven: Unearthing the Secret History of Imperial Green [...]

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Terracotta Film Festival: “One Mile Above” [Du Jiayi, 2011, China]

Winner of the Artistic Contribution Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, this beautifully shot film, tells the story of a gruelling bike ride across the Tibetan Himalayas as a man tries to lay his brother’s spirit to rest by completing his dream. Along the way he meets a friend and mentor who joins him [...]

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Terracotta Film Festival: Opening Night “My Way” [Kang Je-Kyu, Korea, 2011]

“My Way”, directed by Kang JeKyu (Taeguki)and with a pan Asian cast was the selected opening night film for the Festival and whilst the top class cast of Jang Dong-gun (Brotherhood: Taegukgi, Friend), Joe Odagiri (Azumi, Shinobi) and Fan Bingbing (Shaolin, Flashpoint) sounded very promising, I had heard from some of my Korean friends that [...]

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[Film Festival] Choices… Choices…

In less than 2 weeks time, the Terracotta Film Festival kicks off at the Prince Charles Cinema, London. For the first time ever I have a festival pass and the days off work so I can actually enjoy the whole four days and not sit at my computer feeling wistful and wishing I had planned [...]

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