Following last years very successful debut, Third Window Films and Coventry University East Asian Film Society are once again presenting East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival from 2nd – 4th of March. Last years event was a great success with six films screened including Confessions (Tetsuya Nakashima 2010), Kick the Moon (Sang-jin Kim 2001) and Confessions of a Dog (Gen Takahashi 2006) along with appearances from several special guests. This year there’s an equally, if not more impressive, line-up of films and guests (see below) and although there’s only one Korean film showing this time around we can forgive them as it’s a good one: Na Hong-jin’s follow-up to The Chaser (2007) the incredibly tense and equally violent stab-fest* The Yellow Sea (2010) will be screening.
Check out the programme below (descriptions are taken from the Official festival website):
EAST WINDS FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
Friday 2nd March 2012
18:00 – Drinks Reception and Buffet
18:45 – Opening Speeches
19:00 – Adrift in Tokyo (Satoshi Miki, 2007)
‘An endearing and entertaining story about the simplicity of human life, infused with the trademark touch of Satoshi’s quirky sense of humour. Two apparently random characters are caught in a personal bubble full of nostalgic memories and unexpected happiness, and their journey brings about touching moments of self-discovery.’
21:00 – Woman Knight of Mirror Lake (Herman Yau, 2011) EUROPEAN PREMIERE
‘A large scale, politically minded film, with breath taking action set pieces, ‘Woman Knight of Mirror Lake’ is just one example of the creative versatility of director Herman Yau. The biographical story of Qiu Jin, an anti-Qing Empire revolutionary, feminist and writer, who is today considered one of China’s heroines.’
Saturday 3rd March 2012
13:00 – In The Pool (Satoshi Miki, 2005) UK PREMIERE + Director & Actress Q&A
‘East Winds’ programme continues with another hilarious comedy by the talented Miki Satoshi, an odd story where conventional neuroses meets unconventional therapy. ‘In the Pool’ is a film about people with problems, who suffer from extraordinary conditions, all prompted by the levels of stress in urban dwellers’ daily lives.’
16:00 – The Yellow Sea (Na Hong-jin, 2011)
‘In the vein of its violent and nihilistic contemporaries, this South Korean cat-and-mouse thriller features the return of the director and acting trio from the all-successful ‘The Chaser’.’
19:45 – Bloodtraffick (Jennifer Thym, 2011) EUROPEAN PREMIERE
‘A sexy Asian female vigilante and a has-been American cop stand at the crux of a holy war between angels and vampires.’
20:00 – True Women For Sale (Herman Yau, 2008) EUROPEAN PREMIERE + Director Q&A
‘A touching film about Hong Kong’s culture and endearing personalities, Herman Yau’s ‘True Women for Sale’ is an intelligent story about the survival of two women in the landscape of Hong Kong society.’
Sunday 4th March 2012
13:00 – Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (Satoshi Miki, 2005)
‘Another endearing example of the charming and quirky films which are un-mistakenly that of director Miki Satoshi. ‘Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers’ is a story about loneliness, friendship, and the mundane existence of normal life.’
15:00 – Mitsuko Delivers (Yuya Ishii, 2011)
‘The second film from Yuya Ishii, who brought the hilarious ‘Sawako Decides’, comes the equally amusing and uplifting ‘Mitsuko Delivers’.’
18:30 – Closing Speeches & Awards
19:00 – Starry Starry Night (Tom Lin, 2011) + Director Q&A
‘Combining the imagination of ‘Amelie’ and the beauty of ‘Midnight in Paris’, the closing film of the festival is one that lingers in the mind of its audience long past its final credits. ‘Starry Starry Night’ is a story about the innocence of youth and the magical moments of yesterday, which strikes the cords deep inside the viewer’s heart. This Taiwanese film, funded by China, marks the emergence of a sophisticated, yet audience friendly teen-centred drama.’
The organisers of East Winds describe the aim as to ‘raise awareness of Asian cinema to a university crowd who might normally not have much chance to catch Asian cinema on the big screen’ and its certainly a rare opportunity to be able to see these films on the big screen in such comfortable surroundings.
For more information including details on all of the films, the venue and how to book tickets check out the official East Winds website or their .
[* Okay, there’s more to The Yellow Sea than a bunch of stabbing, but it is pretty brutal…]
