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Chinese acting superstar Gong Li was last month the recipient of the Kering Women In Motion award at Cannes. She spoke with Variety at the Shanghai International Film Festival about her upcoming roles, the political context of acting today, and her return to Shanghai.

What was the significance to you of the Kering Award?

I understand it as a tribute to all women, to their status, to their importance in the world.

Did the job offers you receive change after a certain age?

Simple roles don’t need me. After Zhang Yimou’s “Coming Home” [in Cannes in 2014], which is a very complex role, I got many more interesting roles offered to me. One of the things I always look at when choosing my roles is the interior feelings of the characters, their struggle, and the relationship between this woman and society.

That was certainly true of the upcoming [Lou Ye-directed] film, “Saturday Fiction,” which is currently in post-production,...

Birdman, Fury and Leviathan among main competition titles; Roland Joffé to preside over main jury.

Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.

The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:

Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki

Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding

Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha

Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski

Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski

David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov

Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt

Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...

The 16th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival announced its line-up in a press conference today.

Here is the complete list of films which will be screened at the festival:-

International Competition

Difret

Dir.: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Ethiopia / 2014 / Col / 99)

History of Fear (Historia del miedo)

Dir.: Benjamin Naishtat (Argentina-France-Germany-Qatar-Uruguay / 2014 / Col / 79)

With Others (Ba Digaran)

Dir.: Nasser Zamiri (Iran / 2014 / Col / 85)

The Tree (Drevo)

Dir.: Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia / 2014 / Col / 90)

Next to Her (At li layla)

Dir.: Asaf Korman (Israel / 2014 / Col / 90)

Schimbare

Dir.: Alex Sampayo (Spain / 2014 / Col / 87)

Fever

Dir.: Raphaël Neal (France / 2014 / Col / 81)

Court

Dir.: Chaitanya Tamhane (India (Marathi-Gujarati-English-Hindi) / 2014 / Col / 116)

Macondo

Dir.: Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria / 2014 / Col / 98)

India Gold Competition 2014

The Fort (Killa)

Dir.: Avinash Arun (India (Marathi) / 2014 / Col / 107)

Unto the Dusk

Dir.: Sajin Baabu (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 118)

Names Unknown (Perariyathavar)

Dir.: Dr. Biju (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 110)

Buddha In a Traffic Jam

Dir.

The 34th annual Atlantic Film Festival (Aff) announced its full festival program, featuring over 190 films and a full slate of special events, to be presented over eight days in Halifax, September 11-18.

"A film festival’s primary reason for existing is to celebrate film and to say this year’s line up of films and events is a celebration is a dramatic understatement,” said Wayne Carter, Executive Director. “The sheer breadth and quality of films from both our Atlantic region and beyond offers something for everyone and when you match that with special events that deliver an experience to remember we confidently feel we are raising the bar like never before."

“Our Government is pleased to support this iconic event through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, as part of our commitment to building a strong, competitive regional economy, said the Honorable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency). The Festival generates tangible benefits for our region, opening new doors to international markets for local artists and industry professionals.”

The Atlantic Film Festival’s Gala Red Carpet Opening Night will take place at a new venue this year, the Dalhousie Arts Centre’s Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. Sponsored by NBC Universal, Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund, this star-studded evening will feature the

Opening Gala presentation of "Elephant Song," directed by Charles Binamé ("The Rocket," "Seraphin" ).

Set in 1966, a psychiatrist (Bruce Greenwood) cautiously pries one secret after another from a charismatic but unbalanced patient (Xavier Dolan) concerning the disappearance of the patient’s doctor. What begins as a psychological cat-and-mouse game quickly becomes a far more serious exchange about loss, memory and mystery, with deadly consequences all around. Fuelled by moving performances from an all-star cast, including Bruce Greenwood, Xavier Dolan, Catherine Keener and Carrie-Ann Moss, "Elephant Song" is an exceptional trip into the world of imagination and desire. "Elephant Song" is produced Richard Goudreau and Melenny Productions and is distributed in Canada by Entertainment One.

Following the Opening Gala film presentation is the Opening Night Party. Penned as one of Halifax’s ‘most anticipated parties of the year’, the red-carpet event is once again sponsored by NBCUniversal and will take place at the Cunard Centre on Thursday, Sept. 11.

The Festival's Closing Gala presentation on Thursday, Sept. 18 will be "Maps to the Stars" by director, David Cronenberg. His latest feature film sees the veteran horror director veering into satire, comedy, and social commentary while still providing enough shocks to satisfy his old audience as he courts the new. This time out it is Hollywood itself that is the Toronto filmmaker’s target, telling multiple tales of past-it thespians, desperate wannabees and out-of-control child actors all colliding in a fast-paced, fame-obsessed world where nobody holds anything back. Both funny and terrifying, "Map To the Stars" sees "All About Eve" accelerated into Entourage on steroids.

"Maps to the Stars" is distributed in Canada by Entertainment One.

Featuring the newest and most anticipated films of the year, moviegoers will want to be first in line to see the eight films comprising the

2014 Rogers Special Presentations. Savour the sights and sounds of soon to be award-winning films: ’71 , a moving combat film set during a terrifying riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971; "Foxcatcher," starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo; Simon Pegg as a disillusioned psychiatrist on the hunt for meaning in "Hector and the Search for Happiness;" Mike Leigh’s "Mr. Turner," featuring the award-winning performance of Timothy Spall; the hilarious and heart-warming film, "My Old Lady" with Kevin Kline, Kristen Scott Thomas and Maggie Smith; Jake Gyllenhaal’s career-defining performance in Dan Gilroy’s "Nightcrawler;" and Ruba Nadda’s

"October Gale," starring Patricia Clarkson, Scott Speedman and Tim Roth.

The Aff will once again feature French films from Canada and around the world. This year’s Cinéma En Français S.V.P. program will take place from Friday, Sept. 12 to Monday, Sept. 15 and will feature two Gala Presentations. Xavier Dolan’s "Mommy" will be the Gala Français Canadien and Jean-Luc Godard’s "Adieu au langage 3D" ("Goodbye to Language 3D") will be the Gala Français International – reuniting the two Jury Prize winners from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Rounding out this year’s complete program is a top-tier line up of features and documentaries from Canada and throughout the world. Viewers will delight in a wide range of features such as: François Girard’s "Boychoir;" Kristen Stewart in both "Camp X-Ray" and "Clouds of Sils Maria;" Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s "Coming Home" (Gui Lai); "God Help the Girl" by Belle & Sebastien’s Stuart Murdoch; Cannes opener, "Grace of Monaco;" Sundance winner, "Whiplash;" Palme d’Or winner, "Winter Sleep;" and many more.

Select documentaries include: Nick Cave-focussed "20,000 Days on Earth;" a career-spanning look at one of film’s greatest directors in

"Altman;" the story of Russian hockey dominance in "Red Army;" a look inside Sesame Street’s most beloved character in "I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story;" and an exposé of bird poaching in "Emptying the Skies," among many other captivating and enlightening titles.

Also included in this year’s line up are Short Film Programs, featuring both a Canadian and international selection, a ViewFinders: Films for Youth program, film retrospectives at the Dalhousie Art Gallery, and the Festival’s always popular Late Shift program, which this year will screen the 40th Anniversary Restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The 2014 Festival will host several one-of-a kind special events and parties to celebrate the movies, the people and the city of Halifax. In addition to the Opening Night Party and debuting at this year’s festival is the Festival Music House Atlantic presented by Radio Starmaker Fund . The event offers some of the hottest music acts in the country (open exclusively to Festival Passholders and Festival Delegates).

The event will also feature A State of Mine Exhibition , an exhibition from photographer, Chris Geworsky exploring the personal, intimate and unique place each subject visits when he/she loses themselves in their own music; the Ofe@Aff – an Aff Outdoor Film Experience screening of Aff’s 2012 Atlantic Gala film, The Disappeared on the Dartmouth Waterfront; and the 34th Atlantic Film Festival Awards Reception , honoring the amazing talents of Atlantic Canadian film industry professionals.

Strategic Partners , a one-of-a-kind event focusing on film, television and digital fiction, from across Canada and around the world, will take place as part of Aff, Sept. 11-14. Each year, top Canadian and international industry players, including producers, investors, sales agents, funding agencies, broadcasters, aggregators and distributors are selected to attend. Recognized as one of the world’s pre-eminent co-production markets and celebrating its 17th year, Strategic Partners 2014 is shining the Country Spotlight brightly on Latin America and the U.S., and offering delegates over 1,000 pre-scheduled 1-2-1 meetings, co-production focused roundtable sessions, cutting edge panels, visionary keynote speakers, screenings and receptions as well as the popular Film & Creative Industries Nova Scotia Lobster Dinner By the Sea.

Keynote speakers include: Peter Gerard , Head of Content and Audience Engagement at Vimeo and Mariela Besuievsky , Academy award-winning producer at Tornasol Films. In addition there will be a case study of The Games Maker , a Canada/Agentina co-production success story; digital panel: Web Series Wizards Weigh In , with moderator Catherine Tait (Guidestones, Sos: Save Our Skins ) which will give independent producers insight on how to create/finance successful online content; and TV panel: Beyond Broadcast , with moderator Damon D’Oliveira ( What We Have, The Book of Negroes ) who will explore the changing broadcast landscape and original television programming in an increasingly digital-first world.

Financed with the support of the Canada/Atlantic Provinces Agreement on International Business Development and Telefilm Canada as the Presenting Partner, Strategic Partners is a convergence of talent and innovation, producing tangible results. For more information, visit: atlanticfilm.com/sp

About the Atlantic Film Festival

The Atlantic Film Festival (Aff) is an eight-day celebration of film, media and music from around the world. It’s a festival that turns Halifax – a charming and historic coastal city – into an international Mecca for the arts, abuzz with filmmakers, industry types and film lovers. This year’s event takes place from September 11-18.

Offering a first-look at the best international films of the festival season, the Aff is a champion of local filmmakers, committed to bridging the gap. We attract some of the biggest players in film, media and music from around the world. All of our film selections are chosen with our community in mind and our special events are designed to bring us all together. A not-for-profit organization, the Aff depends heavily upon its strong ties to the surrounding and thriving arts community.

The Atlantic Film Festival began as a tiny, grassroots operation in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1981, relocating to Halifax the following year. Just three decades later, the Atlantic film Festival has blossomed into one of Canada’s premier film festivals. Whether for industry folk, unabashed film lovers or curious onlookers, the Festival offers a slew of opportunities to engage through film. Today’s Atlantic Film Festival is now a year-round celebration, growing beyond our eight-day cornerstone event in September to include: ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, Aff Outdoor Film Experience, and Strategic Partners.

Receive the most up-to-date information about the Atlantic Film Festival and its Family of Programs:

atlanticfilm.com , on Facebook page:

/atlanticfilmfestival , on Twitter account:...

There's been a snafu with my Tiff credentials so I'm currently in limbo. Therefore today's listing is not an 'Omg Look What Prezzies I Get in September' humble brag, merely today's listing. Which of these 46 films hitting Toronto (not a complete list) are you most excited for? If I do go to Toronto I may well use you readers as film-picking guide.

Tiff Lineup So Far 

100s more films to come

(If we've already covered the film somehow, it's linked up) 

I demand custody of... your Oscar!

Black and White (Mike Binder) - Kevin Costner reunites with his Upside of Anger helmer for a racial custody battle drama. Octavia Spencer co-stars

Breakup Buddies (Ning Hao) - a "raunchy romantic comedy" 

Cake (Daniel Branz) directs Jennifer Aniston and other stars in this drama about a depression support group 

Coming Home (Zhang Yimou) - Gong Li doesn't remember her husband, returned from mail,...

Lava Bear Films has promoted Jennifer Semler to vice-president of production and Allison Warren to creative executive.

President Tory Metzger, to whom the pair report, made the announcement (10).

Semler joined the company at its inception and recently completed work on recent Cannes premiere The Rover (pictured) and is currently working on of Jason Zada’s The Forest.

She will oversee the line producers as well as post-production aspects of the slate. She will liaise with the production divisions of Lava Bear’s partners and sales company partners. She most recently served as director of production.

In her new role, Warren, will source projects and work with Metzger and Lava Bear founder David Linde to expand the development and production slate.

She most recently served as Linde’s assistant, joining Lava Bear from Fox 2000.

“We are very proud of the great work both Jennifer and Allison have contributed to Lava Bear’s evolution and proud of their promotions...

Cannes - The Cannes Film Festival is certainly easier than some of its North American cousins in regards to the sheer number of movies screened and how they are scheduled (two major films rarely premiere at the same time). That being said, too many 8:30am screenings and it's easy for the whole festival to get away from you a bit. With that in mind, here are three quick capsule reviews from this year's fest. "Coming Home" Over the past 15 years, master film director Zhang Yimou's work seems to have settled into two distinct styles. He's best known for visionary epics such as "Hero," "Curse of the Golden Flower" and, most recently, "The Flowers of War." Alternatively, Yimou has also crafted small, intimate dramas that rarely show any hint of his great cinematic eye. That is the Yimou audiences will experience in his new drama "Coming Home," starring longtime muse...

At 64 years old, Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou is back at Cannes with out-of-competition title "Coming Home," starring his iconic muse Gong Li, and following an unhappy homecoming that acts as metaphor for the country's coming-to-terms with the cultural revolution. Some critics are digging it while others are left cold; the film's no-holds-barred emotion -- and a much-mentioned piano score -- is either having reviewers reach for their hankies or checking their watches. Highlights from a review roundup, below. Sony Pictures Classics already has stateside rights to the film, which is a hit in China. Hollywood Reporter:Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou slips back into his comfort zone for what is essentially a tragic romance with Coming Home. Reuniting again with his chief muse, Gong Li, Zhang flirts with historical criticism and reflection on the impact of past social policies but pulls up short and settles for a plodding romance that is as lightweight as it is aimless.

The tale spans decades and revolutions; the central relationship is a love affair so unending that it can even survive one of the participants no longer recognizing the other; the plinky piano soundtrack runs the gamut from plaintive to plaintive; no, this is not a soupy 1950s melodrama, but the new film from revered Chinese director Zhang Yimou. “Coming Home,” the eighth collaboration between the director and his first and most frequent leading lady Gong Li plays pointedly Out of Competition in Cannes, and while tears will be jerked, heartstrings plucked and throats enlumpened, it has to go down as a disappointment in the director’s catalogue. It starts promisingly, layering the personal, small, family story against an authentic and fascinating backdrop of Mao-era communism, but in its second half Zhang shows where his heart really lies: not with political commentary or even historical recreation, but with a grand and faintly ludicrous love story.

What if you returned home to your loved one, a wife, a husband, any significant other, after years apart and they didn't recognize you? That is the idea behind Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou's latest film, Coming Home, based on Geling Yan's novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi, which opened in China a few weeks ago and just premiered out-of-competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. This is a beautiful, tender, moving film about love and dedication and patience, and will leave you with tears in your eyes, as long as you still have a beating heart inside your chest. It may be a simple story, but it's such a special, sincere film made with care. Beloved actor Chen Daoming stars as Lu Yanshi, and we first meet him during the end of the Zedong-led Chinese Revolution in the 1940s. Ousted as a criminal of the party, he attempts to reconnect with his wife,...

Cannes, France (AP) — The Associated Press is all over the Cannes Film Festival — from its glitzy premieres to the celeb parties and quirky moments in between. Here's what reporters have seen and heard: ___ Lupita Nyong'o Stuns at Calvin Klein Glowing Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o shone bright at the Calvin Klein celebration of Women In Film event in Cannes. She wore a shimmering blue Calvin Klein strapless dress with a slashed bodice styled with silver sandals. To complement that look, the "12 Years a Slave" star wore enviable teardrop cut out crystal earrings. During the exclusive event, she hung out with fellow Wif attendees Julianne Moore, Rooney Maara and Naomi Watts. — By Thomas Adamson ___ Paramount Buys Adams Sci-Fi Thriller One of the hottest properties in Cannes has been acquired by Paramount Pictures. Paramount has purchased the North America and China distribution rights for "Story of Your Life," a sci-fi thriller to star Amy Adams.

After a semi-detour into epic period drama (Curse of the Golden Flower), WWII drama (The Flowers of War) and pseudo-noir thriller (the Sino-Blood Simple and totally gonzo A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop) Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou slips back into his comfort zone for what is essentially a tragic romance with Coming Home. Reuniting again with his chief muse, Gong Li, Zhang flirts with historical criticism and reflection on the impact of past social policies but pulls up short and settles for a plodding romance that is as lightweight as it is aimless. Though Coming

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Coming Home, the latest Chinese epic from Hero and Flowers Of War director Zhang Yimou, will have its world premiere next week at Cannes, where it plays out of competition. Due to hit screens here in Hong Kong on 6 June, Edko Films has released a trailer and stills for the grand scale romance, based on the novel by Yan Geiling.Gong Li re-teams with the director who made her an international star in films like To Live and Raise The Red Lantern, alongside Chen Daoming for this sprawling tale of a family torn apart by conflict, separated for decades, and then struggling to reconcile after the Cultural Revolution. ...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

With a U.S. distribution deal in place, and acclaim already to his name, Zhang Yimou doesn't have to show his latest "Coming Home" at the Cannes Film Festival. But it says something that even with the movie screening Out Of Competition, it's one of the most anticipated dramas coming to the Croisette and a new trailer is here. Starring Gong Li and Chen Daoming, the story follows a devoted couple who are forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner, just as his wife is injured in an accident. Released during the last days of the Cultural Revolution, he finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife has amnesia and remembers little of her past. Unable to recognize Lu, she patiently waits for her husband's return. A stranger alone in the heart of his broken family, Lu Yanshi...

Opening in Chinese cinemas in just a few weeks is acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou's latest work, titled Coming Home, starring Chen Daoming and Gong Li. The film will also have its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month (where I'll be catching it) and has reportedly made Steven Spielberg cry in early previews. The story in the film spans the 1920's all the way to the 1990's, following one man's separation from his family in China and eventual return from America many years later. We featured one gorgeous teaser trailer a few weeks ago, with this new full-length one (still lacking English subtitles) now available. Everything about this looks wonderful, and it's opening in 4K IMAX in China. Take a look. Here's the second full trailer for Zhang Yimou's Coming Home, found on YouTube via The Film Stage: Coming Home, or Homecoming or Return as it's also known,...

Chinese actress Gong Li will serve as jury president for this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff), which will take place June 14-22.

Gong will head the jury that selects the Golden Goblet Award winners from films in the competition line-up. She will be the first woman to head the jury that in recent years has been presided over by filmmakers such as Tom Hooper, Luc Besson, Danny Boyle and Barry Levinson.

“By promoting the cultural industry of filmmaking, the Shanghai International Film Festival has played an increasingly important role in showcasing Chinese culture,” said Gong Li.

“I feel incredibly honoured to be able to serve as president of the jury for the Golden Goblet Award and work alongside top filmmakers from around the world to discover outstanding new works that have deep human resonance.”

Gong Li stars in Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home, which will screen in an Out Of Competition slot at the upcoming...

Chinese actress Gong Li will serve as jury president for this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff), which will take place June 14-22.

Gong will head the jury that selects the Golden Goblet Award winners from films in the competition line-up. She will be the first woman to head the jury that in recent years has been presided over by filmmakers such as Tom Hooper, Luc Besson, Danny Boyle and Barry Levinson.

“By promoting the cultural industry of filmmaking, the Shanghai International Film Festival has played an increasingly important role in showcasing Chinese culture,” said Gong Li.

“I feel incredibly honoured to be able to serve as president of the jury for the Golden Goblet Award and work alongside top filmmakers from around the world to discover outstanding new works that have deep human resonance.”

Gong Li stars in Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home, which will screen in an Out Of Competition slot at the upcoming...

Last year was a slightly quieter one than usual for Sony Pictures Classics on the prestige film circuit -- the studio had a number of strong titles, from Asghar Farhadi's "The Past" to Ralph Fiennes's "The Invisible Woman," but only a couple that really connected with audiences. Their strongest Oscar contender, Woody Allen's surprise hit "Blue Jasmine," ruled the Best Actress race but didn't make it all the way to Best Picture. Meanwhile, Best Foreign Language Film -- the category that they normally have on lock, with four consecutive wins between 2009 and 2012 --  didn't go their way at all, with several surprise omissions keeping them out of the final five.  2014, however, looks like it could be a very different year for Spc: just look at their stacked Cannes Film Festival slate, for example. Before the festival has even started, they've already secured five major titles set to play on the Croisette,...

Sony Pictures Classics is going to have a big showing at Cannes this year with five films playing the festilval beginning with Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher already set for a November 14 release and starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum. Yesterday it was announced the studio would release the Russian hockey documentary Red Army, of which I featured the trailer yesterday afternoon (watch it here) and they're already lined up to release Zhang Yimou's new film Coming Home (watch the trailer here) starring Gong Li. The studio picked up Damien Chazelle's Whiplash starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons out of Sundance, are taking it to Cannes and have now announced an October 10 release date. Finally, Mike Leigh's latest film, Mr. Turner will see the director return to the Croisette after bringing his wonderful Another Year to the feat back in 2010. Sony Classics has set a December 19 release...

Just days after Oliver Stone called on Chinese filmmakers to deal with their history during the turbulent period of the Cultural Revolution, director Zhang Yimou unveiled the cast of his upcoming drama Coming Home, which deals with the impact of that era, in Beijing. The emotional period piece features Chinese stars Gong Li and Chen Daoming and tells the story of an intellectual who is forced into marriage, flees to America and is sent to a labor camp upon his return to China. Video: Chinese Teaser Offers First Look at Zhang Yimou's 'Coming Home' An event in Beijing to launch

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You can't really tell much from this first trailer for Zhang Yimou's Coming Home, which was announced as one of the out of competition titles at this year's Cannes Film Festival (see the lineup here), but combined with the following description for Yahn Geling's novel, "The Criminal Lu Yanshi ", from which the film is based you may be able to put things together: Chinese-American writer Yan Geling published her new book, entitled "Inmate Lu Yanshi", in which she explores the spiritual world and life experiences of intellectuals from the past. Born in Shanghai with a silver spoon in his mouth, Lu Yanshi is disappointed with his arranged marriage. He goes to the United States to study and returns to teach at universities. During the political campaigns of the early 1950s, he is condemned as an anti-revolutionary and sentenced to life imprisonment in the country's northwestern wilderness. Lu gradually realizes how...

You can always count on the Cannes Film Festival to showcase the most intriguing releases from around the world. This year, that includes Coming Home, the latest from director Zhang Yimou. Gong Li (Raise the Red Lantern) and Chen Daoming (Hero) lead the sweeping romantic drama, which has already been scooped up by Sony Pictures […]

The post ‘Coming Home’ Trailer: Zhang Yimou’s Cannes Pic Looks Gorgeous appeared first on /Film.

This is a gorgeous trailer, and this film looks amazing. Another anticipated upcoming film confirmed on the Cannes 2014 line-up this morning is Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou's latest, Coming Home, starring Chen Daoming (Hero, Infernal Affairs 3, Aftershock) and Gong Li (2046, Memoirs of a Geisha, Curse of the Golden Flower). The story is about a Chinese man who is forced into marriage and flees to America, but finally returns home years later only to be rejected by his family. It looks like there are very deep, complex emotions and a heartbreaking story to tell, but I am looking forward to catching this film sooner than later. Here's the first international trailer for Zhang Yimou's Coming Home, on YouTube via The Film Stage: Coming Home, or Homecoming or Return as it's also known, is directed by prominent Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (of Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower,...

Croisette regulars veterans Jean Luc Godard, Ken Loach and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne will compete alongside Competition first-timers Alice Rohrwacher, Xavier Dolan and Damian Szifron at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

Artistic director Thierry Fremaux announced the Official Selection of the 67th edition on Thursday (17) at a packed press conference at the Normandie Cinema on the Champs Elysées in Paris.

“Anyone who makes a film of more than one hour in duration, has the right to submit a film to Cannes… this year we received some 1,800 films in total – all of which were screened,” said Fremaux.

He announced 49 titles in total from 28 countries and hinted a further two or three could be announced ahead of Cannes. [Click here for the full list.]

Fremaux, who tied up the line-up at 1am local time ahead of the announcement, said films were arriving later and later for consideration due to digitisation of filmmaking.

“It used to be that January was late,” he said. “Now...

This morning in Paris, the official competition lineup for the 67th Cannes Film Festival was announced. Jean-Luc Godard, the Dardenne brothers, Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, Michel Hazanavicius, Tommy Lee Jones and Xavier Dolan are among the directors with films in this year's Cannes competition of 18 features. Over in the Un Certain Regard section, highlights include Ryan Gosling's directorial debut "Lost River" (previously titled "How to Catch a Monster"), Matthieu Amalric's "The Blue Room," Wim Wenders’ and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado's "The Salt of the Earth," and Ned Benson's two-part "Eleanor Rigby" (previously titled "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her"), starring Jessica Chastain. Zhang Yimou's latest, "Coming Home," starring Gong Li, is playing out of competition. As previously announced, Olivier Dahan's "Grace of Monaco," starring Nicole Kidman,...

While we're fully expecting to have our emotional strings pulled by Zhang Yimou's next film, "Coming Home," it seems that the romantic drama is going to be a visual spectacle as well. At least overseas, where in China, the film will be getting the 4K, full IMAX treatment on a number of screens. While we'll have wait to see if Sony Pictures Classics has similar ambitions for their eventual stateside release, even if it's just at our local arthouse, this looks like one to watch. Reuniting the director with his "Red Sorghum" and "Raise the Red Lantern" star Gong Li, the film follows a Chinese dissident from the 1920s to the 1990s, who is forced into a marriage, flees to America and is sent to a labor camp when he returns to China. The first teaser trailer is pretty effective, projecting a mood of longing and heartbreak quite palpably. You...

Speculating about what might be at Cannes is not something I do so as to prevent the envy but the reunion of director Zhang Yimou with his most beloved muse Gong Li is definitely something to consider. Together they made six international hits, four of them Oscar-nominated (Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou, Shanghai Triad, Curse of the Golden Flower), the first two are among the best Chinese films ever made.

Their seventh collaboration just released first stills and a nearly wordless teaser (embedded below).

The film is planning a May premiere at home so Cannes would make sense. The film is based on the novel "The Criminal Lu Yanshi" by Yan Geling about a long term prisoner (Chen Daoming) who, upon release, returns to his wife (Gong Li) who no longer recognizes him. The film also features Miss Chinese Toronto winner (2009) Candy Chang. There's a whole name for young...

Zhang Yimou has had a rough couple of years, following the box office disappointment of his 2011 film "Flowers of War" and the recent controversy about his violation of China's one child policy. But Zhang looks to be rallying for a comeback, from the recent announcement that he'll make his U.S. studio film debut with the Robert Ludlum thriller "The Parsifal Mosaic" to the Chinese teaser for his new film "Coming Home," which shows a possible return to form in a few different ways. "Coming Home" stars Chen Daoming and Gong Li. The film concerns an intellectual in the period of China's Cultural Revolution as he's forced into marriage, flees to America and is sent to a labor camp upon return. The teaser doesn't reveal much, but it does show the kind of gorgeous images and sweeping feeling one comes to expect from the director of "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Hero.

The first teaser trailer for Chinese director Zhang Yimou's upcoming period drama Coming Home surfaced Thursday on Chinese streaming video site LeTV. The sweeping, emotion-laden spot is light on dialog and heavy on longing glances between Chinese stars Gong Li and Chen Daoming. Set during China's politically sensitive Cultural Revolution period, the film tells the story of an intellectual who is forced into marriage, flees to America and is sent to a labor camp upon his return to China. The film marks a reunion of sorts for Zhang and Li, who were once romantically linked and produced some of

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You hear it all the time: Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News. But Americans were buying all the same, and to quote Screen International: “The current market is focused on smart money and smart deals, not volume of product”. Business at Afm was also solid though unspectacular. Moreover, the pre-buying of projects may be below the radar of this $3 billion business of international film buying and selling. TrustNordisk’s CEO Rikke Ennis says that 70% of their films are pre-sold. As you look at the upcoming Winter Rights Roundup due out in two weeks from SydneysBuzz.com/Reports, you will notice many of the films have been pre-buys this market and many films screening were already pre-sold during Afm in November.

And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?

Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.

Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:

“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.

“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.

“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.

“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”

"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."

Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.

This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.

The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.

The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.

India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.

Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.

The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.

U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.

Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.

Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.

Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.

The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.

The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.

A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:

In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento

All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.

One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.

Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.

Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).

Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.

Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...

Efm Coproduction Market

Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.

Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.

Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.

Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.

Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.

Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.

Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.

Trend of smart art genres

Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".

Trend of remake rights

Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.

The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.

Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.

The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…

Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?

Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.

Tipped for Cannes

Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.

Rumors and truths about people changing positions

Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.

What I Saw and What I Thought

For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.

First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.

Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.

Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.

About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.

Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.

Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.

Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!

Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.

A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!

Some developmental distribution news for the latest from Chinese filmmaker Yimou Zhang. A press release has been sent out announcing that Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand for Zhang Yimou's Coming Home, a new project starring Gong Li, currently in post-production. The release says that they will distribute the film, once again extending their relationship which links back through eleven collaborations previously between "the Sony Pictures Classics team and Zhang Yimou, dating back to the 1991 Orion Classics release of Raise the Red Lantern." Read on. Zhang Yimou's Coming Home was primarily financed by LeVision Pictures, who will be releasing the film throughout China. Wild Bunch holds the international sales agency rights, and arranged the sale to Spc. Inspired by Yan Geling's "The Criminal Lu Yanshi (Lu Fan Yan Shi)" with a screenplay written by Jingshi Zou, Coming Home is a...

Bond 24

One of the most acclaimed elements of the most recent Bond film entry "Skyfall" was the look, a visual style that cinematographer Roger Deakins scored an Oscar nomination for.

Sadly Deakins has confirmed he will Not be returning for the upcoming next film in the series, despite much of the same crew behind "Skyfall" reuniting for the movie which is currently targeting a Fall 2015 release. [Source: Twitter]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have announced that the second chapter in the blockbuster trilogy, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," will come to DVD, Blu-ray and VOD on April 8th.

Versions include a Blu-ray 3-D combo pack, a Blu-ray combo pack, a 2-disc DVD edition, and a 'limited collector’s edition' with two Gates of Erebor replica bookends. [Source: The L.A. Times]

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Marvel Studios has finally confirmed that filming on 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' will take place in Seoul,...

Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou's latest has, indeed, found a "Home." Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand to Zhang's "Coming Home." A 20th-century-spanning romantic drama about a Chinese dissident, the film stars Gong Li and Chen Daoming, and is currently in post-production. Produced by Bill Kong and Zhang Zhao, "Coming Home" will be the 12th collaboration between Sony Classics and Zhang Yimou, beginning with 1991's "Raise the Red Lantern" and including "House of Flying Daggers," "Curse of the Golden Flower" and "Shanghai Triad." Primary financier LeVision Pictures will handle distribution in China. A master stylist of both martial arts and human drama films, Zhang Yimou's last movie was "The Flowers of War" in 2011.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American, Latin American, Australian and New Zealand rights to Zhang Yimou's latest "Coming Home," starring Gong Li. This marks the company's whopping twelfth collaboration with Zhang (known for "Hero," "Raise the Red Lantern," "House of Flying Daggers" and many others). "Coming Home" is currently in post-production. Inspired by Yan Geling's "The Criminal Lu Yanshi," the film is a romance drama chronicling the journey of a Chinese dissident from the 1920s to the 1990s. No release date has been announced as of yet.

The distributor has picked up rights from Wild Bunch to Zhang Yimou’s drama for North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.

Gong Li stars in Coming Home, which spans eight decades in the life of a Chinese dissident played by Chen Daoming.

The romantic story, currently in post, is inspired by Yan Geling’s The Criminal Lu Yanshi and is based on a screenplay by Jingshi Zou.

Bill Kong and LeVision Pictures’ Zhang Zhao produce and Lava Bear Films’ David Linde serves as executive producer.

Coming Home marks the 12th collaboration between Yimou and Spc’s Tom Bernard and Michael Barker since 1991, when they released Raise The Red Lantern at Orion Classics.

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all rights in North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand to Zhang Yimou.s Coming Home , starring Gong Li. The film, currently in post-production, is produced by Bill Kong and LeVision Pictures' Zhang Zhao. Lava Bear Films' David Linde executive produced. Inspired by Yan Geling's "The Criminal Lu Yanshi" with a screenplay written by Jingshi Zou, Coming Home is a romance drama chronicling the journey of a Chinese dissident (Chen Daoming) from the 1920's to the 1990's. Coming Home marks the twelfth collaboration between the Sony Pictures Classics team and Zhang Yimou, dating back to the 1991 Orion Classics release of Raise the Red Lantern . Other films include House of Flying Daggers ,...

[Editor's note: The last time I published a list of this sort Christian Bale was way up top and then The Fighter happened. Time for a new look at the Oscar Nomination-less. While I'm in Sundance, abstew steps in with his list. My list (and I'm sure yours) might not be exactly the same but... discuss! - Nathaniel]

This past Thursday, when the Oscar nominations were announced, only eight actors were hearing their names called for the first time (the Best Actress category was all previous nominees and 80% winners). Some were for film debuts (Lupita Nyong'o and Barkhad Abdi), but for the other 6 names (Ejiofor, McConaughey, Fassbender, Leto, Hawkins, and Squibb) it was their first recognition from the Academy after years of hard work and dedication to their craft. But not every great actor ever gets to hear their name called Oscar nomination morning. Despite powerful performances and decades of service to the film industry, sometimes a nomination (let alone a win) evades the greats. For some, the oversite will never be remedied (Marilyn Monore, Edward G. Robinson, Myrna Loy, Peter Lorre, Jean Harlow, and John Barrymore are just some of Hollywood's finest that went without the prefix Academy Award Nominee), but for many great actors still working today there is still time.

Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has apologized for breaking the country's one child policy on population control and he could face a fine of $1.2 million for having more children than permitted. Zhang and his wife Chen Ting gave the interview to the government news agency Xinhua, apparently to clear up various versions of a story that has ignited a wave of public anger about celebrities who have more children than the policy allows. Zhang is currently shooting his latest movie, Return, in Beijing and Tianjin with Gong Li and Chen Daoming. In the interview, Zhang and Chen admitted

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