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星期四, 5月 26, 2016

“師父“將抵波士頓放映




XU HAOFENG (DIRECTOR)
                                                   

THE FINAL MASTER- PRODUCTION NOTES

In award-winning director Xu Haofeng’s film adaptation of his acclaimed short story,
The Final Master, the last torchbearer of Wing-Chun seeking to pass down his art is caught in a power struggle with local officials and must choose between what is right and what is expected in order to fulfill his destiny.

Director: Xu Haofeng
Writer: Xu Haofeng
Starring: Liao Fan, Song Jia, Jiang Wenli, Jin Shi-Jye, Song Yang and Huang Jue
Distributor: United Entertainment Partners
Theatrical Release Date: June, 2016  (North America)

2016 Seattle International Film Festival
***Official Selection***
52nd Taipei Golden Horse International Film festival (2015)
Nominee of Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay
***WINNER of Best Action Choreography***

Genre: Kung Fu, Period Drama, Action
Country: China
Running Time: 109 minutes



DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

In 1912, during a period of internal and external conflicts, the Republic of China was established, giving rise to the local military forces throughout the country. After assuming control of the local governments, militants expand into the social and economic sphere.

Tianjin, the then-mecca of martial arts, also could not escape military’s encroachment. With the military taking over the martial arts schools, the style of the martial arts evolved into one of training soldiers and armies.

The Final Master captures the ethos of this era, delineating the conflicts between individual vs. collective, and new vs. traditional values. In this tragic era, does one go with or against the flow? This is the internal struggle the protagonist in the film faces.

The protagonist in the film is a martial artist from the South attempting to promulgate his arts in the North. Southern martial arts style is very clean, simple and individualistic, which contrasts strongly with the style of the North. The Northern martial arts style is heavily influenced by being the political center for hundreds of years, full of ritualistic and stately moves.

The knife artistry in each region specifically symbolizes different ideologies.
The North is one of political consciousness with the South being one of individual will.
To fully illustrate this contrast, the film’s action sequences are specifically choreographed with knives. Both the South and the North knife artistry involve intricate footwork and steps. As such, rather than following the common Hong Kong action films style of quick edits and flashy dance-like moves, The Final Master is filmed with long, full-body shots.

In the end, we see the Southern martial arts prevails, that the individual will is able to go against and break through the political consciousness. 

Filmography

The Final Master- 2015 (Director, Writer, Choreographer)
Official Selection of 2016 Seattle International Film Festival
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Choreography of Golden Horse Awards 2015

The Grandmaster- 2013 (Writer)
Winner of Best Screenplay, Hong Kong Film Awards 2014

Judge Archer- 2012 (Director, Writer, Editor, Choreographer)
Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Action Choreography of Golden Horse Award 2012

The Sword Identity- 2011 (Director, Writer, Editor, Choreographer)
Orizzonti Official Selection of 68th Venice International Film Festival
Nominated for Best Upcoming Director and Best Adapted Screenplay of Golden Horse Award 2011










Xu Haofeng (Director)- BIOGRAPHY
Biography
Xu Haofeng (born in 1973) is a Chinese director, producer, screenwriter, professor and writer. He is best known for his best-selling novel, Monk Comes Down the Mountain, and his award-winning screenplay for Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster.

Born in 1973, Beijing, China, Xu Haofeng began learning martial arts when he was 14. He first started in Xingyi Quan, a martial arts style centered on bare-handed fighting. As he continued his study of martial arts, he entered Beijing Film Academy for film directing. Upon graduation in 1997, he sought apprenticeship with two martial arts masters, one of whom inspired him to write the biographical novel, Shi Qu De Wu Lin. After learning about the master’s stories and gathering historical evidence, he published the novel in 2006, creating a national sensation.

In 2007, Xu follows up with martial arts fantasy Monk Comes Down the Mountain in 2007, which became a best-seller. Its popularity garnered the interest of filmmaker Chen Kaige, who adapted the novel into a film of the same title in 2015. The film earned US$38.25 million in its 4-day opening weekend in China, becoming one of the highest grossing opening weekend in China.

In 2011, Xu debut as film director with The Sword Identity, which premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival to positive reception. The following year, he was approached by Wong Kar-wai to be a screenwriter for The Grandmaster. The film won Best Screenplay in the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards, and was selected as Hong Kong’s submission for the Best Foreign Picture in the Academy Awards.

In 2014, Xu published a critically acclaimed novella The Master, which became the basis for his 2015 film The Final Master. The film is the official selection of 2016 Seattle International Film Festival and was nominated for 2015 Golden Horse Awards Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress and Best Choreography. The film won Best Choreography.

The Final Master will be released theatrically in North America in June 2016.





CAST



LIAO FAN as Master Chen




Born in Hunan, China, Liao Fan graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy. He made his acting debut on the first Chinese teen drama TV series Cherish Our Love Forever in 1998. In 2003, Liao Fan won the Best Actor award at the 18th Singapore International Film Festival for his performance in Green Hat. In 2008, he was nominated for Best Actor at the 45th Taipei Golden Horse International Film Festival and Awards for his performance in Ocean Flame. In 2014, Liao Fan won Silver Bear for Best Actor for his role in Black Coal, Thin Ice at the 64th Berlin film festival, making him the first Asian actor to win this award. 




JIN SHI-JYE as Zheng Shanao


A Taiwanese actor, play writer, stage director and film director. Born in Pingtung, Taiwan, Jin is one of the most exceptional actors both on stage and on screen. In the movie world, Jin is most well known for his role in The Grandmaster, Brotherhood of Blades, and The Guillotines. In 2011 and 2014, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for My Spectacular Theater, and Brotherhood of Blades at The Taipei Golden Horse Awards.

THE FINAL MASTER- CREDITS

Production Company:
Beijing Century Partner Culture & Media Inc.
Heyi Pictures

Distribution Company (North America):
United Entertainment Partners

Starring:
Liao Fan
Song Jia
Jiang Wenli
Jin Shi-Jye
Song Yang
Huang Jue

Directed by: Xu Haofeng
Screenplay by: Xu Haofeng
Produced by: Lou Xiaoxi
Producers: Lisa Li and Hu Xiaofeng
Director of Photography:Wang Tianlin
Production Designer: Xian Ruiqing
Action choreography by: Xu Haofeng
Music by: An Wei.

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