Taeksi Unjeonsa

South Korea 2017, 137 min.

Korean and English with English and Czech subtitles

director: Jang Hoon

starring: Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann

distributor: Showbox

Seoul taxi driver Kim Man-seob is not interested in politics. He is struggling to get by and to take care of his daughter, who means everything to him. So he does not hesitate to jump at the opportunity to take a German reporter to Gwangju to cover a dangerous student uprising. What is actually happening there is a surprise not only to them, but also the whole world. The most profitable film of the year, based on the actual events from May 1980, tells the story of heroism of ordinary people. This film will represent South Korea at the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Namhansanseong

South Korea 2017, 139 min.

Korean with English and Czech subtitles

director: Hwang Dong-hyuk

starring: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yoon-seok, Park Hae-il, Park Hee-soon, Go Soo

distributor: CJ Entertainment

During the Qing invasion to Korea in 1636, the King and members of his court resorted to the Namhan mountain fortress. Soon they are surrounded by the Qing Army, hunger and cold. Under the pressure of his counsellors, the King must make the greatest decision of his reign. Will he succumb to the humiliating demand of the intruders to give up the Crown Prince to protect his nation, or will he fight till the end?

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk made a film adaptation of the award-winning bestseller Namhan Fortress by Kim Hoon, with the help of cinematographer Kim Ji-yong who is known to prefer long shots over erratic fast cuts. This gives the actors the chance to build conversational tension and appeal not only to fans of Korean history, but to a larger audience.

Beu-i-a-i-pi

South Korea 2017, 128 min.

Korean with English and Czech subtitles

director: Park Hoon-jung

starring: Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon, Lee Jong-suk

distributor: Finecut

Acclaimed screenwriter Park Hoon-jung, whom many Korean directors swear by, began to build his directing career as early as 2011 with the debut of The Showdown and two years later he captured the audience with the crime drama New World. Filmasia introduced him as a screenwriter by the psychological thriller I Saw the Devil (2010), directed by the genius of genres Kim Ji-woon. This is the first time the Czech audience can see Park’s directorial style – which cannot deny formal inspiration by Kim’s films – in his latest controversial, raw thriller about a serial killer, whose capture requires the efforts of an agent of a national intelligence service, a police inspector, and a North Korean officer.

Da lui toi

Hong Kong 2010, 98 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Derek Kwok Chi-Kin, Clement Cheng Si-Kit

starring: Wong Yau-Nam, Chen Kuan-Tai, Bruce Leung Siu-Lung, Teddy Robin Kwan, JJ Jia Xiao-Chen, Siu Yam-Yam, Michael Chan Wai-Man

distributor: Focus Films

This thrilling tribute to the classic kung-fu films of the 1960s and 1970s and their protagonists combines humour and self-irony to tell the story of a young outsider who becomes a disciple of two old martial artists. Here, the classical narrative structure of an inexperienced hero who learns the true essence of martial arts is given a makeover that mixes hyperbole and admiration for old films with elaborate choreography. Featuring impressive sequences with vital sixty-year-old guys fighting with young martial artists without computer tricks or stunt doubles, the film is also a practical proof of the benefits of years of training. Gallants dodge old-fashioned Hollywood celebrations of action stars in the past decades and bring a perfectly balanced mix of nostalgia, humour, and critical perspective.

Aknyeo

South Korea 2017, 144 min.

Korean with English and Czech subtitles

director: Jung Byung-gil

starring: Kim Ok-bin, Kim Seo-hyung, Sung Joon, Shin Ha-kyun, Jo Eun-ji

distributor: Next Entertainment World

Sook-hee has been taught to kill from an early age. She is promised freedom and a second chance for life by South Korea’s Intelligence Agency after ten years of being a sleeper agent and a contract killer. But two men appear unexpectedly in her life, bringing out secrets from her dark past.

After a time-tested series of action movies featuring a female protagonist, such as Nikita or Kill Bill, director Jung Byung-gil has taken a new course. By innovative action choreography, experimenting camera, and his disregard to genre conventions, he offers to the viewers a new action experience that was received with a standing ovation at the midnight screening at the Cannes Film Festival.

Mou gaan dou

Hong Kong 2002, 99 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Alan Mak Siu-Fai

starring: Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Sammi Cheng Sau-Man, Kelly Chan Wai-Lam, Edison Chen Koon-Hei, Shawn Yue Man-Lok

distributor: Media Asia

This thriller masterpiece directed by Alan Mak and Andrew Lau became an international sensation and revived the then fading Hong Kong film industry. The morally polarized story centres around two moles, each of whom infiltrated an organization on the opposite side of the law. The suspense-filled narrative provides a great acting opportunity for the cast, especially the two talented megastars, Andy Lau and Tony Leung. Cinematographer Christopher Doyle, a frequent collaborator with Wong Kar-Wai, gave a hand in the breathtaking visual style of the film. Four years later, an American remake of this iconic film, named The Departed, was directed by Martin Scorsese.

Xi Nu Ai Le

Hong Kong 2017, 92 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Teddy Robin Kwan

starring: Kevin Cheng Ka-Wing, Stephy Tang Lai-Yan, Louis Cheung Kai-Chung, Janelle Sing Kwan, Andrew Lam Man-Chung, Susan Shaw Yin-Yin, Dada Chan Ching, Cecilia So Lai-Shan

distributor: Pegasus Motion Pictures

The multi-talented Teddy Robin Kwan has worked on dozens of films as a music composer, producer and actor. His name is in the credits of popular blockbusters and several key films from the Hong Kong New Wave of the 80s. He also directed a number of commercial projects, such as the action film Legend of the Golden Pearl. This year he returned to directing after many years with the episodic film Lucid Dreams where he recounts four of his own dreams: Don wants to repay his debt by arranging a fake wedding; Fan, a white collar, learns to let go of his ego after struggling with love and work; a writer named Tong reunites with her long-lost mother; a driving instructor, Chung, is inspired by four ‘ghost ladies’ and starts to believe again in his musical talent.

France, South Korea, 69 min.

English, French and Korean with English and Czech subtitles

director: Hong Sang-soo

starring: Kim Min-hee, Isabelle Huppert, Chang Mi-hee, Jung Jin-young

distributor: Finecut

The most prominent figure of contemporary Korean art film and a passionate admirer of allegory, Hong Sang-soo, introduces to the festival audience his third film from a series featuring his muse, Kim Min-hee (Right Now, Wrong Then and On the Beach at Night Alone).

On a business trip to the Cannes Film Festival, Man-hee is fired for having an affair with a film director. Here, Man-hee meets a French teacher, Claire, who goes around Cannes with a Polaroid camera. With the innocent charm of the two leading ladies, Hong describes the magic of this city and its biggest film festival.

PTU: Police Tactical Unit

Hong Kong 2003, 88 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Johnnie To Kei-Fung

starring: Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Lam Suet, Ruby Wong Cheuk-Ling, Raymond Wong Ho-Yin, Maggie Siu Mei-Kei, Jimmy Wong Wa-Wo, Eddy Ko Hung, Lo Hoi-Pang, Wong Tin-Lam

distributor: Mei Ah

Although Johnnie To started as a director in the eighties, it was not until the turn of the millennium when he refined his distinctive handwriting and became a leading Hong Kong directing star. Police Tactical Unit (PTU) is a work of a master at his top form with all the attributes that have earned him recognition in his native country, but also made him a popular figure at the biggest international festivals. The loss of a service weapon during one night triggers unpredictable events in which police officers from various departments, from patrolmen to internal investigators, discover that there is only a thin line between the men of the law and criminals. Johnnie To uses the screenplay, full of black humour, to create a stylistically daring spectacle which fascinates with sophisticated handling of individual scenes.

Lit yat dong hung

Hong Kong 2008, 110 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Heiward Mak Hei-Yan

starring: Lam Yiu-Sing, Sham Ka-Ki, Jeremy Liu Bak-Wing, Rex Wu Wing-Tong, Chan Yiu-Wing, Venus Wong Man-Yik, Cliff Huen Ting-Yeung, Becky Lee Pui-Yi, Yu Man-Ming

distributor: Mei Ah

Heiward Mak’s feature-length debut is a Hong Kong contribution to a project initiated by actor and producer Eric Tsang who approached young filmmakers from all three Chinese territories to express their own view of the young generation. Using a music-video style and a handycam look, this film portrays a group of seventeen-year-old classmates to show the everyday lives of teenagers in Hong Kong in the new millennium. The upcoming high school graduation exam is a milestone between untroubled youth and adulthood with its social and existential commitments. Right now, their lives are about love, friendship, fun, parties, alcohol, and drugs. Mak directed this film, overflowing with youthful emotions, when she was only twenty-three years old.

Gunhamdo

South Korea, 151 min.

Korean and Japanese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Ryoo Seung-wan

starring: Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong-ki, Lee Jung-hyun, Kim Soo-ahn

distributor: CJ Entertainment

Because of the shape, the island of Hashima is nicknamed Battleship Island. At the end of World War II, there is a group of about 400 Koreans who are being exploited by the Japanese and forced to labour in the mines. The tensions between both sides are rising and the Koreans are beginning to plan a dramatic escape.

This Korean blockbuster with a massive production design was taken up by Ryoo Seung-wan, who had already introduced his sense of accurate action scenes at the Filmasia festival with The Berlin File (2013) and the viewers hit Veteran (2015). The visually stunning spectacle had a record million viewers on the day of its premiere. The star-studded cast, including the most popular contemporary actors, has contributed largely to its success: Korean favourite Hwang Jung-min (Ode To My Father, 2014), Hallyu Wave star So Ji-sub (TV series Master’s Sun, 2013), and Asian superstar Song Joong-ki (TV series Descendants of the Sun, 2016).

Yat doi zung si

Hong Kong, China 2013, 122 min.

Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Wong Kar-Wai

starring: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Zhao Ben-Shan, Xiao Shen-Yang, Song Hye-Kyo, Wang Qing-Xiang, John Zhang Jin, Shang Tie-Long

distributor: Film Europe

The most internationally renowned Hong Kong director, Wong Kar-Wai, known for melancholic modern romance, utilizes in his latest film the martial arts genre to picture a period in the life of the kung-fu master Ip Man. The director focuses on nostalgic depiction of the era when martial arts masters were still part of the social elite and their lives were both glamorous and graceful, but also bound by strict rules. In this world, emotions that are in conflict with traditions can cause much more severe wounds, rather than rivals. By enhancing the melodramatic and romantic lines, Wong Kar-Wai has created a subtle, multi-layered epic feature that perfectly reflects the ethos of martial arts. The film stars Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen and action scenes were choreographed by the famous Yuen Wo-Ping.

Tin Shui Wai dik yat yu ye

Hong Kong 2008, 91 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Ann Hui On-Wah

starring: Pau Hei-Ching, Chan Lai-Wan, Juno Leung Chun-Lung, Ida Chan Yuk-Lin, Clifton Ko Chi-Sum, Mary Poon Lai-Tung, YoYo Fong Cho-Yiu

distributor: Mega Vision

Films produced in Hong Kong are not merely action movies and crazy comedies and the work of director Ann Hui is there to prove it. She has focused on portraying ordinary people and their dramas since the Hong Kong New Wave in the 1980s. The Tin Shui Wai residential neighbourhood is located in New Territories, aside from the bustling centre of Hong Kong, and is home to people from lower social class. The housing district with multipurpose towers is nicknamed the “City of Sadness” due to the frustrations of the locals which lead to a series of highly publicized suicides and violent crimes. This time, Ann Hui has deliberately turned away from these negative sides. Her optimistic melodrama about the everyday life of a widow and her teenage son is an ode to ordinary heroes and traditional values that still have significance even in the modern world.

Sha po lang: taam long

Hong Kong 2017, 100 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Wilson Yip Wai-Shun

starring: Louis Koo Tin-Lok, Wu Yue, Tony Jaa, Chris Collins, Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Ken Lo Wai-Kwong

distributor: Bravos

Chi Ming yu Chun Giu

Hong Kong 2010, 104 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Edmond Pang Ho-Cheung

starring: Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah, Shawn Yue Man-Lok, Jo Kuk Cho-Lam, Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu, Roy Szeto Wai-Cheuk

distributor: Media Asia

Hong Kong’s ban on smoking in public places inspired Pang Ho-Cheung to make an original romantic comedy that radiates the city’s unique local atmosphere. Smoking places in narrow side streets make for an ideal meeting place and thus begins the amusingly complicated relationship of Jimmy and Cherie. The unexpected box-office hit captivates the audience with its lightness and charm, but also by approaching the topic of love maturely, without artificial embellishing or losing perspective, but at the same time maintains just the right amount of romanticism. The director has proven his touch for astute depictions of various aspects of life in Hong Kong, ranging from inconspicuous daily details to the incorporation of several real elements connected to the smoking ban.

Heung Gong jai jo

Hong Kong 1997, 108 min.

Cantonese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Fruit Chan Goh

starring: Sam Lee Chan-Sam, Wenders Li Tung-Chuen, Neiky Yim Hui-Chi, Amy Tam Ka-Chuen, Carolina Lam Kit-Fong, Chan Tai-Yee, Siu Chung, Doris Chow Yin-Wa

distributor: CEC

A cult film produced by superstar Andy Lau and made on leftover film stock, originated as a reflection of sentiments in a society at the Hong Kong Handover to China in 1997. The story focuses on a trio of teenagers who have their entire lives ahead, but know there is no bright future. A distracted style and colourful, bright shots capture the modern metropolis frantically moving forward, while the characters represent hundreds of thousands of people from the lowest classes who can only dream of the glittering opulent life they see in commercials and films. The movie, brimming with critical perspective and scathing irony, is both a tribute to all social outcasts as well as a fascinating testimony of a torn and bleak era.