Filmart / HKIFF

Spent the last couple of days running around the Hong Kong Convention Center at Filmart, which is the film marketplace event held annually for film buyers and sellers to meet. Thanks to Mike Chan who I keep bumming passes from to get in. I find myself in unfamiliar territory as I was surrounded by film buyers and sellers who are very different from film people in production. But it was a nice experience to see the more business side of film, after all, it is a business. It was neat seeing so many films, about 99% of them I have never seen or even heard of, showing on tv screens or their posters plastered on tiny booths.

I also got to see some films from the HKIFF. Saw The Mad Detective (HK), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (US) and Secret Sunshine (South Korea) and am going to go check out In Love We Trust (China) next week. I enjoyed The Mad Detective quite a bit. It's quite refreshing and totally Johnnie To, which is you know, Johnnie To. Was a bit disappointed with Before the Devil, but maybe I had high expectations because of Sidney Lumet. And Secret Sunshine is a pretty heavy film but very deserving of the awards it received at the Asian Film Awards. Particularly Jeon Do-yeon. She's f-ing incredible. First of all, to cry that much in a film is inhuman and inhumane. She must need a freaking six month vacation to learn how to smile again. But most of all, she really pulled the film together and congrats to her winning best actress not only at Asian Film Awards but also at Cannes. Well deserved.