The opening film of the 16th Osaka Asian Film Festival will be “Keep Rolling”, an intimate documentary dedicated to Ann Hui, one of Hong Kong's most iconic and idiosyncratic filmmakers. An informative, and fascinating work, this is the directorial debut of Man Lim-chung, a veteran art director and costume designer and one of Ann Hui's frequent collaborators. It will have its Japanese Premiere on March 5 at Umeda Burg 7.
“Keep Rolling” (Japan Premiere)
2020 / Hong Kong / 111 min. / Director: Man Lim-chung / Starring: Ann Hui
STORY
“Keep Rolling” is a deeply personal portrait of the celebrated filmmaker Ann Hui. It spans seven decades of her life and features a wealth of archive footage, photos, and interviews with friends, family, and major players in the international film industry. Acting as our guide is Ann Hui herself, an effervescent presence who delivers humorous and honest looks at her background, career, and private life as she takes in all of her artistic and commercial highs as well as the crushing lows and personal sacrifices she has experienced as part of her unwavering dedication to cinema and her continual exploration of Hong Kong life. “Keep Rolling” was one of five films named as a Film of Merit at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards 2020.
The 16th edition of the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF 2021) will close with “The Asian Angel” (アジアの天使), the latest film from young award-winning director Ishii Yuya (石井裕也). Shot entirely in Korea, the film brings stars Ikematsu Sosuke (池松壮亮), Moon Choi and Odagiri Joe (オダギリジョー) together for a cross-cultural human drama about different people joining together to overcome the darkness in their lives. Its WorldPremiere screening is on Sunday, March 14th.
“The Asian Angel” (World Premiere)
2021 / Japan / 128 min. / Director/Screenplay: Ishii Yuya / Starring: Ikematsu Sosuke, Moon Choi, Odagiri Joe, Kim Min-jae, Kim Yae-eun / Distributor in Japan: The Clockworx
STORY
Following the death of his wife, young novelist Aoki Takeshi (Ikematsu Sosuke) has been raising his eight-year-old son Manabu alone. He quits Japan with his boy and travels to Seoul hoping to stay with his estranged older brother Toru (Odagiri Joe) but what he discovers is that his brother's life is nothing like he was told as the man struggles to make a living importing dubious cosmetics. In a foreign land and barely able to speak the language, when Toru's business partner disappears on him, Takeshi must step up and help his brother in another scheme somewhere in the countryside. Meanwhile, a struggling singer named Choi Seol (Moon Choi) is embroiled in a relationship with the controlling president of her talent agency. With no parents to call on and an older brother and younger sister to support, Seol submits to the pressure her label puts her under to perform what they tell her but when she is dropped by them and dumped by her lover she loses her purpose in life. Cast adrift, she heads to her family home in the countryside and this is when she fatefully meets Takeshi… In this film, where there are various divisions between people, the story places characters who share their pain together to create a new type of “Asian Family Movie” that will illuminate a new era.
