ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA ANNOUNCES
OPENING, CENTERPIECE, AND CLOSING FILMS
BRIGHT STAR AWARD RECIPIENT AND SPECIAL GUEST FOR SEASON 14
Asian Pop-Up Cinema today announces the spotlight Marquee films scheduled for the 14th Season, March 13- April 10. Additionally announced is, Kai Ko as the recipient of the festival's Bright Star Award, and the first movie director special guest to attend the festival since the pandemic started during Season 10.
Korean star power from Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) and Park Hae-il (War of The Arrows) will open Season 14 with the Midwest Premiere of HEAVEN: IN THE LAND OF HAPPINESS from Im Sang-soo, director of The Housemaid (2010) and The President's Last Bang. ‘Heaven' is about a journey of two terminally ill men making a heart-throbbing finale of their lives.
Director Sung-il Yi will attend his International debut of SUNDAY LEAGUE, a sports comedy about a once-rising high school soccer star reduced to coaching children, whose last chance to shine is taking on an amateur team. Sung-il Yi is the first director traveling to Chicago during the pandemic. Both films will be presented in the afternoon at AMC Niles 12 in Niles (March 13).
This season's Centerpiece film is the festival's first North and South American Continental Premiere, Japan's ARC (April 3 at AMC River East 21). Based on the short story written by award-winning author of speculative fiction Ken Liu(The Paper Menagerie), this fantasy and sci-fi feature film is directed and written by Kei Ishikawa (GUKOROKU –Traces of Sin) and co-written by Kaori Sawai. ARC follows the story of a woman who finds immortality while working with BodyWerks, a technology that plasticizes dead bodies and eventually transforms the way we look at eternal life.
The Closing film is Taiwan's North American Premiere of WAITING FOR MY CUP OF TEA (April 10 at AMC River East 21). Adapted from one of Phoebe Jan Fu-hua's best-selling novels with the same title, Phoebe Jan is making this her first directorial work. This love story stars popular boy band artist (SpeXial) and TV actor Simon Lien in his feature film debut.
This season's up and coming actor Bright Star Award recipient is Taiwan's Kai Ko, for the film GRIT (U.S. Premiere is April 10 at AMC River East 21). Also known as Ko Chen Tung, Kai is a 30-year old actor and Mandopop singer on Sony Music and won Best New Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Awards and the 12th Chinese Film Media Awards for his starring role in his film debut for the film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE. In the offbeat romantic comedy GRIT, Kai Ko plays Croc, a young gangster who goes back to work for his former boss at a city councilor's office after his release from jail.
Season 14 featuring new Asian movies will pop up in downtown Chicago and the north suburbs, including Niles and Wheeling. Among the 28 films screening at the festival, 17 will be shown online, 11 films are going to be presented in person.
“Upcoming Season 14, we are going to present 4 international & 2 intercontinental premieres, with 15 N. America or U.S. premieres and 6 Midwest premieres.” Sophia Wong Boccio, Founder & Executive Director said. “We are super excited to pre-announce the opening, centerpiece, and closing matinee films from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. SAVE THE DATES. Look forward to greeting you in person at the cinemas during all our weekend afternoon matinees!”
HEAVEN: TO THE LAND OF HAPPINESS – OFFICIAL OPENING FILM
Midwest Premiere
(South Korea, 100 minutes)
Writer & Director: Im Sang-soo
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Park Hae-il, Youn Yuh-jung
Due to his incurable disease, Nam-sik desperately needs the medicine that he can't possibly afford. Just to stay alive, he chooses to move around from hospital to hospital stealing medicine after work. Meanwhile, 203, a man in prison for embezzlement who is suffering from severe headaches and seizures visits the hospital for a medical checkup. After being told that he has less than 2 weeks to live, 203 escapes and Nam-sik tags along in his unexpected journey.
SUNDAY LEAGUE with Director scheduled to attend
International Premiere
(South Korea, 81 minutes, 2020)
Writer/Director: Sung-il Yi
Cast: Lee Seong-uk, Shim U-seong
A one-time rising soccer star Jun-il is now only a temporary coach at a youth soccer center. He is too hot-tempered and lazy to teach young children respectfully and is about to lose his job. After receiving an offer to become a coach of three untalented players for a new futsal team, FC Cheolsu, he reluctantly agrees. If he succeeds in making the team a finalist of Sunday Futsal League, he will be able to be a permanent coach of the center. As Jun-il struggles to change a team of losers, he learns how to change himself.
ARC – CENTERPIECE FILM
North & South American Continental Premiere
(Japan, 127 minutes, 2021)
Writers: Kei Ishikawa and Kaori Sawai
Director: Kei Ishikawa
Cast: Kyoko Yoshine, Shinobu Terajima, Masaki Okada, Jun Fubuki, Kaoru Kobayashi
In the near future, Rina lives as a wanderer, leaving her newborn child and hometown at the age of seventeen. She then meets Ema Kuroda, head of the BodyWerks division at a major cosmetics corporation Eternity. BodyWerks are actual dead body sculptures of the deceased, preserved as if they were living, a technology that is available to the public to overcome the loss of their loved ones.
Meanwhile, Ema's rebellious brother and brilliant scientist Amane begins research using this tech to stop aging among the living, granting them immortality. Through Ema and Amane, Rina gains new insights and embarks on a journey to become the first immortal in human history. But what are the consequences? Arc is a haunting and stirring tale of the fundamental quest since the dawn of mankind – what it means to live. The story is based on one of Ken Liu's short stories, a multiple Hugo Award-winning American author of speculative fiction.
WAITING FOR MY CUP OF TEA – OFFICIAL CLOSING FILM
North American Premiere
(Taiwan, 114 minutes, 2021)
Writer & Director: Phoebe Jan Fu-hua
Cast: Simon Lien, Ellen Wu, Alex Chou
On a cold Valentine's Day on the 14th of February (about twenty years ago), a girl Xiao-Hua runs into a boy A-Wen who is waiting for his lover. Out of empathy, Xiao-Hua hands A-Wen a cup of hot milk tea. The two get to know each other. On the same day, Zi-Jie Huang also bumps into Xiao-Hua. Zi-Jie behaves like a jolly charming womanizer, which leaves a bad first impression for Xiao-Hua.
Xiao-Hua is convinced that A-Wen's lover must be Yi-Chun, nicknamed Butterfly. Out of surprise, Xiao-Hua discovers Yi-Chun cheats on A-Wen with Zi-Jie. She feels even more sympathetic to A-Wen. Xiao-Hua later realizes that Zi-Jie never gives his heart to anyone, because he could die at any second. After Zi-jie confesses to Xiao-Hua his love for her, Xiao-Hua's ex-boyfriend Shao-Ping unexpectedly reappears and stirs up her peace. When Xiao-Hua finally admits her feelings for Zi-Jie, Zi-Jie is ill. As winter is coming to an end, will there be a happy ending?
ABOUT SOPHIA'S CHOICE / ASIAN POP-UP CINEMA
Asian Pop-Up Cinema, a semi-annual Asian Film Festival, is the brainchild of Sophia Wong Boccio, founder of Sophia's Choice, a Chicago-based 501 C (3) not-for-profit incorporated in 2015 with the multi-pronged mission of cultivating an interest in and understanding of Asian cultures via a diverse offering of Asian films; connecting the Asian film industry with local Chicago film professionals, educators and students; and promoting Chicago as a destination for international visitors.
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