Claus Mueller

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Held from June 22-25 at Lincoln Center and from July 6-9 at the School of Visual Arts theater the 15^th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival presented 51 feature films in sold out screenings of which more than half were New York City premiers. The festival has certainly come a long way from its beginnings in a small theater in Chinatown, its passage through the Anthology Film Archives barely holding about 180 people to the much larger Walter Reade venue at Lincoln center with its 268 seats, upscaling its appearance from the independently minded no frills anthology to the more glamorous Reade location in a fashionable neighborhood. Bringing with the move some of its younger audience from downtown was an infusion certainly welcomed by the manager of the Lincoln film Center.  Samuel Jamier, the former director of the well regarded Japan Cuts film festival at the Japan Society now heads the NY Asian film festival and has maintained the programming philosophy within its unique combination of popular genre entertainment films from that region with art house cinema productions. Its objective, “to tantalize, shock and excite with a handpicked crop of disquieting noir, gonzo gangster action, dark romance, and sharp political works” has been met that, reflecting successful entertainment films and independent productions. The enthusiastic audience that was familiar with the thematic range of the productions reminded me of the screenings held more than 10 years ago at the anthology. Their appetite for films from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and other south Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam coupled with an introduction to the Philippines cinema offered an up to date perspective on films from that region. If you were looking for high quality presentations of South East Asian films, blockbuster productions and art house cinema, NYAFF was the festival to attend. Some publications such as the Village Voice rank NYAFF already as the best film festival in New York City. Also welcome this year was a stronger emphasis on films from China. With a 30% annual growth rate of its theatrical market and the production of 686 films in 2015, China has become the second largest global film market after the US and developed a significant independent production niche. Overall, Chinese film making is not as immured in the branded content film trend as the relatively mature US film industry is. Given its function as a box office and co-production cash box for the US film industry China may turn into a new Hollywood.

Among noteworthy productions selected for the 2016 NYAFF edition were

Hamog (Haze), Ralston Jover, Philippines, 2015

Premiering in North America, Hamog offers a superb and sensitive portrait of the everyday life of four marginalized kids belonging to a street gang in manila surviving through petty crimes, scamming taxi drivers, and protecting each other. They have an abandoned drain pipe as their home next to the river. Rashid turns against the comfortable life with his dysfunctional family and prefers life on the street with his gang. Another gang member, Jinky, is rejected by her domineering mother and refuses to become part of the dreaded, violent, youth home where incompetent social workers want to send her.  A cab driver takes her to his home ostensibly to work as a maid but in reality had selected her to kill his wife who lives in their apartment with her lover. Jinky decides to kill all of them and then returns to the street life. After his friend is killed during a botched robbery, the boy from the dysfunctional family secures the money he needs for the funeral from other kids and a social worker.  The children provide a superb acting performance refusing to become part of the corrupt society they belong to in a film which has dark poetic overtones.

Heart Attack, Nawapol Thamrongrattanrit, Thailand, 2015

In this compelling satirical comedy, we observe the transition of a hard working freelance graphic artist committed to high productivity and as little sleep as possible from his linear work obsession to experiences he had excluded. After a sleepless week he develops a skin disease and is told by the young attractive doctor that he is at war with his body. She advises changes in his lifestyle including that he should stop eating junk food, do exercises, and cut down on work, recommendations which he eventually embraces. Initially only taking medication and continuing to work at the same pace, his disease does dissipate and he continues to see her over a longer period of time. Eventually the doctor begins to seek his friendship, and he feels closeness to her but there is no overt exchange of behavior indicating the attachment.  When he finally follows her suggestions he is eventually cured. The director’s depiction of their subdued relationship is masterful though it takes up little space in the narration. Yet the change from obsessive behavior to a normal stance in life would not have been possible without the doctor’s intervention.

The Mermaid, Stephen Cow, China, 2016

Within one month of its release on February 8, 2016 The Mermaid has become the biggest Chinese box office hit grossing $503 million. This slapstick comedy shows the battle of a small mermaid colony led by Shashan against a rapacious business man Liu who has bought up a large segment of the Green Gulf Coastal area. In order to develop his waterfront  property real estate investment Liu’s corporation employs sonar to kill of all the dolphins in the area, threatening the last remaining mermaid colony.  Cross-dressed as an appealing human female Shanshan is able to become part of Liu’s entourage in order to kill him. After numerous turns in the narration, lots of comical encounters between Shanshan and Liu, battles between the corporate powers and the mermaid colony, and a romantic courtship they both fall in love. They join forces against the destruction of the environment.  Liu disconnects the sonar generators, saves the mermaid species and employs his vast fortune to support nature. Both live together and explore the sea.  The success of the film is remarkable and certainly found a receptive audience because of the pollution and other environmental problems the Chinese are experiencing.

10 Years,  Kwok Zune, Wang Fee-pang,  Jevons Au, Chow Kwun-wai, Ng Kai-leung,  Hong  Kog, 2015

Five established Hong Kong filmmakers were given the task of producing shorts envisioning Hong Kong in the year 2025. With a budget of about $100,000.00 for all segments, they produced a low budget film which won best film at the Hong Kong Film Awards. It was also met with a furious reaction by Chinese authorities because of the film’s dystopian view of Hong Kong’s Future as an authoritarian territory of China.  In this future city, bribes are used and gangsters are hired by the local government to incite murder and chaos to facilitate the passage of more stringent security laws. Two archeologists in a drab laboratory are collecting specimens from construction sites of what used to be the city of Hong Kong.   A cab driver has a hard time surviving because the government has decided that the official language is now Mandarin and not Cantonese and he is not allowed to use the local language.  There is the depiction of a self-immolation in front a British government office trying to force Britain to act for Hong Kong’s autonomy. The last segment shows how local products, like eggs,  are no longer allowed  to be produced in Hong Kong a policy which reduces self-sufficiency and increases dependence on mainland China. It also depicts members of the uniformed Youth Guards spying and reporting on local shop owners and their parents.

10 Years shows a future in which an autonomous Hang Kong no longer exists and its restoration made impossible because its language and economic independence has been destroyed and the security apparatus controls the government.  By now the film has been completely censored in China, and in Hong Kong it can be seen privately.