AFFD 2011: Programmer's Picks From Steve Norwood

The 10th annual Asian Film Festival of Dallas opens on Friday, and in preparation for the awesome week ahead, I'm working on a list of recommendations for you guys.  However, I thought that it would be great if I I asked the director of programming, Steve Norwood, for some suggestions for ScreenAnarchy readers.  After all, he knows the films better than I do, and he kindly agreed to throw me some under-the-radar gems to look out for.  I'll still post a list of my recommendations, but this list is a great starting point.


"One of our AFFD: FIRST FEATURES is Freddie Wong's THE DRUNKARD, a film I am truly fond of...a powerful drama about a man's battles with booze, women, the pen and his past. It's a wonderful debut that I hope will launch the director into the next level. Check it out Wednesday, July 20, 7:15pm. (guests in attendance)"

Director Freddie Wong achieves an attention to period detail, depth of mood and striking design that sets this haunting drama apart, making it feel like the work of a much more tenured filmmaker.  Based on the writings of Hong Kong novelist Liu Yichang, the story follows the exploits of a boozy, war-scarred writer and poet named Lau (John Chang), whose unending desire for more women, booze and cigarettes act as faint balm against the wartime traumas he endured.  Struggling to make his mark on the literary world late in life, he turns briefly to writing erotic fiction - which pays more - to afford his addictions.  Powerful and visually striking, Wong's film is a mesmerizing debut.

"BEDEVILLED is a dark and powerful drama that edges seamlessly into something decidedly more intense for its final act, but don't let that shift distract you from the first-rate performances and tension throughout. Chul-soo Jang's film is a real prize, and one of my favorites. Screening Sunday July 17 at 9:50pm."

BEDEVILLED might best be described as harrowing; for the film's first two acts, it is a dark and distressing drama about a woman's mistreatment at the hands of her people.  In the end, it straddles the line between psychological thriller and terror as that woman seeks revenge on those who have wronged her for her entire life.

A tale that weaves together various forms of abuse and control, BEDEVILLED begins in Seoul as attractive, thirtysomething bank officer Hae-won (Seong-won Ji) is forced to take a vacation after an awkward incident at work.  She decides to visit Moodo island, where she lived with her grandparents as a small child.  Moodo is also home to Bok-nam (Yeong-hie Seo), who has been sending letters to Hae-won that have gone ignored.  Bok-nam is berated by the ruling elder women of the island, and used as a plaything by the men, including her brutal lout of a husband.  Hae-won is shocked by the iron-fisted hold Bok-nam lives under, but her attempts to help only put her at risk.

BEDEVILLED gets under your skin, and its powerful sense of dread is hard to shake off.  Director Chul-soo Jang effortlessly builds nerve-wracking tension, creating a film that stays with you long after it ends.

"For the fan of heavy-hitting HK crime drama, you just can't beat THE STOOL PIGEON. Nick Cheung and Nicholas Tse are incredible as detective and informant, dealing with professional and personal matters that aren't going to end well. An award-winning film from Dante Lam, this is great stuff. Screening Saturday, July 16 at 9pm."

Dante Lam's THE STOOL PIGEON is a powerful return to the kind of morally-challenged characters and intense, sometimes brutal action that audiences fell in love with in the AFFD's 2009 Opening Night film, THE BEAST STALKER.  Starring Nick Cheung and Nicholas Tse (who both give stunning performances), THE STOOL PIGEON deals with the fine line between cops and their undercover informants.

Detective Lee (Cheung) makes a bad call which causes a close informant to be injured; a year later he must locate a new man to go undercover inside a jewel-theft ring.  Ghost, Jr. (Tse) doesn't want to do it, but Lee can offer deals and apply pressure that make it hard to say no.  Both men are flawed, yet are deeply-affected, multi-layered characters that aren't so easily branded good or bad.  Lee makes decisions based on the progress of his case, but not always at the benefit of his informant.  Ghost must play a role but can't decline the chance to do what's right.  Both are haunted by things they never could completely control.

THE STOOL PIGEON is a sharp, engaging entry into the long line of HK crime dramas that have very nearly shaped perception of that country's film industry.  The film has also received numerous award nominations, including a Hong Kong Film Awards win for Best Actor (Tse).

"But if it's Taiwanese tough you're holding out for, MONGA is a wonderful blend of camaraderie, crime, and the trials of brotherhood/honor among thieves that has a scope similar to the best of the genre. I love this film more every time. Screening Saturday, July 16 at 3:50pm."

It all begins with a chicken drumstick.

MONGA is set in 1980s Taipei, where Mosquito is a lonely high school student without a father or friends. On his first day of school a bully steals his chicken drumstick, and when he has the audacity to stand up to the entire gang responsible, they brutally beat him down. Mosquito's fighting skills catch the eye of the most powerful gang in the school, who invite him to join. Soon they form a brotherhood, and their domain quickly spreads beyond the school thanks to their ties with local organized crime families. As their power and reputation grow, so do the strength and ferocity of their rivals.

Actor Ethan Juan won the 2010 Golden Horse award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in MONGA. With its epic crime-drama scope and the engaging camaraderie of its main characters, MONGA is a terrific look at contemporary Taiwanese cinema.

"Like a challenge? AFFD's "Stranger Than Midnight" screenings should do the trick. Vipin Vijay's THE IMAGE THREADS (Chitra Sutram) is a beautiful (and mature) film that melds technology, magic and cultural history in a mind-blowing narrative surrounding three characters: a professor, his dead grandfather and a stunningly beautiful online presence. Screening Tuesday, July 19 at 9:45pm."

No paragraph could adequately prepare you for Director Vijay's sprawling, gorgeous, tempest-in-a-microchip of a film...but let's try.  A beautifully designed mixture of technology, mythology and the id, swirling through what might be the inside of the internet itself, lush jungles, sterile classrooms and a very odd fellow's van by the beach, THE IMAGE THREADS doesn't have a plot so much as a barometer for philosophy and history, as well as a fearful sense that we are being overcome by electronic pulses just as prior generations may have succumbed to various plagues.  The characters include an IT professor (who narrates), his grandfather (a shaman of sorts) and a stunningly beautiful woman who may be either a hacker or a virtual creation who tries to alternately engage and confound the professor.  The film is a vividly envisioned meditation, all vibrant colors and textures, and it is hard to explain short of simply saying: come get your mind blown.

"Stranger Than Midnight #2 is Huang Weikai's DISORDER. A jaw-dropping documentary excursion into urban chaos made up of grainy video footage of random events: auto accident, health inspection, potential riot...what is that man doing in that drainage area? What's in that grocery freezer? Is that a dead body in that alley? A stunning rarity, don't miss it! Screening Wednesday, July 20 at 5:45pm."

Two men argue with a man who has been struck down by traffic, thinking he is faking his injury for money.  Pigs escape a stalled truck and wander aimlessly across a highway.  Police batter protesters in broad daylight.  And what, was that a dead body in that dark alley?  DISORDER is a mesmerizing, chaotic look at urban madness, as experienced through a series of events that unfold throughout the Guangdong Province.  Seemingly random, darkly humorous, and stunning in its immediacy, DISORDER takes handheld video of events, and weaves them together into a jaw-dropping experience.  Do not miss this rare opportunity as the AFFD presents the film's Southwestern Premiere... and possibly the only chance you'll have to catch this bizarre and hypnotic documentary.

"John Sayles' AMIGO is a film we are very honored to have. AMIGO tells the story of the U.S. occupation of the Philippines in the early 1900s from the POV of the affected villagers. A wonderful human drama you should not miss. Screening Sunday, July 17 at 2:20pm & Wednesday, July 20 at 12:00pm."

For all the wartime dramas that hit movie theaters every year, there seems to be a glaring subject omission: the American occupation of the Philippines at the turn of the 19^th century.  But now, with AMIGO (from American indie master John Sayles), we have a supremely engaging fictional depiction of this forgotten time.  In a rural Filipino village, an American battalion led by the strict but level-headed Lt. Compton (a stoic Garret Dillahunt) takes up residency to keep an eye on local guerrilla activity.  The village's leader (Joel Torre) accommodates the outsiders for the sake of peace, while his brother and head guerrilla (Ronnie Lazaro) leads an armed resistance against the occupation.  Chris Cooper, a Sayles' favorite, excels as Col. Hardacre, Compton's racist, heavy-handed superior officer.  Thought-provoking and incredibly sincere, AMIGO is a meaningful addition to the genre.

Thank for the picks, Steve, and we'll see you on Friday!

You can purchase tickets to all AFFD screenings, through their website, linked below.