Nearly 20 exciting Chinese language films from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and around the world have been presented at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which was open on Thursday night in Canada' s largest city.
In the next coming days, Toronto has rolled out the red carpets to welcome super stars like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Robert De Niro, Helen Mirren, Kevin Spacey and Bill Gates.
However, true film lovers also have had opportunities to enjoy the beauties and mysteries in the films from across the sea, exploring a different world and life style that they may not be familiar with.
The long term TIFF's "most favorite" Chinese film maker Jia Zhangke has brought his "I Wish I Knew" to Toronto for its north American premiere. Jia was honored by TIFF as "one of the youngest masters of cinema" early this year.
In his newest feature documentary production commissioned to commemorate the 2010 World Expo, Jia was trying to portray a chapter of modern Chinese history through interviews and scenic views of Shanghai, the largest city in China and Far East, in its continuous evolution.
Chinese Director Feng Xiaogang's "Aftershock" was mentioned as "the most successful Chinese movie of all time"at TIFF. The film sweeps across three crucial decades in recent Chinese history and explores the resilience of a family devastated by the 1976 Tangshan earthquake.
"All About Love" by Hong Kong's Ann Hui takes a rare look at the lives of Queer women in Hong Kong, as well as the challenges of creating a family. The TIFF mentioned this film as "expertly balances the serious themes of motherhood, sexuality and discrimination, rarely addressed in Hong Kong films, with wit, humor and compassion."
"Break Up Club"directed by Hong Kong's Barbara Wong captures the mood of Hong Kong's young generation and delivers an ultra- modern romantic comedy about the end of one's innocence and the understanding that love is ultimately about the sacrifices one must take.
"The Fourth Portrait"by Taiwan's Chung Mong-Hong casts a sobering look at the troubling issues of domestic violence, and the difficult family dynamics that are born of marriages of convenience.
Other Chinese movies that will be presented at Toronto Film Festival include "The Legend of the Fist, The Return of Chen Zhen" ,"The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman","Fire of Conscience", "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame","The Piano in a Factory", and"Pinoy Sunday"
Toronto International Film Festival, known as the largest of its kind in North America, was held from Sept. 9 to 19 in celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
The festival will be screening some 340 films selected from 3, 526 submissions from 59 countries and regions like U.S., England, China, Finland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and many places in between.
Total length of the screened movies are around 27,000 minutes. The organizer expects some half million people will be in attendance at this year's 10-day festival.
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