"Red Cliff" tops nominations for Asian Film Awards

Hong Kong action movie supremo John Woo's historical epic "Red Cliff" Wednesday grabs nominations for both best film and best director at the Asian Film Awards.

Director John Woo (2nd L) poses with cast members (from L-R) Hu Jun, Lin Chi-ling, Tony Leung, Zhao Wei and Chang Chen during a photocall for the film "Red Cliff" at the 61st Cannes FIlm Festival May 19, 2008.

But the two stars of Woo's movie, Hong Kong heartthrob actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Japanese/Taiwanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro, were overlooked by judges for the third annual Hong Kong-based prize, organizers said.

Woo, who is best known for directing Hollywood blockbuster "Mission: Impossible II," is hoping to break the hold South Korean filmmakers have on the annual awards.

Last year, "Secret Sunshine," a tragic movie about death and faith, took home three top prizes including best picture.

With a total of three nominations, Woo faces stiff competition this year from another South Korean film "The Good, the Bad and the Weird" which was nominated in eight categories, the most for any film.

Set in the northeastern Chinese desert during the tumultuous 1930s, the South Korean film received eight nominations including best film, best director, and best actor.

Chen Kaige's "Forever Enthralled," which stars China's Zhang Ziyi, received three nominations, although the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" actress missed out on a nomination.

A total of 36 Asian films were selected from hundreds of entries for 13 categories. The awards are organized by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society.

Entries from the Philippines, India, Thailand and Indonesia have also been selected for the awards, organizers said.

The nominations will be judged by a 13-member jury headed by Michelle Yeoh, the Chinese-Malaysian actress who starred in the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies" in 1997

The awards will be announced at a ceremony held on March 23.

Costumes Unveiled for Opera 'Red Cliff'

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An artist's concept of the upcoming Peking opera show "Red Cliff"

An upcoming Peking opera show will offer a panorama of the opera art's apparel, its costume designer says. It will be the Peking opera directorial debut for Zhang Jigang, who assisted Zhang Yimou in directing the August 8 opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics.

"We have designed more than 180 costumes for 'Red Cliff'," said Peng Dinghuang at a Monday press conference, where she and co-designer Song Li unveiled a selection of their designs.

"Red Cliff", based on a historical water battle that has inspired John Woo's film of the same name, boasts a long list of top-notch thespians due to its meaty story.

"The play has every type of Peking opera roles," Peng said, "and you could say the show is an exhibition of Peking opera costumes."

Peng added that most of the 180 or more costumes will be hand-made, and will demonstrate "a fusion of traditional sewing art and modern beauty."

The six-act "Red Cliff" will premiere on December 22 at Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts.

"Red Cliff" makes box office history

Tony Leung is seen in John Woo's "Red Cliff"

The most expensive Chinese film has finally become the most lucrative.

John Woo's battle epic "Red Cliff" has raked in 302 million yuan (44.04 million U.S. dollars) as of Monday, setting a new record for Chinese films, Sohu.com reported.

It also became the only Chinese film so far to have crossed the 300 million yuan milestone, the report says.

Zhang Yimou's Oscar-nominated 2006 film, "Curse of the Golden Flower," was previously the most bankable Chinese film, earning 286 million yuan.

"Red Cliff" opened on July 10, and took only four days to earn 100 million yuan. It easily grossed 200 million yuan over ten days.

An unnamed representative from the China Film Group, which produced and distributed "Red Cliff," told Sohu that he expected the film to continue its popularity and eventually exceed the domestic record created by "Titanic." The 1997 American blockbuster, which grossed a total of 360 million yuan in China, is still unbeaten today.

The strong takings of "Red Cliff" also pave the way for its sequel, due out in December, the representative said.

"Red Cliff," with a star-studded cast which includes Cannes best actor Tony Leung and heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro, boasts a budget of US$80 million, making it the costliest Chinese film ever.

It is based on a well-known historical battle in 208 AD in which thousands of ships were burnt. Magnificent battle scenes are one of its biggest features.

The film has been selected to open this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, running from October 18 to 26.

Tokyo Film Festival to open with "Red Cliff"

Director John Woo (center) and cast members promote "Red Cliff" in Tokyo on August 6, 2008.

John Woo's lucrative historical epic "Red Cliff" will open this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, Chinese media reported.

The news was announced at a press conference on Wednesday in Tokyo, where Woo and leading cast members were promoting the film, China News Service reported.

The 21st Tokyo International Film Festival will run from October 18 to 26.

"Red Cliff," based on a Chinese water battle in 208 AD, features a star-heavy cast, including Japanese actor Shido Nakamura and Takeshi Kaneshiro, who is half Japanese, half Chinese.

The film will officially open in Japan on November 1.

Full house for "Red Cliff" on opening day

The costliest Chinese film seems to have the potential to be the most profitable as well. John Woo's "Red Cliff" opened on Thursday, attracting a full house at almost every theater screening the film.

The Lineup of "Red Cliff" pose for a picture at a press conference in Hong Kong on June 30, 2008, ten days before the premiere of the film.

Theaters in Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and many other cities reported unusually high attendance for the opening of the historical epic shortly after midnight on Thursday, Sohu.com reports.

Despite its grand premiere last week, it was the first time the two-hour and 20-minute film was screened in its entirety.

An audience member in Beijing told Sohu that she heard that John Woo had spent five years making "Red Cliff," which aroused her curiosity in the film.

Moviegoers were also impressed by the film's magnificence, Sohu says. "Red Cliff" is based on a well-known historical battle in 208 AD in which thousands of ships were burnt. The biggest scenes involved 2,000 actors and crew members, and around 1,300 special effects are used, an earlier report on Shanghai Daily says.

A few viewers on Thursday voiced disappointments that the lines spoken by these ancient characters were too modern, but Sohu found in a survey that generally speaking, the audiences gave the film a thumbs-up.

The lengthy film also left some fans feeling exhausted, yet John Woo has done his best to cut it short. The current release is just half of the "Red Cliff" series. Woo said before that it's very difficult to condense the story into two hours so he split it into two parts to allow more room for character development.

The second part is set for release in Asia in December, when Western audience will also get to see a single, condensed release.

The US$70 million "Red Cliff" is said to be the most expensive Chinese-language film ever made. Its star-heavy cast spans talents from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland, including Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Lin Chi-ling, Zhao Wei and Hu Jun.

Hong Kong director John Woo attends a press conference in Hong Kong on June 30, 2008, ten days before the premiere of his latest blockbuster "Red Cliff."

Taiwan actress Chiling Lin attends a press conference for "Red Cliff" in Hong Kong on June 30, 2008, ten days before the premiere of the film in China.

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung attends a press conference for "Red Cliff" in Hong Kong on June 30, 2008, ten days before the premiere of the film in China.

Hong Kong actor Takeshi Kaneshivo (or Jin Chengwu in Mandarin) attends a press conference for "Red Cliff" in Hong Kong on June 30, 2008, ten days before the premiere of the film in China.

Chinese mainland actress Song Jia attends a press conference for "Red Cliff" in Hong Kong on June 30, 2008, ten days before the premiere of the film in China.