BAFTA devotes day to the best from Chinese cinema.

by Amber Wilkinson
Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Cinemagoers in London are in for a treat this Saturday, when BAFTA present a day devoted to Chinese cinema.

Curated by the Filming East Festival, the day will offer a selection of films from existing and emerging talent and give audiences the chance to get involved in a free film maker's Q&A.

The day kicks of at 12.30pm (Princess Anne Theatre) with The Longest Night in Shanghai (Yoru no shanghai), directed by Zhang Yibai - a rare Sino-Japanese co-production that sees hip Japanese makeup artist Mizushima Naoki in Shanghai when he meets a working class tomboy taxi driver Lin Xi. After some language confusion, Naoki gets into the taxi, mistaking Lin Xi's friendliness as an invitation for a free tour. Little does he know, Lin Xi is planning on taking the long way round the city with the meter running. But despite their different backgrounds a bond starts to form.

Other films screening include He Ping's Wheat (Main Tian), also at Princess Anne Theatre, at 2.45pm, which focuses on the civilian cost of conflict during the era of Warring States in China; and If You Are The One (Fei Cheng Wu Rao), which screens at 7pm at 195, Piccadilly - a hit comedy, directed by Assembly helmer Feng Xiaoxiao, about an eigible bachelor who has it all... except for a wife.

The day's films will finish with The Matrimony (Xin zhong you gui), directed by Teng Hua Tao, which screens at Princess Anne Theatre at 9.30pm. This mixture of supernatural thriller and period romance tells the story of cinematographer Junchu, who lives a loveless lonely existence with his estranged wife in an isolated house in the woods tormented by the memory of his dead fiancee... while his wife has increasingly strange encounters with this fiancé's ghost.

Other events during the day include a showcase of Chinese short films and a special free Q&A session entitled Filmmakers' Questiontime: Filming in China and Chinese/UK co-productions. In this discussion event filmmakers and rights holders will offer their experiences of navigating the untapped market of China and answer audience questions regarding co-production funding and political red tape.

For further information about the day's events visit www.bafta.org/whats-on. Tickets to screenings start from £5 and are free to BAFTA members.