Fed up with ho-hum summer blockbusters? Craving a fix of offbeat, independent cinema? Sabrina Lee and Hsieh Nizhen round up the hottest tickets both in and out of town

Hong Kong International Film Festival
8 August-15 September (Hong Kong)
Over the past few decades, Hong Kong has led the charge for worldwide recognition of the Asian film industry. Directors like Stephen Chow, Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark and John Woo have become household names, some crossing over to Hollywood.

The Mourning Forest (left) and Ocean Flame (right)

For this year’s celluloid smorgasbord, your starter is the succulent drama Ocean Flame, directed by Liu Fendou and produced by Simon Yam (who also starred in Hong Kong blockbusters Eye in the Sky and Triangle). Ocean Flame is Yam’s first crack at producing; Liu, on the other hand, has already impressed filmgoers with his debut black comedy Green Hat (2004), which won top honours at the Tribeca Film Festival. Despite the fanciful title, Ocean Flame burns with bitterness: a brazen blackmailer named Wang Yao meets a waitress named Lichuan who lives by her own rules. Unable to manipulate her, he falls for her – but soon afterwards, their passion turns dark. There’s a shot to the head, and eight years later, Yao goes in search of Lichuan’s mother to settle unfinished business.

On a lighter note, because August is Hong Kong’s summer month, the festival organisers have decided to dedicate the rest of the programme to ‘Summer Pops’ and ‘Summer Classics’. The former includes faddish movies from countries such as Japan, Korea, France, India and the US, including romantic comedy Cyborg Girl, Water Lilies (see Review) and Bangkok Dangerous starring Nicolas Cage. ‘Summer Classics’ is a little more mellow, screening films by Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) and prominent Japanese director Kon Ichikawa (1915-2008).
Go to www.hkiff.org.hk for festival details.

Japanese Film Festival
22-31 August (Singapore)
For the festival’s 14th outing, the Embassy of Japan and the Singapore Film Society have chosen to highlight the influence of women in Japanese films. The director-in-focus is Kawase Naomi, a two-time award winner at Cannes – the Caméra d’Or for best new director in 1997 for Moe no suzaku and the Grand Prix in 2007 for The Mourning Forest (both are set to screen at the festival, along with some of Naomi’s docudramas). The festival will also pay homage to one of Japan’s most under-rated yet ingenious directors, Naruse Mikio, known for her seminal 1960 melodrama When a Woman Ascends the Stairs – a delicate study of Keiko, a geisha in Tokyo’s bar district of Ginza, who struggles to maintain self-respect in the face of indecent proposals from clients. Acclaimed actress-director Tanaka Kinuyo – a major player in the industry from the 1920s to the 1970s – will also be honoured. Kinuyo has worked with some of Japan’s most acclaimed independent directors, such as Mizoguchi Kenji – with whom she’s made more than 14 films – and the legendary Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Rashômon), whose style influenced movies like Quentin Tarantino’s two-volume epic Kill Bill.

Chants of Lotus (left), LUCKY 7 (right)

When asked why the decision to focus on the fairer sex, Chung Meng, vice-chairman for the Singapore Film Society, says, ‘Women, as protagonists, play an important and unique role in Japanese cinema. During and after World War II, men were either at the frontline fighting the war or in factories and offices rebuilding the economy. Women played an especially significant part in holding the family, and society as a whole, together.’ They wanted to explore the various issues faced by women in Japanese society, past and present; what kind of freedoms have they gained, or do they still lack? But most importantly, the festival is a great way to spotlight the creative forces of female artists at work both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
Go to www.sfs.org.sg for festival details.

Q! Film Festival, Indonesia
7-16 August (Jakarta) & 21-24 August (Bali)
It’s a rarity in the Muslim world to find anything relating to homosexuality, let alone a film festival, but Indonesia proves to be the exception to the rule. The Q! Film Festival is a free event showcasing films that touch on themes of homosexuality and HIV/AIDS. Established in 2002 by a coterie of freelance journalists, this festival initially faced opposition from Islamic fundamentalist groups but has raised awareness of gay issues and introduced the concept of ‘alternative cinema’ to Indonesia; this year is no different, boasting the theme ‘Naturally Different’. Besides the addition of ‘human rights films’ as a genre, more international filmmakers have been called upon to broaden the spectrum. One noteworthy screening is The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela, which won the Teddy Award (the official ‘queer film’ award at the Berlin International Film Festival) this year. The film is about a transsexual who is bent on becoming a Western heterosexual man. ‘I want[ed] to show the courage ladyboys need merely to face their existence…in the predominantly conservative Catholic society in the Philippines,’ says Icelandic director Olaf ‘de Fleur’ Johannesson. For an interesting Indonesian effort, try Chants of Lotus (Perempuan Punya Cerita), the collaborative brainchild of four female filmmakers following the lives of marginalised women in the country. Even Singapore’s own LUCKY7 – an experimental feature film that assembles 10- to 12-minute segments by Sun Koh and six other directors – will be screened in Indonesia (it previously made waves at this year’s Singapore Film Festival). But it isn’t just a passive viewing experience; there are fringe events, including photo exhibitions, talk shows (adapted from actual TV and radio programmes), a book launch and hot debates on religion and homosexuality. And on behalf of aspiring gay and lesbian filmmakers, Q! Film Festival is also issuing public service announcements and holding scriptwriting competitions in its mission to educate and empower.
Go to www.qfilmfestival.org for festival details.