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Hong Kong director Wayne Wang presents latest film at San Sebastian
2007-09-26
Hong Kong director Wayne Wang presented his latest film "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers", about the Chinese immigrant experience in the US, on Wednesday at Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival. Based on a short story by the same name by award-winning author Yiyun Li, the movie depicts the tensions that follow when a widower from Beijing, Mr. Shi, goes to Spokane to visit his only daughter, recently divorced Yilan, for the first time in 12 years. Mr. Shi wants his daughter, who is consumed by her work as a librarian, to recover her marriage but Yilan starts to avoid him when he insists on knowing the reasons for her divorce. The movie marks a return to both his roots and low-budget filmmaking for Wang, whose recent films include "Maid in Manhattan" (2002) staring US singer Jennifer Lopez and "The Last Holiday" (2006) featuring Queen Latifah. The 58-year-old director, named after John Wayne, who was his father's favourite actor, worked with the head of the festival's jury, US director-author Paul Auster, on the 1995 independent film "Smoke" and its sequel "Blue in the Face". The other competition film scheduled to be screened on Wednesday is Esteban Schroeder's "Matar a Todos" about a lawyer investigating the kidnap in Uruguay of a Chilean chemist wanted by the international authorities in connection with crimes committed by the Pinochet regime. In all, 16 movies are competing for the festival's Golden Shell award for best film, which is to be announced on Saturday, the last day of the festival. Canadian director David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" about the Russian mafia in London opened the 55th San Sebastain Film Festival on September 20. Last year the jury chaired by French veteran actress Jeanne Moreau awarded the Golden Shell jointly to "Half Moon" by Iranian Bahman Ghabadi and "Mon fils a moi" by French director Martial Fougeron.
Dogs take centre stage for feel-good Croatian play (2008-10-14)Hong Kong director Wayne Wang presents latest film at San Sebastian (2007-09-26)Spanish film director Saura gets honorary award at San Sebastian (2007-09-23)US writer Paul Auster wins top Spanish literature prize (2006-05-31)
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