The second annual ID Film Festival showcases films that challenge and celebrate what it means to be Asian.

Free for members; $5 non-members per program. Or you can buy a festival pass for $30. (Unless otherwise noted.) For more information about the festival, go to: www.idfilmfest.org.


DAY 2 of ID Film Festival
6 PM - Three Narrow Gates (Directed by Vincent Chui): US Premier. This film is part of our spotlight on Hong Kong Independent films

8 PM - King of Spy (Directed by Chu Ka Yat): US Premier. This film is part of our spotlight on Hong Kong Independent films. Preceding the feature is "Cut Short" (Directed by Jason Tobin).

10 PM - Citizen King (Directed by Johnson Lee & Ching Long): US Premier. This film is part of our spotlight on Hong Kong Independent films.

MORE INFO ABOUT THESE FILMS (By Gillian Sand):
THREE NARROW GATES
A young fallen cop, a reporter and a priest cross paths via the murder of a young Chinese prostitute. Hong Kong filmmaker Vincent Chui brings us on a suspenseful journey into a complex web of political scandals and business deals between the wealthy and the corrupt. Essentially, the film captures the paranoia and fear of Hong Kong against political criticism against China. Three Narrow Gates is an ambitious and suspenseful low budget political thriller that relies more on storytelling than special effects.

Knowing well that he would not be able to distribute the movie in China, Chui made the film with a shoestring budget of USD$50,000. Three Narrow Gates is not only a testament to Chui’s filmmaking skills. It is also a testament to his commitment and integrity of being an independent filmmaker in Hong Kong daring to challenge the unspoken censorship of China.

CUT SHORT
A short film by Jason Tobin about a sleazy reporter who has the tables turned on him when an irate celebrity decides to “Cut Short” their interview.

KING OF SPY
Directed, produced, choreographed, and acted by the Chu brothers, King of Spy is probably the most entertaining and cheapest feature to ever come out of Hong Kong. Director Chu Ka Yat made this action thriller for price tag of USD$800 with a combination of amateur actors, homemade special effects, and extras from Simcity.

King of Spy tells the adventures of a super spy, played by Chu Ka Yat, in search of a mass destructive weapon called the Eye of the Sky. A nonstop rollercoaster ride of comic violence and 99-cents martial arts choreography, King of Spy is a true piece of inspiring independent cinema that shows how much you can do with little money and resources. Behind the comic action and tongue-in-cheek performances, King of Spy expresses the anxiety toward and critique against the lack of democracy of the Chinese government today.

CITIZEN KING
The title of this Hong Kong drama is an obvious take-off of Citizen Cane. Our Citizen King (Johnson Lee) is a down-and-out Chinese actor with the dream of make it in Hollywood because Hong Kong just doesn’t get him. King meets a sleazy American producer who promises that if King can make an audition tape he will get him set up in Hollywood. King enlists martial arts legend Gordon Liu (Kill Bill) to help him create the performance of his lifetime.

Part romance and part black comedy, Citizen King was shot in black and white and in English, which are highly atypical for Hong Kong movies. The filmmakers Johnson Lee and Ching Long pull together a mix bag of melodrama, black comedy, mocumentary and cinematic homage to an ironically compelling feature. Citizen King is truly a hyperbole of Hong Kong’s identity crisis—a Chinese movie shot in English, and a good film about a bad actor. The romance between King and his biggest fan (Farini Chan) is particularly moving. Citizen King is undeniably a fascinating and unique item of Hong Kong cinema.

Other ID Film Festival Screenings

Final Day of the ID Film Festival