Dihnyingjit

From April 4-19, I was running around in an Asian-film-geek's dreamworld, covering the 30th Hong Kong International Film Festival for its in-house Newsletter and generally helping with the festivities.

Highlights: moving up the HKIFF food chain slightly, i.e. having my own pass and being able to wear my own clothes, unlike last year's lowly volunteer status (and accompanying unflattering uniform t-shirt)

Being within arm's reach of Andy Lau, Louis Koo Tin-Lok, Simon Yam, Chapman To, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Chang Chen, Kuriyama Chiaki, Nishijima Hidetoshi, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Zhao Tao, Jia Zhang-ke, Zhang Yuan...

Getting to chat with Daniel Wu, Ann Hui On Wah, Terry Jones (creator of i-D Magazine, which had a retrospective exhibit), Wing Shya, Christopher Doyle, and even briefly interviewing Johnnie To, Asano Tadanobu, and Pen-ek Ratanaruang (!!!necessary exclamation points!!!)

A few good films that I squeezed in-- the difficult, uneven, but overall fantastic "Invisible Waves" (Ratanaruang's newest), and Sydney Pollack's "Sketches of Frank Gehry" doc

Getting schooled in heavyweight seminars by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai (Decade of Milkyway Image), Hou/Hui/Jia/Zhang quadruple directorial-hitter (Modern Chinese Masters), and Stephen Tung Wai (Art of Action Choreography)

Though HKIFF has its own Jupiter Wong to take actually GOOD photos of the festival, here are a few of my own blurry, underexposed, and poorly composed ones for you to enjoy.


Kuriyama Chiaki looking adorable but mischievous


Louis Koo looking more tan than any human ever should (why, Louis, why? He needs a bronzer intervention)


Simon Yam, an oldie but a goodie... Spoon says he made porn flicks in the 80s!


Johnnie To, mobbed by fans, moments before he *kind of* acknowledged me and his manager let me ask him a few questions, running beside him on his way to his chauffeured car


Jia Zhang-ke in shaggy hair, a vintage velvet blazer, and tired puppy eyes...


Diesel-sponsored i-D party (Party bag oh my! Little bottle of designer vodka and a Diplo mix CD, not half-bad Diesel...)


Triplets de awesomeville in the front there: an amazingly non-drunk Chris Doyle, an amazingly even-hotter-in-person-than-in-movies Asano, and amazingly nice-and-cool Pen-ek


Asano and Maria Cordero, sharing a press-conference cuddle

Though the online newsletter photos have been polarized for some reason, see if you can spot me and my friend Christine talking to Pen-ek Ratanaruang here...

And now it's over. So long, 30th HKIFF, we hardly saw ye!