![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDI2ZTkxNTgtODE3Yi00ZGM0LTkyNDQtZDUzMzI3M2Y5MjJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDI2ZTkxNTgtODE3Yi00ZGM0LTkyNDQtZDUzMzI3M2Y5MjJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
What could be better than one underdog success story? Multiple underdog success stories, and this is the dogma Peter Chan used exactly in order to present the history of the Chinese volleyball team through four decades, by focusing on one of its most iconic individuals, Lang Ping.
by clicking on the image below Check also this interview Director Peter Chan and Actress Lydia Bai on the Technical and Political Challenges Behind China's Oscar Submission ‘Leap'
The story revolves around three key moments in the history of the team, namely the matches against Japan at the World Cup in 1981, against USA at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and against Brazil at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In that fashion, the narrative unfolds in three arcs. The first one focuses on Lang Ping, and how, under the borderline-exploitative but also tough love training by Yuan Weimin, she came to be the star of the team,...
by clicking on the image below Check also this interview Director Peter Chan and Actress Lydia Bai on the Technical and Political Challenges Behind China's Oscar Submission ‘Leap'
The story revolves around three key moments in the history of the team, namely the matches against Japan at the World Cup in 1981, against USA at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and against Brazil at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In that fashion, the narrative unfolds in three arcs. The first one focuses on Lang Ping, and how, under the borderline-exploitative but also tough love training by Yuan Weimin, she came to be the star of the team,...
- 7/1/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTNhOGU1ZWMtY2EyOS00ZTkwLTliMDItZWZhNjU4Nzg1MzljXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
When it released in 2016, one of the biggest complaints about Doctor Strange was that its hero hewed too close to Iron Man. It followed an arrogant man at the top of his game who suffers a humbling set back and discovers a new identity in the East. Also, facial hair. Surprisingly, bringing the two characters together in Avengers: Infinity War eased the comparison, as initial snark-offs between the duo eventually gave way to revealing their distinctive power sets.
But the movie almost went in the opposite direction, further winking at the interchangability between the two. Early concept art posted to Reddit shows Strange wearing Iron Man’s Mark 50 armor while facing off against Thanos’s minion the Ebony Maw. Created by Phil Saunders, who has worked on several MCU films, the images show Strange deflecting Ebony Maw’s needle attacks while wearing the armor, his Eye of Agamotto glowing in the center.
But the movie almost went in the opposite direction, further winking at the interchangability between the two. Early concept art posted to Reddit shows Strange wearing Iron Man’s Mark 50 armor while facing off against Thanos’s minion the Ebony Maw. Created by Phil Saunders, who has worked on several MCU films, the images show Strange deflecting Ebony Maw’s needle attacks while wearing the armor, his Eye of Agamotto glowing in the center.
- 12/7/2022
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWVkMDc5YjEtMGNhZC00NDE5LTkyMDctZmFkNTViYzdjNDFjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
The previously postponed Beijing International Film Festival is to make a 2021 comeback and will be held later this month in the Chinese capital.
The festival is normally held in late April, but organizers took the precautionary move of shifting it to August this year. They were only days out from the opening night when city authorities responded to new coronavirus cases by reintroducing social distancing restrictions and postponing the festival.
The 11th edition will now be held Sept. 21-29, 2021, as an in-person event at more than 30 venues in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The opening and closing ceremonies will take place at Hairou to the Northeast of the city.
For the second year, an online extension of the festival will be run in partnership with the iQiyi streaming platform. It will operate Sept. 15-Oct. 8. Similarly, the Beijing Radio & Television Station will coordinate some screenings on its TV channels in what it calls “Living Room Theater.
The festival is normally held in late April, but organizers took the precautionary move of shifting it to August this year. They were only days out from the opening night when city authorities responded to new coronavirus cases by reintroducing social distancing restrictions and postponing the festival.
The 11th edition will now be held Sept. 21-29, 2021, as an in-person event at more than 30 venues in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The opening and closing ceremonies will take place at Hairou to the Northeast of the city.
For the second year, an online extension of the festival will be run in partnership with the iQiyi streaming platform. It will operate Sept. 15-Oct. 8. Similarly, the Beijing Radio & Television Station will coordinate some screenings on its TV channels in what it calls “Living Room Theater.
- 9/6/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
![Gong Li at an event for Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk4MzMwMjc5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDMyNzQz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Gong Li at an event for Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk4MzMwMjc5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDMyNzQz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
Gong Li established herself as one of the biggest international stars to come out of China in the early 1990s, starring in the Oscar-nominated films “Ju Dou,” “Raise the Red Lantern” and “Farewell My Concubine” in a four-year stretch and then cementing her global stardom with films like “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Miami Vice.” And while director Niki Caro made good use of her imperious glamour in last year’s “Mulan,” the actress tried something different with “Leap,” this year’s Chinese entry in the Oscars Best International Feature Film race.
Peter Chan’s film is a real-life sports drama, and Gong Li’s usual style is nowhere to be seen in her performance as Lang Ping, a former women’s volleyball star who as coach helped lead the Chinese national team to worldwide success. It’s a different look for Gong — bespectacled, with close-cropped hair and a wardrobe...
Peter Chan’s film is a real-life sports drama, and Gong Li’s usual style is nowhere to be seen in her performance as Lang Ping, a former women’s volleyball star who as coach helped lead the Chinese national team to worldwide success. It’s a different look for Gong — bespectacled, with close-cropped hair and a wardrobe...
- 2/2/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjk5MmM3YzMtNDg5NS00NjA3LTgzMzMtYjE3NTIzZTdjMDdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
by Ricardo Gallegos
China’s 2021 International Oscar submission could be described as a tribute to the history of their National Women’s Volleyball team. In “Leap”, director Peter Chan goes through over four decades of success to portray the key achievements of the team, recreating historical matches and even using Olympic Gold medalists in the cast.
The film earned approximately $8.2 million on its opening day in China and defeated Disney’s big budget blockbuster, “Mulan”. This was no fluke. “Leap” is a very patriotic film that, in its first half, highlights the importance of their women’s volleyball team during the early years of the Chinese economic reform. The players had to overcome deficient training conditions, tough training practices and a lack of experience in the international stage. It’s an underdog story boasted by impressive production qualities and faithful recreation of the biggest games in the team’s history.
China’s 2021 International Oscar submission could be described as a tribute to the history of their National Women’s Volleyball team. In “Leap”, director Peter Chan goes through over four decades of success to portray the key achievements of the team, recreating historical matches and even using Olympic Gold medalists in the cast.
The film earned approximately $8.2 million on its opening day in China and defeated Disney’s big budget blockbuster, “Mulan”. This was no fluke. “Leap” is a very patriotic film that, in its first half, highlights the importance of their women’s volleyball team during the early years of the Chinese economic reform. The players had to overcome deficient training conditions, tough training practices and a lack of experience in the international stage. It’s an underdog story boasted by impressive production qualities and faithful recreation of the biggest games in the team’s history.
- 1/10/2021
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjg2NGI2ZDItYWIzMi00Yzg5LTkwNWUtMWUxOTE2MTU2NmYzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
While the Academy has not yet released the full official list, these are the films Variety has learned have been submitted by various countries in the international film race. The shortlist will be announced Feb. 9 and the nominations on March 15. The Academy Awards ceremony takes place on April 25.
Albania Open Door
Director: Florenc Papas
Key Cast: Luli Bitri, Jonida Vokshi, Gulielm Radoja
Logline: Pregnant woman and her sister try to find a man to pretend to be the mom-to-be’s husband before visiting their traditional father.
Prodco: Bunker Film Plus
Algeria Héliopolis
Director: Djaâfar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi
Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: Algerians fight for independence punctuated by the 1945 massacre in the ancient city of Héliopolis.
Prodco: Centre Algérien de Développement du Cinéma
Argentina The Sleepwalkers
Director: Paula Hernández
Key Cast: Érica Rivas, Ornella D’elía, Marilu Marini, Daniel Hendler
Logline: A family drama encompasses the sexual awakening...
Albania Open Door
Director: Florenc Papas
Key Cast: Luli Bitri, Jonida Vokshi, Gulielm Radoja
Logline: Pregnant woman and her sister try to find a man to pretend to be the mom-to-be’s husband before visiting their traditional father.
Prodco: Bunker Film Plus
Algeria Héliopolis
Director: Djaâfar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi
Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: Algerians fight for independence punctuated by the 1945 massacre in the ancient city of Héliopolis.
Prodco: Centre Algérien de Développement du Cinéma
Argentina The Sleepwalkers
Director: Paula Hernández
Key Cast: Érica Rivas, Ornella D’elía, Marilu Marini, Daniel Hendler
Logline: A family drama encompasses the sexual awakening...
- 12/23/2020
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Sometimes one woman can change the course of sporting history. Chan Peter Ho-sun's volleyball drama (which sometimes recreates events so closely that it feels more like documentary) tells the story of national legend Lang Ping in three parts, starting with her exploits as a player, progressing through her time overseas coaching the US team, and concluding with her return to prepare the Chinese national team for the 2016 Olympics. Lang's is a tale full of big achievements and one which inspires national pride, but can this very straightforward retelling connect with audiences who were not following the real life drama as it unfolded?
Though a huge hit at home, this is a curious choice for China's 2021 Oscar submission. Practically all of its big emotional beats depend on a sense of national pride or, at the very least on...
Though a huge hit at home, this is a curious choice for China's 2021 Oscar submission. Practically all of its big emotional beats depend on a sense of national pride or, at the very least on...
- 12/22/2020
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
imdb.1eye.us, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.