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Dragons and tigers multiply at Cannes film festival
( 2001-05-17 15:29 ) (7 )

Dragons and tigers are doing a roaring trade at this year's Cannes film festival as Asian producers enjoy record interest in their wares.

Revitalised by the global success of martial arts epic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", which won four Oscars in March, Asian film makers are drawing big-money Western buyers to their colourful stands looking for more of the same.

If the names of some of the films being advertised are anything to go by, they are not going to be disappointed.

Among the Hong Kong offerings are "Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger", "Roaring Dragon, Bluffing Tiger", "Guns of Dragon," and "Dragon, The Master".

"In Hong Kong we have many films with this sort of name. It might seem funny, but we have many dragons and many tigers in Asia," said Joseph Lai, chief executive officer at the Hong Kong distributor IFD Films and Arts Limited.

The high regard for Asian films is reflected in the official Cannes competition, with five of the 23 pictures battling it out for the prestigious Palme D'Or coming from the region.

However, the real litmus test for most film makers is the bustling trade fair that runs alongside the festival, and the mood there among Asian sellers is buoyant.

"This is the best year for business we have ever known at Cannes," IFD's Lai told Reuters.

A DISTORTED IMAGE OF ASIA?

However, not everyone is happy about the seemingly insatiable appetite among Western distributors for Oriental action movies. Some fear that cinema goers in Europe and the United States are getting a warped view of Asia.

"Western audiences don't seem to think that Asian people fall in love. They are only interested in Asian people killing each other," complained Jenny Chung, an international seller at the South Korean distributor Cinema Service.

Despite her concerns, her company seems as eager to jump on the dragon bandwagon as any other. Among the films it is selling is "Bichunmoo", described as a martial arts fantasy that outpaced "Crouching Tiger" at the Korean box office.

The poetic "Crouching Tiger" has revitalised Hong Kong's fading film industry, once the most dynamic in Asia, bringing the territory its first Oscars, including golden statues for best foreign film and best cinematography.

On the back of the unexpected triumph, Hong Kong has sent a 220-strong delegation to Cannes as well as a battery of stars, including kung-fu wizard Jackie Chan, heart-throb Andy Lau and martial arts actor and comedian Sammo Hung.

But the aftershock of "Crouching Tiger", made by Taiwanese director Ang Lee, has rippled across the whole region.

Korea's Mark H. Yoon said he had buyers queuing up to take on his prime offering -- "Musa, The Warrior", which stars the stunning "Crouching Tiger" heroine Zhang Ziyi and claims to be "the greatest chivalric action spectacular ever made".

"Had it not been for "Crouching Tiger" this would have been a simple video release in the West, but now we're definitely going to get it into the US and European cinemas," said Yoon, senior vice-president of CJ Entertainment.

Likewise, the first Thai film to show at Cannes, a spoof western called "Tears of the Black Tiger", was quickly snapped up for distribution by major Hollywood player Miramax.

Miramax also bought the rights to three Chinese language films by Hong Kong comedian Stephen Chiau, "Shaolin Soccer", "The God of Cookery" and "The King of Comedy".

"Asia spices bland Cannes," the trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter said in a front page headline this week in reference to all the Asian wheeling and dealing.

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

Asian film makers and distributors insist burgeoning Western interest in their movies was driven not only by "Crouching Tiger", but reflected the improved nature of the region's films after a serious quality by-pass in the last decade.

Hong Kong, for example, enjoyed strong success in the late 1980s, but was plunged into the doldrums in the early 1990s by rampant copyright piracy and gangsters muscling into the business.

The Asian financial crisis provided the final karate chop to the neck, leaving film makers without funding.

"After the economic crisis, our producers recognised that they would have to start making genuine quality pictures if they wanted to tap into world markets. We are now seeing the fruit of that shift in mentality," IFD's Joseph Lai said.

However, some of the Asian sellers were not convinced that only good would come out of the gold rush, warning financiers might only want to play it safe and focus on hard-hitting, big-kicking action pictures rather than human interest stories.

"It is very limiting. People are just looking for dragons and tigers. Soon we will get all these cheap imitations and the reputation of our industry might suffer," said Ja hee Bae, assistant marketing manager at distributor Cineclickasia.

Bucking the martial arts trend, the Hong Kong romance "In the Mood for Love", directed by Wong Kar-wai, scooped up best actor and best cinematography at Cannes last year and did well at the French box office.

"I think people were initially drawn to that film because the director is famous. It really was an exception," said Ja hee Bae.

"We have got a battle on our hands trying to broaden people's tastes and make them watch Asian films that don't just involve kung fu," she added.