This will be the opening movie of the festival. ‘Sparrow’ is slang in local Hong Kong street language for pick-pocket. An unusual story about a beautiful woman and three professional pick-pockets coming together in search of an elusive key, the director To’s skill and virtuosity is evident through the film.
Peeping Tom (Makiguri No Ana)
On 11 July, 10am; 15 July, 9.30pm
Director: Yoshihiro Fukagawa (Japan)
Ben Makiguri is a writer whose most recent project has been turned down by his publisher. He is forced to move into a dingy apartment in a run-down building. One day, Ben heads out to a bathhouse to relax and unwind. He discovers that someone has broken into his flat while he was away. While nothing is missing, holes have been drilled into his walls that allow him to peek into the apartments of two of his neighbours. Soon his inactive and forsaken career takes an unexpected turn. This film was adapted from the novel Hole by Akiko Yamamoto.
My Blueberry Nights
My Blueberry Nights
On 14 July, 6.30pm; 12 July, 9.30am
Director: Wong Kar-Wai (Hong Kong)
In Wong Kar-Wai’s debut English feature, which will be the centrepiece for the festival, the internationally acclaimed director takes his audience on a dramatic journey across the distance between heartbreak and a new beginning. After a rough break-up, Elizabeth sets out on a journey across the US, leaving behind a life of memories, a dream and a soulful new friend, in search of something to mend her broken heart. Travelling across the country, Elizabeth befriends others whose yearnings are greater than hers, including a troubled cop and his estranged wife and a down-on-her-luck gambler with a score to settle. The cast includes Norah Jones and Jude Law.
Mumbai Cutting
On 19 July, 7.30pm
Director: Sudhir Mishra, Rahul Dholakia, Rituparno Ghosh, Kundan Shah, Jahnu Barua, Revathy, Anurag Kashyap, Shashanka Ghosh, Ruchi Narain, Manish Jha (India)
Mumbai Cutting
Mumbai Cutting will close the festival. Ten of the country’s renowned film-makers have collaborated to interpret life in modern day Mumbai. A film, that claims to be as emotionally complex as the city it portrays,
Mumbai Cutting alternates between the comical and the cynical, as it tells the story of a man and a woman who come together in grief after losing their loved ones; a writer who makes it his mission to connect with a troubled orphan; a Muslim woman attempting to procure a fake passport; and an aspiring actor who races the streets in order to reach an important audition.
The Elephant and the Sea On 13 July, 7pm; 17 July, 9.45pm
Director: Ming Jin Woo (Malaysia, Netherlands)
Two men—one elderly, one in his 20s—are touched by tragedies linked to a single source. Yun Ding is a young guy who earns a meagre living by leaving sharp objects on the road, and then charging motorists to help fix their inevitable flat tires. Sometimes, Yun and his friend Long catch fish from the nearby ocean. But a strange and fatal illness has been infecting the local catch putting the local fishing fleet out of business. One veteran fisherman, Ah Ngau, has lost his wife to the illness and been rendered homeless. The path of the fisherman and Yun cross when both become victims to tragedy.