Cosponsored with Confucius Institute, SCHOOL of Architecture and Allied Arts, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
Three important figures in the world of Asian cinema are returning to Eugene to present works in this year’s Cinema Pacific. Actor Daniel Wu, producer Roger Lee, and photographer Russel Wong developed their passion for the arts during their college days at the University of Oregon.
Born in 1974 in Berkeley, California, Daniel Wu is an internationally renowned Hong Kong actor, director, and producer. One of the top movie stars in the Chinese film industry, Wu has roots here in Eugene, graduating from the University of Oregon in the 1990s with a degree in architecture. During this time, Wu began taking film courses and was a regular at local theaters. A longtime Chinese martial arts enthusiast, he also founded the University of Oregon Wushu club in 1994 and was its first coach. After graduation, Wu traveled to Hong Kong and briefly modeled before he was discovered by film director Yonfan and subsequently cast in his first feature film, Bishonen (1998). Wu won the Hong Kong Film Award Golden Horse for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 for his role in New Police Story. Wu stars in Overhead 2 (2011), a crime thriller screening here at Cinema Pacific, in addition to The Heavenly Kings (2006), for which Wu won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Director.
Overheard 2 SOLD OUT!
Friday, April 20, 7:30 p.m., Regal Valley River
The Heavenly Kings SOLD OUT!
Saturday, April 21, 10:00 a.m., Bijou Art Cinemas
Hong Kong producer and UO alumnus Roger Lee will present his autobiographical feature A Simple Life. The film, which stars Andy Lau and Deanie Ip and was directed by Ann Hui, was Hong Kong’s selection for this year’s Best Foreign Film Academy Award. It earned Deanie Ip the Best Actress award at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. Co-written by Roger Lee and Susan Chan, the screenplay evolved from Lee’s reflections on his relationship with his childhood nanny or amah. Lee, a well-known independent producer in Hong Kong, had already worked with Ann Hui, most notably on her award-winning Nu ren si shi (Summer Snow, 1995).
A Simple Life
Saturday, April 21, 6:45 p.m., Bijou
Photographer Russel Wong is coming back to Eugene for Cinema Pacific and the opening of his exhibition, The Big Picture, at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Wong will attend the opening reception for his exhibition and Cinema Pacific on April 20, and will give an artist’s talk with projected slides on April 21 at 2:00 p.m. in the JSMA Lecture Room. Wong is one of the most-profiled photographers in Singapore and Asia. From his beginnings in sports photography, Wong’s work has extended to photographing stories and fashion spreads for movie sets, such as Oliver Stone’s Heaven and Earth, publicity shoots for Lee Ang’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Zhang Yimou’s Hero and House of Flying Daggers, and portraits of Asian movie stars like Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi.
Artist’s Talk: Russel Wong
Saturday, April 21, 2:00pm, Schnitzer Museum