Dragon Film Fest in Florence & Prato

The fourth annual Dragon Festival of Chinese Film in Italy from April 19 – 23 brings together animation, adventure, and martial arts to two different locations this year, the Textile Museum of Prato and Cinema La Compagnia on via Cavour. All films will be in their original languages with English and Italian subtitles.

Several movies have made the rounds at other prestigious film festivals in the past year including Toronto and San Sebastian. The inaugural screening in Prato on April 18 is I’m not Madame Bovary – a 2016 film by Feng Xiaogang starring famous Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who international audiences have seen in the summer 2014 action flick X-Men: Days of Future Past.

This year’s event offers a rich program ranging from action packed blockbusters to an animated journey through the Chinese zodiac in Foo Sing Choong’s Where’s the Dragon? The choice of the two host cities was a conscious decision on the part of the festivals organizers in the hopes of continuing intercultural dialogue in a city with one of the largest Chinese population in Italy.

The Florence portion of the festival will open Wednesday, April 19 with the showing of Little Big Master. Adrian Kwon’s drama focusing on the complicated dynamics of an international kindergarten in Hong Kong is guaranteed to be a highlight of this year’s events, as the director himself is scheduled to make an appearance to talk with the public that evening.

During the screenings on Thursday, April 20, contemporary art gallery Dryphoto Prato will show Mr. Sea, a short film by talented Chinese artist Geng Xue. The feature is made of entirely porcelain figurines animated through the use of stop motion technology.

Also included on the program is Office, a musical comedy by Johnnie To at Cinema La Compagnia at 5:30 pm Friday, April 21 and The Grandmaster, the most recent work by Wong Kar-wai based on the life of martial arts master Ip Man, mentor to the iconic Bruce Lee.

Horror fans can visit Cinema La Compagnia on the evening of April 21 to see Keeper of the Darkness by Nick Cheung, a sinister story of exorcisms and the vengeful spirits who inhabit the bodies of the unsuspecting.

Award winning Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film The Assassin, playing as the closing feature along with The Grandmaster on April 22 and 23, is famous for its lavish portrayal of the Tang Dynasty in 8th century China. The drama centers on Nie Yinniang, played by Shu Qi, a femme fatale assassin who has been ordered to slay corrupt government officials – including a man to whom she was once betrothed, and who now serves as a powerful military governor in Northern China

Tickets for single film viewings start at only €5. For more information on prices and a complete schedule of screenings visit www.dragonfilmfestival.com.  (tessa lucia debole)