Latest news with #GirlsonWire
South China Morning Post
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Girls on Wire: Wen Qi shines in Vivian Qu's uneven genre blender
Published: 10:30pm, 17 Feb 2025 3/5 stars Girls on Wire is first and foremost a showcase of Wen Qi's versatility. In the film, which premiered at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, the Taiwanese actress originally known as Vicky Chen Wen-chi gets to emote as a maternal big sister, brood like an embittered avenger and go airborne and underwater as a swordswoman; she also switches between Sichuanese dialect and Mandarin with aplomb. But what perks up Wen's performance creates pitfalls for the film's director, Vivian Qu . Trading in tropes drawn from family melodramas, film noir and martial arts movies, Girls on Wire is inconsistent in tone and convoluted in its storytelling. Qu's decision to unfurl the narrative using two intertwining timelines makes it more a blend of incoherent ideas than an inventive genre mash-up. Filmed in Chongqing, southwest China, the film begins with Tiantian ( Liu Haocun ) locked in an underground cell, where she receives a heavy kicking and a forced injection of drugs at the hands of her captor. After a violent struggle, she accidentally slits the man's throat before fleeing.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mike Downey, European Film Academy Chair, Unveils Slate of Projects Under Downey Ink Banner (EXCLUSIVE)
Producer Mike Downey, who is chair of the European Film Academy and whose co-production 'Girls on Wire' is in Berlin competition, has unveiled a diverse slate of films from his production company Downey Ink at the European Film Market. 'My taste for a diverse range of world cinema projects remains,' Downey said. 'It is the company's goal to connect with the best in writing from European masters, as well as engage with projects that demonstrate a social conscience and also have an engaged political agenda. I'm with Mayakovsky when he said, 'Art is not a mirror to hold up to reality, it is a hammer to beat it into shape.'' More from Variety Arte/ZDF, Port au Prince Board 'Ivan & Hadoum' (EXCLUSIVE) Alejandro Amenábar's Historical Epic 'The Captive' Captures Pre-Sales as Disney Dates Spanish Release (EXCLUSIVE) 'Sex' Review: Masculinity Loosens Up in the First Chapter of Dag Johan Haugerud's Arthouse Trilogy Downey is developing two feature projects with Prague-based producer Sarka Cimbalova at Marlene Films: an adaptation of Kateřina Tučková's hit novel 'The White Water,' and 'Razor Man,' written by Marek Epstein, whose credits include Agnieszka Holland's 'Charlatan.' As previously announced, Downey is executive producer on Holland's 'Franz,' which is also produced by Marlene Films. Downey and Albania's Fatmir Koçi are adapting 1936 Albanian novel 'If I Were a Boy' by Haki Stërmilli. The film, which will shoot in the third quarter of 2025, explores the inner world of a girl living in Tirana, and her thoughts on women's emancipation and empowerment in Albania's patriarchal society. Downey and Koçi are in post-production on a film written by the two of them, 'Lady Di.' Shot in Tirana, the film is a drama about three homeless teenagers who find refuge with a kindly prostitute. Downey has two projects in Turkey: 'The Sun, the Moon and the Stars,' to be directed by Emir Kuelal Haznevi, is in pre-production; and 'LO-FI,' directed by Alican Durbaş and produced by Vayka Film's Ipek Erden, is in post-production. Downey is working with Jamilla van der Hulst and Conrad Alleblas of the Netherland's JaJa Film Prods. on documentary 'Cricket Dreams,' which has just completed post-production. It is the story of nine former street-connected children from Delhi who compete in the Street Child Cricket World Cup in Chennai, India. The film will premiere this month at the New Delhi Film Festival. 'Girls on Wire,' written and directed by Vivian Qu, is set against the backdrop of today's rapidly evolving China, with the film following the plight of two young women and their struggle for self-determination. The film is a genre mix of family drama, thriller and homage to martial arts movies. It is produced by Sean Chen and co-produced by Downey via L'Avvantura Films and Pictures. Films Boutique is handling international sales. Qu was the director of Venice 2017 competition entry 'Angels Wear White' and producer of 2014 Golden and Silver Bear winner 'Black Coal, Thin Ice.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
