"Wushu" the movie

[dmonk]

im just digging the company's name.

i like hippos for some reason.

[Sneaky Russian]

I recieved a areply fromt he production company saying that the footage is purely for promotional purposes and the film is yet to be made. They are still trying to get funding for the film, the fight scenes were for casting purposes and by no means present final fight choreography or editing. So i wouldn't judge this film just yet.

[jiayo]

http://www.kungfucinema.com/news/2007/081301.html

‘Wushu,’ a little film with Olympic-sized dreams

News | Upcoming | by Mark Pollard | 2007.08.13

Coming in 2008, is the modestly budgeted $1.5 million martial arts drama WUSHU. Unlike the lavish wuxia films coming out of China of late, this feature film from Australian-born director Anthony Szeto eschews fantasy to tap into the heart of China’s national sport.


Wang Wenjie

The contemporary film is a coming-of-age tale set in a real-life wushu school in a remote part of Shandong, China. It stars Wang Wenjie, who was first discovered by Tsui Hark and cast in SEVEN SWORDS. He plays Li Er, a teenage sanda fighter who abandons his coach’s dream of winning a provincial competition to take up wushu training after falling in love with a female wushu student. While trying to get the girl to notice him, Li Er struggles with losing his championship status as a sanda fighter and having to start from scratch in the world of wushu.

WUSHU promises to show real-life martial arts in an equally real-life environment that few Westerners have seen before. In other words, this won’t be your typically sensational Hong Kong-styled actioner. An early look at the film suggests a production scale along the lines of Tsui Hark’s XANDA, with emphasis on capturing the flavor of what real wushu training and culture is like in China today.

Writer-director Anthony Szeto is no stranger to the art of wushu. During the 1980s, he trained in wushu for three years at the Beijing Sport University. He used that experience as influence for the script. Szeto has performed stunt work on a variety of international film and television projects. The 2005 animated martial arts movie DRAGONBLADE was Szeto’s first directorial work on a feature film.

WUSHU is currently in production and is scheduled for release in the early part of 2008. The timing is significant for the sport of wushu will be making a big splash internationally when the Olympics come in Beijing next summer. Although not participating as an official event, the Beijing Olympic Wushu Competition is scheduled to run alongside the other Olympic events and hand out medals to winning participants. The film already has the endorsement of the State General Administration of Sport in China and the China Wushu Federation.

The name “wushu” is easily misunderstood outside of China. It is the proper term for all Chinese martial arts yet is most often associated with China’s national sport, which is divided between contemporary taolu forms and sanda sparring. Taolu incorporates gymnastics and forms routines while sanda is essentially China’s version of kickboxing and mixed martial arts. Although some influences may be felt, both arts are quite different from traditional Shaolin kung fu made popular in movies like THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN or the Chinese opera traditions that influenced the dance-like fight choreography of Yuen Wo-ping and Jackie Chan.

Contemporary wushu in its native setting has rarely been given the international spotlight in feature films despite the enormous success of one off its own, Jet Li. That could be attributed in part to the relatively humble lifestyle lived by thousands of hopeful wushu students in large schools all across China. A bigger reason may be that wushu is treated more as a competitive sport than fighting art. Students are not being called on to fend off attacks from Japanese pirates or northern invaders as Shaolin monks of old once did. Instead, they strive to perfect complex routines in hopes of winning competitions, making their families proud and possibly being selected to become a film or television star like Wang Wenjie.

The 18-year-old Wang is being viewed as a contender for becoming China’s next big international martial arts actor. “We feel really very strongly about him,” said WUSHU producer Colette Koo, who additionally cites his martial arts skills, acting skills and versatile looks as assets.

Wang graduated from a top wushu school and in addition to his role in SEVEN SWORDS has already starred in a Chinese TV series where he earned a Feiying First Class Actor Award.

Production company Hippopotamus Films is banking on WUSHU as a film that will have international appeal but the film appears to be treading into virgin territory with the treatment of its subject matter and it‘s too early to predict its real potential. One this is certain though and that is with the search for new martial arts talent heating up in China, Hollywood and elsewhere, its young star, Wang Wenjie, is someone to keep an eye on.

[duckfather]

i have really high expectations for this films and excellent wushu scenes.

[icechai]

i have really high expectations for this films and excellent wushu scenes.

I stopped having high expectations for Chinese films many many years ago

[punt44]

I think it looks very promising! It looks like its going to provide a look into the lives of China wushu atheletes. There are plenty of stories to tell about these guys/girls. Their stories, hardships, etc. I'm kinda surprised by some of the negative reactions. It's obvious a low budget effort. I'm more interested in seeing a docu-drama, or maybe documentary about a chinese wushu atheletes life. I also like how it features sanda training too.

But I guess if it doesn't include narudo poses and darth maul then you guys won't be interested.

[XiLeRaTe]

Nice! I'll be the first one in line if it does come out for theatres!

[icechai]

I think it looks very promising! It looks like its going to provide a look into the lives of China wushu atheletes. There are plenty of stories to tell about these guys/girls. Their stories, hardships, etc. I'm kinda surprised by some of the negative reactions. It's obvious a low budget effort. I'm more interested in seeing a docu-drama, or maybe documentary about a chinese wushu atheletes life. I also like how it features sanda training too.

But I guess if it doesn't include narudo poses and darth maul then you guys won't be interested.

What negativity? just about every response has been positive from this forum so far, by the way its Naruto not narudo (sidenote: that anime has really gone down the drain ever since it became like Dragonball with a bajillion episodes for 1 fight).

I hope they do this movie well, but my main cause of cynicism comes mainly from the fact that I stereotype most Chinese films in our generation as badly done (production value, script, etc.) so I'm not exactly holding my breath for this one. Chances are it will have a promising premise, and have either a) horrible editing, b) horrible plot progression, c) horrible acting, d) horrible cinematography, e) horrible sound, f) horrible choreography, or g) all of the above.

[punt44]

Icechai. I agree, production values in China are definately up, but cheoreography has totally taken a step down. The point I was trying to make was that a film about wushu doesn't have to be slam-a-dam balls-to-the-walls action extravaganza.

I always like films that show a more human and artistic side of martials arts. People are already aware that martial arts films have great action.

Also I'm not sure if the film is even produced by a chinese company. They have an australian guy directing the film and, as of looking at the trailer, I think the film is taking a different approach entirely.

[punt44]

Icechai. I agree, production values in China are definately up, but cheoreography has totally taken a step down. The point I was trying to make was that a film about wushu doesn't have to be slam-a-dam balls-to-the-walls action extravaganza.

I always like films that show a more human and artistic side of martials arts. People are already aware that martial arts films have great action.

Also I'm not sure if the film is even produced by a chinese company. They have an australian guy directing the film and, as of looking at the trailer, I think the film is taking a different approach entirely.

[xibanyae]

so, is this movie ready and out? was it presented at cannes somehow????

here are some videos of a demo, anybody has any info?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFDT2e4ytAM[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEA14c-9O-4[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvkM_VN7BCY[/youtube]

cheers
E.-

[Sneaky Russian]

No the movie is not out yet. They were promoting it at the Cannes to get funding for this project. Im not too sure but i think they started filming.

[GongFuTse (Argentina)]

i think I just found the trailer in youtube
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=hdERqSfn9kc

[jiayo]

i think I just found the trailer in youtube
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=hdERqSfn9kc

that video has already been posted and linked before.

[jiayo]

'Wushu' gets its wings
Jackie Chan, Dadi Century join martial arts film
By PATRICK FRATER
Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and new Chinese shingle Dadi Century (Beijing) have boarded "Wushu," a coming-of-age martial arts drama to be helmed by Anthony Szeto.

Pic is one of three recently financed by Dadi and being launched at AFM by Hong Kong sales company Golden Network.

Others are "Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking," an HD doc that will have its world preem next week in Toronto, and Tibetan drama "Wild Horses From Shangri-La." Golden Network has world sales rights to "Wushu" and "Wild Horses" and Asia rights only to "Iris Chang."

Dadi was founded by veteran former D and B Films exec John Sham, who controls the outfit through his two Hong Kong-listed companies Sino-I Tech and Nan Hai Corp. Its biggest move into the entertainment space to date has been development of digital cinemas in China.

"Wushu" was previously unveiled by Golden Network at Cannes, where a display of martial arts skills by the film's young star Wang Wenjie impressed Hung. Chan will take an advisory and marketing role, while "Martial Law" star Hung plays father figure in the $4.5 million Hippopotamus Films production.

"Shangri-La," about a mountain boy's struggle to save his ailing sister, is the first-time helming effort by veteran Hong Kong cinematographer Gigo Lee. Delivery is skedded for February.

"Iris Chang" is a Real-to-Reel Production, helmed by Anne Pick and Bill Spahic, starring Olivia Cheng.

"China needs a balance of hardware and software. Making more films is not enough to make the Chinese industry grow. That's why I'm investing in filmmaking and cinemas," Sham said. "All our cinemas will be 2K and all will be DCI-compliant. Otherwise we won't be able to show Hollywood movies."

Company has 17 cinemas in second and third-tier cities, encouraged by Chinese government, which sees digital projection as way of reconnecting cinema with mass market, aims to have 500 sites within five to eight years.