By APA Staff

The Academy says no to Lust, Dolphy says yes to tell-all, and the world says "huh?" to Jimmy Wang Yu. All this and more in the latest edition of News from Abroad.

Just when you thought the Lust, Caution saga was over...

As the deadline approached for nations to submit their picks for foreign-language Oscar consideration, audiences wondered who would get to claim Ang Lee's multinational Lust, Caution -- Taiwan, which claims Lee as their native son #1, or mainland China, which claims about everything else related to the film. Thankfully, it never turned into a cross-straits battle, with the PRC graciously acquiescing to everyone's favorite "renegade province" across the water. The picture became even more adorable when China instead submitted The Knot, which is about peace in the Taiwan Strait. Aw, how cute. The happy irony is that The Knot is about Taiwanese issues, and Lust, Caution is about life in pre-war Shanghai; so taken together, the submissions symbolized a mutual gesture of goodwill. But the Academy was not amused. Taiwan's pick was disqualified because apparently, it wasn't "Taiwanese" enough. And who's a better judge of "Taiwaneseness" than the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? So much for peace in the Taiwan Strait.  --Brian Hu

Dolphy tells all, with a little help from family

Dolphy, the Philippines' beloved King of Comedy, is set to write his autobiography with the help of his children. Born Rodolfo Quizon in 1927, Dolphy got his start performing during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, then later got his big break as a character actor and comedian. The Quizon family, who will fund the autobiography, is searching for a publisher. They plan to release a hardback edition, then a trade paperback version for a wider version. It is reported that the first and last chapter title will feature "Manila," an homage to the place where Dolphy's story began and continues today. At the head of the project is his son Eric Quizon, who is already coordinating the as-yet-untitled book. The book will feature anecdotes from early on in Dolphy's life, and Eric is going to the US in November to interview six of his siblings. He has also asked screenwriter and actress Bibeth Orteza to write. After the book is launched, there are plans to start a foundation to support those in need of education, medical, and funeral services -- all causes that Dolphy is approached about almost every day in the Philippines. --Catherine Manabat

Award Split in Three at Pusan

The 12th Pusan International Film Festival was so impressed with the work of Asian filmmakers this year that, for the first time, they decided to give the New Currents award to three directors. Aditya Assarat (Thailand) won for Wonderful Town, Guang Hao-Jin (China) for Life Track and Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia) for Flower in the Pocket. Each will receive 30,000 dollars and share the the festival's main award. Entries were pared down from 800 to the final three, and the head of the jury, Dariush Mehrjui -- who is a veteran director from Iran -- reported great difficulty in selecting winners. The award was open to first or second-time filmmakers and is meant to encourage making movies. The South Korean festival set a record for 200,000 attendants over 10 days and screened 271 films from all over. --Catherine Manabat

Wang's 11 Flowers Wins Top Prize

Director Wang Xiaoshuai's film 11 Flowers, about a child who finds a wounded runaway man in the woods, won the $20,000 top prize at the PIFF Asian Film Market's 10th annual Pusan Promotion Plan gala awards on October 11. Wang, who also directed Shanghai Dreams and Beijing Bicycle said he drew on his own personal memories growing up in China's Guizhou province for the film. As a representative of the "6th Generation" Chinese filmmakers, Wang focuses more on the contemporary social and economic issues facing China today. Other 2007 PPP award winners included Korean docu-maker Park Ki-bok who won the Kodak Award for his drama Farewell, and Armenian theater director and actor Mikayel Vayinyan, winning the Goteborg Film Festival Fund prize for his film Joan and the Voices. --LiAnn Ishizuka

Chinese legend Wang Yu: master killer?

Say it's true that former martial arts superstar Jimmy Wang Yu was indeed approached by Taiwan's then-ruling Kuomintang Party to assassinate rival party chairman Hsu Hsin-liang. Would our lives be any different? It would mean that Wang Yu was a badass who in his heyday hung out with a sketchy set of characters. But I sort of already knew thought that anyway. It would also mean that the KMT's martial law days were full of corruption, murder, and secret dealings. Again, knew that already. But if the story isn't true, then it would make Wang Yu a master of fiction for telling this to Taiwan's Liberty Times, letting the tall tale spread and grow as it made its way along the Chinese gossip train. Again, already knew that. After all, this is the man who directed a movie about an old blind guy who murders his enemies with a flying guillotine which rips people's heads clean off their necks. In other words, just another day in the life of Jimmy Wang Yu. I'm over it.  --Brian Hu

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol Together Again

Two of India's film industry's most successful and influential actors, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, will finally appear together again in their new film My Name is Khan, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Karan Johar. The famous pairing have appeared together in numerous box office hits including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which Johar also helmed. The movie will be released in 2009 and will deal with the September 11 attacks on the U.S. --Richard Park

The Stars of Singapore

Singapore's Star Awards announced this year's nominations for their Top 10 Most Popular Female and Male Artistes. An unexpected nod the went veteran Hong Hui Fang (The Maid, House of Joy and Kinship), an actress who often takes dramatic supporting roles. The rest of the female list included the younger Fiona Xie, Quan Yi Feng and Ivy Lee, among others. Jacelyn Tay (The Legendary Swordsman) earlier withdrew herself from the category, taking a break to focus on her health care business. On the Male end, Zhang Yaodong and Pierre Png were among the names listed. Popular Vincent Ng (Hainan Kopi Tales) did not make the list, despite being a winner on last year's show. Viewers vote for the 10 winners in each category, and the show will air on MediaCorp's Channel. --Catherine Manabat

Guide for English Speakers

Actor/director Dev Anand reportedly possesses the only known surviving print of the English version of Guide, a Bollywood staple, and may release it to the public. The English version was called Survival, meant to inject Anand into the English-speaking market. Guide was based on a novel by R.K. Narayan, and shot once with Hollywood director Tad Danielewski, then by Anand's brother Vijay Anand. The English version was actually shot first, and sticks to the novel's theme of adultery. American novelist Pearl S. Buck co-produced and wrote the English version, which was pulled after receiving disappointing US reviews. Dev Anand then decided to remake it in Hindi but suppressed the original content, which was a challenge to produce in 1960s India. It co-stars Waheeda Rehman and still became a landmark Bollywood flick. Author Narayan prefers the English adaptation and amusingly calls the Hindi version "misguided." The English Guide is shrouded in mystery, as curious film enthusiasts wonder what this first attempt at gaining Western fans is like. --Catherine Manabat

Published: Friday, October 19, 2007