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'Dining Out' Wins Award
February 21, 2003
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The 3D team at Sydney, Australia post-production house
Fin Design & Effects came away with the top award in the visual effects
commercials category at the Australian Effects & Animation Festival Awards this week for their
visual effects work on the Visa Asia commercial
Dining Out, featuring Zhang Ziyi.
"It was one of the easiest jobs to do," Fin Design & Effects 3D animator Stuart White said.
"We were really proud and really chuffed with winning. The director was so experienced that every
shot went very well."
White and his team of three spent about three weeks on the commercial which was based on the
feature film
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The commercial is set in a
restaurant and includes a kitchen scene where chefs throw knives at the main
character, who is acrobatically running around the room.
It features Zhang Ziyi, the same actress who appeared in the
film, which White said was one factor that made it such a smooth production
process. "The director, Bruce Hunt from
Radical Media, said she was an incredible athlete and acrobat. We didn't have to
create any of her body movements in special effects. All we had to do was get rid
of the wires she was using."
The following links can be used to view related Visa Asia videos from Dining Out and the more recently
released Tuk Tuk, featuring Zhang Ziyi and
Pierce Brosnan:
Related discussion:
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Ziyi Nominated at Hong Kong Film Awards
February 19, 2003
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Zhang Ziyi recently received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for the 22nd Annual
Hong Kong Film Awards for her role as Like Moon in
Zhang Yimou's Chinese epic
Hero. This is Ziyi's second nomination for
this prestigious award. She was previously nominated in 2001 for her role as Yu Jiao Long (Jen Yu)
in Ang Lee's critically acclaimed mega blockbuster
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Second only to Infernal Affairs, the
successful crime thriller which received 16 nominations, Hero received 13 other nominations,
including Best Film, Best Director (Zhang Yimou), Best Screenplay (Li Feng, Zhang Yimou and Wang Bin),
Best Actress (Maggie Cheung), Best
Cinematography (Christopher Doyle), Best Film Editing (Zhai Ru and Angie Lam),
Best Art Direction (Huo Ting Xiao
and Yi Zhen Zhou), Best Costume and
Make-up Design (Emi Wada), Best
Action Choreography (Tony Ching Siu Tung), Best Original Film Score (Tan Dun), Best Original Film Song (Hero sung by Faye Wong),
Best Sound Design (Tao Jing) and Best Visual
Effects (Murray Pope, Richard Schlein,
Luke O'Byrne,
Ellen Poon).
Related links:
Related discussion:
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Hero Gets Oscar Nod for Best Foreign Picture
February 12, 2003
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Hero got the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nomination for Best Foreign Picture yesterday in Los Angeles, alongside El Crimen del Padre Amaro (Mexico), The Man Without a Past (Finland), Nowhere in Africa (Germany), and Zus & Zo (Netherlands). Surprisingly, Golden Globe frontrunners City of God and Talk to Her (which beat Hero in the Best Foreign Picture category) were not included. So all in all, Hero's chances of getting an Oscar look pretty good.
This is only the second time a film from China has been nominated for an Oscar, the first being Zhang Yimou's Ju Dou in 1990. This year's awards ceremony will held be on March 23 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, and it's a safe assumption that much of the film's cast and crew, including Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi, will be in attendance.
Quotes from Chengdu Business News:
Zhang Yimou: "I am extremely happy that my own directed work, Hero, got a nomination for Best Foreign Picture. So many people put so much work into this, and I'm quite pleased that our hard work is being recognized."
Chen Daoming (Emperor Qin Shi Huang): "This is great news. Even if we don't get the win, [it's an accomplishment that] we already have the nomination."
Beijing New Picture spokesperson, Qin Lixin: "This really wasn't what we expected, so I can't really say whether we'll be able to win the prize. But now that we have a nomination, this will certainly bring more attention to Hero in North America."
Zhang Ziyi's brother, Zhang Zinan: "Ziyi is not in the country right now, but I'm quite happy for her. When Ziyi did Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it was great that it did so well [at the Oscars]. Now, several years later, she's going back to the Oscars one more time. She has certainly come a long way."
Related links:
Related discussion:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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Joan Chen to Join Jasmines Blooming and Hero
in Europe
February 10, 2003
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In a recent report by Shanghai
Youth, it has been confirmed that Joan
Chen will join the cast of Jasmines Blooming (Mo Li
Hua Kai). In this Shanghai
period piece by director Hou
Yang, it was originally slated for Zhang Ziyi to play the three
leading roles of a woman in the 1930s, her daughter in the 1950s, and the
granddaughter in the 1970s. Now it is surmised that Chen will take the role
of Xian (the first generation woman), while Ziyi will still have the
following roles of Zhi and Xiao. Meanwhile
in Berlin, Hero
had its official premiere in Europe during the International Berlin
Film Festival. First screened at 10:00 PM on 02-07-03, the
audience responded with enthusiastic applause at three points of the film. When
asked for comment, producer Zhang
Weiping stated that they were mainly there to help promote Hero
in Europe. Reportedly, Zhang
Yimou and cast (Ziyi, Maggie
Cheung) will pack up and leave for Paris today (02-10-03) to
help spread the word of Hero's release in Europe. This will take place
sometime in late March, according to the Cinemovies
French website. However, if Hero happens to win the Golden or Silver
Bear, they may return to Berlin to receive the award (02-15-03). The three have supposedly been receiving good attention, as all
of their films were past recipients of this prestigious award (The
Road Home [1999 Silver Bear]; Ruan
Ling Yu [1992 Silver Bear]; and Red
Sorghum [1988 Golden Bear]). Here are more pictures
of Maggie and Ziyi from their appearance on 02-06-02:
Related links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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Happy 24th Birthday to Zhang Ziyi!
February 09, 2003
Happy Birthday to Ziyi,
Happy Birthday to Ziyi! |
Zhang
Ziyi CSC, and Ziyi fans worldwide would like to wish Zhang Ziyi
a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! It is truly hard to believe that at
the tender age of 24 years old, Ziyi has achieved so much success and shows no
indication of slowing down. With the movies Hero
and Purple
Butterfly already completed and pending release in North
America, she still manages to keep herself busy for the year 2003. The next
step for her now is to hopefully finish filming of 2046
in March, then move on to a leading role in Hou
Yang's Jasmines Blooming.
Of course, it wouldn't be much of a birthday if the staff
here didn't offer a "gift" to Zhang Ziyi and her beloved fans.
While the news has been slow as of late, that doesn't mean we're not working
hard to provide the fans with the best of content. We are extremely pleased to
provide everyone with a translated article from Hao Rizi ("Excellent
Life") magazine from March of 2002. In our staff's opinion, this is one
of the most informative articles of Zhang Ziyi to date. It tells a very
detailed story of Ziyi's early years and in particular, notes the support
system that is Ziyi's family. The article also takes some meticulous notes,
revealing the specific names of some of Ziyi's teachers, friends, and even
her favorite places to shop.
Also, we surely wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the
tight, yet global community of Ziyi's fans. Presented below is also a
special song to Ziyi, written by CSC member Rain.
We encourage anyone to contact
us and send us any fan poems, stories, or pictures of Ziyi.
Please also feel free to join our Zhang
Ziyi CSC Messageboard to discuss and get informed of all
things Ziyi. 
Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le, Zhang
Ziyi!!!
(Happy Birthday, Zhang Ziyi!!!) Featured Content:
Thanks to puubs
and Rain
for the news update.
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Zhang Ziyi in Berlin to Promote Hero
February 08, 2003
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Hero competes for the Golden Bear
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Zhang Ziyi is currently in Berlin, helping to promote Hero
for the International Berlin
Film Festival. Ziyi, Zhang
Yimou, and Maggie
Cheung arrived at the festival on Thursday afternoon
(02-06-03), one day before the screening of Hero. Zhang Yimou
attended this event four years ago, winning the Silver Bear award
for the film in which Ziyi made her career debut, The
Road Home. Hero remains the only eligible movie
from mainland China and faces stiff competition from 21 internationally selected
movies. Winners will be announced on the last day of the festival on
February 15th, with the highest achievement being that of the Golden
Bear. It is assumed that Zhang Yimou will stay for the remainder of
the event, but it is unknown whether Ziyi will return early to Hong
Kong to resume filming of 2046. Here is a photo of the trio in Berlin:
Related links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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Chinese New Year's Surprise for Ziyi Fans!
February 01, 2003
Happy New Year, Zhang Ziyi!
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From everyone here at Zhang
Ziyi CSC, we would like to wish everybody a Happy Chinese New
Year!!! Chinese New Year, also known as Chun
Jie ("Spring Festival) in Mandarin, is the biggest and most
celebrated holiday in the majority of Asian countries (except Japan). The
holiday spans for about a week, with most people stopping work and school to
return to their families for New Year's Eve. It's almost a culmination of a
Chinese Christmas, as there are tons of feasts and festivities that go on
(i.e. The
Dragon Dance), as well as a good deal of gift giving between
relatives. Time is to spent especially with family and typically, it is the
older generation that gives the younger generation of the family hong
baos (red envelopes full of money). New clothes are also
generally worn and time is taken to give respect to each family's ancestors.
Essentially, this period is a time for family. If any of you were fortunate
(or unfortunate) enough to spend time in China or Taiwan during Chinese New
Year, probably the only stores that would be open are those selling bianpao
(firecrackers).Chinese New Year falls between late
January and mid-February because it is based on the Chinese
Lunar Calendar. As some people know, each year is associated
with an animal of the Chinese Zodiac (shengxiao). It so happens that this is
Zhang Ziyi's year, being the Year
of the Sheep (a more accurate term would perhaps be
"ram," as the animal is frequently portrayed with horns). So what
are Ziyi's plans for the Chinese New Year? In a past Hero
interview with Beijing Youth, she seems to have had no time to
return home and celebrate (January 2002). Costar Maggie
Cheung, however, convinced the cast to make a lantern and light
some candles in a very traditional fashion. In the year 2000, Ziyi performed
in a singing and dance number for CCTV's
Annual New Year's Celebration Show. So in short, Ziyi has been
busy and due to the shooting of 2046,
will probably remain in Hong Kong to stay close to the production. In a forthcoming
article (translation soon), Ziyi remarks that she and her family
(some 20-30 relatives) meet up every Chinese New Year to eat together and
play mah-jiang.
If Ziyi does happen to return to Beijing to be with relatives, we probably
won't even hear about it. In the spirit of Chinese
New year, we have decided to provide a translated portion of "My
Mother and Father" -- the book that was adapted by Zhang
Yimou and made into Ziyi's first starring role: The
Road Home. Please take note to read the Translator's Notes,
first:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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