New York City: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center – As flashbulbs popped, a steady stream of Chinese actors, directors, producers, entertainment executives, diplomats, and entrepreneurs, walked the red carpet for the Opening Ceremony of The 3rd Annual New York Chinese Film Festival. Among the surprise guests included
Luo Yan 盧燕, also known as Lisa Lu, best known for her role in
The Last Emperor. Fans went wild after waiting in anticipation for the beautiful actress Ziyi Zhang, who was the last, but not least, to walk the red carpet.
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| Stunning Actress Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) |
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| Actress 方青卓 Fang Qing Zhuo (Only Walk) with producers |
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| Actress Annie Yi 伊能靜 (Star of The Assassins) |
In the theater, Chinese Consulate General Sun Guo Xing, CCTV 6 Vice President Qi Jia, and Kate Lin, The Chairman of the New York Chinese Film Festival Foundation welcomed guests and spoke about the growth of Chinese cinema and for their hope that Chinese films could provide not only entertainment, but also increase understanding between the Chinese and American cultures. Sid Ganis, a distinguished film executive and co-producer of Pan Am encouraged young and independent Chinese film directors to continue making films and said that currently it’s the best time and market to produce a film. Zhaoshe Hong, President of Fujian Seven Group Co., Ltd, spoke briefly about his popular menswear company, which he hopes continues to grow. Alan Chow, the chairman of The Chinese American Arts Council, ended the remarks with a simple and cheerful welcome. They then asked all the directors, producers, and actors on stage and presented Actress Ziyi Zhang with the Outstanding Asian Artist Award. ZiYi spoke about the films Sophie’s Revenge and Love for Life which are showing during the Festival and also talked about her next film role.
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| L to R: Chinese Consulate General Sun Guo Xing, Alan Chow, Kate Lin, Zhaoshe Hong, Sid Ganis, Jia Qi |
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| Sid Ganis |
The opening ceremony movie was “Full Circle” directed by Yang Zhang, a movie centers around a group of senior citizens living in a nursing home who wish to compete in a television variety show. Their caretaker does not want them to participate for fear of them getting hurt. The film follows them on their journey to reach their dream. The touching story addresses the universal issue of aging and brought many tears to people’s eyes. To buy tickets to some great Chinese movies during the New York Chinese Film Festival, visit or call AMC 25 Theater.
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