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The Hong Kong grand master comes back to FEFF as director (Romancing in Thin Air) and as ambassador of Fresh Wave Festival, the voice of young Hong Kongers

Hong Kong never dies! With the title rewording of one of his most celebrated movies, A Hero Never Dies, here comes the battle cry that best represents the film-making philosophy - and not just that - of this grand master: Mister Johnnie To. A battle cry that the film-maker, an old friend of Far East Film, will shout once again under Udine's spotlight while presenting his eagerly-awaited movie Romancing in Thin Air (first showing at an international Festival), but also presenting four short/medium films from the Fresh Wave Short Film Festival which, in the Cantonese city, he himself directs on behalf of Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

As the voice of the young and youngest Hong Kong talents, the Fresh Wave found in Johnnie To (President of Film and Media Arts Group) a solid pillar and an enthusiastic international ambassador: discovering, nurturing and promoting the next generation of directors and film-makers are, according to him, the best way to preserve the creative soul of his beloved Hong Kong and to guarantee a continuity in the future.

Once again, four are the short-films selected by FEFF 14's organizers (for the very first time these movies will leave Hong Kong's borders): they are 1+1 by Mo Lai, The Decisive Moment by Wong Wai-kit, July 1st, an unhappy birthday by Li Miao and Sew by Li Yin-fung. All the directors will accompany their own films to Udine and, as mentioned above, Johnnie To will be here as well from opening night on Friday April 20th to Tuesday the 24th to the delight of his numerous fans!

Johnnie To's name is, without a doubt, one of the dearest names to Far East Film's team and audience: this is a long lasting friendship that started way back in 1998 at the festival's number zero edition, where the spectators literally fell in love with this legendary director (a year later, one of his movies, the unforgettable A Hero Never Dies, would win the 1999 Audience Award; it is available in the Far East Film - CG Home Video DVD series).

Hong Konger by birth, but Udinese by fond public acclamation, To, in 2004, decided to shoot some material for his 2004 comedyYesterday Once More right here in the Friulian town.

Romancing in Thin Air, after the Udine's showing, will stop at Trento Film Festival, the historical international festival devoted to mountain film.

Planned by Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche in unison with Teatro Nuovo "Giovanni da Udine", its historical home together with the Visionario's venue, the fourteenth edition of the Far East Film Festival will present about sixty movies (previews, tributes, rediscoveries) and it will be on stage from April 20th to the 28th.

Link to Romancing in Thin Air by Johnnie To

Link to Festival Trailer by Quark Henares