25 Alternative 2011 TIFF Picks: Xu Haofeng’s The Sword Identity

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#19. The Sword Identity

Director: Xu Haofeng
Cast: YU Chenghui, SONG Yang , ZHAO Yuanyuan
Distributor: Rights Available

Buzz: Multidisciplinarian Xu Haofeng is not only a newbie filmmaker but happens to be a novelist, Taoist scholar, martial-arts connoisseur and co-writer for Wong Kar-wai’s The Grand Master. The word on this Venice Film Festival invited title is that it takes the genre into a completely different realm – we Haofeng calling this “inner martial arts“ presented visually and aurally. Count me in!

The Gist: Set during the Ming dynasty, when Japanese pirates had long been eliminated from China, a swordsman tries to prove that his weapon was used by the famous General Qi’s regiment to resist Japanese pirates. While attempting to prove the sword’s identity, a top martial arts master finally obtains inner peace.

TIFF ScheduleSunday September 11 AMC 10 9:30pm
Monday September 12 AMC 5 3:00pm
Saturday September 17 Scotiabank Theatre 11 1:00pm

 
Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022, he was a New Flesh Juror for Best First Feature at the Fantasia International Film Festival. His top films for 2023 include The Zone of Interest (Glazer), Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Pham Thien An), Totem (Lila Avilés), La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher), All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson). He is a Golden Globes Voter.

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