Entertainment News <Jul 22, 2005>

The 62nd Venice International Film Festival will take place from August 31st to September 10th, 2005, and the opening film will be Tsui Hark's epic martial arts fantasy Seven Swords, which is screening out of competition. Marco Muller, the chairman of the Festival, has acknowledged the success of this Hong Kong production by saying, "The vitality of Asian films has long been recognized. Some of the major work produced by the region this year is strong evidence of the fact that moviemakers in Asia are all ready to rise to the challenge from their counterparts in Hollywood". To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chinese movies, the Festival will also launch a special feature on marital arts movies made in the country.
Adapted from the work of Liang Yu-sheng, the renowned writer of the fictional novel Qi Jian Xia Tian Shang, Seven Swords features a cast of A-list Asian stars including Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung and Donnie Yen from Hong Kong, Lu Yi, Zhang Jing Chu and Sun Hong Lei from China, and Kim So Yeon from South Korea. This HK$140 million epic movie takes place in the early 1600s, after the Manchurians have assumed sovereignty and established the Ching Dynasty. In opposition to this highly oppressive reign, seven unlikely heroes gather together to protect helpless villagers from being massacred at the hands of the brutal new government. Each hero wields a unique sword, and together, these seven heroes form the "Seven Swords."

The world premiere of Seven Swords is scheduled for July 18th at the International Conventional Center in Chang Sha, China. The film will be released theatrically in late July.



Source: Garden, Text: Holly Chung