This Week In New York

TWI-NY TALK: GRADY HENDRIX

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St. at Amsterdam Ave.
June 25 – July 8
212-875-5601
www.filmlinc.com
www.subwaycinema.com

Since 2002, the New York Asian Film Festival has introduced city cineastes to more than 220 mainstream, avant-garde, and cutting-edge films from Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Asian nations, many of the selections North American premieres. Initially shown at Anthology Film Archives, the festival moves uptown this year, holding screenings at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater from June 25 through July 8, in addition to weekend midnight screenings at the IFC Center and the overlapping Japan Cuts series at the Japan Society (July 1-16). The NYAFF was cofounded by Grady Hendrix, who runs Subway Cinema, a group dedicated to spreading the many wonders of Asian films, from low-budget bloodbaths to touching romantic comedies, from shoot-’em-up gangster movies to gory zombie tales, from campy musicals to martial arts and samurai epics.

This year’s festival includes a very special opening night, honoring Huang Bo (COW, CRAZY RACER) with the Rising Star of Asia Award, Simon Yam (ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW, STORM WARRIORS) with the Star Asia Award, and Sammo Hung (IP MAN 2, EASTERN CONDORS) with the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award. In the midst of a publicity blitz for the festival, Hendrix, who is well known for the colorful outfits he wears, chatted via email with twi-ny about the 2010 NYAFF.

twi-ny: What is it about Asian films that so drives you? Did you have a moment of epiphany watching a specific movie?

Grady Hendrix: This gets a two-part answer. The four of us who run the festival [Hendrix, Goran Topalovic, Daniel Craft, and Marc Walkow] come to Asian movies in different ways, but for me it was sitting in the Music Palace down in Chinatown back in 1993 taking in a double feature of ALWAYS BE THE WINNER and LOVE ON DELIVERY. It was while watching a man dressed as Garfield defeat a karate master with pure stupidity that I fell in love with Hong Kong movies, and that was the gateway drug that led me everywhere else.

But for all of us, the reason we’re so devoted to Asian movies is the same: We’re bored. This summer, the big movies coming out of Hollywood are movies like MARMADUKE, but if you’re willing to read subtitles, there are dozens of amazing movies from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. Folks complain that they have to watch endless sequels and disappointing remakes from Hollywood, but over at our festival summer viewing is all about giant pigs holding Korean villages in their porky grip of terror, flying kung fu masters beating each other up with ultimate weapons made of the spinal columns of dead gods, fizzy-as-champagne romantic comedies from China starring Zhang Ziyi, amazing new flicks from Jackie Chan, masked Mexican wrestler movies from Japan, and breakdancing action films from Thailand. If you’re happy watching Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz pretend to fall in love, then great. If you want something a little more fun than that, then you should try a little of what we’re smoking.

twi-ny: Five years ago you wrote in Slate, “If you’re thinking of running a film festival: don’t. It will ruin your life.” This year the NYAFF graduates to Lincoln Center, from its early days at Anthology Film Archives. Do you still feel that running a film festival will ruin your life? Did you handle anything different because the festival will be held at the prestigious Walter Reade Theater?

GH: Doing this festival still ruins my life. In fact, at this point I think it’s too late for me and my life has been ruined beyond repair. The fact is, the four of us who run the New York Asian Film Festival are intensely passionate about what we do, to the point of being deranged. Even when we outsource some of the work, we still wind up pushing our designers to do better, we bust our butts to make sure our fliers and programs get to absolutely everywhere possible even if we wind up having to do it ourselves, we really care about our audience, and we have to make sure that every screening is as fun as humanly possible. Being at the Walter Reade hasn’t changed that. It hasn’t changed our programming, either. Movies like DOMAN SEMAN and MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD are going to hurt the brains of people who are used to “A Pleasant Jaunt Through Lithuanian Cinema.”

twi-ny: You’re renowned for your choice of wardrobe at screenings. Will the move to Lincoln Center affect what you will wear in any way?

GH: This year it’s more about what we won’t be wearing rather than what we will. Right now I’m sizing bodystockings in order to pick the one that will induce maximum discomfort in the audience, and expect more bare butts than ever during MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD screenings.