The 2008 Asian Film Festival, which runs September 5-25 at Village 8, has a really interesting slate of films this year. I’m personally hoping to see…well, all of them except Transsiberian. I don’t really do movies where travelers being terrorized is a major plot point.

September 5-11
Up the Yangtse
This dramatic feature documentary traces a luxury cruise boat’s journey
up the Yangtze, exploring life inside modern China and the impact of
the Three Gorges Dam on the lives of those who live along the River. 
It tells the story of two hard-working Chinese youths who attempt to
understand Western society as they reflect upon the way their own lives
will change because of the project.  This visually stunning film was
the first sale at Sundance this year.

Transsiberian
An American couple, Roy and Jessie, decide to take the long way home from their recent sojourn in Asia on the legendary Trans-siberian Express train from Beijing to Moscow. On their way, they meet another couple from the West, Carlos and Abby, with whom they quickly form a familiar bond that often unites fellow travellers away from home. When Roy accidentally gets separated from the group at a stopover, Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots aren’t exactly who or what they seem to be. The real danger begins to surface as a deceitful Russian detective and locals terrorize Jessie in this unforgettable journey.

September 12-18
Children of Huang Shi
Chow Yun Fat and Jonathan Rhys Meyers star in this film about people
who, when thrown into an unexpected and desperate situation, discover
their capacity for love and responsibility. Rhys Meyers plays an
English journalist who leads sixty orphaned boys on an extraordinary
journey to safety at the edge of the Mongolian desert.

Hula Girls
When a coal mine in northeastern Japan closes, the mining company plans
to build a Hawaiian Center to promote tourism, but the idea meets with
resistance. However, a few young women see the call for dancers as an
opportunity for a more promising future in this true story from Japan’s
not too distant past.

September 19-25
Sunflower
This film offers a unique view into the lives of a
Chinese family. Returning from his banishment during the Cultural
Revolution, a Chinese father reestablishes his relationship with his
young son. But during the next 30 years, as China and Chinese society
change rapidly, the father and son are challenged to come to terms with
each other as their views and lives diverge.

Beautiful Boxer
Based on a true story, this sensitive and moving film chronicles a
champion Thai kickboxer from his life as a young boy who likes to wear
lipstick and flowers to his sensational career as a kickboxer, and
finally to his confrontation with his own sexuality.

Village 8
4014 Dutchman’s Lane
Louisville, KY