- Title: CANADA: Fans get ready for Toronto Film Festival.
- Date: 10th September 2010
- Summary: EXTERIOR ELGIN THEATER MOVIE POSTERS DIRECTOR ANDREW LAU ARRIVING AT THEATER VARIOUS LAU SIGNING AUTOGRAPH CUTAWAY PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ANDREW LAU, DIRECTOR "LEGEND OF THE FIST: THE RETURN OF CHEN ZHEN," SAYING: "In 1972, Chen Zhen is Bruce Lee, so this is Bruce Lee's seventieth birthday, so I made this movie as a tribute to Bruce, so I made this movie." PEOPLE ENTERING THEATER (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ANDREW LAU, DIRECTOR "LEGEND OF THE FIST: THE RETURN OF CHEN ZHEN," SAYING: "Of course, the people are happy to walk away, I don't want them to walk away and say this is no good. I hope that they enjoy the movie and also, we have some magic messages because this film is quite special. I mean not only action, it has something." TIFF SIGN PULLS OUT TO LAU SPEAKING ON THE PRESS LINE (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ANDREW LAU, DIRECTOR "LEGEND OF THE FIST: THE RETURN OF CHEN ZHEN," SAYING: "I mean tonight, I am very happy because this is the Chinese language opening (in North America). It is a great honor for me to have opening night." LAU POSING FOR STILL PHOTOGRAPHER
- Embargoed: 25th September 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Canada
- Country: Canada
- Reuters ID: LVA5WAOEY1I778H3R7Q8M1XPN0FS
- Story Text: Canadian film fans are ready for the start of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). On opening night Andrew Lau walks the red carpet for the premiere of his action film "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen".
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off on Thursday (September 9) and film fans were willing to wait to be part of the action.
Queues swung around the corner at the main box office in the city center.
"I am here to see as many French movies as I can, because a lot of them are not going to be in wide release in Toronto so I bought as many tickets to the French movies as possible," Toronto International Film Festival attendee Isabelle West said.
And Isabelle West isn't alone. Pat Lutz said he isn't a huge fan of the glitz and glamour that accompanies the celebrities attending this year, but he is eager to see the films.
"I'm not so much into star watching but trying to see stuff that might not get released, or might have a hard time getting released," Lutz said while standing in line for tickets.
But for others, celebrities are still a draw. Montreal resident Patricia Doyle said she has planned to attend the festival for many years and is eagerly awaiting her chance to get a glimpse of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush at the premiere of their new film "The King's Speech".
The festival is seen as a starting point for the race for the Oscars. This year festival organizers cut the ribbon on the festival's new permanent home in downtown Toronto. The complex houses five public cinemas, galleries, learning studios, and several restaurants.
Fun is a theme that festival organizers wanted to promote as opening night kicked off with Canadian film "Score: A Hockey Musical," and was followed by director Andrew Lau's "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen".
The Chen Zhen character was originally played by Bruce Lee in "Fist of Fury" and has become a legendary Chinese icon. Lau reinvents the well-known tale of one man's stand to defend a nation's dignity, transforming it into a highly entertaining action epic.
Martial artist Donnie Yen plays Chen in the film. He first portrayed Chen in a 1995 television series.
"In 1972, Chen Zhen is Bruce Lee, so this is Bruce Lee's seventieth birthday, so I made this movie as a tribute to Bruce, so I made this movie," Lau said.
The film also screened at the opening of the Venice Film Festival, which overlaps with Toronto's show.
This year TIFF could grab more attention after the financial crisis crimped the prestigious Venice Film Festival. With the entertainment industry still in cost-cutting mode, the Toronto festival was seen as a cheaper option for studios keen on starting their awards season campaigns.
Strong buzz already surrounds Natalie Portman's portrayal of a ballerina in the psychological thriller "Black Swan", while Danny Boyle's "127 hours" is the director's highly anticipated follow-up to his 2008 hit "Slumdog Millionaire", which ran away with eight Oscars.
The festivalon September 19 after screening 339 films from 59 countries. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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