Films at the Gate comes to an end early this year. We will not be on the Greenway this weekend in Chinatown Park due to the approaching storm.

Thank you to everyone who transformed a vacant lot into a cinema on Thursday and Friday. Keep dry. Stay safe. See you next year.

Here are some images from the past few days on the lot. Thanks to photographers Jeremy Osborn, Malcolm Davol, and Biying Zhang.

Got some Films at the Gate photos to share? Send them over and we’ll do our best to post them here.

Friday’s film GALLANTS is an affectionate indie comedy about finding the soul of old Hong Kong in the modern day. It was a surprise hit in Hong Kong last year, and, in the following post, our curator Jean Lukitsh takes you behind the scenes to meet the talent:

The young filmmakers behind GALLANTS, the surprise kung fu comedy hit of 2010, set out to re-create the Golden Age of Hong Kong movies in a modern world. Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng were fans of the classic Shaw Brothers films of the 1970s, and one of the inspirations for their movie, according to Cheng, was “What if the heroes back in the 1960′s and 1970′s were old?” With that ideal in mind, they cast a number of actors from “old school” martial arts films as the leads in GALLANTS.

Bruce Leung Siu-lung: Born in Hong in 1948, he first learned martial arts from his father, a Peking opera performer. He has appeared in dozens of films since 1971, the best known of which are MAGNIFICENT BODYGUARDS (1978) and GANG MASTER (1982). After taking the English name “Bruce” in 1973, he was often featured as a “Bruce Lee type” character in low budget films. He also choreographed several kung fu movies. He retired from the screen in 1988, but returned to play “The Beast” in an acclaimed performance in Stephen Chow’s KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004). He will also appear in Wong Kar-wai’s THE GRANDMASTERS, due for release next year.

Chen Kuan-tai: Born in 1945 in Guangdong, China, Chen was trained as a martial artist by his grandfather, a monkey stylist. After winning a championship tournament in 1969, he was recruited by the Shaw Brothers studio, where he appeared in a number of movies made by the kung fu director Chang Cheh. His first leading role was in BOXER FROM SHANTUNG (1972). He is best known for his roles in THE TEA HOUSE (1974) and BIG BROTHER CHENG (1975),which were a direct inspiration for GALLANTS. He is also known for his work in the later 70s with the iconic kung fu director Lau Kar-leung, in films like CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS (1976) and EXECUTIONERS OF SHAOLIN (1977). He continued to work in film and television in Hong Kong through the 1980s and 90s. His most recent work includes DRAGON TIGER GATE (2006) and 14 BLADES (2010) and the upcoming THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS.

Teddy Robin (Kwan Wai-pang): Singer, songwriter, and actor Teddy Robin was born in 1945 in Guilin, China. He first achieved fame with a British-styled pop band in the 1960s called “Teddy Robin and the Playboys.” In the 1980s and 90s, he branched out into composing film scores and acting. He won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in GALLANTS. He can also be seen in DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (2010). Listen to a track from Teddy Robin and the Playboys here.

Michael Chan Wai-man: Born in Hong Kong in 1946, Chan studied Shaolin kung fu, Western boxing and kickboxing as a teen, and he counted Bruce Lee as a pal and sparring partner. He also became involved with the Hong Kong Triads, eventually acquiring impressive gang tattoos and making a reputation as a ruthless “enforcer.” In 1972, he won a kung fu championship, bringing him to the attention of local film producers. His first notable film was JUMPING ASH (1976), a gritty police actioner. By the late 1970s, he working for the Shaw Brothers studio, playing the villain in numerous contemporary and period action films. In 1981, he starred in THE CLUB, a Triad expose that was loosely based on his life. He has continued to work in the Hong Kong film industry, in mostly low budget films, for the past thirty years. Watch a short documentary (in Chinese) on his kickboxing career here.

Lo Meng: Born in Hong Kong in 1956, Lo Meng is best known for his role as “Toad,” one of the FIVE DEADLY VENOMS in the 1978 Shaw Brothers movie. Throughout the late 1970s and early 80s, Lo and his fellow “Venoms” were among the most popular Hong Kong martial arts stars. Lo has continued to work in both film and TV in Hong Kong, and he can be seen in IP MAN 2 (2010) as the monkey fighter who challenges Donnie Yen.

Shaw Yin-yin: Born in 1945 in Hunan, China, Shaw found success as an actress with the Shaw studio in the mid-1970s. Her kittenish persona and lack of inhibitions led to a series of roles in the exploitation films made by directors like Li Han-hsiang and Sun Chung. She has transitioned into character actor roles over the past two decades, and worked with GALLANTS directors Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng on THE MOSS (2008) and MERRY-Go-ROUND (2010).

Welcome to Chinatown! Thank you curator Jean Lukitsh, Iris Tan of ACDC, and all the volunteers who have been working on the sixth annual Films at the Gate. We are ready to go, and it’s always a pleasure to work with such great people to bring Chinese-language films to the community. Iris went the extra mile yesterday and got us a banner over Beach Street, which is the one of the best ways to reach folks in our neighborhood. Thanks you Iris!

Thursday night we launch with WAY OF THE DRAGON 猛龍過江 (1972) starring Bruce Lee at 8PM, in Cantonese with English subtitles. Thursday’s film will be preceded by a brief demonstration by students of Zhou Xuan Yun starting at 7:30PM. Details on films and performance here. We rent 250 folding chairs, and we’re always grateful when people bring their own seating so that older folks and kids can find a seat.

Jean has picked some outstanding films this year, and our team is excited to transform a vacant lot into a free, outdoor cinema. Come down, support local business and community-building in Boston’s Chinatown.

See you on the lot. /Sam

Films at the Gate is proud to present some of the best kung fu talent from Boston’s Chinatown! Each evening, we will have free live performances from local masters and schools before screening a classic kung fu movie. Don’t miss a single night! Live performances start around 7:30PM, Films at 8:00PM. Detailed schedule here. Below, our curator Jean Lukitsh gives an introduction to the talent. Thanks Jean!

Thursday, Aug. 25: Students of Wudang Master Zhou, Xuan-Yun.
Master Zhou is a Daoist monk who trained at the world-renowned Wudang Temple in China from childhood. He belongs to the Orthodox Unity sect of Daoism, and is trained in ritual arts, chanting, divination, and internal alchemy. At the age of 20, he left the Temple and traveled around China for four years, in order to seek out and dialogue with fellow martial artists. In 2005, Xuan Yun moved to Dali City, in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, where he dedicated himself to sharing the martial arts. With over ten years of teaching experience, he has taught students of all ages and from over 25 different countries. Master Zhou currently divides his time between China and the United States, where offers classes on traditional Wudang martial arts, Qi Gong, and Daoist philosophy. He teaches in Boston at the Ultimate Fitness gym, 33 Harrison Ave. in Chinatown. As of 2008, Zhou, Xuan-Yun is also a featured writer for Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine.
More information here.

Friday, Aug. 26: Wah Lum Kung Fu Athletic Association, under the direction of Master Bob Rosen.
Wah Lum Kung Fu of the U.S.A. was started by Grandmaster Chan Pui in Boston’s Chinatown over 35 years ago. Sifu Bob Rosen has been instructing in the martial arts since 1972 and is the Chief Instructor of the Wah Lum Kung Fu Athletic Association, established in 1984. He is the first non-Asian instructor to operate a school in Boston’s Chinatown, and he has been a 7th generation student of Grandmaster Chan since 1976. In 1989 he was a member of the first non-Asian group to study Kung Fu in the Shaolin Temple. In 1994 he won a Gold Medal in the Open Weapons division at the Beijing International Tournament in China. In 2001 he was the senior coach for the Wah Lum team at the Shaolin Wushu competition in Zhenghou, China, which won numerous awards. He has coached many students who have been successful in fighting, forms, and weapons at local, national and international events.
More information here.

Saturday, Aug. 27: Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark and students.
In 1975, Grandmaster Mark established the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in Boston’s Chinatown. She was the first to use the term Wushu for teaching in the U.S. For several decades, Master Mark concentrated on the areas of teaching, publication, performance and choreography. She was named as the 1994 and 1996 “Woman of the Year” by Inside Kung Fu magazine, and Black Belt magazine has called her one of the “Most Influential Martial Arts Masters of the Twentieth Century.” The Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association (1995) has twenty-three branches in the US, Europe, Hong Kong, and other countries. It has been Grandmaster Mark’s objective to emphasize the artistic aspect of Tai Chi Chuan. It is her passion to promote Tai Chi as an art and to continuously refine this art form. Her son Donnie Yen is one of the biggest action stars in China. On June 19 2011, she was featured in a cover story by the Boston Globe magazine: The Way of the Ribbon and the Sword. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/2011/0619/
More information here.

We also have a special treat for our Friday night audience. Aric Mannion, a young filmmaker from the Boston area, will present two “microfilms,” REVENGE OF THE REVENGE and the animation FUNK-GU, in the form of kung fu movie trailers which will be shown immediately before our feature presentation of GALLANTS. Mannion has created and directed a number of award winning videos. He graduated with a fifth year certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and was the recipient of the school’s prestigious Traveling Scholarship Award in 2005 for his kung-fu short “Monkey”, starring Mike Wong. He also participated in the 2007 Traveling Scholars Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston with two avant-garde video installations entitled “Lost Souls”. For the past several years Mannion has been professionally creating media for museum exhibitions for the Richard Lewis Media Group in Massachusetts.  Most recently he animated three short films entitled “Snapshots in Time” for the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History’s new “Human Origins” Exhibit.  Mannion continues to create independent work in his free time, including the “Neo Teppen” Show with Kaiju Big Battle and “Funk-Gu: the Animation” with long time collaborator, Mike Wong. More information here.

 

The Sunday Aug. 28 program will be announced soon.

Films at the Gate’s Jean Lukitsh introduces us to the Fung family, many of whom have played a role in films we’ve shown over the years and this season as well. Thanks Jean!

THE KID: Fung Fung left, Bruce Lee second from right.

From Hong Kong to Hollywood, show business tends to be a family affair. Once an actor or director finds success, doors open for his or her children. It was true for Bruce Lee, who was the son of a Cantonese opera actor who crossed over into films. While still a child, and long before his kung fu career brought him worldwide fame, Lee regularly appeared in melodramatic tearjerkers that were immensely popular with Hong Kong audiences. His best known role from this period was as A Chang in THE KID (1950), which was directed by another Cantonese opera veteran, Fung Fung.

Fung Fung, who was born in 1916 and died in 2000, made over 200 movies in a career that began around 1937 and stretched until the early 90s. He specialized in martial arts and action films, and played the hero until he suffered a facial deformity in an accident that occurred shortly after filming THE KID. He plays a noble gangster who protects the weak and sacrifices himself in order to set A Chang back on the path of righteousness in THE KID, but after the accident, he was more in demand as a villain. He can be seen in Jackie Chan’s THE YOUNG MASTER as one of the evil kung fu school’s henchmen, and his deft comic timing and interplay with Chan during the final fight scene act as welcome counterpoint to the brutality Chan must endure before his final triumph – a triumph inadvertently triggered by Fung’s actions.

Top to bottom: Fung Fung, Fung Bo Bo, Fung Siu Bo

Three of Fung Fung’s children followed him into the Hong Kong film industry. His daughters Siu Bo and Bo Bo were child actresses, and Fung Bo Bo, once known as “the Chinese Shirley Temple,” continues to work in film and television in Hong Kong. His son Fung Hak-on became a well respected stuntman, kung fu actor, and choreographer. He can be seen in THE YOUNG MASTER as one of the two outlaws who recruit Jackie Chan’s brother to join their gang. Like his youngest sister, he is still active in the Hong Kong film industry. He played one of the blind assassins in Stephen Chow’s KUNG FU HUSTLE, and he can be seen in last year’s Donnie Yen hit IP MAN 2, where he played one of the Hong Kong masters who challenge Yen to a tabletop fight. –Jean Lukitsh

 

 

Films at the Gate 2011 is just around the corner, and Street Lab is looking for production volunteers! Here’s a post that just went up at www.filmsatthegate.org seeking volunteers to work alongside Volunteer Producer Sam Davol and other community members on the lot:

Street Lab, Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is seeking voluntees to help us transform a vacant lot in Boston’s Chinatown into a safe, inviting, outdoor Chinese-language cinema for four nights August 25-28, 2011. For the past five years, we have produced Films at the Gate, a community event that creates a free, outdoor theater, showing Kung-Fu and classic Chinese-language films in downtown Boston. Films at the Gate is a collaborative project of Street Lab, film curator Jean Lukitsh, and the Asian Community Development Corporation.

This year, Street Lab is seeking a small group of energetic, skilled individuals to volunteer as a team under Street Lab’s co-director and event producer Sam Davol to help him produce the event. Tasks include: create and edit intro video reels, plan A/V production, set up and strike A/V equipment including PA, projector, and screen, and help run video and audio throughout the evening

The ideal candidate will have skills and experience with audio/visual production, and a willingness to work with Sam in all aspect of producing an outdoor, community event. Chinese language skills a plus but not required. This is a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of work environment, and all volunteers at the event are expected to handle a wide variety of tasks while being professional, good humored, and respectful to our community audience.

Interested candidates should email [email protected]. Please attach a resume or description of your experience, and let him know why you are interested in volunteering at Films at  the Gate. Thanks!