James joined Screen International in 2014. Originally from the UK but based in Hong Kong since 2001, he is a critic for the South China Morning Post and RTHK Radio 3, and also Asian editor for twitchfilm.com.

James Marsh

Click here for more Screen critics’ top films of 2015

Top Five

  1. The Assassin
    Dir     Hou Hsiao-hsien

    Finally the much-heralded Taiwanese film-maker Hou Hsiao-hsien has made a film I can legitimately get behind. About as austere, glacial and devoid of action as a wuxia film could possibly get away with, The Assassin nevertheless tackles familiar themes of loyalty and revenge while dissecting the nature of a contract killer. Featuring a radiant central performance by Shu Qi (robbed at the Golden Horse Awards), the film also boasts breathtaking cinematography from Mark Lee Ping-bin and an intoxicating soundtrack from Lim Giong that incorporates centuries of Chinese music. The Assassin continues to linger in the mind many months after watching it, while other robust genre challengers, such as Mad Max: Fury Road and Sicario, have faded into the ether.

    CONTACT Wild Bunch edevos@wildbunch.eu

  2. Taxi Tehran
    Dir Jafar Panahi
    CONTACT Celluloid Dreams info@celluloid-dreams.com

  3. 100 Yen Love
    Dir     Masaharu Take
    CONTACT Toei Films  www.toei.co.jp

  4. Veteran
    Dir     Ryoo Seung-wan
    CONTACT CJ E&M Corporation en.cjenm.com/business/film/film.aspx

  5. Port Of Call
    Dir     Philip Yung
    CONTACT Mei Ah Entertainment Group  sara@meiah.com

Best Documentary

The Look Of Silence
Dir Joshua Oppenheimer

Joshua Oppenheimer’s follow-up to The Act Of Killing (2012) kicks the hornet’s nest, revealing that the dangers of the 1965 Indonesian genocide are still very much present. A local optician, whose brother was murdered by the Komando Aksi, confronts his killers in a series of interviews, the likes of which have never felt more terrifying.

CONTACT Cinephil philippa@cinephil.co.il

Best UK Film

ex machina

Ex_Machina
Dir Alex Garland

Alex Garland’s inevitable move into directing is as assured and provocative as his writing has always suggested. Three individuals — billionaire, employee and AI creation — are shut away in isolation to tackle big questions about sentience and existence. What unfolds is thoughtful, gripping and slyly humorous, while inevitably signalling humanity’s demise.

CONTACT Universal Pictures  www.universalpictures.com

Undiscovered Gem

Mr Six

Mr Six
Dir Guan Hu

Takeshi Kitano has also examined geriatric gangsters reeling at the lack of respect afforded them by today’s youth, but Guan Hu’s darker, more serious take on the same scenario affords his veteran protagonists, as portrayed by Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Hanyu, a more stylish and honourable vehicle to vent their frustrations.

CONTACT IM Global info@imglobalfilm.com

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