MEDIA ASIA Aug 03, 2006 -: Co-produced by Hong Kong’s Media Asia Films and China’s Huayi Brothers, the HK$160m epic “The Banquet” will open in theatres nationwide this September. As the film is officially selected as a non-competition entry in the Venice Film Festival, director Feng Xiaogang is bound to grace the red carpet with his stellar cast of Ziyi Zhang, Zhou Xun and Daniel Wu.

Oscar-winning production designer Tim Yip (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) worked wonders again for “The Banquet”, from designing awe-inspiring costumes for Ziyi Zhang and Zhou Xun, down to the meticulous details of every

prop in every scene. The militant helmets and armors appeared in the film were all historically accurate and made of copper and iron, a heavyweight testament of the HK$10m cost in production design. Director Feng Xiaogang was so exhilarated with every item that he proposed a props exhibition tour worldwide. These invaluable artifacts will be showcased in Hong Kong from late August, at the APM Entertainment Complex in Kwun Tong. Tim Yip and actress Zhou Xun will be present for the opening ceremony.

“It was an honor to be starring in ‘The Banquet’,” said Zhou. “Our production team was very detail-oriented, and every prop was a masterpiece. I remembered there was a golden candle holder in a scene, which I could not lift because the whole thing was made of iron and plastered in gold! It was absolutely amazing!”

There is a wet-and-wild scene featuring Zhou and Wu in the film, which will surely give the audience a jolt. Wu’s memory of that scene, however, is anything but pleasant. “It’s not a particularly intimate scene. I remembered the temperature dropped to a dozen degrees below Celsius during the shoot, and the crew kept pouring cold water at us to keep us wet. We were freezing to death and just wished to complete the scene ASAP, but the director was very specific about our every move. Eventually our heat on-screen gave us a cold off-screen!”