Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008

THE DRUMMER

Voted Favorite Dramatic Film, Locarno International Film Festival
Voted one of the Top Five Audience Favorites, Seattle International Film Festival
Named Critics' Pick by the Hollywood Reporter, Sundance Film Festival
Best Supporting Actor, Tony Leung Ka Fai , the 44th Taipei Golden Horse awards

In the East, the drum is the “king” of all musical instruments.
The sound of the drums can penetrate one’s body.
The solemn beat of the drums can open a man’s heart.
The powerful vibrations of the drusm can awaken a man’s soul…

Banished by his father from the face-paced city of Hong Kong to the serene, peaceful mountains of Taiwan, a young man is enlightened and transformed through the powerful vibration of mesmerizing drumbeats.

Sid (Jaycee Chan, son of action star Jackie Chan) is a smart-mouthed wannabe rock-star drummer and young heir to a leading role in the Hong Kong criminal world. Recklessly overconfident, he challenges his father’s associate and head tycoon Stephen Ma (Kenneth Tsang) by sleeping with Ma’s sexy girlfriend Carmen (Yumiko Cheng). When his furious father Kwan (Tony Leung Ka Fai) is called upon by Ma to punish his son by cutting off his precious hands, even Sid’s headstrong sister (Josie Ho) can’t protect him. After a violent chase that resonates with Sid’s abusive upbringing, Sid is forced to hide in the tranquil hills of Taiwan with Kwan’s dubious right-hand man (Roy Cheung).

Struggling with boredom and looking to escape, Sid inadvertently discovers a group of Chinese Zen drummers. Drawn to the power of the drums, he confronts the drummers and insists on joining the group. While the members are skeptic, the Master decides that she will accept him as a student, and perhaps help him learn a sense of humility. Encountering a minimalist, austere lifestyle combined with rigorous physical training for the first time, Sid’s patience is tested as he is assigned to daily domestic chores. Instantly clashing with a fiery junior member of the group Hong Dou (Angelica Lee), he must learn to realize that the art of music is not defined by power.

But just as harmony begins to captivate his turbulent spirit, his dark past finds him again and he must choose between his new ways or the life he was born into. Part gangster drama, part spiritual journey, THE DRUMMER features a powerful soundtrack and a delightful performance by Jaycee Chan as he takes on the most physically and emotionally demanding role of his young career.

The Drummer was filmed on location in Hong Kong and Taiwan and stars some of the most celebrated actors and actresses in Chinese cinema today: Tony Leung Ka Fai (Best Actor, 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards), Jaycee Chan (Best New Actor Nominee, 2004 Hong Kong Film Awards), Lee Sinje (Best New Talent Award, 2001 Berlin International Film Festival) and Josie Ho (Best Supporting Actress, 2003 Hong Kong Film Awards). The cast also features bona fide Zen drummers.

- Alice Shih & Heather Keung

Kenneth Bi was born in Hong Kong and graduated with honours in theatre/film from Brock University (Canada) in 1989. He has written, acted, and directed numerous theatre, film, and music video productions in Canada and Hong Kong. His feature film debut, A Small Miracle (2000), was featured at Reel Asian in 2001. His second feature, Rice Rhapsody (Hainan Chicken Rice, 2004), has won numerous awards worldwide, including Best New Director at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards. THE DRUMMER is his third feature film.



SPONSOR: Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, Toronto