Ekin Dream/ Ekin Cheng/ News/ September 2003

Yesterday Ekin and his manager Lam Shan Shan left for the 60th Venice Film Festival. Ekin was very tired as he had been filming all night in Shenzhen working on his new movie Anna and Shaolin. He expressed that he hoped that he can fully enjoy a rest while in Italy. Ekin joins Karina Lam and Liu Yue the other stars of Floating Landscapes. He indicated that his luggage includes an expensive suit and leather shoes to attend the movie premiere.

At the airport Ekin spoke to clear up the reports accusing Miriam Yeung of constantly having a big smile which irritates the other actors. Ekin said that Miriam's smile is not representative of a lack of seriousness. In fact when filming her performance is very conscientious. Ekin said that after the Film Festival he will return to Shenzhen to continue filming.

Ekin joined Karina Lam in Venice for the 60th Film Festival. Both are led actors in the movie Floating Landscape which will contend for the Golden Lion Prize. Ekin who is attending the Film Festival for the first time said that he was very excited to travel to Venice, and also this is the first time he is able to take part in an International Film Festival.

Before the premiere the director and the actors accepted media interviews. Ekin said that he was just very happy to be there and need not consider whether or not take a prize. He thought Venice was very beautiful. Here everyday can see very many movies. He saw it as a good study opportunity. Ekin also indicated that this was the first time he had worked on this kind of art film. He says he did it because of the great reccomendation of the director. He feels that it went very well and he hopes he will have an opportunity to make this kind of movie again in the future.

Floating Landscape is an intensely beautiful romantic love film. It explains how Karina's deeply devoted painter boyfriend dies, for the sake of her comfort she travels to Qingdao. There she meets an outgoing postman with whom she eventually falls in love.

Ekin and Karina both contend for best female and best male leading actors. The results will be announced tomorrow. Both Ekin and Karina are very nervous. For the premiere the tickets were sold out and the courtyard was full. The audience gave the movie a very good reception. The director Li Miao-Xue said that the favorable reception relieved a heavy burden.

It was very important to Karina to se all the local famous places. Ekin paid for a taxi, which in Venice is a fast small boat, to take everyone on a sightseeing tour. Ekin was not bothered by the fact that the taxi was expensive. He said he was very happy because he is able to meet his idol, Japanese director Bei Ye Wu.

Ekin and Karina over the last few days have been very busy accerpting interviews from media from different countries, America, Spain, Italy, Japan, Korea and so on. Because Ekin and Karina looked very good together some reporters mistakenly thought they were a couple. Karina at once burst out that Ekin already had a girlfriend. She went on to describe her as very tall, with big eyes and long eyelashes taking the chance to tease Ekin.

Every country's media ask about the most difficult and unforgettable scenes. Ekin was very honest he said that the most dificult was that others refused to like a feelings situation. Although he is not considered to be a romantic person, if his career offer a romantic love between he will line up romantic love in first place. His honesty caused the foreign media to pronounce him very poetic.

Before leaving for Shenzhen, Ekin attended a ceremony for corporate sponsors of the World Wildlife Fund in his capacity of Ambassador for the Ocean Environment. Reporters hounded him over the reports in a weekly publication that he went to town just to buy buns for Gigi.

I only go to look at a cat in a pet store. I was hungry so naturally I go and buy food. This is not the same as the reporter wrote. He changed the story and wrote his own script. You are all not good again to write about my girlfriend and say that she is fierce.

Yesterday Ekin and Miriam Yeung attended a start filming ceremony in a large gymnasium in Shenzhen. There were reports that Ekin could not guarantee ticket sales and so the movie had cut his part. Ekin did not seem angered by this, in fact he seemed not to care.

Laughing: I hear this version. I suppose because I go to Venice for the Film Festival important take scissors cut my part. In fact earlier together with director agree add to the part. Anyway to make a long story short believe specific measure of whether have good or not good part today you have to wait until time comes to know when see the movie. Last time you pick on Miriam, this time you pick on me.

Yesterday, on the Mid Autumn Festival, Jerry Lam became the father of a 6lb 15oz baby boy. Ekin and Jerry's older sister, Shan Shan went to the hospital to visit the new baby and congratulate the new parents. Ekin and Shan Shan together with another good friend Che Wan Wan also accompanied Jerry outside the hospital, to support him as he faced the media to anounce the happy news. Many other celebrities arrived later to visit the new parents. Jerry smiled and said that his son would have lots of people to teach him, for example, he could learn to drive a boat with Ekin.

Karina Lam and Ekin since collaborating on Floating Landscapes, Heroic Duo and attending the Venice Film Festival have become good friends. Today they worked to make a publicity poster and film a theme music MV.

The director wanted them to show sweetness to each other by standing face to face, nose to nose. Karina Lam is much shorter than Ekin. Even though she wore high heeled shoes she was still not tall enough to reach him. She needed to stand on folded up magazines to give her enough height to take the picture. Ekin was very naughty and teased her unmercifully about her struggle to get enough height. This caused Karina to laugh incessently. Eventually, the director had to take over and supervise the scene so that it would not become a comedy poster.

Apple Daily courtesy of House Of Ekin

Wenweipo - article in Chinese

The Sun - article in Chinese

September 16, 2003

Yesterday Ekin attended a party for the 6th aniversary of the Teapot program. Many other stars were present including Kelly Chen, Jordan Chan and Francis Ng. Gigi, however did not attend. Ekin was not clear as to the reason, he said she probably had to work. He expressed that when filming often have to suffer irregular hours. Reporters asked if Gigi had moved into his house with him. Ekin said that she was his neighbor it was easy to shout for her to come and spend time with him. However, he did not have a plan to divide up his household to live together. Reporters suggested that maybe they would buy another house to live in. Ekin said that would be very inconvenient because he liked his ocean side home to keep his boat, and really he was not willing to part with it. Reporters then wanted to know if he liked the ocean more than Gigi. Although Ekin smiled he was not happy with the question. He said that you cannot compare, yet he is an Ocean Ambassador, so of course he likes the ocean.

Mingpao - article in Chinese

Takungpao - article in Chinese

Wenweipo - article in Chinese

More Pictures

September 19, 2003

Ekin's official website is launched. The site is still under construction. At present only the Hong Kong section is available. Soon there will be sections for Mandarin, English and Japanese. The site features extensive galleries and fanclub information. For members only there are video messages and a forum.

Official Website- e-kin.com

September 20, 2003

In the movie The Floating Landscape Karina Lam and Ekin act as lovers. In the movie there is a scene where Karina takes the initiative to kiss Ekin, but because the environment for the scene was very narrow the director cleared the set except for essential film people.

Reporters asked Karina how she felt about kissing Ekin. She told them that she valued her co-star's privacy and she din't want her feelings to be the topic of conversation.

Karina said that her most difficult scene was at the death of Ekin. She had to weep and cry. After the scene was complete she still felt very emotional and was unable to pull out of the role. she needed time in another room to compose herself.

Takungpao - article in Chinese

Wenweipo - article in Chinese

Mingpao - article in Chinese

September 21, 2003

Reporters saw Gigi crying as she came out of a movie a few days ago, reporters immediately speculated that her 4 year relationship with Ekin was in danger. When Ekin was asked about the situation he was very scathing.

Gigi merely went to see a touching movie which made her cry. If reporters did not know this it was laughable but also very lamentable. All the things written are a fiction. The reality is that our relationship and living conditions are the same as before. The plot of this story is not creative. I originally thought it would be good to hire several reporters as playwrights, but it is pointless, they have no literary talent. The story is boring.

The 40th Taiwan Golden Horse Awards have prohibited films that have a Mainland China Studio collaboration from taking part. This means that four top movies cannot apply to take part. These include Heroic Duo, Floating Landscape and the latest movies staring both Andy Lau and Miriam Yeung. Although the organizers say that there will be other films to replace them, only two Hong Kong made movies have so far applied. The movies that are prohibited from taking part have all been very successful and were slated to win many of the awards. It seems clear that their removal will significantly diminish the Golden Horse Award Ceremony.

The Universal spokesperson indicated that Heroic Duo will take part in the Asia Pacific Film Festival taking place next month in Iran. Due to the political upheaval, and work on other movies, it is doubtful that either Ekin or Leon will attend.

All the film company spokespeople indicated that they were still in discussion with the organizers and the decison is not clear. It may still only be a rumor.

Oriental Daily - article in Chinese

The Sun - article in Chinese

September 23, 2003

A number of magazines within the last few days have reported that Ekin and Gigi have secretly married, saying that Gigi went to Canada to take attend a friend's wedding and right away Ekin went to register to get married. Other magazines report that their relationship is in trouble and they are breaking up.

Shan Shan was very amused but she said these magazines shoud be more careful as there were two people involved. She also said that she thought she could clear up the confusion.

Ekin and Gigi did not marry, they are not breaking up, in the event that you report they have indeed married you must be able to support your evidence.
Next week is Ekin's 36th birthday. This year Gigi will be in America working and so will not be able to celebrate with him. Shan Shan said that many of Ekin's good friends are planning a celebration, maybe it will be a barbeque or maybe a private dinner. She said that originally she wanted to plan a surprise birthday party, but because of all the publicity to take care of she has decided to change the shape of the celebration.

Singpao - article in Chinese

September 23, 2003

Within the past few days Ekin has exploded at reporters writing empty articles. The latest is that because Ekin is playing a lover in the movie Floating Landscapes he is unable to draw out from the character and has fallen in love with his leading lady Karina Lam. They point to the fact that in the movie it is hard for Karina to leave him and they also kiss passionately. Reporters went on to draw comparisons of Ekin's falling in love with of Gigi during the Summer Night Musical. Ekin was very angry telling them to back off and not to go there.

Portrayal of falling in love in a movie is normal and of course you can pull out of the role. These are false feelings. You can't again view this as meeting the same details as that stage play.

Ekin and Gigi have been togther for 5 years but this year they indicated that they haven't special plans to celebrate Ekin's birthday next month. Ekin said that year after year one of them is often not in Hong Kong.

This year Ekin has been the lead actor in both Floating Landscape and Heroic Duo. He said it was disappointing that neither movie would be able to apply to participate in the Taiwan Golden Horse Award Ceremony so an award would seem to be an impossibility. But next year he will again work hard.

Ekin's record aspect was a flourishing part of his career but after signing with EEG it seems he was thrown into a cold place. A few days ago he had an official appointment with EEG. He said the full department invited, but his manager Lam Shan Shan would be talking to the record company.

The Sun - article in Chinese

Ekin Cheng Yee- Kin

News -September 2003