Drug War (Duzhan) by Johnnie To Kei-Feung is the second surprise film completing the roster for the Competition section of the seventh edition of the Rome Film Festival (Festival Internazionale del Film di Roma, 9-17 November 2012, Auditorium Parco della Musica). Over thirty years after his debut, with a filmography that now counts over fifty titles as director, the cult Chinese director returns to the genre that brought him fame, the gangster movie, in collaboration with his “habitual accomplice”, director and screenwriter Wai Ka-fai (who also wrote the screenplay for this film). Drug War (Duzhan), set in continental China, addresses the theme of drug trafficking in a way that has never been seen before in China. This gangster-movie, choreographed with a sense of the spectacular by Johnnie To, reunites some of the most famous stars of Continental China and Hong Kong: Louis KOO, SUN Honglei, XIAO Cong, YIN Zhusheng, GAO Yunxiang, HUANG Yi and Wallace CHUNG.

SYNOPSIS
Duzhan (Drug War) by Johnnie To-Kei Fung, China, 2012, 107’
Set in Jinshan, China, Ming, a cold-hearted drug dealer, crushed his car into a convenient store after the explosure of his drug factory. In saving his own life, he locked his wife and brother-in-law inside the factory. Police officer Lei, extremely smart and careful, tries to track down drug criminals by offering opportunity for Ming to reduce the penalty. Ming helped out by betraying all his brothers, but until the last minute he turned back… 

DIRECTOR
Jonnie To Kei-Feung
With over fifty credits to his name, the award-winning Hong Kong film director and producer Johnnie To can be considered one of the most prominent figures of the Hong-Kong cinema. Intensely prolific, To realized an eclectic collection of films from almost every genre and featuring the major Hong Kong film star.  Johnnie To is best known in the West for his action and crime movies, which have earned him critical respect and a cult following.
His films, often made in collaboration with the same group of actors, screenwriters and cinematographers, frequently explore themes of friendship, fate and the changing face of Hong Kong society. He has shown an ability to switch tones and genres between movies, but To is nonetheless seen as having a consistent style, which involves mixing subdued realism and social observation with highly stylized visual and acting elements.
He has contributed to many projects, as a producer, director or a combination of the two. He made his directorial debut in 1980, when he directed The Enigmatic Case, a film starring Damian Lau. Beginning in 1996, To began producing and directing films under the independent production banner Milkyway Image, a company that he co-founded with frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai.
Drug War is Johnnie To’s first action movie shot in mainland China.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

The Enigmatic Case (1980)
The Big Heat (co-direction, 1988)
All About Ah Long (1989)
The Heroic Trio (1993)
Loving You (1995)
Lifeline (1997)
A Hero Never Dies (1998)
Where a Good Man Goes (1999)
Running Out of Time (1999)
The Mission (1999)
Needing You… (co-director, 2000)
Help!!! (co-director,2000)
Wu Yen (co-director, 2001)
Love On a Diet (co-director, 2001)
Fulltime Killer (co-director, 2001)
Running Out of Time 2 (co-director, 2001)
Fat Choi Spirit (co-director, 2002)
My Left Eye Sees Ghosts (co-director, 2002)
Love for All Seasons (co-director, 2003)
PTU (2003)
Turn Left Turn Right (co-director, 2003)
Running on Karma (co-director, 2003)
Breaking News (2004)
Throwdown (2004)
Yesterday Once More (2004)
Election (2005)
Election 2 (2006)
Exiled (2006)
Triangle (co-director, 2007)
Mad Detective (co-director, 2007)
Sparrow (2008)
Vengeance (2009)
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (2011)
Life Without Principle (2011)
Romancing in Thin Air (2012)
Drug War (2012)
Blind Detective (2013).