One of the most sought-after male leads in Asia, half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese Takeshi Kaneshiro began his rise to stardom at age 15 when he was talent spotted and recruited to be a Taiwanese pop idol. A string of successful music hits followed, from 1992's ‘Heart Breaking Night' to 1996's ‘Painful Love'. Fluent in five languages, Takeshi Kaneshiro quickly captured the hearts of fans in throughout Asia.

Mr. Kaneshiro's silver screen debut came in Tony CHING and Johnnie TO's ‘Executioners' (1993) where his turn as a quasi-religious villain made such a deep impression that this became his only supporting role to date. Takeshi Kaneshiro has since played the male lead in all of his subsequent 27 films, which include the Golden Horse Award and Hong Kong Film Award winning ‘Chungking Express' (1994) and ‘Fallen Angels' (1995).

Well known for his quirky character acting, Takeshi Kaneshiro made his mark on world cinema working with Hong Kong directing heavyweights including WONG Kar Wai (‘Chungking Express', 1994, and ‘Fallen Angels', 1995) Sylvia CHANG (‘Tempting Heart', 1998) and LEE Chi Ngai (‘Lost and Found', 1996, and ‘Sleepless Town' (1997).

Mr. Kaneshiro's extensive filmography is testament to his versatile acting skills. While he is known worldwide for his high-profile work with Wong, Chang and Lee, he is an even bigger star in his native Taiwan and Japan, where he continues to earn accolades from critics and audiences for his nuanced performances in films including Johnnie To and WAI Ka-Fai's ‘Turn Left, Turn Right' (2003) - an adaptation of the much-loved illustrated love story by Taiwanese artist Jimmy LIAO and Takashi YAMAZAKI's Japanese science fiction hit ‘The Returner' (2002).

Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau's accomplishments in singing and acting have made him arguably the most bankable star throughout Asia.

Born in Hong Kong in 1961, Andy Lau first enrolled in the Television Broadcast Limited (TVB) Artist Training Programme in 1981. On graduation, Lau was immediately recruited by the station and went on to act in fifteen television series, which earned him fame not only in his native Hong Kong, but also in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Andy Lau gained instant critical recognition in 1982 for his work on Ann HUI's Hong Kong Film Award winning ‘Boat People'.

Since then, Andy Lau has emerged as one of the hardest working actors, completing 115 movies between 1981 and 2004. Mr. Lau won the Best Actor Award at the coveted Golden Dragon Awards in Taiwan for his collective contributions to NG Siyuan's ‘The Unwritten Law' (1986), David LAI Tai Wai's ‘Sworn Brothers' (1986), David Lai and Taylor WONG's ‘Tragic Hero' (1986) and ‘Rich and Famous' (1986). Andy Lau's sensitive portrayal of a man who has 72 hours to live in Johnnie To's ‘Running Out of Time' (1999) earned him the Best Actor Award at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards. A two-time Best Actor winner at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards for ‘A Fighter's Blues' (2000) and ‘Running on Karma' (2004), Andy Lau has proved his acting versatility with a combination of sensitive character acting and demanding fight sequences. Lately, Andy Lau was awarded the Best Actor Award for ‘Running on Karma' (2004) at the 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards for the second time in his career.

Andy Lau's commitment to improve the quality of Hong Kong's film industry has been uncompromising. In 1990, he set up his own company, ‘Teamwork' not only to produce high-caliber local movies, but also give aspiring individuals the chance to develop their talents both before and behind the camera. This earned him the Swissair / Crossair Special Prize at the Locarno International Film festival for Hong Kong director Fruit CHAN's ‘Made In Hong Kong' (1997).

In addition to his film accomplishments, Andy Lau has made a phenomenal impact on Asia's music scene. Dubbed one of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings' along with Leon LAI, Jacky CHEUNG and Aaron KWOK, in 2001 Mr. Lau became a Guinness World Record holder as the artist with the most pop awards. Lau has received 292 music awards over the past 12 years including the MTV Movie Award for the ‘Most Multi-Talented Artiste in Asia' (1998).

One of the hottest stars to emerge from China in recent years, Zhang Ziyi stunned audiences with her debut performance in Zhang Yimou's ‘The Road Home'. The film went on to win the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival 2000, propelling Zhang Ziyi into the international limelight. Her meteoric shot to stardom continued with Ang Lee's Academy Award winning blockbuster, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and Zhang Yimou's martial arts epic, ‘HERO'.

Zhang Ziyi's interest in the performing arts originated in dance and gymnastics. At age eleven, she was accepted to a secondary school affiliated with the Beijing College of Dance. Although a career in dance seemed promising for the graceful Miss Zhang, her growing interest and enthusiasm for acting prevailed and she enrolled in the prestigious Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.

She was soon discovered by Zhang Yimou, the internationally celebrated director of ‘Raise the Red Lantern' and ‘Red Sorghum'. Zhang knew immediately that Zhang Ziyi would be perfect for his new film, ‘The Road Home' (1999), and cast her in the role of a young girl in love with a schoolteacher in rural China. Zhang Ziyi later reteamed with helmer Zhang Yimou to play the brave and loyal servant, Moon, in 2003's Academy Award nominated ‘HERO'.

The success of ‘HERO' and ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' ensured that Zhang Ziyi would become a familiar face to filmgoers as the high-flying, graceful martial artist who shared fight scenes with Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat. Her role in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' garnered her the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2000 as well as the Most Promising Actress at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards. In 2001, she was awarded the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Scene and was voted one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

Zhang Ziyi's talents have since moved beyond her homeland, working in Hollywood for ‘Rush Hour 2' (2001) opposite the comedy duo Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, and starring in the ambitious Korean epic, ‘The Warriors'. She will next be seen in Hou Yong's ‘Jasmine' as well as Wong Kar Wai's futuristic ‘2046'.