亲密敌人 | Dear Enemy

Dear Enemy

With the lithium market in a dip, UA Capital Investment Banking, led by hotshot managing director Derek Lee, brokers a merger offer to Brandon Mining, one of the world’s big three lithium producers along with Anchor Exploration and Clayton Global. Investigative journalist Henry Ma, who runs financial blog Golden Touch, gets wind of the plan and makes it public. UA’s client is believed to be Anchor, and Brandon’s CEO Owenconsiders it a hostile takeover. His financial advisor is Derek’s onetime lover, Amy Liang, associate managing director of Global Alliance Investment Banking, who finally split up with Derek while on holiday together in Australia 10 months ago, frustrated by his workaholism. Amy’s old friend Rebecca, who works on Derek’s team, advises her not to do battle with Derek, for her own good, but Amy ignores her advice. The cat-and-mouse game starts with Amy and Derek finding themselves both on the same flight to London; Derek claims he is visiting his elder sister, clothes designer Lucy Lee , but both are trying to meet the elusive Chen Jiandong, Brandon’s biggest shareholder, to gauge where he stands. Amy finally tracks Chen down in South Africa but, as with Derek in London, he’s non-committal. Amy next chases a white knight but the move is stymied by Derek. Suspecting he has a mole on her team, she discovers who it is and plants false information. Realising he’s been outsmarted, Derek has a frank talk with Amy but they end up quarreling again, despite their residual feelings for each other. In a bid to rescue his position, Derek hires Henry to do some investigating for him.

Directed by Jinglei Xu | Starring : Jinglei Xu, Stanley Huang, Gigi Leung, Aarif Rahman, Christy Chung | Presented at N/A

梅兰芳 | Forever Enthralled

Forever Enthralled

Acclaimed Fifth Generation director Chen Kaige brings the tumultuous life of Peking Opera legend Mei Lanfang to the big screen in the highly anticipated biopic Forever Enthralled. The inspiration for Leslie Cheung’s character in Chen Kaige’s 1993 masterpiece Farewell My Concubine, Mei Lanfang was one of the greatest Peking Opera stars of modern China. An actor who specializes in female roles, he was renowned for his great beauty on stage and performed extensively around the world, famously introducing Peking Opera to Western audiences. Pulling viewers into a riveting world of musical allure and historical tumult in early 20th century China, Forever Enthralled follows Mei Lanfang’s amazing, inevitable rise to fame – from his bold challenges against his teacher as a teenager, to his US tour that brought New York to its feet, and finally to his refusal to sing during the Japanese Occupation period. Portrayed in youth by newcomer Yu Shaoqun and in adulthood by Hong Kong star Leon Lai, Mei Lanfang embodies the professional and emotional struggles of a man whose life belonged not to himself, but to the stage.

Directed by Kaige Chen | Starring : Leon Lai, Ziyi Zhang, Honglei Sun, Hong Chen, Xueqi Wang | Presented at Berlin Film Festival, Seattle Film Festival, Rio de Janeiro Film Festival, Ghent Film Festival

霸王别姬 | Farewell My Concubine

Farewell my Concubine

Farewell My Concubine is a 1993 Chinese film directed by Chen Kaige, is one of the central works of the Fifth Generation movement that brought Chinese film directors to world attention. Similar to other Fifth Generation films like To Live and The Blue Kite, Farewell My Concubine explores the effect of China’s political turmoil during the mid-20th century on the lives of individuals, families, and groups, in this case, two stars in a Peking opera troupe and the woman who comes between them. The film is an adaptation of the novel by Lilian Lee. Lilian Lee is also one of the film’s screenplay writers.

Directed by Kaige Chen | Starring : Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Li Gong, You Ge, Wenli Jiang | Presented at Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Chicago Film Festival, Tokyo Film Festival, New York Film Festival

最后的贵族 | The Last Aristocrats

The Last Aristocrats

Set in 1948. Three friends go to America to study. Whilst there one of the girls hears that her parents have died suddenly. She disappears, much to the anxiety of her friends. When she returns she is a broken and desolate young woman.

Directed by Jin Xie | Starring : Hong Pan, Cunxin Pu, Kechun Li, Xiong Xiao, Lisa Lu | Presented at N/A