The Peach Blossom Fan(1961)

Pure Country 2: The Gift(en)

Three angels bestow the gift of song to a young girl, who must follow a series of rules in order hold on to it during her rise to fame and fortune.

M. Butterfly(en)

In 1960s China, French diplomat Rene Gallimard falls in love with an opera singer, Song Liling – but Song is not at all who Gallimard thinks.

Mayerling(en)

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, over implementing progressive policies for their country. Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that doesn't realize the need for social reform. The Prince of Wales, later to become Britain's King Edward VII, provides comic relief. Rudolf finds refuge from a loveless marriage with Princess Stéphanie by taking a mistress, Baroness Maria Vetsera. Their untimely demise at Mayerling, the imperial family's hunting lodge, is cloaked in mystery.

Coyote Ugly(en)

Graced with a velvet voice, 21-year-old Violet Sanford heads to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter only to find her aspirations sidelined by the accolades and notoriety she receives at her "day" job as a barmaid at Coyote Ugly. The "Coyotes" as they are affectionately called tantalize customers and the media alike with their outrageous antics, making Coyote Ugly the watering hole for guys on the prowl.

The Edge of Love(en)

When the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his flirtatious wife Caitlin sweep into war-torn London, the last thing they expect is to bump into Dylan's childhood sweetheart Vera. Despite her joy at seeing Dylan after so many years, Vera is swept off her feet by a dashing officer, William Killick, and finds herself torn between the open adoration of her new found beau and the wily charms of the exotic Welshman.

Ruth & Boaz(en)

A talented singer leaves the Atlanta music scene and starts over in small-town Tennessee, where she finds love and new purpose but can't escape the past.

I Still Believe(en)

The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope.

Center Stage(cn)

Based on the tragic true story of China's first prima donna of the silver screen, Ruan Lingyu, chronicling her rise to fame as a movie actress in Shanghai during the 1930s.

Persuasion(en)

Living with her snobby family on the brink of bankruptcy, Anne Elliot is an unconforming woman with modern sensibilities. When Frederick Wentworth - the dashing one she once sent away - crashes back into her life, Anne must choose between putting the past behind her or listening to her heart when it comes to second chances.

The Invisible Woman(en)

In 1857, at the height of his fame and fortune, novelist and social critic Charles Dickens meets and falls in love with teenage stage actress Nelly Ternan. As she becomes the focus of his heart and mind, as well as his muse, painful secrecy is the price both must pay.

The High Note(en)

Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis, a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands, but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace’s manager presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever.

Firebrand(en)

Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, is named regent while the tyrant battles abroad. When the king returns, increasingly ill and paranoid, Katherine finds herself fighting for her own survival.

Jersey Boys(en)

A musical biopic of the Four Seasons—the rise, the tough times and personal clashes, and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation. Far from a mere tribute concert, it gets to the heart of the relationships at the centre of the group, with a special focus on frontman Frankie Valli, the small kid with the big falsetto.

Love in Taipei(en)

A young American woman is sent by her parents to a cultural immersion program in Taipei where she begins a new journey of self-discovery and romance.

High Strung(en)

When a hip hop violinist busking in the New York subway encounters a classical dancer on scholarship at the Manhattan Conservatory of the Arts, sparks fly. With the help of a hip hop dance crew they must find a common ground while preparing for a competition that could change their lives forever.

The Good House(en)

Hildy Good, a wry New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches who loves her wine and loves her secrets. Her compartmentalized life starts to unravel as she rekindles an old romance and becomes dangerously entwined in one person’s reckless behavior.

Silk Stockings(en)

After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to complete their mission and to retrieve them. She starts out condemning the decadent West, but gradually falls under its spell—with the help of an American movie producer. A remake of Ninotchka (1939).

A Call to Spy(en)

The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.

Sparrow(cn)

Kei is the experienced leader of a team of pickpockets — also known as "Sparrows" in HK slang. He enjoys a carefree lifestyle taking photos. One day a dashing beauty, Chun-Lei, suddenly appears in Kei's viewfinder. Kei is mesmerized. But behind Chun-Lei's attractive facade lies a mysterious past and a mission to set herself free.

Possession(en)

Maud Bailey, a brilliant English academic, is researching the life and work of poet Christabel La Motte. Roland Michell is an American scholar in London to study Randolph Henry Ash, now best-known for a collection of poems dedicated to his wife. When Maud and Roland discover a cache of love letters that appear to be from Ash to La Motte, they follow a trail of clues across England, echoing the journey of the couple over a century earlier.

Beijing Opera Go Go Go(zh)

Zeng Hongqi, a rap-loving senior, is forced to lead the opera club for credits. Despite recruitment struggles and opposition from the student union president, an unexpected opportunity leads the club to a crucial competition.

The Grand Substitution(zh)

With China under control of a weak Emperor, two officials compete to steer the future destiny of the land. Chiu believes the people are the future of China, while the diabolical Tu wishes to grind the people beneath an iron heel. Tu decides to take out Chiu's family, but one lone infant escapes.

My Next Step(zh)

MY NEXT STEP follows a young Kunqu Opera artist YANG Yang(28 year-old) over the course of several years. It offers its audience a glimpse into the world of Kunqu, and a magnifying look into the ambivalence of a young man struggling to find a way out for a fading art.

Farewell to a Warrior(zh)

Disillusioned by years of futile bloodshed, General Chang Ta initially refuses the emperor’s call to defend the collapsing dynasty. It is his wife, Chen Pi-niang, a woman of exceptional intelligence and resolve, who urges him to answer his duty. At Tzu Lang Chow, she bids him farewell with a lock of her hair, a symbol of devotion and sacrifice, as he marches toward a seemingly hopeless battle. While Chang Ta fights at the front, Chen Pi-niang organizes local militias and leads a daring volunteer fleet of fishing boats to deliver supplies and strike the enemy. As defeat closes in and betrayal looms, husband and wife each face their fate with unyielding loyalty to their country.

Farewell My Concubine(zh)

In an epic tale of theater, gender, love and class, two Beijing opera actors navigate political turmoil as their friendship evolves over decades.

The Magic Lamp(zh)

Adapted from one of China's most well-known fairy tales, the Goddess of Mount Hua falls in love with a young mortal scholar Liu Yanchang and gives birth to a baby son, Chenxiang. When Chenxiang grows up, he seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding his mother whom he has never met.

Arrow Sworn(cn)

Brilliantly played by LAW Ka-ying, the revered Skyblade hails from a prestigious family of Cantonese opera singers. Pressured into performing opposite the sponsor’s child at the celebrated Red Banquet in return for financial support, the reluctant Skyblade is further taken aback when he realises that Jade is a girl slated to play a male lead role in a predominantly masculine cast. However, as Jade’s talent becomes apparent to Skyblade, a bond is formed between the two during rehearsals, and a mutual understanding that both have been sacrificing their dreams and passions out of duty towards the family. When Jade reveals a shocking resolution to take control of her life, it is up to Skyblade to decide their fate on stage.

Yang Female Warriors(zh)

The Rainbow Pass(cn)

The Rainbow Pass is a Chinese Opera starring Sammo Hung in a child role

My Way(cn)

When facing a path with no future or precedent success, will we ever choose to stay? Cheuk Cheung’s My Way explores the Cantonese Opera tradition of male Dan performers, men who play female roles, against the backdrop of a Hong Kong society increasingly putting less value on art. Although female performers have long been part of the mainstream of Cantonese Opera, the film follows the stories of two young men who are still fascinated by the art of the male Dan, striving to find their own way to carry on the practice. A moving and searching look at the struggle for identity, My Way is a colourful, musical and moving film which offers a unique and highly personal look at perseverance in the face of a changing society.

Qin Xianglian(zh)

Qing (i.e. Qin) Xianglian was the wife of a man named Chen Shimei, who won the first title of national examination and awarded as husband of the emperor's daughter. Then Qing (i.e. Qin) sues Chen as a murderer who plans to kill his wife and son. In spite of the royal power, gownsman Bao Zhen settles the lawsuit and sentences Chen to serve his head.

The Story of Qin Xiang-Lian(zh)

The Story of Qin Xiang-Lian is a Hong Kong Chinese Opera musical starring Jackie Chan in a child role.

The Eighteen Darts (Part 1)(cn)

The Eighteen Darts (Part 1) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.

The Eighteen Darts (Part 2)(cn)

The Eighteen Darts (Part 2) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.

Madam Xian(cn)

"Madam Xian", following the success of "White Snake," is another innovative masterpiece in the realm of opera films from the collaboration between Pearl River Film Group and Guangdong Yueju Opera Theater. The film portrays the legendary life of Madam Xian, hailed as "the first heroine of China," using the distinctive expression of opera film. It won the Best Opera Film award at the 36th China Golden Rooster Awards.

White Powder and Neon Lights(cn)

This is the first 16mm Cantonese film in full colour, shot on 1940s state-of-the-art Technicolor film stock. Opera star Man-ha (Leung Bik-yuk) enjoys tremendous popularity during her performances in San Francisco, but drowns herself in the vices and temptations of the big city. Increasingly, she fails to show up for performances, almost causing the theatre to go bankrupt. When she sees her lover for the scoundrel that he is, she also sees the errors of her own ways and saves the theatre, restoring it to glory. Joseph Sunn Jue established the Grandview Film Company in Hong Kong during the 1930s and continued making films in the USA during wartime by collaborating with Chinese opera performers in exile there. Wong Hok-sing, an opera actor himself, directed, wrote and starred in this film. He staged a spectacular play-within-a-play at the end, not only to promote the art of Cantonese opera but also to boost solidarity among overseas Chinese through difficult times.

Bamboo Theatre(cn)

This film is a portrait of unique cultural space for Spirits, Gods and People. While permanent theatres are commonly built in most cosmopolitan modern cities, Hong Kong preserves a unique theatrical architecture, a Chinese tradition that has lasted more than a century - Bamboo Theatre.

Baijin Long(cn)

A wealthy man's son, who has a sinecure as a hotel owner, poses as a bellhop to win the affections of a woman guest with whom he has fallen madly in love, but who seeks a common man who is earning his own way. This first Cantonese-language talkie was based on a successful 1930 stage musical written by and starring Xue JueXian (Sit KokSin), the plot of which was in turn inspired by a 1929 silent Hollywood romance called "The Grand Duchess And The Waiter" which Xue admired. The film was produced not in Shanghai, by the Tianyi studio, headed by the eldest of the Shaw Brothers, Shao Zuiweng (RunJe Shaw), and was so successful in the Cantonese-speaking parts of China that Shaw moved the Tianyi company to British-administered, Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong to make more Cantonese films in the face of the right-wing Chinese Nationalist government's ban on Cantonese language in favor of Mandarin. A sequel to Baijin Long was made in 1937, and the film itself was remade in 1947.

So Siu Siu(zh)

The film opens with a travelogue, showcasing West Lake and the real Mainland Chinese locations used by the film to which only the Left Wing of Hong Kong Cinema had access to at the time. The title character is a young woman raised by her courtesan aunt in the West Lake scenic resort area in Hangzhou. Siu Siu is perused by a local Official, but falls in love with the son of the Prime Minister. They marry, but are separated by the Prime Minister who arranges another marriage for the son. Siu Siu remains at West Lake, where she regretfully uses the desire of the earlier Official to help another of the girls find happiness.

The Stage(zh)

During the Republican era, wars and conflicts were frequent. On stage, the "Overlord" sings with resounding passion, while below, the absurd spectacle of life unfolds. They must both secure the opera troupe's livelihood and appease the audience in their seats. Once the curtain rises, how should this play be performed?