Sacrifice
JULY 27 thru AUGUST 2
Written and directed by master filmmaker Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine)
Set during the opulent Yuan Dynasty in the 5th century B.C., Sacrifice is the story of a newborn prince whose entire family, the Zhao clan, is wiped out by a rival general who ruthlessly seizes the throne. An ordinary man, the doctor who delivers the baby, gives up everything dearest to him to save the last young survivor in the bloodline of the noble Zhao, and secretly raises the child as his own. But the doctor, played impeccably by acclaimed actor Ge You, has devised his own plot for revenge and makes the cold-blooded General, Tu Angu, the boy’s godfather, allowing the would-be-King to infiltrate the royal palace as a guest. When the boy becomes a man, he must choose between two fathers, while the destiny of a nation rests with his decision.
In My Dream, director Wang Hong Hai pays tribute to the stunning works in dance and music performed internationally by the 84 members of the China Handicapped Performers’ Troupe. During a one-year period, Wang and his production staff lived together with the members of the troupe, recording their daily lives, practice sessions and efforts the performers made to train their bodies. The troupe was founded in Beijing in 1987 by a group of 30 artists and includes performers who have hearing or sight impairments. My Dream is a combination of documentary and visual poetry that transcends the limits of language and geography. –China Insight
One of the highest grossing domestic Chinese films in history, director/screenwriter/actor Jiang Wen’s Let the Bullets Fly propels the audience through an unpredictable world of gunslingers, bandits, physical comedy, bloody combat, and surprising plot twists. Set during the Warlord Era of the 1920s, Jiang’s character “Pockey” Zhang embarks on a Robin Hood like escapade to benefit poor townspeople. Malevolent mobster Master Huang (Chow Yun-Fat) opposes Zhang’s efforts, highlighting both actors’ comedic abilities as well as Jiang’s directorial talent for fast-paced action.
