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production
notes
Dir
Stanley Kwan
GB 1996
80 min
Documentary video
Chinese with English subtitles
Hong
Kong's first openly 'gay' director Stanley Kwan won many prizes
at film festivals like Berlin and Venice for his films Rouge (1986),
Centre Stage (1991), Red Rose, White Rose (1994) and Hold You Tight
(2000)
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Programme:
Asian Expressions: Gender Bending in Hong Kong Cinema
Stanley Kwan's highly personal film essay is a demonstration of a
long history of gender politics in Chinese cinema (Hong Kong, Taiwan
and Mainland China).
From
the emphasis on same-sex bonding and physical intimacy in Sun Yu's
The Highway (1934) to the frequent casting of actress Brigitte Lin
as men or transsexuals in the 90's, issues of sexual identity have
always been at the forefront in Chinese films. Framed in candidly
autobiographical terms, the documentary features interviews with
directors (including John Woo, Chen Kaige, Ang Lee and Tsui Hark),
actors and critics. It shows clips from some 45 Chinese films, including
brief glimpses of Kwan's own features Rouge, Full Moon in New York,
Actress and Red Rose, White Rose.
A special
film presentation on cross-dressing in martial arts films in Hong
Kong cinema will be presented as a double bill after this screening.
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