Lust, Caution in 35mm

This adaptation of Su Tong’s novella of the same name features Gong Li as Songlian, the unwitting fourth wife of a wealthy man in 1920s Republican China. Lauded filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Ju Dou, Hero) drew on relationships formed at the Beijing Film Academy—specifically with the painterly cinematographer Zhao Fei—to evoke the unspoken but deeply felt gender, moral, and class tensions of the era. An influential work of the country’s so-called Fifth Generation of filmmakers who came to prominence in the early 1980s, this sumptuous period piece received international acclaim and was nominated in the International Feature Film category at the 64th Oscars.

In her third of many collaborations with director Zhang Yimou, Gong Li stars as Ju Dou, a young woman sold into marriage to the abusive, elderly owner of a silk-dyeing mill. After meeting her cruel husband’s gentle nephew, they quickly fall in love and Ju Dou becomes pregnant. Zhang’s signature use of color, light, and composition emphasize the seductive passion and melodrama in this story of forbidden love and familial torment, evocative of a Greek tragedy. After winning awards at festivals around the world, Ju Dou became the first film submitted by China to be nominated in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars.

Set during the decline of the Tang Dynasty, as rebels challenge the corrupt government, House of Flying Daggers was director Zhang Yimou’s second film in the wuxia (“martial heroes”) genre. Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau star as police officers assigned to assassinate the unknown leader of a rebel group that has been gaining popularity. The two set a plan to arrest a dancer (Zhang Ziyi) with connections to the rebels, but a love triangle complicates their goal as hidden identities, secret plots, and double-crosses are revealed. The film was China’s official selection for the International Feature Film category at the Oscars and was nominated for Zhao Xiaoding’s cinematography.

Lilian Lee’s epic novel was the source material for this drama detailing the lifelong friendship of two Peking opera performers, set against the backdrop of the Chinese Civil War. Initially banned in China due to its gay themes and the unflinching portrayal of harsh government tactics during wartime, the film was later released in a censored form. Initially shortened for distribution in the United States, it was recently restored to its original uncut length. Farewell My Concubine was nominated in the International Feature Film and Cinematography categories at the 66th Oscars and is the only Chinese-language winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or to date.

Cinematographer Christopher Doyle teamed with Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai on seven features, and In the Mood for Love may be their most visually sumptuous and achingly beautiful collaboration. Contemporary cinema icons Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung play neighbors in 1962 Hong Kong who discover their spouses are having an affair and soon find themselves becoming helplessly attracted to each other. The luscious, moody cinematography by Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bing is matched by the exquisitely detailed costume and production design. This modern classic of cinematic romance was Hong Kong’s official selection for the 73rd Oscars, though the film was not nominated.

Director Zhang Yimou collaborated with cinematographer Christopher Doyle to create a visually stunning drama where color palettes drive the narrative in equal measure to the acting and action onscreen. This tale of a master swordsman secretly plotting revenge as he tells his king stories of defeating previous assassins features a cast of internationally acclaimed actors and martial artists led by Jet Li and including Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, and Donnie Yen. On its United States release, the film debuted in the number one spot at the box office two years after it was nominated in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars.

Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee’s internationally successful wuxia (“martial heroes”) film garnered ten Oscar nominations—the most at that time for a non–English language film—and won four, including Cinematography for Hong Kong–based cinematographer Peter Pau and International Feature Film. Set in 19th-century China, the film follows a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) who gives his sword to his lover (Michelle Yeoh). When it is stolen, an epic story unfolds, filled with love and duels and captured with stunning cinematography and aerial feats that defy gravity.

While trying to stay focused on her upcoming college entrance exams, Nian (Zhou Dongyu) deals with extreme physical and emotional bullying from her classmates. Small-time criminal Bei (played by Mandopop singer Jackson Yee, in his first leading role) becomes Nian’s protector after she attempts to help him during an encounter with a group of street thugs. As the teens from opposite worlds spend more time together, romantic feelings blossom. Derek Tsang’s intense drama picked up numerous awards and nominations in Hong Kong and became the third film Hong Kong submitted to be nominated in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars.

Marking their tenth film collaboration, Andy Lau and Deannie Ip star in director Ann Hui’s heartwarming drama inspired by the personal experience of producer Roger Lee. Lau plays Roger, an unmarried filmmaker who takes on the role of caregiver after his longtime live-in maid Ah Tao, played by Ip, has a stroke. With Hui’s naturalistic directing and touches of humor, along with Lau and Ip’s nuanced performances, the film won all the top awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards and became Hong Kong’s official submission for the International Feature Film category at the Oscars.