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In a reimagined 1994 Hong Kong scarred by snow and fallout, Sons of the Neon Night throws us into a world where pharmaceutical heirs become warlords. We meet Moreton Li (Takeshi Kaneshiro) on the brink of reforming his family’s empire just moments after a hospital bombing shatters the city’s fragile order.

Across town, an anonymous shoot-out signals that no one is safe—be they corporate scion or street-level informant. This stark prologue sets up a power struggle between two brothers: one driven by conscience, the other by profit.

What follows is less a straightforward crime saga and more a tense clash of ideals in neon shadows. The film’s opening gambit—blood-soaked streets, a shattered ambulance plowing through chaos—pulls you in with visceral immediacy.

As someone who grew up devouring Hong Kong thrillers on late-night VHS, I couldn’t help but recall that rush of discovering a city both familiar and alien.

Her Story, Yihui Shao’s feature dramedy that became something of a feminist phenomenon in China, scored another big win by securing the top prize at the 27th Far East Film Festival (Feff), which concluded Friday night in the northern Italian city of Udine. The film, which grossed almost $100 million at China’s box office and inspired a thousand think pieces about its radical and refreshing themes, received Feff’s Golden Mulberry Audience Award. Her Story stars Song Jia and Zhong Chuxi, and tells the story of two single women who become neighbors, and despite their contrasting personalities and circumstances, become fast friends.

Feff’s second most coveted audience award, the Silver Mulberry, went to Anselm Chan’s Hong Kong family drama The Last Dance. Like Her Story, The Last Dance was a box office phenomenon in its domestic market, and is currently the highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time.

Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In swept the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) scoring nine wins including best film, best director and all the technical categories.

The big-budget action thriller, which recreated the now demolished Kowloon City in 1980s Hong Kong, scooped prizes for best cinematography, editing, art direction, costume and makeup design, action choreography, sound design and visual effects.

The $40m feature received its international premiere at Cannes last year, was the second biggest film at the local box office in 2024 with takings of nearly $14m (Hk$108.44m) and was Hong Kong’s entry to the Oscars.

Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In was the big winner at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, taking nine prizes including best film and best director.

The martial arts action thriller, set in the infamous Kowloon Walled City in 1980s Hong Kong, also scored in the technical categories, winning best editing, best cinematography, best art direction, best costume & make-up design, best sound design, best visual effects and best action choreography. Soi Cheang also won best director at last year’s Hong Kong Film Awards for mystery thriller Mad Fate.

The Last Dance, written and directed by Anselm Chan, also triumphed at this year’s awards, taking five prizes including best screenplay, best actress for Michelle Wai’s performance, best supporting actor for Chu Pak-hong, best original film score and best original film song.

The drama about a Taoist priest and a wedding planner who team up...

Asian Pop-Up Cinema is set to hold its 10th anniversary gala on Saturday, April 5, 2025, with filmmakers, actors, and cinephiles in attendance to celebrate the milestone, emceed by Fox 32’s Joanie Lum at CineCity Studios Chicago (2429 W. 14th St.). The centerpiece of the event features a conversation with the directors of six films in this year’s 19th Asian Pop-Up Cinema festival, representing six different regions throughout Asia. Tickets (starting at $350) available at www.asianpopupcinema.org/2025-Gala.

Behind The Lens: Six Directors, Six Perspectives

Moderated by Asian Pop-Up Cinema founder and executive director Sophia Wong Boccio, “Behind the Lens: Six Directors, Six Perspectives” presents a wide-ranging conversation about the Asian film industry and its role in global cinema. The panel guests include:

Anselm Chan, director of The Last Dance: Extended Version (Hong Kong) Junichi Yasuda, director of A Samurai In Time (Japan) Tom Lin Shu-Yu, director of Yen And AI-lee (Taiwan) Lee Mi-Rang,...

Asian Pop-Up Cinema has announced the full program for its 19th edition, running March 20 – April 13, 2025. The Festival is dedicated to showing works from regions throughout Asia, with films screened at the AMC Newcity 14 (1500 N. Clybourn Ave.), and select presentations at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago and the Shultz Auditorium at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Opening the 19th edition of the film festival on March 20 is Taiwan’s Dead Talents Society, a supernatural comedy with director John Hsu appearing in person alongside star Chen Bo-Lin, who is set to receive the Festival’s Bright Star Award.

The Festival’s Centerpiece presentation is the U.S. premiere of director’s cut of Hong Kong drama The Last Dance on April 4, featuring a career-defining performance from star Michelle Wai, who will receive the Festival’s Extraordinary Actors Award.

The Closing Night on April 13 presents the first, and last, film by Keizo Murase,...

Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance leads the pack going into the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 18 nominations.

It is followed by Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In with 14 nods and Philip Yung’s Papa with 11 nominations. All three films will face off alongside Adam Wong’s The Way We Talk and Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, in both the best film and best director categories.

The 18 nominations secured by The Last Dance is the highest in Hkfa’s history since Teddy Chen’s Assassins And Bodyguards received the same number in 2010. Chan...

On February 10, 2025 Asian Pop-Up Cinema announced key highlights of its 19th edition, running March 20 – April 13, 2025. The Festival is dedicated to showing works from regions throughout Asia, with films screened in person weekends at AMC Newcity 14 (1500 N. Clybourn Ave.) This year’s program is the first to include a juried competition. The full program for the 19th Asian Pop-Up Cinema film festival will be announced on February 24, 2025; tickets for Opening, Closing, and Centerpiece presentations are on sale now on the official website Here, with full program tickets going on sale February 24.

Opening the 19th season of the groundbreaking film festival on March 20 is Taiwan’s Dead Talents Society, John Hsu‘s supernatural comedy follow-up to his horror blockbuster Detention. A raucous mash-up of Monsters, Inc. and All About Eve, the hilarious satire of influencer culture and horror tropes and moving ode to underachievers won the Audience Award at Fantastic Fest and...

In our latest review, we dive into Anselm Chan‘s “The Last Dance“, one of the most anticipated Hong Kong films of 2024! Starring comedy legends Michael Hui and Dayo Wong, this unique blend of drama and comedy explores the clash between tradition and modernity, life and death, and family and duty—all wrapped in an engaging and visually stunning story.

Plot Overview: Debt-ridden wedding planner Dominic (Dayo Wong) is forced to shift careers to the funeral business, partnering with the traditionalist Taoist priest Hello Man (Michael Hui). Their conflicting views on life, death, and business spark both hilarious and heartfelt moments. Meanwhile, Man’s daughter, Yuet (Michelle Wai), a struggling emergency worker, adds another emotional layer to the story, bringing an intriguing contrast between saving lives and honoring the dead.

What We Cover in This Review:

The long-awaited reunion of Michael Hui and Dayo Wong on screen

How tradition vs.

Hong Kong moviegoers continued to prove their willingness to turn out for local productions in 2024, pushing Anselm Chan’s funeral drama The Last Dance to become the most successful local film of all time at the Hong Kong box office with over $18 milion.

The success of The Last Dance followed Soi Cheang’s nostalgia-fueled martial arts thriller Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Hong Kong’s Oscar submission) and its portrayal of the notorious, long-demolished Kowloon City neighborhood. There is a sustained desire, it would seem, to preserve and celebrate specific elements of Hong Kong culture which have come under threat in recent years, as the city is fast coming to resemble just another Chinese metropolis.

The Last Dance enshrines precisely the same sensibility as its recent box office predecessors, albeit in a markedly different tone. Chan’s previous features, Ready O/R Knot (2021) and its sequel Ready O/R Rot (2023), were both broad comedies.

In Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance, Dayo Wong plays Dominic Ngai, a wedding planner whose life falls apart after the pandemic forces him into the funeral business. This change not only serves as a plot device but also reflects how fragile life is and how we can end up going in unexpected directions during crises.

The film uses nonlinear action telling, combining flashbacks and present-day interactions to increase our understanding of Dominic’s struggles. This method is reminiscent of modern film directors like Noah Baumbach, who use complicated character interactions to explore adult complexities. In traditional stories, the difference between happy weddings and sad funerals creates a compelling tension that makes the story more interesting.

The relationship between Dominic and Master Man Kwok (Michael Hui), a traditionalist whose strict adherence to Taoist practices clashes with Dominic’s more contemporary methods, is at the heart of the narrative. This conflict...

Comedy legends Michael Hui and Dayo Wong are no strangers to ruling the box office. Back in 1976, Hui directed and starred in “The Private Eyes”, which went on to become the highest grossing domestic film of its time in Hong Kong. His last directorial “The Magic Touch” in 1992, which also coincidentally featured Dayo Wong in a prominent role, ended up being financially the most successful work of his career as a director. Wong, for his part, starred in “A Guilty Conscience” last year, which still reigns supreme as the highest grossing domestic film of all time in the country. The fact that these two box office kings unite in the same project, only for the second time, for Anselm Chan‘s “The Last Dance” makes it one of the most anticipated films of the year.

The Last Dance is released in UK and Ireland by Trinity Cine Asia

Post-Covid, like with all businesses,...

Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance has broken multiple records, rejuvenating the Hong Kong box office after a lacklustre six months since the release of blockbuster Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In.

Just nine days after its opening on November 9, the Hong Kong drama has grossed almost $7.7m (Hk$60m) at the local box office so far.

This includes $1.1m (Hk$8.6m) – or $1.2m (Hk$9.18m) inclusive of Macau – on November 16 alone, surpassing 2016’s Cold War 2 to take the biggest single-day box office for a Hong Kong and Chinese-language film.

The data is provided by Hong Kong Box Office, a...

The Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation is organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy (Afaa), in collaboration with the Singapore Film Society (Sfs), with financial support from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (Ccidahk), Film Development Fund (Fdf) and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Hketo) in Singapore.This programme showcases Hong Kong films across various regions in Asia, allowing audiences to explore the new generation of Hong Kong cinema and emerging talents. It also builds strong connections between Hong Kong filmmakers and the Asian film industry, promoting ongoing growth in the sector.

After successful screenings in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Dubai, the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation will hold its grand finale in Singapore from November 20 to 24 at Gv Suntec City. The programme will showcase eight Hong Kong films, kicking off the Singapore premiere of The Last Dance, starring comedy legends Michael Hui and Dayo Wong. Anselm Chan,...

How do you make a lovely, life-affirming film about death that appeals to general audiences just about everywhere? Up-and-coming Hong Kong filmmaker Anselm Chan has the answer in “The Last Dance,” in which a cash-strapped former wedding planner and a stern old Taoist priest become unlikely partners in the funeral business. Boasting an all-star cast headed by Cantonese comedy icons Dayo Wong (“Table for Six”) and Michael Hui playing it mostly straight, Chan’s handsomely crafted third feature is a poignant drama about finding meaning in life from the passing of loved ones and the rituals of final farewells.

This respectful and uplifting journey into Hong Kong’s unique and fascinating funeral traditions opens locally on Nov. 9 and in the U.K. and Ireland on Nov. 15 — just the start of what’s sure to be wide international theatrical exposure.

After making a mark with his rowdy 2021 romcom “Ready or Knot...

The Last Dance, one of the most highly anticipated Hong Kong films of the year, has been acquired for UK and Ireland distribution by Trinity CineAsia from Emperor Motion Pictures.

Trinity CineAsia plan to release the film theatrically on November 15, following its opening in Hong Kong on November 11.

The drama features a starry cast led by Dayo Wong, whose recent hits include Hong Kong’s highest-grossing film A Guilty Conscience and blockbuster Table For Six, alongside veteran Michael Hui, who won best supporting actor at the 2023 Hong Kong Film Awards for Where The Wind Blows.

Wong plays a debt-ridden wedding...

Dayo Wong and Michael Hui head the cast of The Last Dance, which Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp) is launching at Hong Kong Filmart, along with Wai Ka Fai’s Detective Vs Sleuths 2.

Wong plays a debt-ridden wedding planner who finds unexpected success as a funeral planner, but he has to win over a traditional Taoist priest to stay in the business. It marks Wong’s first film after two massive hits, A Guilty Conscience and Table For Six, which made him one of Hong Kong’s most bankable actors.

The Last Dance, currently in post-production, is the third film from...

Lawrence Kan’s newsroom drama In Broad Daylight leads the pack going into the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards with 16 nominations.

The feature, which follows an undercover journalist who exposes the abuse of residents in a nursing home, secured nods in all but three of the 19 categories. It marks the second feature by Kan and proved the fourth highest grossing local film in 2023.

Scroll down for full list of nominations

Also gaining multiple nominations was Nick Cheuk’s emotive drama Time Still Turns The Pages and Felix Chong’s financial crime extravaganza The Goldfinger, which secured 12 nods apiece, while Jack Ng...

Keening women offer services that are employed in funerals, but do not belong to any religious doctrine, despite their ritualistic form. Keening women need to know the life stories of the deceased so that they can wail wholeheartedly during their ceremony, in a procedure that can also involve other people. Rita Hui bases her movie on one of those women, presenting a film that could be described as an art-house ghost story, but in essence, is so much more.

on CathayPlay

The aforementioned woman is Cotton, who, during a ceremony in the funeral parlor she works, begins feeling as if her body and her consciousness are separating, particularly after the presence of a spirit named Ling interacts with her. As the two characters form an unusual bond, Cotton’s body and consciousness separate, reaching different identities and leading her to actions that neither her handicapped boyfriend nor hey psychiatrist can explain.

This sequel to 2021’s Hong Kong movie, Ready O/R Knot, explores a series of heart-rending realities encountered by urban men and women who are in the different stages of their relationships. Ah Jia and Keyi face new challenges in their lives as they deal with the arrival of Ah Jia’s mum as well as wedding preparations, a house purchase and work … their previous joy and freedom are being gradually replaced by burdens and responsibilities. On the other hand, there is Huixiong who has cultivated himself to be a good house-husband. Not only does he discover that his wife, Jenny, has lost all interest in him, but he also sees ambiguous text messages on her phone. Could it be that they can’t escape the “seven year itch”? At the same time, Ah Jian and Jessica suddenly receive what must be a divine prank – even with excessive protection, it...

“Hot Summer Days” is the first Chinese-language film produced by 20th Century Fox in its then seventy-five-year history. Packed with stars hailing from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan, it’s the kind of ensemble romantic comedy that American audiences have been eating up for decades. Nevertheless, this Chinese take on the genre possesses just enough redeeming qualities to elevate it—albeit only slightly— above the pack of formulaic rom coms churned out by movie studios around the world. Gorgeously shot with several excellent performances, “Hot Summer Days” is a date movie of epic proportions, as we’re treated to a whole stable of good-looking actors— often glistening with sweat—as they try to find love in the sweltering heat of summer.

In Hong Kong, we meet Wai (Nicholas Tse), whose air conditioning repair shop is experiencing a much-needed boom in business during the oppressive heat wave.

Shootouts and car chases are interrupted only by brief bouts of middling melodrama in “The White Storm 2: Drug Lords,” an in-name-only sequel to the 2013 hit about cops involved in the war on drugs. Vigorously directed by prolific veteran Herman Yau (“Shock Wave”) and well served by an all-star cast headed by Andy Lau and Louis Koo, this Hong Kong action-thriller isn’t deep but is certainly not dull. Mainland audiences have gone wild for “Drug Lords,” with 1.8 million admissions and a $105 million gross in 7 days since its July 5 release, which suggests the potential for relatively strong returns in the U.S., U.K. and other territories as well. Hong Kong release is set for July 16.

In an extended 2004-set prologue, Tin (Lau) and Dizang are low-level hoods working for Tin’s uncle, Yu Nam (Kent Cheng), a triad boss with a strict “no selling drugs” policy. When Dizang breaks the rule,...

The company is taking pay-tv and digital rights to the mm2 Asia productions.

Fox Networks Groups Asia (Fnga) has come on board as co-producer to six Chinese-language films produced by Singapore-headquartered mm2 Asia and featuring rising talents from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Fnga will have the exclusive pay-tv broadcast and digital rights to the films, which will be aired on Star Chinese Movies and streaming platform Fox+.

Two of the titles are from Taiwan: Welcome To The Happy Days director Gavin Lin’s More Than Blue, which features popular Taiwanese idols Jasper Liu and Ivy Chen in a...

Company boards Wai Ka-fai and Derek Kwok projects.

Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp) has unveiled a trio of high-profile action pictures, headed by Cold Detective, which reteams frequent Johnnie To collaborator Wai Ka-fai with star Sean Lau Ching-wan.

The suspense action drama is a loose follow-up to award-winning 2007 crime thriller Mad Detective [pictured], which starred Lau and was co-directed by Wai and To. The story revolves around the race between two rival sleuths to uncover the identity of an assassin before he strikes again.

Emp is also reteaming with As The Light Goes Out director Derek Kwok on mystery thriller Schemes In Antiques. The Beijing-set film revolves around the search for a Ming Dynasty Buddha relic.

Also new on Emp’s slate is the company’s first collaboration with Jeff Cheung Ka-kit – scriptwriter on Johnnie To’s Life Without Principle. Cheung will direct Dirty On Duty, starring idols Alex Fong and Carlos Chan. The Macau-set...

Distribution Workshop just dropped a cache of marketing materials for Insanity, the Derek Yee-produced psychological thriller written and directed by David Lee Kuan Yew. We first reported on the project when it was announced back in October 2013. Lee apparently spent five years developing the script to meet his producer's expectations, which pits Huang Xiaoming's hotshot psychiatrist against Lau Ching Wan's intelligent psychopath. Nina Paw, Alex Fong, Michelle Ye and Michelle Wai also star and the film is slated for an April 2015 domestic release, which places it as a likely target to premiere at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in March. Below you can find the film's poster, together with a selection of stills portraying the principals - Paw in particular - embodying the...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

With the success of Pang Ho Cheung’s foul mouthed and hilarious “Vulgaria” having proved that rude and crude are still popular at the Hong Kong box office, it’s only natural that other film makers would follow suit. And so, up step directors Andy Lo, Henri Wong and Chong Siu Wing with the category III rated “Hardcore Comedy”, which as its title suggests, aims for raucous pop culture laughs and unfettered bawdiness. Split into three linked stories and revolving around sex, drugs, superheroes and more, the film has a cast packed with attractive faces, including Dada Chan (“Vulgaria”), Michelle Wai (“Girl$”), Christine Kuo (“Lan Kwai Fong 2”), Kelvin Kwan (“Tales from the Dark 2”), Oscar Leung (“Young and Dangerous Reloaded”) and William Chan (“Triad”). The film opens with Henri Wong’s “Shocking Wet Dreams”, in which a couple of college losers (Kelvin Kwan and Terence Siufay) are forced by a...

Well this looks absolutely insane. Three different stories directed by emerging directors Andy Lo, Henri Wong and Chong Siu Wing, starring hot young stars Dada Chan, Michelle Wai, Christine Kuo, Kelvin Kwan, Oscar Leung and William Chan. No stone is left unturned in Hardcore Comedy, serving up a heady mix of sex, gambling, drugs and Hong Kong culture. Undoubtedly a large slice of hit and miss, but the trailer is exhausting (in a good way) and an English subtitled DVD is available from October 18th 2013, and you can pre-order your copy here. It'll probably be a good idea to keep the aspirin on standby if the trailer is anything to go by. You have been warned... Synopsis: In "Erotic Dream," two college geeks (Kelvin Kwan, Terence Siufay) move into an old building packed with brothels. Over time, they turn into superheroes trying to save these women from selling their bodies.

There’s no denying that recent years have been lean times for fans of triad and Hong Kong gang action, though there’s finally a splash of neon light at the end of the tunnel with the aptly named “Triad”. Appropriately for such a uniquely local and Hong Kong genre, the film was produced by the same team responsible for the “Lan Kwai Fong” duology and “Girl$”, and was written and directed by Daniel Chan, who also helmed Wong Jing’s soon to be seen “Young and Dangerous” reboot. As expected, the film showcases a cast of young up and coming talent as the rising gangsters, headlined by Sun Boyz singer William Chan (“Overheard”) and including Derek Tsang (“The Thieves”), Deep Ng (“The Viral Factor”) and Michelle Wai (“Lives in Flames”), plus veterans Patrick Tam (“The Detective 2”) and Irene Wan (“Exodus”). The plot charts the rise of young William (William Chan...

Emperor Motion Pictures has just released a trailer for its forthcoming gangster drama, Triad, and it looks like a real blast from the past. Clearly set in the present day, Triad nevertheless exudes an old school 90s vibe with its trio of young wannabes engaging in all number of bloody turf wars on the streets of Mong Kok when not chasing girls, getting gang tattoos or declaring their undying loyalty to each other. The film's Category III rating clearly isn't simply for graphic triad activity either, as was the case for Johnnie To's Election, as Daniel Chan's film looks incredibly violent and brimming with chopper action. William Chan, Patrick Tam and Eric Tsang's son Derek head up the cast, which also includes Michelle Wai and Irene...

Gillian Chung continues her comeback with “Ex”, an attempt to put a more mature and insightful spin on the romantic urban drama. The film was written and directed by Heiward Mak, based upon her own novel and following up from her debut, the troubled youth drama “High Noon”. Noted for her realistic and recognisable take on modern Hong Kong society Mak has been hailed as a major new talent, and here she again sticks very much to subjects which audiences are likely to relate to, dealing with relationships, infidelity, confusion, and the ways in which everyday life can get in the way of love. The film was produced by the ever busy Chapman To, who also makes an amusing cameo appearance, with William Chan (“Beauty on Duty!”) and Michelle Wai (“Girl$”) making up the other two members of the film’s central romantic triangle. The film opens at Hong Kong airport,...