A poster of
Flowers of Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Flowers of Shanghai
Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Country: China
Release Date: Oct 5, 1998
Genre: Drama
Description: The film is about the lives of several "flowers" (courtesans) from the brothels of Shanghai in the late 19th century. The women are always longing to become concubines to their clients or to save enough money to redeem themselves. The world they live is full of manipulation and illusion. The newly released film is the result of an international collaboration on digital restoration technology which helps to showcase the charm and prosperity of Shanghai in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Country: United States
Release Date: Jan 25, 2019
Genre: Drama/comedy
Description: When a grandmother is diagnosed with cancer, the family decides to hide the truth from her and gather all the family members in the name of a wedding before her death. But family member Billi struggles with the family's decision, thinking that the grandmother has the right to know about her condition.
A poster of
The Farewell.[Photo provided to China Daily]
Manta Ray
Director: Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
Country: Thailand/France/China
Release Date: Sept 7, 2018
Genre: Drama
Description: The film focuses on a mute Rohingya man who is rescued by a Thai fisherman after he is washed ashore near the Thai-Myanmar border. The two become friends and the fisherman names the Rohingya man Thongchai. After the fisherman suddenly vanishes at sea, his ex-wife alters the physical appearance of Thongchai to resemble that of the fisherman and lives with him in her old house.
Castle of Dreams
Director: Seyyed Reza Mir-Karimi
Country: Iran
Release Date: Jan 31, 2019
Genre: Drama
Description: When the mother is critically ill in a hospital, her husband makes a return after many years of absence. Though anxious and hesitant, he has no choice but to take their son and daughter with him. He manages to build the dream castle that the mother envisioned for the children.
A poster of
The Legend of Sealed Book. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The Legend of Sealed Book
Director: Wang Shuchen/Qian Yunda
Country: China
Release Date: 1983
Genre: Animation
Description: In this restoration of a classic animated film, Yuangong, a deacon, opens a sealed book and carves its contents onto the stone wall of the white cloud cave in the mountains. He is then punished by the Jade Emperor for breaking the law of heaven. In order to pass the book down to human beings, he teaches a child named Dansheng how to use the book.
The Graveless
Director: Mostafa Sayari
Country: Iran
Release Date: Sept 6, 2018
Genre: Drama
Description: To fulfill the last will of their late father, three brothers and their sister drive to southern Iran in search of the place their father asked to be buried. The scorching weather and long journey strain ties between the siblings, and the eldest brother, exhausted and indignant, finally expresses his grudge.
A poster for
Free Solo. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Free Solo
Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi/Jimmy Chin
Country: United States
Release Date: Sept 28, 2018
Genre: Documentary
Description: The film portraits free soloist climber Alex Honnold who is attempting to scale the world's most famous rock, the 914-meter El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, without a rope, safety belt or protective equipment. His eventual success is a showcase of the power of the human spirit. The film will be screened in Chinese cinemas soon.
