Wong Kar-Wai is many things: A visionary who takes years to finish a film, a romantic who tells stories about alienation, and one of our greatest living filmmakers. This series presents his films as director, and touches on his works as writer & producer. Co-presented with the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office. All films in Cantonese with English subtitles.

Happy Together (Chunguang zhaxie) (1997)
Fri, May 14 at 2, 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung.
Two gay men from Hong Kong move to Buenos Aires, as their relationship comes apart. The film avoids traditional notions of sexuality to simply present two people falling out of love. The dynamic acting from the leads is complemented by the surprising use of the title song.

Chungking Express (Congqingn senlin) (1994)
Sat, May 15 at 2, 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung, Faye Wong.
Surely one of the must exuberant films ever made, Chungking’s breathless cinematography by Chris Doyle and the use of pop music to tell the stories of a gorgeous smuggler and a fast-food clerk romancing a police officer make this an absolute joy.

Ashes of Time (Dong xie xi du) (1994)
Sun, May 16 at 2, 6:45pm
With Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung.
To date, Ashes of Time is Wong’s most lavish and star-studded film. The film takes place at a small inn in the desert where swordfighters and hired killers meet and fight, and everyone seems to be nursing old wounds. This was the kung fu art film we’d all been waiting for, years before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The Eagle Shooting Heroes (Sediu yinghung tsun tsi dung sing sai tsau) (1993)
Sun, May 16 at 4:30, 9pm
Directed by Jeffrey Lau.
With Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin.
Directed by Jeffrey Lau and produced by Wong’s company, this film was shot with the same cast and story as Ashes of Time, but is instead a send-up of martial arts films. First-rate action camp and a fun counterpoint to Wong Kar-Wai’s film.

Buenos Aires Zero Degrees (1999) New York Premiere!
Thu, May 20 at 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
Directed by Amos Lee, Kwan Pun Leun.
This documentary focuses on the time that Wong Kar-Wai spent in Argentina shooting Happy Together. The filmmakers use footage from the shoots and revisit old locations to create a unique document of the creative process.

As Tears Go By (Wangjiao jiamen) (1988)
Fri, May 21 at 2, 6:45pm
With Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung.
Wong’s first film as director. On the surface a simple gangster story, this is no mindless action flick. The film earns comparisons to Mean Streets for its dynamic use of pop music and a poetic urban milieu.

The Haunted Cop Shop (Meng gui cha guan) (1987)
Fri, May 21 at 4:30, 9pm
Directed by Jeffrey Lau.
With Jacky Cheung, Ricky Hui.
A standard Hong Kong actioner, but written by Wong Kar-Wai, Haunted Cop Shop is a treat! Two cops discover that a ghost haunts their police station, and set out to prove the existence of the undead.

In the Mood For Love (Huayang Nianhua) (2000)
Sat, May 22 at 2, 4:30, 6:45, 9pm
With Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung.
Wong’s most popular and beautiful film to date. Cheung and Leung are neighbors who realize their spouses are having an affair, while the tension between them grows. A heartbreaking and mature look at longing and unrequited love.

Days of Being Wild (A fei zhengchuan) (1990)
Sun, May 23 at 2, 6:45pm
With Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung.
Wong’s second film is set in a dreamlike evocation of 1960s Hong Kong. His themes of urban alienation and a vivid color palette are present in this hypnotic tale of a young man drifting through life.

Fallen Angels (Duoluo tianshi) (1995)
Sun, May 23 at 4:30, 9pm
With Leon Lai, Michele Reis.
Wong pushes his style close to abstraction, creating a cinematic tone-poem of lives intertwining, including a hitman and his assistant who is falling in love with him. The neon lights of Hong Kong criss-cross into the dreams of the characters in this atmospheric and touching film.