Our screening on 7 July is the latest in our discussion series, In the Works, hosted by Oscar nominated composer Gary Yershon. Gary's guest is the artist and academy award winning costume and production designer Tim Yip. Tim has worked with the likes of John Woo, Tsui Hark, Tsai Ming liang, and of course Ang Lee. For Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he won the Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and the BAFTA for Best Costume Design.

Celebrated Taiwanese director Ang Lee brought wuxia to the West with this sweeping period epic, which won four Academy Awards and proved Michelle Yeoh’s crossover appeal as an art-house action star. When rebellious teenaged heroine Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi) steals the legendary jade sword of martial-arts master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) from his warrior friend Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), she sets off a breathlessly paced pursuit entailing magnificent chases over rooftops, lakes, and trees. Lee pays homage to wuxia master-director King Hu: Zhang’s Jen evokes Cheng Pei-pei’s Golden Swallow in Hu's breakout hit Come Drink with Me, while the spectacular battle atop the swaying branches of a bamboo forest references the conclusion of his classic A Touch of Zen.

In partnership with the Chinese Cinema Project.

Cast:
Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen