LEAFF 2024
CLASSICS RESTORED
In collaboration with the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, LEAFF proudly presents three newly restored Taiwanese cinematic classics. Expanding beyond Taiwan, LEAFF will also bring to London Shanghai Blues (1984), a timeless Hong Kong comedy directed by Tsui Hark and starring Sylvia Chang.
WOMAN OF WRATH
Dir. Chuang-Hsiang Tseng | Taiwan | 1984 | 100 mins | 18
Monday October 28, 20:30
Cinema at Selfridges Buy tickets →
A woman, married off to a butcher who routinely abuses her, is overpowered by the twin forces of patriarchy and tradition in Taiwan.
STORY OF MOTHER
Dir. Tsun-Shou Sung | Taiwan | 1973 | 98 mins | 18
Sunday October 27, 15:00
Cinema at Selfridges Buy tickets →
A young boy witnesses his mother's cheating ways and, after the death of his sick father, grows to despise her. When he's adopted by another family, the road to reconciliation proves achingly difficult.
teenage fugitive
Dir. Pei-Cheng Chang | Taiwan | 1984 | 83 mins | 18
Saturday October 26, 15:00
Cinema at Selfridges Buy tickets →
A young fugitive hides in a storage room within a Taipei apartment, where he crosses paths with a young boy, Hung, who shares a room with his rebellious teenage brother and lives with a sister who dreams of romance. This family of five faces pressures from rapid social change, and the film, set in the early 1980s, reflects the alienation and challenges brought on by Taiwan's rapid economic development, especially for women and children.
shanghai blues
Dir. Tsui Hark | Hong Kong, China | 1984 | 103 mins | 18
Saturday October 26, 18:00
Cinema at Selfridges Buy tickets →
One night in 1937, during Shanghai’s bombings, Tung, a young soldier, and Shu find comfort under a bridge, feeling an instant attraction despite barely seeing each other. They vow to reunite after the war. Ten years later, Tung pursues songwriting, while Shu works as a nightclub showgirl. She takes in a young girl, Stool, searching for family. They soon develop a close bond. By chance, Tung moves into the building above them. Stool falls for him, while Shu and Tung are unknowingly drawn to each other once more.