Song of the Exile

press release: Hong Kong | 1990 | 35mm | 100 min. | Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles

Director: Ann Hui; Cast: Maggie Cheung, Siu-Kwong Chung, Tan Lang Jachi Tian

Hui’s greatest and most personal film stars Cheung as a young Chinese woman studying in London in the early 1970s. Returning to Hong Kong for a family wedding, she clashes with her Japanese mother before agreeing to accompany her on her first trip home in decades. Hui’s semi-autobiographical portrait of a mother and daughter movingly captures the shifting cultural identities between generations in the Asian diaspora.

After a nearly 16-month hiatus, big screen movies are making their comeback at the UW Cinematheque’s regular venue, 4070 Vilas Hall! Beginning Wednesday June 30, the Cinematheque will commence six weeks of free screenings beginning with Leo McCarey’s Make Way for Tomorrow, a classic tearjerker that was originally scheduled for April 2020. The summer lineup includes canonized comedies, action blockbusters, international thrillers, contemporary gems from Asia, the complete American works of French superstar Jean Gabin, a three-film salute to Charles Bronson in honor of his centennial, and more!

Summer programming will take place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings and all feature films will be screened from original or archival 35mm prints. Admission, as always, is free and open to the public. Seating will be limited and socially distanced according to current UW-Madison policies. When possible, additional showtimes have been added to accommodate more viewers. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.