World of Wong Kar Wai
With his lush and sensual visuals, pitch-perfect soundtracks, and soulful romanticism, Wong Kar Wai has established himself as one of the defining auteurs of contemporary cinema. Joined by key collaborators such as cinematographer Christopher Doyle, editor and production and costume designer William Chang, and actors Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, Wong (or WKW, as he is often known) has enraptured audiences and critics worldwide and inspired countless other filmmakers with his movies' poetic moods, narrative and stylistic daring, and potent themes of alienation and memory. Whether tragically romantic, soaked in blood, or quirkily comedic, the films in this retrospective are an invitation into the unique and wistful world of a deeply influential artist.
Janus Films and SIFF are proud to present eight Wong Kar Wai classics in 4k restorations and 35mm, in addition to a director's cut of The Hand.
Series Pass: $90 | $60 Members
Pass provides access to all in-person World of Wong Kar Wai screenings, July 8–19 at SIFF Cinema Egyptian.
World of Wong Kar Wai: 2046
Hong Kong | 2004 | 129 min. | Wong Kar-Wai
July 8 - 16, 2023
The final film in Wong Kar-Wai's informal love trilogy. Presented on 35mm.
World of Wong Kar Wai: Chungking Express
Hong Kong | 1994 | 102 min. | Wong Kar Wai
July 8 - 19, 2023
Chungking Express is one of the defining works of nineties cinema and the film that made Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai an instant icon. Presented in 4k.
World of Wong Kar Wai: In the Mood for Love
Hong Kong | 2000 | 98 min. | Wong Kar Wai
July 8 - 17, 2023
With its aching musical soundtrack and exquisitely abstract cinematography by Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin, this film has been a major stylistic influence on the past decade of cinema, and is a milestone in Wong Kar Wai’s redoubtable career. Presented in 4k.
World of Wong Kar Wai: As Tears Go By
Hong Kong | 1988 | 102 min. | Wong Kar Wai
July 9 - 18, 2023
Wong Kar Wai’s scintillating debut feature is a kinetic, hyper-cool crime thriller graced with flashes of the impressionistic, daydream visual style for which he would become renowned. Presented in 4k.
World of Wong Kar Wai: Happy Together
Hong Kong | 1997 | 96 min. | Wong Kar Wai
July 9 - 18, 2023
One of the most searing romances of the 1990s, Wong Kar Wai’s emotionally raw, lushly stylized portrait of a relationship in breakdown is an intoxicating exploration of displacement and desire. Presented in 4k.
World of Wong Kar Wai: Fallen Angels
Hong Kong | 1995 | 99 min. | Wong Kar-Wai
July 10 - 19, 2023
Lost souls reach out for human connection amidst the glimmering night world of Hong Kong in Wong Kar Wai’s hallucinatory, neon-soaked nocturne. Presented in 4k.
World of Wong Kar Wai: Days of Being Wild
Hong Kong | 1990 | 94 min. | Wong Kar Wai
July 11 - 15, 2023
Wong Kar Wai’s breakthrough sophomore feature represents the first full flowering of his swooning signature style. Presented in 4k.
World of Wong Kar Wai: The Hand
Hong Kong | 2004 | 56 min. | Wong Kar Wai
July 14, 2023
Like In the Mood for Love, The Hand is set in the hazy Hong Kong of the 1960s, but its characters couldn’t be more different from the earlier film’s restrained, haunted lovers. Presented in its extended cut.