The Cinematheque

In Person: Ann Hui

“Masterful … Unquestionably one of the most important films in Hong Kong cinema.”

Edmund Lee, Time Out

The culmination of Ann Hui’s ​“Vietnam trilogy” follows photojournalist Akutagawa (George Lam), whose skepticism in postwar Danang guides him away from an official city tour to the less easily framed actions of locals—those clinging to life or about to escape for new ones. Boat People was controversial on its release: the film was initiated by left-wing producer Miranda Yang, but criticized at Cannes for not being supportive of the new Socialist Republic. It was then banned in China for not being critical of Vietnam, and in Taiwan for having been shot in mainland China. Hui’s ultimate and profoundly committed concern in the film, seen via Akutagawa’s encounters with official, reactionary, and secluded versions of events, isn’t only a political stance but a modernist inclination. What, the film asks, are the powers and the limitations of the camera? The chronicler behind the lens is both Akutagawa and Hui. The film’s original-language title is the more suggestive ​“Into the Raging Sea.”

In Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Japanese with English subtitles

Introduced by director Ann Hui.

Best Film, Director, Screenplay, New Performer, Art Direction
Hong Kong Film Awards 1983