We are delighted to present this season of one of cinema's great stylists 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. Over the past few years, Wong Kar-Wai has gone back to his early films to restore them for a new generation of audiences to see afresh in the cinema. He has taken quite a radical approach to this process saying the following:

“As the saying goes: “no person ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and they are not the same person.” Since the beginning of this process, these words have reminded me to treat this as an opportunity to present these restorations as a new work from a different vantage point in my career. Having arrived at the end of this process, these words still hold true. I invite the audience to join me on starting afresh, as these are not the same films, and we are no longer the same audience.

Joined by such key collaborators as cinematographer Christopher Doyle; editor and production and costume designer William Chang Suk Ping; and actors Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung Man Yuk, Wong (or WKW, as he is often known) has written and directed films that have enraptured audiences and critics worldwide and inspired countless other filmmakers with their poetic moods and music, narrative and stylistic daring, and potent themes of alienation and memory. Whether tragically romantic, soaked in blood, or quirkily comedic, the seven films in this season are an invitation into the unique and wistful world of a deeply influential artist.

The films we are screening which have been restored are Chungking Express, In The Mood for Love, Happy Together and Fallen Angels. The restored elements are listed in each film's page.

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