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WELCOME TO OUR NEXT SCREENING
Ann Hui's
BOAT PEOPLE
(Tau ban no hoi)
(Hong Kong | 1982 | 109 mins | M)
THURSDAY 30 April at 7.15pm
University of Otago’s Colquhoun Lecture Theatre**
Literally titled ‘Into the Raging Sea’, Boat People recounts the plight of Vietnamese people following the end of the Vietnam War.
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“Criticized as sensational and opportunistic when it first premiered at Cannes, Ann Hui’s Boat People is now recognized as a masterpiece of the Hong Kong New Wave. Hui turns her humanist lens on the horrific conditions in postwar Vietnam, which led hundreds of thousands of people to step inside ill-equipped boats to seek safety in the late ’70s. A Japanese photojournalist on assignment to cover Vietnam’s progressive reconstruction discovers the truths of political repression and poverty, becoming entangled in the lives he documents—particularly a 14-year-old girl and her brother—and ultimately must decide to take action…Boat People stands as
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an important historical document of the Vietnamese diaspora” – Vinh Nguyen, TIFF Cinematheque.
“Boat People is unquestionably one of the most important films in Hong Kong cinema, and yet it’s only with increasing distance that we begin to appreciate how infinitely evocative—as all great art is—this political thriller has managed to be… Irrespective of the political readings it attracted, Boat People remains first and foremost a masterful drama about the survival of people, who may be possessing even less control on their lives than they thought. Its tragic sense of fatalism is haunting” – Edmund Lee, Time.
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FURTHER REVIEW
"Shot on Hinan Island, Mainland China, it features carefully reconstructed houses, markets and costumes and despite the realistic representation of social problems, the direction and editing are dynamic and far from documentary style. Ann Hui had carried out countless interviews to refugees for her previous Vietnam movies and she uses them to enrich the script with subplots and profoundly humane characters such as the charismatic “Madame” (Cora Miao) and the
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disenchanted and decadent Comrade Nguyem (Qimeng Shi). While George Lam’s performance is compassionate but at the same time provides a little relief above the misery, Andy Lau in an early role is an explosive mix of youth, passion and drama and interestingly in the first draft of the script he was intended to be the point-of-view character. Ann Hui has merged social issues, melodrama, conspiracy and great humanity in Boat People with her hallmark flair and has created a transnational classic that reaches out to our time and our hearts".
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ABOUT THE DUNEDIN FILM SOCIETY
ADMISSION
Free to members.
TO JOIN
To purchase a Full/Half Season membership:
- complete a membership form from our website and pay by online bank transfer (06-0942-0696013-00);
- or join at the door before any screening (cash only).
- you can also join at the OUSA office reception at the University of Otago (cash only).
Alternatively, you can purchase a Three-Film sampler ($25), which can be also be shared to bring two friends to one screening. The sampler does not expire and can be used over multiple years.
Membership includes generous discounts at Rialto Cinemas (from Monday to Friday) and the 2026 Dunedin Whānau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival; and FREE entry to the 2026 screenings of all other affiliated New Zealand Film Societies. Each member is entitled to ONE FREE GUEST ADMISSION to a single screening.
**To get to the Colquhoun Theatre: The Colquhoun is located on the first floor of the current Dunedin Public Hospital, above the chapel and squash courts. Stairs and lift access are from the main Hospital entrance on Great King Street.
WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK!... on this screening, or any other Dunedin Film Society showing, on dunedinfi...@gmail.com
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Dunedin Film SocietyC/- 1 Crewe Street Maryhill Dunedin, Otago 9011 New Zealand |
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