In 1989, the Film Center hosted our inaugural Hong Kong Film Festival—exuberantly called “Hong Kong: The Cinema Explodes!”—introducing Chicago audiences to a region of cinema that we wrote at the time will “take the viewer for an emotional roller coaster ride, often combining satire, black comedy, reckless and stunning action, melodrama and special effects for a guaranteed one-two punch catharsis.” Over the years, our affection for Hong Kong cinema included festival presentations of THE BLADE in 1997, a 1996 gala presentation of THE HEROIC TRIO with Michelle Yeoh in person (legend has it that Yeoh slept on the couch of our former Director of Programming Barbara Scharres, though Barbara denies it!), and RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, with the endlessly engaging Jackie Chan in person, and screenings of the Chan’s POLICE STORY in 1989. In this series, we welcome back a selection of these Film Center favorites, alongside other celebrated Hong Kong cinema classics, starring some of the region’s biggest stars. Join us for an explosive, action-packed summer at the Film Center with five energetic and dynamic weeks where the cinema explodes anew!