Asian Cinephile Night: Farewell My Concubine

Farewell My Concubine (Chinese: 霸王别姬, lit. 'The Hegemon-King Bids Farewell to His Concubine') is a 1993 epic historical drama film, directed by Chen Kaige, starring Leslie Cheung, Gong Li and Zhang Fengyi. Based on the novel of the same name by Lilian Lee, the film is set in unstable 20th-century China, from the early formations of the Republic of China, to the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. The film describes the troubled relationships between Peking opera actors Cheng Dieyi, Duan Xiaolou, and Xiaolou's wife Gong Juxian, and their interactions with Chinese politics and society.

A co-production between mainland China and Hong Kong (China), Farewell My Concubine premiered on 1 January 1993 in Hong Kong. Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics, and jointly won the Palme d'Or with The Piano at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese-language film to receive the award. It won further accolades, including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, and received two nominations at the 66th Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film.

A few weeks after its release in China, the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party demanded changes to be made to the film, due to unconventional depictions of traditional values and political sensitivities in its portrayal of the Communist Youth League of China. While allowing a premiere in Beijing, the government objected to the film's representation of homosexuality and gender identity, the suicide of a leading character, and its showing of China's 1960s turmoil. (From Wikipedia)