During the Beijing International Film Festival, Hong Kong film “May All Beings Be Well” was scheduled to screen on April 20th and 23rd. However, ticket holders received notices of refunds, citing that the screening was canceled due to “irreparable damage to the copy.” The public questioned whether the cancellation was due to other reasons.
In the early hours of April 20th, Hong Kong film director Sasha Chuk posted on her Instagram that she had just learned that the two screenings of “May All Beings Be Well” in Beijing were canceled. She revealed that the film was in high demand in Beijing, saying, “I’m sorry for disappointing the audience who bought tickets.”
She did not specify the exact reason for the cancellation.
On Chinese social media platforms, many netizens also reported that “May All Beings Be Well” had been canceled. Some ticket buyers received refund notifications on the 19th. According to a notice from the Chinese film information platform “Maoyan Movies,” the screening of the film at the Long Ying City (Ciyun Temple Store) cinema was canceled due to irreparable damage to the copy.
Many netizens speculated that the cancellation of the film screening was due to other reasons, with some suggesting it was related to the drug scenes in the movie. Chinese film director Ying Liang shared on his personal social media account and speculated that the cancellation may be related to the land rights struggle portrayed in the film.
The film tells the story of two sisters, Lin Ziyuan and Lin Ziqiu, new immigrants from Hunan, who grew up in Hong Kong. They have a father who is a long-term drug addict (played by Taiwanese actor Wu Kangren). The two daughters thought they could completely break away from their father when they grew up, only to realize that all the people and things they like are somehow connected to their father and a childhood memory. In the movie, Lin Ziqiu, played by Hong Kong actor Yuan Linyin, gets involved in social movements, participates in the protest against the Ma Shi Po Village development in Hong Kong’s Northeastern New Territories, and gets caught up in a lawsuit.
The film “May All Beings Be Well” was produced by Kwan Kam Pang, with emerging director Sasha Chuk serving as the writer, director, and actress. The film received four nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards, with Hong Kong actress Tse Wing Yan winning the “Best New Performer” award for her role as Lin Ziyuan. Wu Kangren was also awarded the Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards in January this year.
The 14th Beijing International Film Festival took place from April 18th to 26th and was jointly organized by the Central Radio and Television General Station of the Communist Party of China and the Beijing Municipal Government. “May All Beings Be Well” was nominated in the “Future Focus” category, and the official Weibo account of the film festival had promoted the film on April 14th.