Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)

“When it comes to emotions, even great heroes can be idiots.”

Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a breathtaking martial arts epic, that captivated audiences around the world and cemented Michelle Yeoh’s stardom on a global stage.

Set in Qing Dynasty China, the film follows two highly skilled marital artists, Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) a Wudang swordsman, and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) a warrior in a private security company whose long-suppressed feelings for each other emerge when a legendary sword, the Green Destiny, is stolen.

Transcending the boundaries of the wuxia genre, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, blends flying kicks and incredible combat with deep heartfelt storytelling and relationships. Delivering emotional and combat performances from Hong Kong icons Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh, the film explores themes of duty, gender roles, love and sacrifice. In his first Chinese language film since Eat Drink Man Woman, Lee stays true to his style and devotes significant time to story and world-building within the film, before diving into some of the greatest action scenes of the time.

Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is the most exhilarating martial arts movie I have seen - Roger Ebert

Film: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Director: Ang Lee

Run Time: 120min

Rating: M, low level violence

Language: Mandarin with English Subtitles

Cost: Free

This event is proudly presented as part of Neon Playground 2.0 - Sydney’s largest Asian-Australian cultural arts festival.

Note: This is a community event with limited tickets available. If you are unsure that you can 100% attend, please consider booking for next time so somebody else can come along. Also, please let us know if you've purchased a ticket and will unable to be attend so we can arrange for the ticket to be made available to the public. Thanks!

Subtitle Cinema Club

Celebrate the best of Asian cinema with Subtitle Cinema Club - a pop up cinema as part of Neon Playground 2.0.

Brought to you by Soul of Chinatown and the Asian Cinema Collective, come down to the former Marigold Restaurant for a program of Chinatown Classics, from comedy and kung fu, to the everlasting Chungking Express.

About Soul of Chinatown

Soul of Chinatown is a non-profit community group based in Sydney’s Chinatown, whose mission is to uplift and advocate for the area. It does so by putting a spotlight on Chinatown, working to preserve the culture, history and tradition of Sydney’s Chinatown and its community, but also looking to the present and the future.

Founded by Hayden Wong Wing Kee, Kevin Cheng and Peter Wong Wing Kee in 2021, Soul of Chinatown aims to inspire and foster positive change in Chinatown through advocacy, community, events and storytelling.

About Asian Cinema Collective

The Asian Cinema Collective (ACC) was born out of a need for community and an opportunity to share our love for Asian cinema with fellow filmgoers in Melbourne. Open to all, the ACC is a place for both the diaspora and fans of films made in Asia, or films featuring predominantly Asian experiences and stories.

With an aim to showcase the best of Asian cinema, their program spans cultural classics, essential viewings and emerging new talents from the region each month. As they build and grow their audience and capabilities, they hope to be able to expand this program further (and more frequently).