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Leslie Cheung classics return to theaters ahead of 22nd anniversary of his death

Published: 21 Mar. 2025, 14:37 Updated: 21 Mar. 2025, 17:56

KIM JI-YE
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A scene from ″Farewell My Concubine″ (1993), featuring late Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Local theaters will rerelease films starring late Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung ahead of the 22nd anniversary of his death on April 1.

Cheung’s 1993 film "Farewell My Concubine," directed by Chen Kaige, will return in a remastered version with upgraded resolution on March 26.

The film follows the lives of two Chinese opera actors, Douzi and Shitou — later known as Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou — through China’s turbulent modern history. Cheung portrays Douzi, who plays female roles in the opera and finds his onstage emotions spilling into reality as he falls in love.

The film was the first from Greater China to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Following "Farewell My Concubine," "Nomad" (1982) and "Tristar" (1996) will hit local theaters in remastered versions on March 31.

"Nomad," directed by Patrick Tam, is set in 1980s Hong Kong and explores the free-spirited love and friendship of four young people. Cheung plays Louis, a wealthy young man longing for his mother.

The film was nominated in eight categories at the 2nd Hong Kong Film Awards, where Cheung was also short-listed for Best Actor.

In "Tristar" (1996), directed by Tsui Hark, Cheung plays a priest who becomes entangled in a series of unexpected events after helping a woman pursued by a loan shark, while also being chased by a detective.

Born in 1956, Cheung died at the age of 46 on April 1, 2003. His sudden death shocked many, especially as it was reported on April Fools’ Day, leading some to initially doubt the news.

Cheung was a major star in Korea alongside Chow Yun-fat during the Hong Kong film boom from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

BY KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]