Dream of the Red Chamber
World Premiere
Chiu Kang-chien Singapore 1977 96 min PG
A classic Chinese novel is given a new setting in 1970s Singapore, where burgeoning affections are challenged by the decline of a wealthy family.
Set against the backdrop of the wealthy Jia clan’s slow financial decline, Jia Bao-yu falls in love with his cousin Lin Dai-yu, newly arrived from Taiwan. Their growing mutual affection gets derailed when their family’s materialistic interests and another cousin from the United States comes between them.
Considered one of the four great masterworks of Chinese literature, Chiu’s adaptation reimagines this classical saga by transposing it to 1970s Singapore, featuring a largely local cast and weaving in various idiosyncratic film tropes popular at the time. In this rare rediscovery, Dream of the Red Chamber offers a unique and uncommon glimpse into early independent and transnational filmmaking in a rapidly developing post-independence Singapore.
Synopsis Writer: Alexander Lee
Q&A with Filmmaker(s), Audience Choice Award
4 Dec, Thu 7:00PM / 96 min
Oldham Theatre
AT THE FEST!
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Dream of the Red Chamber
新潮紅樓夢
Chiu Kang-chien
Singapore
1977
Mandarin
English
96 min
PG
World Premiere
Chiu Kang-Chien
Chiu Kang-Chien was a Chinese-born filmmaker and wrote numerous scripts for Shaw Brothers Ltd. Dream of the Red Chamber (1977) is his first feature. Released in Singapore, it was never distributed in Hong Kong or Taiwan as originally intended. L’Immagine Ritrovata’s 2025 raw restoration, done in 2K resolution, is preserved by the Asian Film Archive.
Su Xin Xin,
Gao feng,
Wang Ting Ting
Liu Mo Lung
