To the Final Nirvana

As pro-democracy activists and armed police battle in the streets of Hong Kong, ordinary citizens are choosing sides. Historically an outlier of both western and Chinese power, Hong Kong wields its own economic force, affording the city and its people a spirit of independence that has now erupted into clouds of tear gas. Filmmaker Bing Zhou uses a nimble camera to follow a group of protagonists—two opposing political candidates, a tea shop owner, a cab driver, a police officer, a paramedic—on two separate days of conflict. On September 21, 2019, protestors from three districts join forces, resulting in unprecedented violence. Just 10 days later on October 1, the National Day of the People’s Republic of China, previously undecided onlookers show their stripes. Thoughts transform into action in this demonstration of how mercurial and personal Hong Kong’s politics have become.

Choying Drolma, a child of a forced marriage and a victim of domestic violence, seeks refuge in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery where she learns to sing. An American musician brings her music to the United States of America, from where she starts her global music journey.

How far would a man go for money, women and power and who would he betray? How much would a woman sacrifice for love? Nine, daughter of a triad boss, travels to Beijing in a bid to win back her boyfriend, Chung, refuting the suspicion that he’s absconded with the gang’s money. With the camera trained on her wide-eyed face, Nine leads Chung on a whirlwind adventure through the capital’s sinister underbelly where their paths cross with those of low-life thugs, each having a role to play in a clever ruse to ferret out a snitch. With 10 million dollars at stake, emotions are running high and tension is taut and each puff of smoke is harrowing.