A celebration of Chinese cinema

Shangri-La Plaza unreels a stellar line-up of blockbusters in its ongoing Chinese Spring Film Festival up to Jan. 27 at Shang Cineplex.

Electric Shadows, the 2004 award-winning film of debuting director Xiao Jiang, begins when Mao Xiaobing, a delivery boy, is attacked by a disturbed young woman, Ling Ling, without any explanation. She then asks him to feed the fish she left at her apartment while in custody. There he finds the screenplay of her life in the form of a diary and soon discovers her home is a shrine to his favorite form of escape — the movies. A must-see heart warmer, the film is a timeless ode to the art and era of Chinese cinema.

Starring popular Hong Kong actress Karen Mok, the 2001 movie All The Way brings action to the big screen when a pair of lovers, a gangster and a truck driver get caught in a series of adventures after a spectacular robbery that leads them to an unknown territory.

Joining the impressive list is 2006 Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Prize Winner Luxury Car (Voiture de luxe) by Wang Chao. In search of his only son, an elderly village teacher comes to the big city of Wuhan where he is met by his daughter Yanhong who works as an escort in a karaoke bar. He then teams up with a retiring cop who recognizes his daughter’s boyfriend as a man he arrested over 10 years ago.

Acclaimed director Feng Xiaogang’s A World Without Thieves follows the criminal life of Bo and Li, a duo of highly-skilled professional con artists whose lives take an interesting turn when they cross path with Sha Gen, a naive village boy who refuses to believe in the existence of thieves. In one of his travels, Sha Gen insists on carrying with him his entire life savings in cash, making him an easy target for robbery. While Bo wants to steal the money as a fitting end to his life of thievery, Li turns over a new leaf and decides to take the good-hearted man under her wing.

Shangri-La’s celebration of China’s rich cultural heritage continues with a week-long painting exhibit up to Jan. 27 plus a painting demonstration by Dr. Alex Chan Lim tomorrow, Jan. 25, 4 to 5 p.m. at the Grand Atrium. Follow it up with a visit to Strokes, a showcase of calligraphic masterpieces at the Art Plaza, Level 4. Discover the art of ancient Chinese script and see the written word transform into visual art tomorrow.