Once Upon A Time In 華語 Cinema

Once Upon a Time in 華語 Cinema is a selection of films by Chinese-language directors who have passed away – an ode to remembrance and reflection on their artistry. Spanning from the silent era to contemporary cinema, these works stand as testaments to both personal retelling and collective memory. Each film captures the artistic and social temperament of its time while speaking across history, reminding us that cinema is, at its heart, a dialogue between the living and the departed.

This program offers a curated journey through the evolving landscape of Chinese-language filmmaking – tracing how it has portrayed love, loss, struggle and imagination across generations. It highlights not only the aesthetic innovations of this tradition but also the histories and emotions that bind it together.

From early melodramas to martial-arts epics, from postwar realism to postmodern disquiet, these ten films traverse styles, movements and moods that together form the soul of Chinese-language cinema. Through their lens, we encounter the vitality, complexity and resilience of the Sinophone experience – its dreams, disillusionments and continual reinvention.

From February to November 2026, one film will screen each month at ACMI – an ongoing conversation with the past, unfolding across the seasons.

Once upon a time… in Chinese-language cinema, stories continue to live, even when their storytellers are gone.