Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien. 1989, 157 mins. 35mm. With Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Hsin Shu-fen, Li Tien-lu, Jack Kao. "[Hou's] most ambitious, and most noteworthy, film." (Olivier Assayas). Winner of the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, A City of Sadness announced Hou’s arrival as a world-class filmmaker and foremost recorder of his nation’s troubled past. This intimate epic chronicles the tragedies that befall the three Lin brothers—a gangster, a translator for the Japanese administration, and a photographer—and those around them during a chaotic period in Taiwan's national history, between the end of Japanese Imperial rule (1945) and the secession from Mainland China and creation of martial law (1949-1987). The film was groundbreaking in its depiction of the "February 28 Incident" of 1947, when thousands of native Taiwanese were killed in protests against the Nationalist government.

Tickets are included with paid Museum admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Museum members may reserve tickets in advance. View the Museum’s ticketing policy here. For more information on membership and to join online, visit our membership page.