Canadian Premiere
Director Bizhan Tong mixes three characters, a secret from their past, and one small apartment into an explosive concoction. Fifteen years after graduating high school, filmmaker Jon and lawyer Amy find themselves face to face in a reunion orchestrated by their mutual friend Wing. Each member of the trio carries demons from the past, and over the course of the evening they will all come out…
Tape is a reimagining of Stephen Belber’s play and Richard Linklater’s film adaptation of it; Tong updates the original for the era of #MeToo, transposing it to a new cultural context and expanding it to powerful effect. Adam Pak provides an exuberant turn as the proudly vengeful Wing, while Kenny Kwan gives a sharply modulated performance as Jon. In the role of Amy, Selena Lee seems to draw on reserves of raw anguish even as her every action evinces total control. This is a razor-sharp drama, provocative in its politics and deeply moving in its depiction of personal pain.
Oct 7, 8 & 10: Q&A
Community Partner
Kenny Kwan, Selena Lee, Adam Pak, Mason Fung, Summer Chan
Hong Kong/UK
2024
In Cantonese with English subtitles
At Alliance Française & International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Stephen Belber, Richard Linklater, John Sloss, Andy Wang
Producer
Bizhan Tong, Selena Lee
Screenwriter
Stephen Belber, Bizhan Tong, Selena Lee, Bonnie Lo
Cinematography
Colleen Kwok
Editor
Mitchell Tolliday
Production Design
Sarona Lo
Original Music
Keaton Henson
Bizhan Tong
Bizhan Tong is a Hong Kong–based director and producer bridging East and West through socially minded stories. Tong founded Phoenix Waters Productions and AMM Global, and has helmed international films including The Escort (2018), The Audition (2022), and the Hong Kong remake of Tape (2024). His films explore themes like mental health, social media disinformation, and crime, and he collaborates across the US, the UK, Japan, and Southeast Asia to spotlight Asian narratives for global audiences.
Filmography: The Escort (2018); The Audition (2022)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret in Their Eyes
This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
