Kaili Blues (Mainland China, 2015, PG)

Rating: M – Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers; contains adult themes.

Bi Gan is often regarded as the Chinese filmmaker most likely to become the next great master of cinema.

A decade ago, at just 26 years old, he directed his first feature film — and it quietly shook the international film world. Kaili Blues left critics around the globe in awe, with many drawing comparisons to auteurs like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tarkovsky.

What he delivered was a poetic, dreamlike journey unlike any other. At the heart of the film lies a breathtaking 41-minute long take that seamlessly weaves together past, present, and future. It draws the viewer into a hypnotic, stream-of-consciousness experience where time feels fluid and reality blurs into memory.

Of course, not everyone embraced it. Some found it too obscure, too difficult to follow. And that’s fair — this is not a film that hands you easy answers. It asks for patience, attention, and openness.

So no, I can’t promise you’ll love it. But I can promise it will offer something rare — a cinematic experience that feels truly different.

Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1000
Date and Time: Thursday, August 21, 2025, at 6:30 PM
Fee: Free entry!

Note: We’re hosting the event on the second floor of the Ellen Melville Center. Please use the entrance on the right side of the building on the ground floor. Once you go up to the second floor, you’ll see our venue right there.