Sasha Chuk writes, directs, and stars in this family drama, adapted from her novella. Spanning three decades, Fly Me to the Moon tells the story of the Lams, a Hong Kong family of Hunanese immigrants. Wu Kang-ren plays Kok Man, the drug-addicted patriarch, and Carmen Chou plays his beleaguered wife. Each of their two daughters is played by three different actresses; the film is largely the story of their progression from little girls (1997) to teenagers (2007) to adults (2017).
Chuk’s film is both expansive and richly intimate; it reaches across 30 years while never once losing its close-range dramatic power. Key to Chuk’s success is her ability to maintain an emotional continuity in the female performances. Acting as the adult daughter Yuen, she builds carefully on the work of Chloe Hui and Yoyo Tse as the character’s younger selves. As Yuen moves from youthful innocent to tough teenager to hardened, guarded adult, Chuk builds a portrait of growth that is as darkly poignant as it is convincing.
Best New Performer, Taipei Golden Horse 2023; FIPRESCI Prize, Taipei Golden Horse 2023
Supported by
Media Partner
Kang-ren Wu, Sasha Chuk, Angela Yuen, Wing-yan Tse, Natalie Hsu
Hong Kong
2023
In Cantonese, Mandarin, Hunan Dialect, Japanese with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Stanley Kwan
Screenwriter
Sasha Chuk
Cinematography
Hok Lun Chan, Yuk Fai Ho
Editor
William Chang, King Lun Yeung, Kwun Tung Lai
Production Design
William Chang
Original Music
Dominique Charpentier
Art Director
Umi Ngai
Sasha Chuk 祝紫嫣
Sasha Chuk majored in Chinese literature and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. Her short film The Dropout of Her (2019) won Best Cinematography at the 13th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival. Her next short film, Plain Sailing (2022) won the Gold Award at the 27th ifva Awards (Asian Open Category) and was selected in the 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. In 2020, she won the 6th First Film Initiative by Create Hong Kong with her screenplay Fly Me to the Moon, an adaptation from her novel. Fly Me to The Moon is her feature directorial debut, which earned her a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the 60th Golden Horse Awards.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Round Midnight: Ardeshir Plays Dexter Gordon
Loosely based on Bud Powell's time in Paris, Round Midnight (131 mins) is maybe the greatest of all films about jazz thanks to the towering performance of real-life jazz great Dexter Gordon. Saxophonist Ardeshir channels Gordon's vibe in his live set.
The Love That Remains
Anna and Magnús have separated, leaving her to raise their three children as he spends long stretches at sea, working as a fisherman. As the seasons pass, their emotions ebb and flow. A richly conceived story with unexpected delight and humour.
Montreal, ma belle
In this Valentine to discovering love later in life, the ever-elegant Joan Chen plays Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother in Montreal whose world is turned upside down when she meets and falls in love with a young Quebecoise.
Sirât
A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.