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
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.
Schindler Space Architect
RM Schindler is now recognized as one of the most important modernist architects of the era, the man who laid the groundwork for what is now considered the epitome of California indoor-outdoor living. This doc sheds light on a previously unsung genius.
VIFF+ Members' Early Bird Day Screening: Late Fame
Join us at the VIFF Centre on August 6 for a free VIFF+ members-only screening of Late Fame! Catch up with your fellow cinema fans and hear from VIFF's Director of Programming. Not a member? You can join now!
Crash
Sex drive, David Cronenberg-style. The car-crash fetishists who orbit Cronenberg's metrosexual Toronto (they include James Spader, Holly Hunter, and Deborah Unger) obsessively seek a fusion of metal and flesh... Fender bender as the ultimate orgasm.