A Touch of Zen

King Hu
Part of

56th New York Film Festival

September 28 - October 14, 2018

Supreme fantasist, Ming dynasty scholar, and incomparable artist, King Hu elevated the martial-arts genre to unparalleled heights; three years in the making, this was his greatest film.

DIRECTOR
King Hu
YEAR
1971/75
COUNTRY
Hong Kong
RUNTIME
200 minutes
START DATE
October 5, 2015

Pierre developed a special love for Asia and its many cinemas, and he was the one who properly introduced the great wuxia master King Hu to the west, bringing the uncut version of his masterpiece, A Touch of Zen, to the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. Supreme fantasist, Ming dynasty scholar, and incomparable artist, Hu elevated the martial-arts genre to unparalleled heights. Three years in the making and his greatest film, A Touch of Zen was released in truncated form in Hong Kong in 1971 and yanked from theaters after a week. Four years later, after Rissient saved the film from oblivion and it won a grand prize for technical achievement, the unthinkable occurred: King Hu received an apology from his studio heads.

A Touch of Zen
A Touch of Zen
A Touch of Zen

Read More

Podcast

This week we’re excited to present a conversation from the 63rd New York Film Festival with Rose of Nevada director Mark Jenkin and actress Mary Woodvine.

Announcements

Exploring conspiracy across Hollywood genres, from espionage and sci-fi to superhero cinema, political biography, Shakespearean adaptation, crime drama, cult psychodrama, and the modern action blockbuster, the series includes the first New York City theatrical screening of Tim Burton’s Batman on 70mm since its original release in 1989.

Announcements

Film at Lincoln Center announces its lineup of repertory, festival, and new release programming for the upcoming summer season, from June through September 2026.