The Village of No Return
New York Asian Film Festival 2017
June 30 - July 16, 2017
The relative peace of Desire Village, fraught with domestic squabble, is about to be disturbed by greed in various guises: a group of bandits prepares to besiege the time-forsaken hamlet and a Taoist priest (Wang Qianyuan) shows up with a mysterious device, the “Worry Ridder,” a helmet that can remove memories from people’s minds.
The Qing dynasty has fallen and the relative peace of the remote Desire Village is about to be disturbed by the greed of man. The wealthy Rock Peeler (Eric Tsang), who suspects the village to secretly harbor a treasure, sends a group of beat-boxing army deserters known as the Cloud Clan, to attack the time-forsaken hamlet. Meanwhile, his mole in the village, Big Pie, dies from eating a poisoned bun. His widow, beautiful Autumn (Shu Qi), is soon suspected for the killing, as her marriage to Big Pie was less than blissful. Out of nowhere, an oddball newcomer, self-professed martial arts master Chan (Joseph Chang) comes to her defense. Just when it seems like things couldn’t get any more bizarre, a slimy Taoist priest (Wang Qianyuan) shows up with a mysterious device, the “Worry Ridder”: a magical helmet that can remove memories from people’s minds.
Presented with the support of the Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York
Read More
Lana Daher on Her Documentary Do You Love Me
This week we’re excited to present a conversation from the 2026 edition of New Directors/New Films with Do You Love Me director Lana Daher.
Rose of Nevada Director Mark Jenkin on His New Sci-Fi Tinged Tale
On the latest episode of FLC Luminaries, our video series that spotlights talent at all levels of the filmmaking process who uplift the art and craft of cinema, Rose of Nevada director Mark Jenkin discusses his sci-fi-tinged tale of dislocation and regeneration.
Kamal Aljafari on With Hasan in Gaza and ‘The Camera of the Dispossessed’
Our 63rd New York Film Festival Talks featured a special conversation with With Hasan in Gaza director Kamal Aljafari, moderated by Film Comment editor Devika Girish.
