THE system
Director: JPeter Yung. 88 minutes. HONG KONG. 1979. Language: CANTONESE. COLOUR. 4K restoration
THE SYSTEM will be preceded by the short film SIGHTNOTSEEING (Director: Sheungman Yim. 11 minutes. Hong Kong-UK. 2026. Colour)
The screening will be introduced by Professor Chris Berry.
Peter Yung’s debut feature intricately portrays relationships between drug dealers, police, and informants. Inspector Chan (Pai Ying) persuades drug lord Hung’s assistant, Tam (Sek Kin), to cooperate and gather evidence against Hung. However, the operation is sabotaged, complicating matters further. The film’s solid and detailed depiction of investigations and drug trafficking, combined with documentary techniques–handheld cinematography, on-location shooting capturing a lost Hong Kong of the 1970s–distinguishes it among Hong Kong’s first New Wave cinema. The film is filled with memorable scenes, particularly the police undercover operations involving street-level surveillance and Inspector Chan’s solitary mountain visits to observe birds at dawn.
Notes: M+ Restored
