Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s novel, Tran Anh Hung’s Norwegian Wood is set against the turbulent backdrop of 1960s Japan. The story unfolds through the reminiscences of college student Toru Watanabe following his best friend’s inexplicable suicide. Torn between two vastly different women—the fragile, grief-stricken Naoko and the vivacious Midori—Watanabe navigates a haunting landscape of youth, sexual awakening, existential isolation, and the heavy burden of loss.

The film marks a technical milestone as the first feature in master cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bing’s filmography shot entirely on digital cameras. Lee’s visual approach perfectly captures Murakami’s melancholic atmosphere. Employing long takes and signature lateral tracking shots, Lee masterfully extends time and space. Interweaving distinct foregrounds, midgrounds, and backgrounds, he constructs a multi-layered framing that evokes tension both oppressive and profoundly poetic. Furthermore, the digital format allows for intimate close-ups that capture the raw vulnerability of his subjects—making every breath and texture of skin palpable, freezing emotional undercurrents into a striking, sculptural density. This breathtaking visual poetry earned Lee the award for Best Cinematographer at the Asian Film Awards.

Mark Lee Ping-Bing, the cinematographer of Norwegian Wood, will introduce the screening on 29 November in Mandarin.

Tran Anh Hung (b. 1962, Vietnam), a celebrated auteur, studied filmmaking at Paris’s École Nationale Louis Lumière. His acclaimed filmography includes The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), which won the Cannes Caméra d’Or and earned an Oscar nomination, and Cyclo (1995), winner of the Venice Golden Lion. His distinct sensory style is also showcased in Norwegian Wood and The Taste of Things (2023), the latter of which won him Best Director at Cannes.