Chan Kin Long’s confident directorial debut, Hand Rolled Cigarette, breathes exhilarating new life into Hong Kong’s celebrated crime thriller genre. The film stars Gordon Lam as Chiu, a cynical, retired British-Hong Kong soldier living on the margins of society. When a chance encounter at Chungking Mansions pairs him with a young South Asian man fleeing the triads, the two displaced outcasts find themselves targeted by the same ruthless gang boss.

While the film proudly inherits the gritty textures, stylised violence, and rain-slicked neon of classic Hong Kong neo-noirs, it carves out a uniquely contemporary path. Chan delicately explores the intricate social dynamics of modern immigration, marginalised communities, and post-colonial identity. Rather than relying solely on action tropes, the narrative centres on a hard-hitting story of cross-cultural male bonding, charting how two isolated individuals discover a new lease on life through an unlikely brotherhood.

The screening will be followed by a talk with director Chan Kin Long and Ann Hui, the director of The Story of Woo Viet (1981), moderated by Francisco Lo, M+ Assistant Curator of Moving Image. The talk will be held in Cantonese.

Chan Kin Long (b. 1990, Hong Kong) is a prominent new-generation actor and director graduated from City University of Hong Kong’s School of Creative Media. Discovered by auteur Fruit Chan for his breakout role in The Midnight After (2014), Chan later won the 4th First Feature Film Initiative. His highly stylistic directorial debut, Hand Rolled Cigarette, earned multiple major nominations at the Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Awards.