M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, celebrates the world premiere of the M+ Restored film, The Arch (1968) by pioneering Hong Kong filmmaker T’ang Shushuen (Hong Kong, born 1938) under Cannes Classics at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, 17 May 2025. T’ang Shushuen, alongside Silke Schmickl, CHANEL Lead Curator, Moving Image, M+; Chanel Kong, Curator, Moving Image, M+; and Li Cheuk-to, Curator-at-large, Hong Kong Film and Media, M+, graced the red carpet and attended the screening at Salle Buñuel - Palais des Festivals.

The Arch is a groundbreaking film by T’ang Shushuen. It was recently restored as part of the M+ Restored initiative supported by CHANEL. The film was presented in 1969 at the first edition of Directors’ Fortnight, an independent sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival. The screening on 17 May 2025 marks the film’s return to Cannes after fifty-six years.

T’ang Shushuen, director of The Arch, says, ‘As a female filmmaker working in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s, I am pleased to see the restored version of my debut feature screened at the one of the most prestigious and influential film festivals in the world after more than fifty years. Hong Kong’s cinematic heritage is among the city’s strongest assets, and I am glad that M+ Restored puts the spotlight back on Hong Kong cinema.’

Silke Schmickl, CHANEL Lead Curator, Moving Image, M+, discussing the visual and thematic innovations of the film, says, ‘As one of Hong Kong’s earliest independent films, The Arch holds a pivotal place in the city’s cinematic landscape. The film was groundbreaking in both its visual language and narrative approach, blending traditional Chinese aesthetics with modern European influences. Its delicate yet radical exploration of gender roles and social expectations remains deeply relevant, offering fresh perspectives on themes that transcend time. We are thrilled that The Arch has been selected to show at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, allowing a new generation to rediscover its artistry and cultural depth.’

The Arch was one of the earliest art-house films and independent productions from Hong Kong. Adapting a Chinese folktale about a widow torn between passion and moral obligations, the film examines gender roles in traditional Chinese society. Shot in black-and-white, The Arch is a perfect combination of traditional Chinese aesthetics and a modern European cinematic sensibility. Its experimental spirit, exemplified by the innovative use of dissolves, superimpositions, freeze frames, and repeated shots, was ahead of its time.

Restoring The Arch was an intricate process, as the original black-and-white 35 mm negatives of the film had been lost. Its 4K restoration, supervised by M+, relied on extant materials from 1968, including a 35 mm release print preserved at the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and a 35 mm release print preserved and scanned at the BFI National Archive. The conformation, digital restoration, and colour grading were undertaken at Silver Salt Restoration, London. M+ acknowledges the descendants of Paul Lee; Les Blank Films; and the Hong Kong Film Archive, Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for their generous support and collaboration.

The Arch is part of M+ Restored, an initiative supported by CHANEL that aims to increase the visibility of Hong Kong’s rich cinematic heritage by restoring nine feature-length films. Launched as part of a three-year partnership between M+ and CHANEL in July 2023, this project highlights the creative experimentation and technical innovation of Hong Kong New Wave cinema, which emerged in 1979. The movement is defined by figures such as Allen Fong, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yim Ho, and Peter Yung.

M+ Restored offers a fresh opportunity to re-evaluate Hong Kong New Wave cinema. Under M+ Restored, The System (1979), directed by Peter Yung, premiered at the M+ Cinema in April 2025 as part of the special programmes of the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival. The first three titles in M+ Restored, The Arch, Love Massacre (1981) directed by Patrick Tam, and The System will be presented in the M+ Cinema Autumn Edition 2025.

About T’ang Shushuen

T’ang Shushuen (Hong Kong, born 1938) grew up in Hong Kong and graduated from the University of Southern California Department of Cinema in the United States. Her debut feature, The Arch (1968), was the first film made outside the industry and independently released in Hong Kong. It was also the first Hong Kong film to be shown at several European and American film festivals, where it received critical acclaim. After The Arch, T’ang made three more films—China Behind (1974), Sup Sap Bup Dup (1975), and The Hong Kong Tycoon (1979). In 1975, she founded the film publication Close Up, which later became Film Biweekly. She relocated to the United States in 1979.

About M+

M+ is Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), it is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The landmark M+ building on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbourfront was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. It spans a total floor area of 65,000 square metres, featuring thirty-three galleries alongside a Learning Hub, Moving Image Centre, Research Centre, and Roof Garden, among other event and programming spaces. The M+ Facade is one of the largest LED screens in the world, showcasing commissioned artworks on the Hong Kong skyline every evening. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection that includes objects from regions across Asia and beyond. A highlight is the M+ Sigg Collection, one of the world’s most extensive collections of Chinese contemporary art. Today, M+ is a nexus for researching and presenting contemporary visual culture, inspiring thought and curiosity.

About CHANEL Culture Fund

The CHANEL Culture Fund fosters a vibrant network of creators and innovators to advance the ideas that shape culture worldwide. Core programmes include CHANEL’s Art Partners, institutions whose leaders are supported in the development of groundbreaking, long-term initiatives that bring transformation to the cultural landscape. The CHANEL Next Prize celebrates artists and accelerates their future successes through access to resources and mentorship. The podcast CHANEL Connects amplifies the voices of thought leaders across disciplines, generations, and geographies tackling the defining issues of our time.

From emerging curators at the MCA Chicago to leading ecologists at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, from game-changing artists at the Venice Biennale to the brightest directors at the British Film Institute, the CHANEL Culture Fund champions creative audacity for a better future and extends a century of commitment to the arts.

About the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK)

WestK is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural hubs in the world and Hong Kong’s new cultural tourism landmark, spanning forty hectares alongside Victoria Harbour. WestK comprises a mix of landmark arts and cultural facilities, including world-class museums M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, intricately designed performing arts venues the Xiqu Centre and Freespace, the eleven-hectare Art Park with a waterfront promenade, and the upcoming WestK Performing Arts Centre.

Hosting over 1,000 exhibitions, performances, programmes, and events each year, WestK provides a vital platform for both emerging and established artists. WestK welcomes more than ten million visitors each year, evolving as the international cultural brand of Hong Kong and strengthening the city’s strategic role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.