Lisa Lu, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival, joined a packed audience for a post-screening event celebrating “The Arch,” the 1968 landmark of Chinese-language arthouse cinema in which she starred.
Turning 100 this year by traditional Chinese age reckoning, she made a surprise appearance following the screening that drew extended applause from the audience.
Her path to “The Arch” was accidental. The film’s director, Cecile Tang Shu Shuen, had originally cast another actor in the lead role, who subsequently turned it down. “I volunteered myself back then. I was incredibly fortunate to land a part in this film,” Lu said.
Lu praised both the director and the film’s score. “The director possesses profound cultural literacy, and every frame is breathtaking,” she said. “Most importantly, Mr. Lui Tsun-Yuen’s score elevates the entire production, underscoring the inner emotions of every character through music.”
“The Arch” marked the directorial debut of Hong Kong filmmaker Tang Shu Shuen and drew on traditional Chinese poetry and painting to shape its visual language. Its restrained cinematography helped establish it as a benchmark for Chinese-language arthouse film.
