Friday, October 22, 1999
10:30pm   Egyptian Theatre

Portland Street Blues
Raymond Yip Wai Man, director; 1998; Hong Kong; 114 minutes; 35 mm; in Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles

VIOLENT SITUATIONS
ASL INTERPRETING PRIOR TO SCREENING

Hong Kong action movies go lesbian as Sister Thirteen battles through the film Portland Street Blues. A female mob leader in the male-dominated gang world, Thirteen finds herself ensnared in a web of betrayals and unlucky twists of fate. In the ultra-violent scene of the Hong Kong triads, she must defend herself and her family as two rival gangs attempt to negotiate peace. In addition to bloody battles on the street, Thirteen must also wrestle with the memories of her troubled teenage years, murdered father, and ex-girlfriend, Yun. Not for the squeamish, this film stays true to the Hong Kong action genre with its graphic violence, while telling the story of a strong and charming dyke successfully shouldering her family's criminal legacy. is an exhilarating journey into the life of Sister Thirteen and the violence and love that make up her memories.

Co-presented by the Asian American Film Festival