Jiang Wen (姜文) holds an iconic status in contemporary Chinese cinema. An actor of Beijing provenance he grew up in the idiosyncratic military compound next to the Forbidden City. His mesmerizing roles on screen often carry an air of an innate Northern libertine, freewheeling and rough, but in the meantime he can also act as someone mild and indolent like a Southern intellectual. Director Chen Jialin introduced him to the silver screen casting him as Emperor Puyi in the picture The Last Empress. Director Xie Jin complimented Jiang's acting talent for his lead role in Hibiscus Town as "five scores out of the five-scores". His performance in Zhang Yimou's debut feature Red Sorghum gained him international acclaim.

In the Heat of the Sun is Jiang Wen's first foray into directing after years as a leading actor. The film is loosely based on Wang Shuo's novella Wild Beast while Jiang wrote the script reminiscent of his own adolescence. Set in Beijing in 1970s, the protagonist Ma Xiaojun, nicknamed Monkey hangs out with his teenage buddies without any parental guidance and supervision. Ingrained with a sense of privilege as their parents work for military and government units, they roam the streets of Beijing with no aim but spend the days smoking, fighting, sneaking into cinemas and dating girls who are older than them. One day Monkey sees a picture of a young woman hanging over a bed. He falls in love ...

The film became an immediate hit after it was released in 1994. In addition to Jiang's directorial success it also features cinematographer Gu Changwei's (Red Sorghum,Farewell My Concubine) captivating images coupled with the outstanding performances delivered by a group of young and nascent actors and actresses at the time. Xia Yu, who embodied Monkey and was only eighteen years of age impressed the jury in Venice and took home Best Actor prize at the 51st Venice Film Festival. He remains the youngest recipient of that award in Venice. In Taiwan the film achieved a sweeping win and garnered Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing at the 33rd Golden Horse Awards. American director Quentin Tarantino gave high praises to the film, calling it "really great".

The RAS film club is pleased to announce that on Oct. 18 we will screen this cinematic gem of China. We hope you will come and watch with us.

Film: In the Heat of the Sun (阳光灿烂的日子）

• Director: ​Jiang Wen ​(姜文）
• Screenplay: Jiang Wen （姜文）
• Based on book: Wild Best by Wang Shuo (王朔)
• Cinematographer: Gu Changwei ​(顾长卫)
• Starring:
• Xia Yu​ (夏雨)
• Ning Jing​ (宁静)
• Tao Hong （陶虹）
• Geng Le (耿乐)
• Language: Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles (about 15 minutes in French)