25th New York Asian Film Festival

July 10-26, 2026

Photo: © Bird Of Paradise Limited / the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

International Premiere

Bird of Paradise

媽樣年華

Mrs. Yeung has spent years holding a Hong Kong household together, managing a checked-out husband, a demanding teenage son, and the thousand thankless tasks that keep a family running. Then she secretly signs up for pole dancing, and something dangerous happens: she starts having fun. What looks like a midlife lark turns shockingly physical, closer to martial arts than play, demanding strength and nerve she didn’t know she had. As the lessons reawaken a self she had quietly shelved, the accommodating wife-and-mother act becomes harder to keep up. Joey Wu’s first feature turns domestic frustration into bright, nimble comedy, handing Catherine Chau a gloriously physical role as a woman who decides that disappearing politely is no longer on the schedule. Veteran Elaine Jin lends major support.

Director: Joey Wu
Producer: Saville Chan
Screenwriter: Joey Wu
Cast: Catherine Chau, Elaine Jin, Peter Chan (Chan Charm Man Peter), Yeung Nga Man, Jayden Cheung
Languages: Cantonese with Chinese and English Subtitles
2026; 95 min.; DCP
Country: Hong Kong

SCHEDULE:

Sunday July 19, 12:00pm
Film at Lincoln Center

Intro and Q&A with director Joey Wu