This film is part of Free
Red
Beautiful, bittersweet tale of love, longing and Elvis. Xiao Mei leaves China for marriage in Britain. But her true desire is to find her family.
Overview
A beautiful tale of love, loss, new beginnings and the strange adventure taken by migrants to the UK. In 1977, young Xiao Mei leaves China for the UK to enter into an arranged marriage. Speaking no English and feeling distant from her Elvis-obsessed new husband and his stern mother, Xiao Mei dreams of reuniting with her long-lost parents and brother. But old memories of family can be deceptive...
Writer-director Rosa Fong's other work has included documentary, gallery installation and a series of witty short films for Channel Four about Chinese philosophy; she now lectures on film and TV. Red was supported by the BFI's mid-90s New Directors programme, which also funded early films by Lynne Ramsey, Gurinder Chadha and Andrew Kötting.
Related
The Body Beautiful The Body Beautiful
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1990 24 mins
Autobiographical account of a mother-daughter relationship, exploring beauty standards and female sexuality.
Indian Tales Indian Tales
Student film 1994 12 mins Location: Haringey
Indian proverbs and superstitions shape the complex love life of a young British woman.
The Future Lasts a Long Time The Future Lasts a Long Time
Crime 1996 14 mins Location: Fens, The
Dream-like short film starring Samantha Morton, in one of her earliest screen credits, as one half of a couple on the run who hide out in the Fens.
The Stream The Stream
Documentary 1999 12 mins
Duncan Jones, director of Moon, Source Code and Warcraft, presents this ambitious Iron Age short about the star-crossed romance between a slave and gentry girl.
Dead London Dead London
Drama 1996 20 mins Location: Farringdon Station
Ewan Bremner and Dexter Fletcher star as a pair of morbid fortune tellers in this modern tale of dark arts.
Rave Rave
Documentary 1997 12 mins
Partying like it's 1997. We follow a rave DJ instigator rigging up decks in abandoned warehouses, a nosebleed 'techno tourist' who chases the hardcore around Europe and a girl addicted to... partying.
Wilf Hutchinson Woodcarver Wilf Hutchinson Woodcarver
Factual TV 1983 4 mins Location: Kilburn
Kilburn’s master woodworker, Wilf Hutchinson, offers an in-depth guide to the craftsmanship behind his oak furniture.
Wonders of Yorkshire Wonders of Yorkshire
Amateur film 1974 10 mins Location: Kilburn
Rocks resembling alien creatures, a giant white horse, wooden mice, a cave where a famous prophetess lived, and a teddy turned to stone.
Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 73 mins
Daniel Day-Lewis, the ultimate actor’s actor discusses his career in conversation with Mark Kermode.
Jon M. Chu: The Wizard of Wicked Jon M. Chu: The Wizard of Wicked
Inside Film 2025 49 mins
Director Jon M. Chu discusses his ground-breaking vision of Oz.
Yorgos Lanthimos Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Yorgos Lanthimos Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 66 mins
Yorgos Lanthimos sits down with Succession creator Jesse Armstrong to reveal the secret ingredients that underpin his uniquely weird brand of satire.
Islands - Extended Q&A Islands - Extended Q&A
Inside Film 2025 31 mins
Director Jan Ole Gerster and actor Sam Riley talk about Islands, a thriller with noirish undertones and echoes of Hitchcock and Highsmith.
Lynne Ramsay Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Lynne Ramsay Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 67 mins
Lynne Ramsay discusses her singular career populated by visually intoxicating, ground-breaking and provocative films.
Tessa Thompson Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Tessa Thompson Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 68 mins
The actor discusses her career, including her titular performance in BFI London Film Festival selection, Hedda.