Mao's Last Dancer 1
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Mao’s Last Dancer

A film by Bruce Beresford

Texas Premiere

Monday, July 26th - 6:30pm
Landmark Magnolia Theatre
Q&A with Charles Foster and Ben Stevenson to follow Sold Out

“My dream is that one day, I will see my family again.”

The inspiring and true tale of ballet dancer Li Cunxin is the focus of the new film from Bruce Beresford (BREAKER MORANT, TENDER MERCIES).  Raised in rural Communist China under Mao Tse Tung, Li is chosen by a cultural delegate to be sent to Beijing to study ballet.  While on a cultural exchange to Houston, Texas, Li falls in love with an American and eventually decides to defect.  But his concern over the family he left behind, his struggles to handle the vast differences between cultures and his own country’s persistent anti-American stance create imposing challenges for the artist.

As the adult Li, newcomer Chi Cao gives a breakthrough performance that is touching.  More recognizable faces include Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson, the head of the Houston Ballet, and Kyle MacLachlan as Houston lawyer Charles Foster who helps with Li’s defection.

This film is generously sponsored by FosterQuan, the second largest immigration law firm in the nation.

MAO’S LAST DANCER is a moving film that surrounds the human aspects of its personal story with a political and cultural framework.

Director
Bruce Beresford
Cast
Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan
Country
Language
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Release Date
2009
Runtime
117 minutes
Exhibition Format
35mm