For the first time since The Mission in 1999, Anthony Wong (Infernal Affairs) and Francis Ng (Infernal Affairs 2) once again team up with director Johnnie To and his regulars Roy Cheung (Infernal Affairs 2), Lam Suet (PTU), and Simon Yam (Election) in another action-packed ensemble piece, Exiled. Joining the stellar cast are Richie Jen and Nick Cheung, both of whom worked previously with Johnnie To in Breaking News, as well as new collaborator Josie Ho (Butterfly).
Director’s Note
In times of change when rules no longer apply, the only thing that matters to an individual’s survival is the decision he makes.
“Exiled” follows a group of wanderers who’ve been on the road for years but never quite figured out where the end lies. At a midway town, they’re confronted with a critical dilemma and a decision has to be made: Do they do what they’re told or take a stand for what they believe in Their decision will turn them against everything they know. But at the end, the only thing that matters is what their hearts say.
The state of exile does not have to be involuntary expulsion. It is an action of voluntary absence in search of a higher ideal. This is perhaps a romantic sentiment when set against today’s cynical world. Nevertheless, it is what makes us human.
About Johnnie To
A veteran producer and a maverick of genre filmmaking, Johnnie To is one of the most respected and versatile directors in Hong Kong. His The Heroic Trio and its sequel Executioners not only were international cult classics but inspired Olivier Assayas’s Irma Vep. With his Running Out of Time and The Mission, and subsequent policiers like Full Time Killer and PTU, he has established himself as a household name in the international film arena.
Both To’s Breaking News and Election made it to the Official Selections at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered him Best Director awards in consecutive years at the Catalunya International Film Festival and at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards. His Throw Down was presented in the Official Selections in the Venice Film Festival and Election II (aka Triad Election) was a favorite at the 2006 Cannes, Toronto and New York film festivals. It was released commercially in the U.S. in the spring of 2007.
To’s Filmography (Select)
2006 Election II aka Triad Election (Producer/Director)
2005 Election (Producer/Director)
2004 Yesterday Once More (Producer/Director)
Throw Down (Producer/Director)
Breaking News (Producer/Director)
2003 Running On Karma (Producer/Director)
Turn Left Turn Right (Producer/Director)
PTU (Director)
Love For All Seasons (Producer/Director)
Looking For Mr. Perfect (Producer)
Memory Of The Youth (Producer)
2002 Second Time Around (Producer)
My Left Eye Sees Ghosts (Producer/Director)
Fat Choi Spirit (Producer/Director)
2001 Running Out Of Time 2 (Producer)
Fulltime Killer (Producer/Director)
Love On A Diet (Producer/Director)
Gimme Gimme (Producer)
Wu Yen (Producer/Director)
2000 Comeuppance (Producer)
Spacked Out (Producer)
Help!!! (Producer/Director)
Needing You … (Producer/Director)
