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 Seven years in the making, the film follows Ziming, an English
literature student at Hong Kong University, as he begins to
tutor beautiful student Meiling.
He develops feelings for her mother, Mrs Yu, originally from
Taiwan, taking her to see films and their romance develops
through movies seen on the big screen.
Described as a love letter to Hong Kong in production notes, the
narrated hand-drawn 2-D animation feature is set against a
backdrop of the 1967 Communist-led riots in Hong Kong.
"No. 7 Cherry Lane", Yonfan's first animation and his first
movie since 2009's "Prince of Tears", is one of 21 films
competing for the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival,
where it premiered on Monday.
"This film is about love, and it is not about the exploitation
of sex and sensuality to attract the box office," Yonfan told a
news conference, speaking in English.
As a child, Yonfan, who was born in China's central Hubei
province, moved with his family to Taiwan. He went to Hong Kong
in 1964 as a teenager, when Taiwan was under martial law.
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"I tried to capture the things I remember and the ways that
people lived," Yonfan said.
"When I arrived in Hong Kong I literally smell the air of
freedom, the wind blows from the ocean I smell the freedom in
it, it was marvelous."
Yonfan was asked about the anti-government movement which has
plunged Hong Kong into its biggest political crisis in decades.
The unrest began in mid-June, fueled by anger over a
now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed people in
the city to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts
controlled by the Communist Party.
It has evolved into calls for greater democracy under the "one
country, two systems" formula, by which Hong Kong has been ruled
since 1997, guaranteeing freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland.
Recalling how Hong Kong "was turning upside down" during the
1967 riots, Yonfan said he hoped it "can be back to normal".
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Sarah Mills; Editing by
Alison Williams)
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