Forever Foreigner: The Films of Clara Law
Curated by Eleanor Lu and Ching Wong
Clara Law is often introduced as part of the ‘Hong Kong New Wave,’ although she refuses to be defined by territorial labels, a form of categorisation she continually challenges throughout her body of works. Born in Macau, raised in Hong Kong, and now based in Melbourne, Law—like many of her characters—is perpetually in motion, crossing national borders and cultural boundaries, making the sense of displacement in diaspora a recurring theme in both her life and work.
This retrospective charts the turning points in her career, beginning with They Say the Moon Is Fuller Here, her rarely screened first feature, made while studying film in London after directing drama programs at the Radio Television Hong Kong. Returning to Hong Kong in the 1990s, Law emerged as a rising filmmaker with Farewell China, the first instalment of what became her ‘migration trilogy’. In 1994, she moved to Australia with her partner and long-term collaborator Eddie Fong, and gained recognition at major festivals with Australian-made films, including The Goddess of 1967. In her latest work Drifting Petals, she revisits Macau and Hong Kong, reflecting on her personal ties to both cities. Some of the films are shown for the first time in the UK.
With thanks to Cecilia Wong
UK Premiere | 20th Anniversary
20 Sept 2025 (Sat)
12.20pm, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
UK | 1985 | Colour | 78’ | In English and Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles
21 Sept 2025 (Sun)
12.20pm, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
Hong Kong | 1990 | Colour | 116’ | In English and Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles
20 Sept 2025 (Sat)
7pm, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
Australia | 2000 | Colour | 119’ | In English with Chinese and English subtitles
Closing Film, UK Premiere
28 Sept 2025 (Sun)
2pm, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
Australia | 2021 | Colour | 110’ | In Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles
