The Assassin (Chinese: 聶隱娘) is an upcoming Taiwanese martial arts film directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien. It has been selected to be screened in the main competition section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film received several subsidies from the Taiwanese government: in 2005 of NT$15 million (US$501,000), in 2008 of NT$80 million (US$2.67 million) and in 2010 of NT$20 million (US$668,000). However, over the production, Hou encountered various budget problems; thus over half of the film’s final budget came from China, a first for Hou’s films. As of September 2012, its budget was CN¥90 million (US$14.9 million). Reflecting on the film’s long shooting period and a much bigger budget than his previous films, Hou stated “I haven’t shot a movie in six or seven years. It’s really a whole new world for me because the market is now so big, because of China. So the scale is much bigger, and that makes every detail different, so now even I have to adjust my scale.” Wikipedia®.
Plot: 9th century China. 10-year-old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings. A slave to the orders of her mistress, Nie Yinniang must choose: sacrifice the man she loves or break forever with the sacred way of the righteous assassins.
Title: Nie yin niang (The Assassin) (2015)
Director: Hsiao-hsien Hou
Release dates: 21 May 2015
Genre: Action | Martial arts.
Screenwriter: Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Chu Tien-Wen, A. Cheng.
Awards: 2015: Cannes Film Festival: Official Selection.
Cast: Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Ethan Ruan, Nikki Hsieh, Ni Dahong, Zhang Shijun, Michael Chang, Jiang Wen, Zuo Xiaoqing, Xu Fan, Tadanobu Asano, Zhou Yunin
The film is based on a short story from a compilation known as “The Extensive Records Of The Taiping Era” (a.k.a. Tàipíng Guǎngjì), and produced by Huang Wen-Ying from a script by Hou and co-scribe Chu Tien-Wen. Actress Qi (So Close, Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons) joined by Brotherhood Of Blades star Chang Chen, The World Of Kanako co-star Satoshi Tsumabuki, The Guillotines co-star Ethan Ruan and many more.