THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN Official Selection

From acclaimed director Chen Kaige comes a sprawling epic in the tradition of David Lean. In the third century BC, megalomaniac King Ying Zheng is obsessed with unifying all of China and becoming its first emperor. To this end, he embarks upon an unparalleled reign of terror and brutality against all who stand between him and his destiny. He is aided by Concubine Zhao, his lover from childhood. She devises an intricate fake assassination plot against Ying Zheng which, when “uncovered”, will provide him with a legitimate excuse to invade the neighboring kingdom of Yan, his greatest obstacle to unification. Before the plan can be fully realized, however, Ying Zheng discovers a painful secret about his birth. This stunning revelation triggers the coldblooded instinct within him, and he has anyone who might have knowledge of his true lineage killed. Faced with the difficult choice between ambition and love, he then plots a devastating attack on Concubine Zhao’s beloved homeland.

This vicious incursion includes the slaughtering of many innocent children. Though her affection for him is strong, Zhao can no longer accept or defend his pragmatic ruthlessness and now truly supports the assassination plot. Then she meets Jing Ke, a brutal killer who has shed his past and vowed never to kill again.