Lan Yu

Lan Yu, directed by Stanley Kwan, is a Hong Kong and mainland Chinese film based on a novel published anonymously online under the pen name "Beijing Tongzhi," telling a love story between a country boy studying in Beijing and a wealthy businessman, set against the backdrop of the 1989 Tiananmen Square events. The novel's real author remains unknown to this day. The film was shot secretly in Beijing without any official permit from China's Film Bureau; because of its openly gay content and its references to Tiananmen, it was never shown in mainland Chinese theaters and remains banned there, gaining its cult status through pirated copies instead. The film won four awards at the Golden Horse Awards, with lead actor Liu Ye taking Best Actor. Who it's for: anyone curious about a Chinese love story adapted from a novel by a still unidentified anonymous author, shot secretly without official permission and banned in its own country. Who it's not for: those assuming this played in mainland Chinese theaters, since it has never had an official release there in more than three decades.