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The Last Ferry From Grass Island

A Hong Kong hitman retires as a fisherman on the peaceful Grass Island. One day, his Chinese apprentice shows up, tasked to kill him before the last ferry departs.

  • LINHAN ZHANG
    Director
  • LINHAN ZHANG
    Writer
  • CLIFFORD MIU
    Producer
  • Tai Bo
    Key Cast
    "A Hoi"
  • Wang Yang
    Key Cast
    "Xiaoma"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Drama, Family
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    Hong Kong
  • Country of Filming:
    Hong Kong
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - NYU Tisch School of the Artes
  • Tribeca IFF

    United States
    World premiere - No public or online screening (Covid)
    Student competition - Special jury mention
  • Cannes Film Festival - Cinéfondation

    France
  • Palm Springs Shortfest
    Palm Springs
    United States
    No public or online screening
    Competition
  • Calgary FF

    Canada
  • Raindance FF

    United Kingdom
  • Encounters FF

    United Kingdom
  • Stockholm IFF

    Sweden
    Swedish premiere
  • Toronto Reel Asian FF
    Toronto
    Toronto Premiere
  • Aspen Shortfest

    United States
    April 15, 2021
  • Santa Barbara IFF
    Santa Barbara IFF
    United States
    April 18, 2021
  • Shanghai IFF
    Shanghai
    China
    China / East Asia premiere
Distribution Information
  • Shortcuts / Elise Notseck
    Distributor
    Country: France
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - LINHAN ZHANG

Linhan Zhang, born on 17 January 1997, was a film and television undergraduate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He was one of the fifteen 2017-2018 Sundance Ignite Fellows, and one of the twenty recipients of the 2019 Adobe Creativity Scholarship.

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Director Statement

Growing up in Hong Kong, I have always been inspired by the 1990's HK action films from directors like Johnnie To and John Woo. Within this genre, a classic character quickly rose to prominence : the hitman. Their young lives were filled with danger, suspense, and mystery. However, I recently began to wonder : what would their lives be like in 2019, stuck in physical decline and retired to civilian life?

Two months before we commenced production, the 2019 HK protests started. Like every citizen, I found myself sucked into the largest demonstration of revolt since the 1997 handover.

As my hope for peaceful protest was gradually diminishing, I began to treat this film as my emotional response to te ongoing social unrest. I fantasized that two individuals could uphold honor and respect despite their opposing objectives.

I chose to set the story on Grass Island, which lies on the HK/China border.