HE may have been sitting in a Hongkong hotel room gearing up for today's Hongkong launch of his new film, Farewell To My Concubine, but Chen Kaige's thoughts lay closer to home.
''The good news is that they [China's film censors] saw the film already and they say 'yes', '' beamed the acclaimed mainland director.
''This is very good for me because my last film, Life on a String, didn't pass the censorship there. So if the film can be shown in China I will be very, very happy.'' Ever the master of the understatement, the man responsible for Yellow Earth and King of the Children, probably has cause to be more than just happy.
The Chinese authorities' approval of his $30 million, 160-minute epic, carries some weighty implications.
Quite apart from the commercial bonuses, Farewell to My Concubine will also be eligible for overseas awards (most notably the Oscars if he is lucky). But, perhaps even more importantly, the censors' decision vindicates Chen's action in making a film which deals largely with a subject which is still taboo on the mainland: homosexuality.
Adapted from Lilian Li Pik-wah's 1979 novel, Farewell to My Concubine is a vast work, spanning 50 years in the lives of two Peking Opera stars, Cheng Dieyie (played by Canto pop giant-turned actor Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (mainlander Zhang Fengyi).