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Film

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Feature Film

This documentary tenderly examines the history of Shanghai’s Lai Lai Ballroom and its queer clientele.

Information

Programme History

Part of Queer East Festival 2025

Director: Yunyi LiuBozhi Wei
Runtime: 91 Mins
Year: 2022
Country: China

Over two decades, Lai Lai Ballroom became famous amongst Shanghai’s gay community, and was popular with middle-aged and elderly gay men. ‘Lai Lai’ translates as ‘Come, Come!’, and was a welcoming encouragement for those who felt outcast. Before it closed in 2018, the venue was frequented by patrons with all kinds of stories, captured by this documentary: a monk who yields to his own desires, an HIV-positive man experiencing personal turmoil, and a transgender person who feels marginalised. Romantic encounters, separations, reunions: Lai Lai saw it all. But gradually, the space lost its glory, and nobody knows whether it will ever reopen. With tender insight, Yunyi Liu and Bozhi Wei’s film takes a close look at this space of sanctuary, and the sense of community it created for the lonely souls who used to frequent it.