Jackson Yee and Zhou Dongyu play teens
who form an unlikely bond in contemporary China.
Director Derek Tsang s international feature nominee suffered extensive meddling from Chinese regulators, only to be rejected by moviegoers in his home city of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong director Derek Tsang s harrowing youth drama
Better Daysis the rare Oscar best international film nominee that was both critically acclaimed and a massive commercial hit. Released in mainland China in October 2019, the film grossed $223 million, which is more than 40 times the total earnings of the other four international feature nominees combined.
Better Days also has amassed an array of artistic commendations at home, scoring various honors at the Hong Kong Film Awards and mainland China s top movie awards shows, the Golden Rooster Awards and the Hundred Flower Awards.