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NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The movie, Mao's Last Dancer, will be first premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival between September 10th and 14th of 2009 as a Special Presentation film. It will then be followed with four gala premiers in Australia to benefit the Australian Ballet and the Bionic Ear Institute, which are the two non-profit organizations that Li supports and is involved with. The premier dates are: Sydney on September 21st, Melbourne on the 23rd, Adelaide on the 24th and Brisbane on the 25th.

We would like to share with you that Li has screened the film twice now, and he thought that it’s a very good film. Li is very happy with how it portrayed his life. Bruce Beresford has done wonders bringing his story to the screen. The entire cast of actors and dancers are wonderful. And Li also liked the music very much.

In Australia, Village Roadshow, Hoyts, as well as other independent cinemas such as Palace and Dendy, will exhibit the film. The official release in Australia and New Zealand is Oct 1st. We hope you will enjoy watching the film as much as reading Li’s inspirational book. The international release of the movie is work-in-progress at this stage, but we will keep you updated.

If you are interested attending the premier galas, we have provided the information below. They will be great nights. Li’s family and some of the film cast will all be there.

Another exciting development, Li has written three new chapters for the film tie-in edition of the book. He is quite excited with this new edition as the new materials will bring the readers up-to-date on the important people in his life, and the story of how the film came about.

Mao's Last Dancer was the Runner Up for the highly coveted People's Choice Award at the prestigious 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. It's ranked the 4th biggest box office success for the opening week in Australian film history.

Premier Gala Information

Sydney Premier
6.15 pm on the 21st of September, 2009 at The State Theatre, Market Street, Sydney.
Gala Reception at Swissotel Sydney after the show. Black Tie.
Gold Tickets: $120.00 per person. Glass of champagne on arrival. Introduction by Li Cunxin and others and screen the film.
Platinum Tickets: $375.00 per person. All the above plus Gala Reception with stars at Swissotel Sydney after the show and Souvenir Programme.
Tickets Contact: Elly Michelle Clough at Friends of The Australian Ballet (NSW) on (02) 9252 7322.

Melbourne Premier
6.00 pm on the 23rd of September, 2009 at The Regent Theatre, Collins Street, Melbourne.
Gala Reception at Sofitel Melbourne after the show. Black Tie.
Gold Tickets: $120.00 per person. Glass of champagne on arrival. Introduction by Li Cunxin and others and screen the film.
Platinum Tickets: $375.00 per person. All the above plus Gala Reception with stars at Sofitel Melbourne after the show and Souvenir Programme.
Tickets Contact: Judith Rhodes at The Australian Ballet Society (03) 9669 2860.

Adelaide Premier
Arriving 5:30pm on the 24th of September, 2009 at the Palace Nova East End Cinemas. Champagne at 5:45pm with film commencing at 6:30pm. Gala Reception after the show at Ayers House, 288 North Terrace, Adelaide.
Gold Tickets: $100.00 per person. Drinks upon arrival. Introduction by Li and others and screen the film.
Platinum Tickets: $300.00 per person. All the above plus sit-down gala reception dinner at the Ayer House after screening.
Tickets Contact: Judy Connor at Friends of the Australian Ballet (SA) 0417 874 097 or judy.connor@bigpond.com.

Brisbane Premier
6:00pm on the 25th of September, 2009 at the Dendy Portside Cinema, Portside Wharf, Hamilton.
Champagne on arrival and welcome address. Gala Reception after the show with movie stars at Gusto da Gianni, Portside Wharf, Hamilton.
Tickets: $160.00 per person.
Tickets Contact: Judith Rhodes at The Australian Ballet Society (03) 9669 2860.

THE FILM

*** Click here to view the movie trailer! ***

The film of Mao’s Last Dancer is in the post-production stage. A great creative team, wonderful cast of many talented dancers, great actors and dedicated crew are involved in bringing Li’s story onto the silver screen. The filming took the cast to China, Australia and America. The film is scheduled for release in the second half of 2009.

Director - Bruce Beresford: Driving Miss Daisy, Breaker Morant, Black Robe, The Contract and other films.

Producer - Jane Scott: Shine, Crocodile Dundee II, Head On and other films.

Screenplay Writer - Jan Sardi: Shine, The Notebook, Love’s Brother and other films.

THE ACTORS

Adult Li - Chi Cao: Born in China, Chi was trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and the Royal Ballet School. He joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to Principal in 2002. Chi is a virtuoso classical dancer, and often leads the Company in the classical repertory. His superb technique won him the gold medal in 1998 at the International Ballet Competition in Varna. Chi has also represented the BRB at a number of prestigious occasions, dancing at the NATO gala in Birmingham (2000) and Birmingham's gala to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's golden jubilee (2002). And Chi is the son of two of Li’s former teachers at the Beijing Dance Academy.

Middle Li - Chengwu Guo: One of the top graduates of the Beijing Dance Academy. Chengwu won one of the top prizes in the prestigious junior international ballet competition in Prix De Lausanne in 2006 and won the Gold Medal in the Shanghai Ballet Competition in the same year. He is now a member of the Australian Ballet.

Little Li - Huang Wen Bin: A gorgeous young boy from an athletics school in China.

Li’s Mother - Joan Chen: The Last Emperor, Twin Peaks, Home Song Stories, In the Class of His Own and other films.

Li’s Father - Wang Shuang Bao: A well-known actor in China and in many films.

Ben Stevenson - Bruce Greenwood: National Treasure, Déjà vu, World’s Fastest Indian and other films.

Charles Foster - Kyle MacLachlan: Desperate Housewives, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Dune, Sex In The City, Free, Opening Doors and other films.

Elizabeth - Amanda Schull: Amanda was a member of the San Francisco Ballet and the star of the hit movie Center Stage.

Mary - Camilla Vergotis: Camilla danced with the Australian Ballet as a soloist and is currently a soloist with the Hong Kong Ballet.

The US Federal Judge - Jack Thompson: Star Wars, The Good German, The Manual and other films. Jack is playing the cameo role of the US federal judge in Houston.

Music Composer - Christopher Gordon: Master and Commander, On the Beach, Salem’s Lot, Ward 13, Much To Do About Something, Sanctuary and other films.

Dance Choreographers - Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon: Graeme is a prolific choreographer and former Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company. With the collaboration of his long time partner Janet, they have created many wonderful dance works, classical and contemporary. His recent work for the Australian Ballet was Swan Lake, which won international appraisals.

The Dancers - The Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company: A large number of dancers from both the Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company have participated in the dance works in the film.

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