Best of Imagine: The Forbidden City

During the Chinese one-child policy, the Xiao family secretly raises sisters Yun and Mei with martial arts lessons. Twenty years later, Mei travels to Italy in search of Yun, who has vanished without a trace. Her arrival triggers a gang war in which Mei puts her parents' lessons to good use.

Ten years after "Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot / They Call Me Jeeg Robot" (winner of the Audience Award at Imagine 2016), director Gabriel Mainetti returns with another completely original genre mix. Martial arts, mafia film, romantic comedy, and family drama are combined, and with a sure hand, Mainetti creates a spectacular and wonderfully entertaining film. You rarely see such powerful action scenes outside of Asia! The film also offers a fresh perspective on immigrant life in Rome and the cultural challenges faced by the Italian and Chinese characters. But above all, "The Forbidden City" is fantastic entertainment.