Master Qi and the Monkey King, a film by Alan Govenar, focuses on the life and work of the preeminent master of Chinese Opera living in the United States. It is a compelling story of ambition, love, the creative impulse and the struggle to survive against all odds. The film highlights the intricacies of Peking Opera, an art form that is hardly known in the West and is declining in popularity in China. At the same time it explores why Ms. Qi, her husband, Ding Meikui, and their company of Chinese Opera performers, have made the difficult move to the United States, where they, like so many immigrants, must balance pressures to assimilate with the needs of cultural expression and preservation.
Master Qi and the Monkey King is distributed by First Run Features.