Shadow Magic

In Beijing, 1902, young portrait photographer Liu Jinglun (Xia Yu) befriends Englishman Raymond Wallace (Jared Harris), who brings new technology and silent film shorts to the city. As they partner to open the Shadow Magic theater, Liu falls in love with Ling, daughter of a traditional opera star, but faces conflict with his father and tradition. With the help of Raymond's films, Liu and he are invited to entertain the Empress Dowager, but disaster strikes during the screening, leading to Liu being badly burnt and eventually finding success by creating his own film projector and screening local movies.