Mary Stephen, 1978, Canada/France, 62 minutes

Mary Stephen, perhaps best known as Eric Rohmer’s editor, made her feature debut in 1978 with the alluring Ombres de soie [Shades of Silk], which traces the relationship between two Chinese women in Shanghai in the 1930s.

“An astounding low-budget achievement (in which 1970s Paris passes for 1930s Shanghai), this entrancing film evokes the Marguerite Duras of India Song, which is no accident: Stephen explicitly wished for Ombres de soie to be a counterpoint to India Song, from an Asian woman’s point of view. ” – New York Film Festival