M on the Bund | Film Premiere

Join Asia Society Australia for the premiere of M on the Bund at Melbourne's Capitol Theatre. Enjoy a screening followed by a Q&A with founder Michelle Garnaut and filmmaker Luo Tong. Experience the legacy of a beloved Shanghai restaurant.

Asia Society Australia is pleased to invite you to the premiere screening of M on the Bund at Melbourne's iconic Capitol Theatre. The screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A with its founder, Michelle Garnaut and filmmaker Luo Tong. 

In late 2021, M on the Bund announced it would be closing its doors after twenty-three years. The restaurant had led a fine-dining renaissance in Shanghai with flare, daring simplicity and a personal touch. Along the way, it built a community of diners and artists, reinvigorated a neighbourhood, and defied the odds to outlive its competitors and imitators. In a city defined by change and rapid reinvention, it had become an institution. 

Over the course of two months, the documentary follows the team behind M on the Bund as they navigate the highs and lows of a restaurant in its final days, uncovering the memories, legacy, and community it leaves in its wake. 

At the heart of the story is Michelle Garnaut, a girl from Melbourne who became a towering figure in China. Straight-talking and driven, she challenged expectations and a male-dominated industry; a self-made woman who made waves with her unique sensibility and eye for business. 

Featuring never-before-seen archive, exclusive behind-the-scenes access, and as-it-happens moments captured in 4K, M on the Bund is a story of food, city, and connection, and of a remarkable journey that reflects the changing geo-politics of the new millennium and a vision of transnational community in challenging times.

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