• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Philadelphia Film Society

See something you'll never forget

  • Now Showing
  • Programs
    • Film Series
    • Education & Community
    • PFS On Us
    • Signature Events
  • Film Festival
    • 32nd Philadelphia Film Festival
    • Submissions
    • Past Film Festivals
  • Support Us
    • Become A Member
    • Individual Giving
    • Sponsorship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer
  • Venues
    • PFS Bourse Theater
    • PFS East Theater
    • Philadelphia Film Center
    • Rent Our Venues
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • News & Stories
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Join
  • Donate

LUCKY GRANDMA

SASIE SEALY | USA | Cantonese, English, Mandarin | 2019 | 87 MIN

After winning a large sum of money, a grouchy, chain-smoking grandmother finds herself mixed up with a seedy Chinatown gang in this wry, quirky comedy.

When the cantankerous, 80-year-old Chinatown resident known only as Grandma (Tsai Chin, The Joy Luck Club) becomes newly widowed, she seeks out a local fortune teller, who informs her that she will soon have immense luck. Grandma decides to go all-in at a casino and wins the jackpot. But she soon encounters the downside of good fortune when her winnings attract the attention of the Red Dragon gang. In hot pursuit of Grandma and her newfound wealth, Red Dragon’s henchmen have her on the run through the narrow alleys of Chinatown. Fearing for her life, Grandma hires a bodyguard (breakout Taiwanese talent Corey Ha) from a rival gang. The two form an unexpected friendship as they find themselves in the throes of an all-out gang war—all the while Grandma must keep her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren in the dark and out of danger. Directed by first timer Sasie Sealy and co-written by Sealy and Angela Cheng, this sharp comedy shines a loving light on an inscrutable character and her touching familial devotion.

CAST: TSAI CHIN, COREY HA, MICHAEL TOW, WOODY FU

In Competition: First Feature Award


PFS ON US is a free ticketing initiative that makes our programming available to all. Free tickets are available to all films in the Made in USA and Non/Fiction sections of the Festival. Seating is first-come, first-served. Reservations do not guarantee admission.

Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.

CLICK HERE to return to the complete 28th Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.

Showtimes

Click date & time to buy tickets

Join our mailing list
Copyright ©2023 Philadelphia Film Society, Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 23-3077468
Administrative Offices 1412 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA 19102 267-239-2941
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Now Showing
  • Twitter.com/PhillyFilmSoc
  • Instagram.com/phillyfilmsociety/
  • Facebook.com/PhilaFilmSociety