Action thriller Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In has been selected as Hong Kong’s entry to the 97th Academy Awards.

The Federation of Motion Picture Producers of Hong Kong voted for the film, directed by Soi Cheang, to represent the region in the best international feature film category of the Oscars.

The feature played as a midnight screening at Cannes following its release in Hong Kong on May 1, where it proved a major hit with takings of $13.7m. Recording nearly 1.6 million admissions made it the highest ever ticket sales for a local film in Hong Kong and the second highest ever when including foreign films. It also took nearly $100m in mainland China.

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Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In is adapted from manga series City Of Darkness by Andy Seto, which is based on a novel written by Yuyi, and was reportedly filmed on a production budget of around $40m, making it one of the most expensive Hong Kong productions to date.

Set in the British Colonial Hong Kong of the 1980s, the story follows a troubled youth named Chan as he accidentally enters the infamous Kowloon Walled City – a dangerous Chinese enclave riddled with gang crime and corruption. He soon discovers order amidst the chaos and learns important life lessons from the inhabitants as they resist an invasion.

The cast includes emerging actors Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Tony Wu and German Cheung, opposite established stars Louis Koo, Philip Ng and Sammo Hung.