I Love Maria (1988)

About I Love Maria (1988)

Released in some territories as ROBOFORCE, I Love Maria is the kind of Hong Kong sci-fi-slapstick-buddy-comedy-action-romance we don’t get to see in this country anywhere near as often as we should.

It follows Curly and Whiskey, two incompetent researchers who they team up with T.Q. Zhuang (played by a baby Tony Leung) and Maria (Sally Yeh’s shiny robotic killing machine) to take down the ironically-named Hero Gang: a group who are rampaging through Hong Kong with an army of evil mechs.

Made at the height of Hong Kong cinema’s golden age in the 1980s, I Love Maria is a Cantonese-language genre blend and special effects showpiece that reworks everything from Robocop (1987) and Japanese anime, to Metropolis (1927) and classics of international science fiction.

Complete with Hong Kong’s world class martial arts choreography, it’s a real display of what the industry was capable of at this point in time: existential sci-fi questions reimagined as a Saturday morning cartoon with added kung fu, explosions, and a slightly dodgy robo-human love triangle...

We have also allocated a number of free tickets for those not in a position to pay. If you would like to help support our free ticket initiative, you can pay it forward here. 

Leith Kino!

A weekly community cinema night based at Leith Depot.

Join us for weekly screenings, celebrating films that are international, experimental, arthouse, trash, cult, a little bit strange, and maybe otherwise hard to see on the big screen.

There will be free (vegan) popcorn. Drinks and refreshments are available to purchase at the Depot bar, alongside our monthly posters, each designed by a different Leith-based artist.

Leith Kino Access Information

• English subtitles will be onscreen for every screening, including descriptive subtitles where possible.
• The screening room is on ground level and is wheelchair accessible from the Leith Depot bar with flexible seating to accommodate specific requirements.
  There are accessible toilets in both the screening room and the bar.
• If you have any questions about access or if you need to reserve a specific seat, please email us at leithkino@gmail.com
• Leith Depot is well-served by public transport. It's a short walk from the Foot of the Walk tram stop, and there is a bus stop outside the venue for services: 7, 14, 16, 25, and 49