Exclusive: Poster For Hou Hsiao-hsien's Gorgeous Cannes Winner 'The Assassin'

Gorgeous, hypnotic, spellbinding….those are just some of the superlatives that have been used to describe Hou Hsiao-hsien‘s "The Assassin." The director’s martial arts magnum opus has been years in the making and the wait has been worth it. Winning Best Director at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and picking up accolades at each stop at various festivals around the globe (it most recently stopped at the Toronto Film Festival, where it was one of our favorites), the picture has earned incredible buzz and demands to be seen on the big screen at an arthouse near you.

Today we have the exclusive poster for "The Assassin," which you can check out below. Chang Chen and Shu Qi lead the movie that follows an assassin who has been trained in exile and who is sent on a mission back to her hometown. Here’s the official synopsis:

9th Century China: 10-year-old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China.

After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings. A slave to the orders of her mistress, Nie Yinniang must choose: sacrifice the man she loves or break forever with the sacred way of the righteous assassins.

"The Assassin" opens in limited release on October 16th. Hou Hsiao-hsien himself will be making stops in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The picture will screen at the New York Film Festival, will close Beyond Fest, and is Taiwan’s entry for the Oscars.