Election (2005 film)

Election
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	黑社會
Simplified Chinese	黑社会
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hēi Shè Huì Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Hak1 Se5 Wui2
Directed by	Johnnie To
Written by	Yau Nai-hoi Yip Tin-shing
Produced by	Dennis Law Johnnie To
Starring	Simon Yam Tony Leung Ka-fai Louis Koo Nick Cheung
Cinematography	Cheng Siu-Keung
Edited by	Patrick Tam
Music by	Lo Ta-yu
Production companies	Milkyway Image One Hundred Years of Film
Distributed by	China Star Entertainment Group
Release date	20 October 2005 (2005-10-20)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese Mandarin
Box office	US$2.2 million[1]

Election (Chinese: 黑社會; literal title: Black Society, a common Cantonese reference to the triads), is a 2005 Hong Kong crime film directed by Johnnie To. Featuring a large ensemble cast, the film stars Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka-fai as two gang leaders engaged in a power struggle to become the new leader of a Hong Kong triad.

The film premiered as an "Official Selection" at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival,^[2] before being released in Hong Kong on 20 October 2005, with a Category III rating. A sequel, Election 2 (also known as Triad Election in the United States), was released in 2006.

Hilary Hongjin He, a doctoral student at the University of Western Sydney, stated that compared to its sequel, this film is "less political or suspicious" from a Mainland standpoint.^[3]