With Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee brings a new sensibility to the martial arts genre. His previous films, The Wedding Banquet and Eat Man Drink Woman, were Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1995, Lee directed Sense and Sensibility to a Best Picture nomination, though he was passed over for Best Director.

Featuring jaw-dropping stunts and breathtaking scenery, the Mandarin-language film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon transcends genres by offering a martial arts movie to a wider audience. The film chronicles the sister-like relationship between two women in early 19th-century China. Michelle Yeoh plays a renowned fighter, while Zhang Ziyi stars as an aristocrat's daughter who longs for the life of a warrior. Caught in between them is an ancient sword, the Green Destiny, previously owned by a master swordsman played by Chow Yun-fat.

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NominOptions

NominOptions allow traders to buy and sell the hottest Oscar contenders with exclusive securities centered around the 73rd Academy Awards. The leading contenders for nominations are being offered in the eight major award categories.

Thirteen HSX NominOptions will be issued in each of the eight major categories beginning Jan. 18. Each NominOption is offered at H$2.50. The NominOptions will halt trading at 11 p.m. PST on Monday, Feb. 12, in preparation for Tuesday, Feb. 13, when Oscar nominations will be announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Each option of a nominated film or star will cash out at H$6.50, while those NominOptions failing to secure a nomination will delist at H$0.00.