FILM director Wong Kar-wai has created his first NFT (non-fungible token) out of never-before-seen footage from his iconic film “In the Mood for Love” (2000), which he will auction off via Sotheby’s in early October.

The minute-and-a-half-long short called “In the Mood for Love — Day One” features unseen shots from the film’s first day of production, Sotheby’s said, hailing the piece as the first Asian film NFT ever offered by an international auction house. It will be sold Oct. 9 in Hong Kong as part of the company’s modern art autumn sale alongside jewelry, watches, Chinese ceramics, paintings and wine.

In a statement about the piece, the director spoke of his first day of shooting “In the Mood for Love” on Feb. 13, 1999. “The first day of every film production is like the first date with your dream lover. It was filled with fright and delight, like skating on thin ice,” he said. “Today, we are able to eternalize this first day in a brand-new form. In the world of blockchain, this arrow can chart a new course.”

In April, Wong and his production firm Jet Tone Productions released a documentary short with other behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes from his various films, including “In the Mood for Love.”

But Sotheby’s said the new NFT will offer something different, depicting “In the Mood for Love” stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung “as characters utterly different from the iconic lovers in the original film.”

A muted, 10-second teaser for the piece depicts Leung brooding behind dark sunglasses and the smoke of his cigarette while Cheung says: “Now I know what love’s about. Come to my place tonight.”

Alongside the NFT, the auction house will also offer up a more tangible piece of Wong nostalgia: the leather jacket worn by Leslie Cheung in his 1997 movie “Happy Together.” “I have always kept this yellow jacket because it symbolizes a memorable presence: tenderness, rebellion and solitude,” said Wong.

He recalled the first time Cheung donned the item at a fitting in Buenos Aires and the way the pop star checked out his own image in the mirror. Standing behind him, Wong said, he “instantly recognized in Cheung the solitude of his ‘Happy Together’ character.”

To mark its 30th anniversary, Jet Tone will auction off 30 other collectibles handpicked by Wong on Oct. 10, including props, costumes, posters and photos, each with a certificate signed by the director. Over the past year, the company’s online store has released various other commemorative collectibles.(SD-Agencies)