How an Australian restaurateur helped revive Shanghai's riverfront

HONG KONG -- Mick Jagger, Gore Vidal, Virgin boss Richard Branson and "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening are just a few of the global stars who romped at Shanghai's illustrious M on the Bund, launched in 1999 by Australian restaurateur Michelle Garnaut. The glamorous restaurant became a top venue in the early 2000s and helped spark a revival of the Bund, once China's Wall Street, before closing in 2022, a victim of China's COVID-19 lockdowns.

M was an overnight success, making Garnaut famous even beyond Asia for her modern Western cuisine, her Glamour Bar and her program of talks, recitals and literary festivals that often featured authors whose books were banned in China. Now her inspiring story is told in the full-length documentary "M on the Bund," directed by Shanghai native Luo Tong and released by Tong's company LP Films.