Ann Hui’s best films ranked – from Boat People to A Simple Life, 5 must-see movies by the critically revered Hong Kong movie director

May 23 , 2020

Roy Chiao and Josephine Siao in Ann Hui's award-winning Summer Snow. Photo: Golden Harvest

While not a blockbuster name like Tsui Hark or Stephen Chow, Hui is one of the city’s most celebrated filmmakers of her generation, with 6 Hong Kong Film Awards for best director to her name – here’s why

Although not a blockbuster director like Tsui Hark or Stephen Chow, or a film festival darling like Wong Kar-wai, Ann Hui is nonetheless one of Hong Kong’s most celebrated directors.

Born in Liaoning Province, in northern China, next to the North Korean border, Hui spent her childhood in Macau before moving to Hong Kong to attend St Paul’s Convent School. After earning a Master’s degree at the University of Hong Kong she swapped Asia for Europe, studying at the London Film School and graduating in 1975. On returning to Hong Kong she started her career in TV, working for the likes of TVB and RTHK before moving into films.

The winner of three Golden Horse awards and six Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) for best director, Hui is one of the most talented filmmakers of her generation. If you don’t know where to begin, here are her five best films to get you started.

Boat People (1982)

A key part of the New Wave of Hong Kong cinema that emerged in the early 1980s, Boat People won five awards at the HKFA, including the first of Hui’s best director gongs. The film focuses on a Japanese photojournalist, Akutagawa (George Lam), invited to Vietnam to see the progress the country has made following its bitter civil war. Akutagawa soon sees through the facade of progress to the despotic regime underneath. A tragic story, Hui examines the plight of the Vietnamese with a touching humanist sentiment.

Song of the Exile (1990)

A semi-autobiographic film, Song of the Exile tells of the strained relations between a mother and daughter. Maggie Cheung, in one of her finest performances, plays Hui’s stand-in, Cheung Hueyin, who returns to Hong Kong from London after failing to land an interview at the BBC. Back home she is reunited with her Japanese mother, who has always received cold treatment in Hong Kong because of her nationality. From there Song of the Exile traces the pair’s turbulent relationship. The film was especially poignant since it was created during the Tiananmen protests and contains Hui’s response to what took place on June 4th.

Summer Snow (1995)

This film is one of only two to have won the “Grand Slam” – which means winning best picture, best director, best screenplay, best actor and best actress – at the Hong Kong Film Awards. It stars Josephine Siao as a wife having to look after her husband and son, as well as care for her father-in-law who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Despite its downbeat subject matter the film captured the hearts of both critics and the public with its message of dealing with life in a positive manner and with an attitude of love.

July Rhapsody (2002)

Notable for “Heavenly King” Jacky Cheung’s excellent lead performance, July Rhapsody is an intimate portrait of a marriage buckling under increasing strains. Good as Cheung is, he is equally matched by his female co-stars. Anita Mui – in her final role before passing away – is on top form as Cheung’s wife, and a young Karena Lam, a student infatuated with Cheung, her teacher, is stunningly assured, able to project a character that is neither innocent nor vixen.

A Simple Life (2011)