https://www.scmp.com/rss/326865/feed The Hong Kong Film Awards, founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Edmund Lee Edmund Lee This is the 75th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. When Tony Leung Ka-fai took to the stage of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre on April 19 to accept the best actor prize at the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA), he became the only person to win that honour across five consecutive decades. Yet for the 68-year-old veteran, his accolades are a by-product of his endurance – he has previously admitted to keeping his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351095/how-tony-leung-ka-fais-hong-kong-film-awards-record-caps-wild-journey-actor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351095/how-tony-leung-ka-fais-hong-kong-film-awards-record-caps-wild-journey-actor?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Ciao UFO, a sci‑fi drama inspired by a local urban legend of mysterious lights over a public housing estate, clinched the top honours at the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday night, winning best film and best director for Patrick Leung Pak‑kin. The dystopian crime thriller Sons of the Neon Night emerged as the biggest winner, taking home eight prizes out of 12 nominations. Among those sharing the limelight at the ceremony in the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui was veteran Tony Leung Ka‑fai,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350651/ciao-ufo-takes-top-prizes-hong-kong-film-awards-sons-neon-night-glows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350651/ciao-ufo-takes-top-prizes-hong-kong-film-awards-sons-neon-night-glows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:12:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee This year’s Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) arrives under an unprecedented cloud of controversy, making Sunday’s 44th edition at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre one of the most heavily scrutinised ceremonies in the event’s history. The industry has been reeling ever since the pre-emptive disqualification of four eligible films in early January: Valley of the Shadow of Death, Vital Signs, Finch & Midland and Mother Bhumi. This opaque and as-yet-unexplained move by the HKFA effectively removed... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350125/hong-kong-film-awards-2026-predictions-ciao-ufo-back-past-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350125/hong-kong-film-awards-2026-predictions-ciao-ufo-back-past-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 73rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. In the golden age of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a star so bright that he rewrote the rules of conservative Asian society. Affectionately nicknamed Gor Gor – Cantonese for “older brother” – the Cantopop legend’s talent spanned disciplines and extended far beyond the city’s borders. Even now, decades after his death in 2003, fans from around the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee It says much about the lack of quality and quantity in today’s Hong Kong cinema that the three films leading the race for honours in the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) are all “urban myth” titles – high-profile projects that wrapped years ago but languished on the shelf until 2025. This year’s nominations are dominated by high-concept genre filmmaking, with Juno Mak Chun-lung’s hyper-stylised crime thriller Sons of the Neon Night leading the pack with 12 nods, closely followed by the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343068/hong-kong-film-awards-2026-nominations-full-sons-neon-night-leads-disputed-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3343068/hong-kong-film-awards-2026-nominations-full-sons-neon-night-leads-disputed-race?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:09:53 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee On January 13, the Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) Association released its provisional list of contenders for the 44th edition of the city’s most prestigious film ceremony. The film list is meant to be a routine administrative update, a roll-call of the artistic output from the 2025 calendar year, and the definitive source of reference for HKFA voters filling out their nomination forms. However, this year’s list quickly threw the industry into turmoil. In an unprecedented development, four... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340395/why-did-hong-kong-film-awards-drop-4-eligible-films-its-2026-list?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3340395/why-did-hong-kong-film-awards-drop-4-eligible-films-its-2026-list?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 09:14:14 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee There were, ultimately, no miracles for Hong Kong cinema in 2025. It was a regrettable year that began with reports of further cinema closures and ended in collective mourning after the Tai Po fire tragedy, which in turn pushed back the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash (now renamed Avatar 3) – previously earmarked as a saviour for cinema operators this Christmas. The forecast downturn in film investment has been keenly felt; even several “urban myth” titles – the label jokingly given to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337807/hong-kong-films-released-2025-ranked-worst-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3337807/hong-kong-films-released-2025-ranked-worst-best?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 10:11:31 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 63rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For over a decade, Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang has navigated a career defined by conflict: he is blacklisted by some in his home city and in mainland China for his support of the “umbrella movement” protests in 2014. While many of his peers have faded or pandered to new political realities, Wong has persisted. Despite rumours he had moved to Taiwan – which he denied in a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3331616/chaotic-life-anthony-wong-three-time-hong-kong-best-actor-shut-out-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3331616/chaotic-life-anthony-wong-three-time-hong-kong-best-actor-shut-out-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 61st instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For five decades, Chow Yun-fat has been two people. There is the global superstar: the impossibly cool anti-hero of John Woo Yu-sum’s action classics such as The Killer (1989) and Hard Boiled (1992); the stoic, high-flying warrior of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000); and one of the highest-paid actors in Chinese-language cinema. And then there is the man Hongkongers... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3328297/how-chow-yun-fat-became-hong-kong-cinema-superstar-without-losing-his-humility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3328297/how-chow-yun-fat-became-hong-kong-cinema-superstar-without-losing-his-humility?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 23:15:13 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Alzheimer’s disease is not the most appealing subject for a film, and that was especially true in early 1990s Hong Kong, where those with mental or physical disabilities were often stigmatised or used as the butt of jokes. It is a testament to Ann Hui On-wah’s skill that she not only managed to get 1995’s Summer Snow produced, but also made the result so palatable that it performed respectably at the box office. The light drama features Josephine Siao Fong-fong as a busy working woman who must... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326926/how-ann-hui-skilfully-tackled-dementia-summer-snow-award-winning-hong-kong-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3326926/how-ann-hui-skilfully-tackled-dementia-summer-snow-award-winning-hong-kong-film?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 57th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Francis Ng Chun-yu is a curious Hong Kong cinema statistic: despite being nominated six times for best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards, the local industry’s highest honour, he has never won – even though he is one of the city’s most acclaimed and versatile performers in recent decades. While his contemporaries like Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Lau Ching-wan have multiple statues to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3321980/how-francis-ng-transcended-movie-villainy-become-one-hong-kongs-most-revered-actors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3321980/how-francis-ng-transcended-movie-villainy-become-one-hong-kongs-most-revered-actors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:15:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 56th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. In the dazzling, neon-drenched heyday of 1980s and ’90s Hong Kong, when Cantopop music reigned supreme across the region and the city’s cinema captivated the world, a voice of unparalleled grace emerged: Sally Yeh Chian-wen. With her silky smooth vibrato, effortless charm and unusual bilingual appeal, Yeh transcended pop stardom to become a cultural icon. From her early days as a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3320269/when-hong-kong-singer-actress-sally-yeh-dominated-citys-music-and-cinema-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3320269/when-hong-kong-singer-actress-sally-yeh-dominated-citys-music-and-cinema-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 52nd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For an acclaimed movie star whose accolades include best actress at the Venice Film Festival, Deanie Ip Tak-han has surprisingly little regard for fame and fortune. Known for standing up for her views even if it affects her career, the actress and singer is one of the most outspoken entertainers in Hong Kong. She spoke out against the June 4, 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3313030/how-hong-kong-star-deanie-ip-went-best-actress-banned-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3313030/how-hong-kong-star-deanie-ip-went-best-actress-banned-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 23:15:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The makers of a documentary about one of the world’s toughest trail races that is set in Hong Kong said they were in talks to distribute their movie globally after it became a surprise hit. Four Trails showcases the gruelling 298-kilometre (185-mile) Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge, and a select group of trail runners who have bravely attempted it. Since its theatrical release in December, the 101-minute-long movie has pulled in more than HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) in box office... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3312091/makers-surprise-hong-kong-hit-movie-four-trails-talks-over-worldwide-distribution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3312091/makers-surprise-hong-kong-hit-movie-four-trails-talks-over-worldwide-distribution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 May 2025 07:00:23 +0000 Harvey Kong,Oscar Liu Harvey Kong,Oscar Liu Hong Kong authorities have identified nine projects involving big industrial brands, four beautiful peaks and classic local neighbourhoods to attract more tourists seeking in-depth trips to the city. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, who chairs the Working Group on Developing Tourist Hotspots, unveiled the list of projects on Tuesday after six months of preparation, saying the destinations were filled with Hong Kong characteristics and featured new experiences. “All these projects... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3311053/hong-kong-unveils-9-projects-featuring-local-brands-4-peaks-draw-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3311053/hong-kong-unveils-9-projects-featuring-local-brands-4-peaks-draw-tourists?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 May 2025 07:33:38 +0000 Mabel Lui Mabel Lui This is the 50th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Hong Kong singer and actress Gigi Leung Wing-kei, who is best known as a 1990s Cantopop sweetheart, has had a dynamic career spanning three decades. Initially viewed as an innocent “girl next door” following her appearance in Derek Yee Tung-sing’s action drama Full Throttle (1995) and the release of her first two music albums, she has since established herself as a well-rounded... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3309725/how-hong-kong-star-gigi-leung-went-innocent-girl-next-door-all-round-entertainer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3309725/how-hong-kong-star-gigi-leung-went-innocent-girl-next-door-all-round-entertainer?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Vincenzo La Torre Vincenzo La Torre Just three hours after attending the Hong Kong Film Awards clad in a shimmery dress from Chanel, actress Fala Chen jumped on a flight to Italy. A close friend of the French maison, Chen was headed to Lake Como for the unveiling of Chanel’s 2025-26 cruise collection. The actress, who starred in Hollywood blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) – and more recently, in the psychological thrillers Peg O’ My Heart (2024), a Hong Kong production, and the upcoming The Ballad of a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3308779/fala-chens-chanel-2025-26-cruise-collection-adventure-cinematic-lake-como-marvel-star-hung-out-sofia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3308779/fala-chens-chanel-2025-26-cruise-collection-adventure-cinematic-lake-como-marvel-star-hung-out-sofia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 May 2025 03:53:07 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong The city’s highest-grossing Chinese-language movie, The Last Dance, emerged as a big winner at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday evening, while kung fu smash hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In took the top prize. The ceremony culminated in Twilight of the Warriors claiming the award for best film, while the best actor and actress prizes went to Sean Lau Ching-wan and Michelle Wai Sze-nga. Soi Cheang Pou-soi, 52, was named best director, for Twilight, for the second year in a row... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3308106/teen-crowned-best-newcomer-hong-kong-film-awards-role-papa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3308106/teen-crowned-best-newcomer-hong-kong-film-awards-role-papa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:20:02 +0000 This is the 49th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Hong Kong users of the social media platform Threads recently might have encountered a certain Choi San-keung, a sleep-deprived, middle-aged taxi driver who regularly engages with other internet users and shares his nightmares with them. Choi, who has been active since March, has also been spotted on in the Hong Kong subway on an MTR train, on the streets and in cinemas. This... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307935/how-hong-kong-actor-and-filmmaker-nick-cheung-reinvented-himself-during-4-decade-career?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307935/how-hong-kong-actor-and-filmmaker-nick-cheung-reinvented-himself-during-4-decade-career?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Apr 2025 10:34:03 +0000 Among the five best things we have found to do in Hong Kong this weekend is sampling Japanese ice cream and getting a taste of the city’s underground music scene. 1. Japan’s Harlow Ice Cream and Beyond Coffee Roasters at Snack Baby With the warmer weather this week, there is no better time to treat yourself to a scoop or two of ice cream. While Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood has an abundance of ice cream parlours, this weekend you’ll want to head to Snack Baby on Hollywood Road to sample... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3307934/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-25-27-including-dog-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3307934/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-25-27-including-dog-run?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:18:07 +0000 Even if the filmmakers behind The Last Dance and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In were to shock everyone and take home zero trophies at the end of the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) ceremony this Sunday, it is safe to assume they would still feel like winners. Anselm Chan Mou-yin’s funeral-themed family drama (18 nominations) and Soi Cheang Pou-soi’s Kowloon Walled City-set martial arts epic (14) have made an incredible amount of money, becoming the top and third-highest grossing Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307436/hong-kong-film-awards-2025-predictions-twilight-warriors-last-dance-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3307436/hong-kong-film-awards-2025-predictions-twilight-warriors-last-dance-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:20:17 +0000 This article contains spoilers. 4/5 stars The highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time returns for another crack at the local box office with this extended version, which starts screening on April 4 – just in time for the Ching Ming Festival – with 12 minutes of previously unseen footage. The Last Dance revolves around Dominic (Dayo Wong Tze-wah), a debt-ridden wedding planner who tries his hand at being a funeral agent out of desperation, and Master Man (Michael Hui Koon-man), a Taoist... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3304829/last-dance-extended-version-movie-review-should-you-catch-these-deleted-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3304829/last-dance-extended-version-movie-review-should-you-catch-these-deleted-scenes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2025 02:45:13 +0000 This is the 46th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Ten years ago, if you asked the average Hongkonger to describe Fala Chen, they would say she was a pretty face on Hong Kong television station TVB, one who joined the city’s entertainment industry after winning a beauty pageant. Now she is known as one of only a few Hong Kong screen stars to have made it in Hollywood, thanks to international blockbusters such as Shang-Chi and the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3302255/fala-chens-journey-american-beauty-queen-hong-kong-actress-hollywood-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3302255/fala-chens-journey-american-beauty-queen-hong-kong-actress-hollywood-star?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2025 23:15:08 +0000 This is the latest instalment in a feature series reflecting on instances of East meets West in world cinema, including China-US co-productions. International co-productions, where two or more countries join forces to fund a film, usually end up being less than the sum of their parts. Outside interference can water down an original vision; more often, an attempt to increase the global box office proves incompatible with good filmmaking. A welcome exception to the rule is the 2009 film Vengeance,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:07 +0000 Explore the compelling stories of five visionary Asian directors who have been featured in PostMag over the past year. From Jia Zhangke’s portrayal of China’s economic rise and Ray Yeung’s authentic LGBTQ narratives, to Tzang Merwyn Tong’s dystopian tales, Tony Bui’s exploration of Vietnam’s iconic ‘napalm girl’, and Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s story of modern Ulaanbaatar, delve into their groundbreaking works. 1. Director Jia Zhangke’s Caught by the Tides chronicles China’s economic rise Jia’s... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3298344/directors-reshaping-asian-cinema-jia-zhangke-and-ray-yeung-tzang-merwyn-tong-and-tony-bui?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3298344/directors-reshaping-asian-cinema-jia-zhangke-and-ray-yeung-tzang-merwyn-tong-and-tony-bui?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:15:08 +0000 4.5/5 stars In his six films to date, Hong Kong writer-director Adam Wong Sau-ping has repeatedly revealed a soft spot for protagonists who are trying to understand themselves and find their place in the world. It was evident from a teenage boy’s discovery of his sexuality in Wong’s debut When Beckham Met Owen; the street-dancing dreams of university students in his breakout hit The Way We Dance; and the struggles of performing artists in navigating Hong Kong’s urban spaces in The Way We Keep... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299278/way-we-talk-movie-review-chung-suet-ying-shines-deaf-woman-new-sign-language?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299278/way-we-talk-movie-review-chung-suet-ying-shines-deaf-woman-new-sign-language?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:45:07 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Legendary Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima has heaped praise on Hong Kong blockbuster Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, describing it as “absolutely incredible” as the film took off in Japan. Kojima, best known for the award-winning video game series Metal Gear and Death Stranding, said on Sunday that he recently saw the movie after eagerly waiting for so long. “I finally got to watch it! And wow, it was absolutely incredible! Just pure excitement! I feel so energised now! This is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3298960/gaming-icon-hideo-kojima-hails-hong-kong-kowloon-walled-city-film-phenomenal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3298960/gaming-icon-hideo-kojima-hails-hong-kong-kowloon-walled-city-film-phenomenal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Feb 2025 06:09:41 +0000 Hong Kong funeral rites drama The Last Dance is the clear front runner for the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards with 18 nominations, including best picture. The third feature film by director Anselm Chan, The Last Dance made waves in the city by grossing HK$122 million (US$15.7 million) in its first month of release, making it the highest-grossing Hong Kong film of all time at the local box office. Coming a close second with 14 nominations is another box office hit, the martial-arts film Twilight of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3298774/43rd-hong-kong-film-awards-nominations-make-last-dance-front-runner-19-nods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3298774/43rd-hong-kong-film-awards-nominations-make-last-dance-front-runner-19-nods?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:35:12 +0000 This is the 44th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Faye Wong reigned supreme as Hong Kong’s diva of the 1990s. Her distinctive voice, artistic integrity, aversion to celebrity and unique style cemented her status.. While many will recognise her from her cover of The Cranberries’ track “Dreams” or her vocals on “Eyes on Me” (the theme song for the video game Final Fantasy VIII), her breakthrough came with her fourth studio album,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3298584/faye-wongs-career-cantopop-singer-and-actress-and-her-very-public-romances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3298584/faye-wongs-career-cantopop-singer-and-actress-and-her-very-public-romances?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Feb 2025 23:15:08 +0000 This is the 43rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Gordon Lam Ka-tung is an exception in the age of “nepo babies”, influencers and pop singers branching out and invading the film industry as actors. He is a true grass-roots act, a man who toiled on the sidelines before finally gaining widespread recognition after a full three decades in the acting business when, at the age of 50, he won his first best film actor award for his role in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3296870/who-gordon-lam-ka-tung-hong-kong-actor-and-producer-who-took-long-road-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3296870/who-gordon-lam-ka-tung-hong-kong-actor-and-producer-who-took-long-road-success?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jan 2025 04:45:07 +0000 Soi Cheang Pou-soi’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In has been voted the best Hong Kong film of 2024 by a panel of critics, the Hong Kong Film Critics Society announced on January 13. The best picture win for the film, a mega-budget martial arts spectacle that combines an exhilarating display of bone-crunching violence with an immersive recreation of the sights and sounds of the Kowloon Walled City, is the third such honour for Cheang in four years, after Limbo topped the same awards in 2022... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3294583/twilight-warriors-wins-best-picture-2024-hong-kong-film-critics-society-awards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3294583/twilight-warriors-wins-best-picture-2024-hong-kong-film-critics-society-awards?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:15:07 +0000 This is the 41sh instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. If you have been in Hong Kong in the past few months, then chances are you may have seen – or at least heard of – a little movie called The Last Dance. A poignant drama set around the city’s funeral trade, this unconventional film stars beloved comedian and actor Dayo Wong Tze-wah as a failed businessman who stumbles upon the morbid enterprise of running Taoist funerals. It may... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3293229/who-dayo-wong-stand-comedian-and-hong-kong-box-office-king-his-rocky-road-fame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3293229/who-dayo-wong-stand-comedian-and-hong-kong-box-office-king-his-rocky-road-fame?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2025 04:51:07 +0000 From Donald Trump’s bid to sell an overpriced yacht and an ancient Chinese version of Taylor Swift, to Hong Kong martial arts legend Sammo Hung and the untimely death of iconic singer Teresa Teng, here are our favourite, most-read online stories of the year from PostMag, formerly known as Post Magazine. 1. When Donald Trump tried to sell for US$115 million a yacht he bought for US$30 million from the Sultan of Brunei In 1990, Donald Trump attempted to sell the Trump Princess yacht for US$115... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3291721/our-most-read-postmag-stories-2024-donald-trumps-yacht-sale-martial-arts-star-sammo-hung-and-taylor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3291721/our-most-read-postmag-stories-2024-donald-trumps-yacht-sale-martial-arts-star-sammo-hung-and-taylor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:15:08 +0000 It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Such was the unusually volatile nature of the Hong Kong film business in 2024 that both statements are certifiably correct when it comes to assessing the state of the city’s filmmaking industry. Right after we published our 2023 film ranking a year ago this week and sounded an optimistic note about the outlook for the industry, a harsh reality check arrived a few days later with the news that Hong Kong box office takings over the Christmas... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3292150/hong-kong-films-released-2024-ranked-worst-best-led-last-dance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3292150/hong-kong-films-released-2024-ranked-worst-best-led-last-dance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Dec 2024 10:14:21 +0000 This is the 38th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. With a singing and acting career that spans almost three decades, Cantopop star and film actress Miriam Yeung Chin-wah has long been a notable figure in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. She has appeared in over 40 films and released more than 40 Cantonese and Mandarin albums. In 2019, however, Yeung experienced a spectacular fall from grace after declaring herself a Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3287569/why-miriam-yeung-leading-hong-kong-singer-and-actress-lost-her-whole-self-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3287569/why-miriam-yeung-leading-hong-kong-singer-and-actress-lost-her-whole-self-while?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:15:12 +0000 This is the 37th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. There is a Cantonese slang phrase for men who are less successful than their female spouses, “eating soft rice”, which describes when a man is perceived to be financially reliant on a woman. In the 2000s and 2010s, that expression was unfairly associated with singer and actor Louis Cheung Kai-chung in sensationalist tabloid media headlines about his relationship with pop singer Kay... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3285269/how-hong-kong-actor-louis-cheung-emerged-shadow-his-singer-wife-kay-tse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3285269/how-hong-kong-actor-louis-cheung-emerged-shadow-his-singer-wife-kay-tse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Nov 2024 23:15:07 +0000 This is the 36th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. When child actors are mentioned, tales of children falling victim to adult greed, losing themselves to media attention or even succumbing to addiction come to mind. Josephine Siao Fong-fong avoided such pitfalls. Born Xiao Liang in Shanghai in 1947, she moved to Hong Kong with her parents when she was two years old. Her father died the following year, and Siao began acting at the age... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3283491/who-josephine-siao-how-popular-hong-kong-actress-went-child-star-activist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3283491/who-josephine-siao-how-popular-hong-kong-actress-went-child-star-activist?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Oct 2024 23:15:07 +0000 This is the 35th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. As one of the “Four Heavenly Kings” of Cantopop, Jacky Cheung Hok-yau is among the most famous and enduring faces in Hong Kong entertainment history. The pop music icon, who is nicknamed the “God of Songs” for his vocal talent, shot to fame in the early 1990s after releasing a string of soulful ballads that showcased his rich baritone voice. Before long, the singer gained... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3281834/how-singer-and-actor-jacky-cheung-became-one-greats-hong-kong-entertainment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3281834/how-singer-and-actor-jacky-cheung-became-one-greats-hong-kong-entertainment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Oct 2024 23:15:08 +0000 Founded and led by veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To Kei-fung, the Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival, now in its 18th year, has always aimed to nurture local talent. This year, however, has been a little tougher without its usual sources of funding. And for a local festival that punches above its weight, that stings. Among the winners of the best new director at the Hong Kong Film Awards between 2017 to 2024, six had previously taken part in Fresh Wave: Nick Cheuk Yik-him (Time... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3278725/whats-future-filmmaking-hong-kong-years-fresh-wave-film-festival-winners-telling-personal-stories?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3278725/whats-future-filmmaking-hong-kong-years-fresh-wave-film-festival-winners-telling-personal-stories?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Sep 2024 03:15:13 +0000 This is the 32nd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Known to many in Hong Kong by her nickname “Jade Girl”, Vivian Chow Wai-man was one of the most beloved Cantopop singers of the 1990s. Famous for her love songs, she was also known for her acting roles and wholesome, good-girl persona, which allowed her to maintain popularity over the years. Although she declared her retirement from the entertainment industry in 1997, she has made... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3276356/how-hong-kong-singer-and-actress-vivian-chow-became-beloved-cantopop-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3276356/how-hong-kong-singer-and-actress-vivian-chow-became-beloved-cantopop-star?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Aug 2024 23:11:12 +0000 His tall, lanky frame is instantly recognisable, whether he is playing crooks or cops, waiters or executives. Since his debut in 1973, Tai Bo has appeared in, by his count, well over 250 films. Whether it’s a thriller, comedy, martial-arts blockbuster, or an indie passion project, he brings the same skill and professionalism to every role. Over his career, the actor has shifted from playing underlings, thugs and triad members to dramatic, award-winning roles. His recent roles have run the gamut... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3271495/jackie-chan-stuntman-hong-kong-film-awards-best-actor-tai-bo-tells-his-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3271495/jackie-chan-stuntman-hong-kong-film-awards-best-actor-tai-bo-tells-his-story?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2024 08:15:07 +0000 This is the 29th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. George Lam Chi-cheung is one of the most prolific Cantopop singer-songwriters of all time. The entertainment veteran, also affectionately known to fans as Ah Lam, rose to prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits like “Need You Every Minute” and “Ah Lam’s Diary”. Now 76 years old, the singer is still actively performing, and often seen showing off his wide vocal range in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3270750/how-cantopop-singer-songwriter-george-lam-stayed-popular-5-decades-being-himself?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3270750/how-cantopop-singer-songwriter-george-lam-stayed-popular-5-decades-being-himself?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 23:15:08 +0000 This is the 28th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. One of the most well-known Hong Kong actresses of the 21st century, Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi’s trajectory in show business has taken many unexpected twists since her debut at the age of 18. The past 26 years have seen Cheung win two Hong Kong Film Awards, dabble in singing, survive various family-, work- and sex-related scandals, take long breaks for motherhood and subsequently become... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3269165/cecilia-cheung-hong-kong-actress-sex-scandal-victim-and-chinese-social-media-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3269165/cecilia-cheung-hong-kong-actress-sex-scandal-victim-and-chinese-social-media-star?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2024 23:15:09 +0000 This is the 27th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. When people talk about influential figures in Hong Kong’s pop music scene, especially this century, Eason Chan Yick-shun’s name is one that often comes up. Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1974. He went to the UK to study architecture at Kingston University London – his father was a chief government building services engineer – but, against his father’s wishes, dropped out of school to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3267174/eason-chan-hong-kong-actor-and-singer-whos-never-been-afraid-court-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3267174/eason-chan-hong-kong-actor-and-singer-whos-never-been-afraid-court-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2024 23:15:08 +0000 Hong Kong film star Louis Koo Tin-lok has been sued by a business partner who claims he failed to repay a loan of HK$8.3 million (US$1.1 million) arising from a fashion joint venture more than a decade ago. Alex Dong Choi-chi, film producer, investor and chairman of entertainment group Sunny Side Up Culture, also asked the High Court in the civil claim to order the 53-year-old actor and director to surrender half of the stakes of an offshore firm investing in a Chinese restaurant in Causeway... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3266299/hong-kong-star-louis-koo-sued-over-alleged-failure-repay-hk83-million-loan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3266299/hong-kong-star-louis-koo-sued-over-alleged-failure-repay-hk83-million-loan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2024 07:35:24 +0000 This is the 26th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Joey Wong Cho-yee, also known as Joey Wong Cho-yin and Joey Wang, is one of the most well-known actresses of the 1980s and 90s Hong Kong entertainment scene. One of the “four flowers” of Hong Kong cinema – along with Maggie Cheung Man-yuk, Cherie Chung Chor-hung and Rosamund Kwan Chi-lam – the Taiwanese actress shot to fame after starring in A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) and became... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3265468/whos-joey-wong-she-acted-jackie-chan-leslie-cheung-hong-kong-films-golden-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3265468/whos-joey-wong-she-acted-jackie-chan-leslie-cheung-hong-kong-films-golden-age?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2024 23:15:09 +0000 3/5 stars The life and work of one of Hong Kong’s most respected film critics, programmers and historians is vividly recalled in Cinema Strada, a self-indulgent but nonetheless fascinating look at the city’s volatile political climate, as well as the evolution of cinema in general, mainly between the 1950s and 8os. Presented by Law Kar himself, who is credited as a co-writer alongside director and editor Donna Ong, the documentary film is less a clear-eyed portrait of its subject than a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3260631/cinema-strada-movie-review-hong-kong-film-critic-and-historian-law-kar-narrates-his-view-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3260631/cinema-strada-movie-review-hong-kong-film-critic-and-historian-law-kar-narrates-his-view-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Apr 2024 10:45:17 +0000 Court drama A Guilty Conscience, the highest-grossing local movie in the city’s cinema history, picked up the top prize at the prestigious Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday. As expected, crime thriller The Goldfinger was the night’s big winner grabbing six awards, with Tony Leung Chiu-wai receiving the best actor prize for the sixth time. The presentation ceremony for the awards, widely regarded as the local equivalent of the Oscars, was held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3258980/stars-bring-glitz-and-glamour-hong-kong-film-awards-goldfinger-widely-tipped-big-winner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3258980/stars-bring-glitz-and-glamour-hong-kong-film-awards-goldfinger-widely-tipped-big-winner?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Apr 2024 14:16:02 +0000 There was a time when Sammo Hung Kam-bo, one of the world’s great martial arts film stars, and, for a long time the only overweight one, was slender enough to play Sun Wukong, the fabled character also known as Monkey King. But that was when he was around 12 years old. Hung was training under Peking opera master Yu Jim-yuen at the time, and his itineraries often saw him shuttling between film sets – where he would work as a child actor or an extra – and the Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park (or Lai... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3258746/hong-kong-martial-arts-film-icon-sammo-hung-his-career-stars-including-donnie-yen-bruce-lee-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3258746/hong-kong-martial-arts-film-icon-sammo-hung-his-career-stars-including-donnie-yen-bruce-lee-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Apr 2024 23:45:16 +0000 This is the 22nd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Sandra Ng Kwan-yue has been a respected film actress and producer for so long, it may be easy to forget that she started as a comedian who was used to playing “unattractive” supporting roles on TV in the 1980s. Ng was born in 1965 the daughter of actor and TV presenter Kenneth Ng Kam-tsun (better known as Ha Chun Chau), and attended the prestigious St Stephen’s Girls’ College, one of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3258592/every-day-im-striving-hong-kong-filmmaker-sandra-ngs-evolution-playing-funny-hag-lauded-producer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3258592/every-day-im-striving-hong-kong-filmmaker-sandra-ngs-evolution-playing-funny-hag-lauded-producer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Apr 2024 23:15:13 +0000