Ann Hui facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ann Hui BBS MBE
Ann Hui at the Hong Kong premiere of Keep Rolling, October 2020
Born	Hui On-wah (1947-05-23) 23 May 1947 (age 78) Anshan, Liaoning, Republic of China
Alma mater	London Film School
Occupation	Film director, producer, screenwriter, actress
Years active	1979-present
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	許鞍華
Simplified Chinese	许鞍华
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xǔ Ānhuá Yue: Cantonese Jyutping heoi2 on1 waa4
Japanese name
Kanji	許 鞍華
Transcriptions Romanization Kyo Anka

Ann Hui On-wah (born 23 May 1947) is a famous film director, producer, screenwriter, and actress from Hong Kong. She is known as one of the most important filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. This was a time when many new and exciting movies were made.

Ann Hui is famous for making films about real-life problems in Hong Kong. Her movies often show stories about women, social issues, and how political changes affect people. She has won many awards for her work. She won Best Director at the Golden Horse Awards three times. She also won Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards six times.

Two of her films, Summer Snow and A Simple Life, won all the main awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards. These awards include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress. In 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited her to become a member. This is the group that gives out the Oscars!

Ann Hui's Early Life

Ann Hui was born on May 23, 1947, in Anshan, a city in China. Her mother was Japanese, and her father was Chinese. In 1952, when she was five years old, Ann moved to Macau. Later, she moved to Hong Kong.

She went to St. Paul's Convent School. Ann grew up in a traditional Chinese family. Her grandfather and father loved old Chinese literature. Because of them, Ann learned many ancient Chinese poems. When she was in college, she worked with a student theater group. She helped with small tasks and designed posters. If she had a problem, she would go to the cinema to watch a movie.

Ann Hui's Education

In 1972, Ann Hui earned a master's degree from the University of Hong Kong. She studied English and comparative literature. After that, she studied at the London Film School for two years. For her final project, she wrote about the films of Alain Robbe-Grillet, a French writer and filmmaker.

Ann Hui's Career in Film

When Ann Hui came back to Hong Kong, she worked as an assistant to a famous Chinese film director, King Hu. Then, she started working for Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). There, she wrote and directed documentaries. These included Wonderful, parts of CID, and Social Worker.

In 1977, she directed dramas for the Independent Commission Against Corruption. This group works to stop bad behavior in the government. Two of her films were very controversial and were not allowed to be shown. A year later, she directed episodes of Below the Lion Rock. This was a documentary series about people in Hong Kong. Her episode Boy from Vietnam (1978) was the first part of her "Vietnam Trilogy."

In 1979, Ann Hui directed her first full-length movie, The Secret. This film showed dark and old parts of Western District. It won her a Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film.

Films About Social Issues

In the 1980s, Ann Hui's career grew around the world. At that time, many popular films were action movies. But Ann Hui chose to make more personal films. Many of her best movies were about people who had to move to a new country. These characters often struggled to live and learn in new places. Ann Hui showed how they reacted to new environments and when they returned home.

During this time, her films were strong and often had hidden messages. They showed her care for people, especially women, and those affected by war. Her most famous films from this period are The Story of Woo Viet (1981) and Boat People (1982). These were the other two parts of her Vietnam Trilogy. Boat People won Best Film and Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Ann Hui also often explored family problems in her films. An example is her 1990 film My American Grandson.

Stories of Women and Identity

Ann Hui's focus on everyday people, especially women, became a main theme in her films. She tells stories about women's experiences. One of her most personal films is Song of the Exile (1990). This movie is partly based on her own life. It is about family connections and finding one's identity. The film shows a young woman returning to Hong Kong after studying in London. Her relationship with her Japanese mother is difficult. As they travel to her mother's hometown in Japan, they learn to understand each other better. This film won Best Director at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Award.

In the 1990s, Ann Hui also worked on more commercial films. She directed fewer movies herself. Instead, she helped other filmmakers behind the scenes. The idea of people being displaced or feeling out of place still appeared in her work. She tried to make a film about the Tiananmen Square protests but could not get enough money. Throughout her career, Ann Hui has taken risks to make powerful and important films.

Ann Hui has said she wants to make more films that raise awareness about social issues. She knows it is hard to find projects that attract investors and the public. Her goal is to make films that are interesting to watch and also make people think about social problems. She is known for making films that can be controversial. For example, some of her films show the difficulties of life in Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong. Two of these films are The Way We Are (2008) and Night and Fog (2009).

In 2021, the 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival took place. Ann Hui was one of six famous Hong Kong filmmakers who directed parts of the film Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020). Each short film in Septet tells a story from a different time period in Hong Kong.

The Vietnam Trilogy

Ann Hui's "Vietnam Trilogy" includes three films. They all focus on problems related to Vietnam. These films tell the sad stories of people who were forced to leave their homes. They struggled to find a place where they belonged during times of big changes.

• Boy from Vietnam (1978) was the first film in the trilogy. It shows a teenager illegally entering Hong Kong and trying to adjust to life there. The film highlights the difficulties immigrants faced in Hong Kong, like unfairness and prejudice. This film shows the experiences of young people who risked their lives to come to Hong Kong.
• In 1981, The Story of Woo Viet continued to explore the lives of Vietnamese boat people. Woo Viet tries many times to get into Hong Kong. He hopes to start a new life in the United States. But he gets stuck in the Philippines and becomes a hired killer to save the person he loves. This film shows the dangers of smuggling and life in refugee camps.
• In 1982, Ann Hui was allowed to film Boat People on Hainan Island in China. This was the first Hong Kong movie filmed in Communist China. The film is set in 1978, after the Communist Party took over Vietnam. It shows society and political problems after the Vietnam War through the eyes of a Japanese photojournalist.

Moving from TV to Movies

Ann Hui left television in 1979. Her first movie, The Secret, was a mystery thriller based on a real murder. It was quickly seen as an important film in the Hong Kong New Wave. The Spooky Bunch (1981) was her take on a ghost story. The Story of Woo Viet (1981) continued her Vietnam Trilogy. Ann Hui tried new camera angles and special effects. Her interest in important social issues became a key part of her later films. Boat People (1982) is the most famous of her early films. It shows the difficult situation of Vietnamese people after the Vietnam War.

In the mid-1980s, Ann Hui continued to make highly praised films. Love in a Fallen City (1984) was based on a book by Eileen Chang. She also made a two-part martial arts film, The Romance of Book and Sword (1987) and Princess Fragrance (1987). In 1990, she released The Song of Exile. This film explores feeling lost and confused when you are far from home. It also shows the challenges of different cultures and history. Just like in the film, Ann Hui's mother was Japanese.

Later Works

After a short break, Ann Hui returned with Summer Snow (1995). This film is about a woman dealing with everyday family problems. She also has to care for her father-in-law, who has Alzheimer's. In 1996, she was a judge at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.

Eighteen Springs (1997) was another film based on an Eileen Chang novel. Ann Hui's Ordinary Heroes (1999) was about social activists in Hong Kong. It won Best Feature at the Golden Horse Awards.

In 2002, her film July Rhapsody received good reviews. It was about a male teacher facing a mid-life crisis. Her 2003 film, Jade Goddess of Mercy, starred Zhao Wei and Nicholas Tse. It was based on a novel by Chinese writer Hai Yan.

In 2008, Ann Hui directed The Way We Are. This drama tells the story of a working woman who cares for her teenage son and sick mother. She becomes friends with an older woman, and they help each other.

The Way We Are was followed by Night and Fog. Both films show the daily lives of people living in public housing in Tin Shui Wai. Ann Hui explained that these films show a unique feeling about Hong Kong. She said that even if people have enough to eat, they can still feel a deep sadness.

A Simple Life (2011) was shown at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. It was nominated for the Golden Lion. The film is about the relationship between an elderly servant, Ah Tao, and Roger, a man she has cared for since he was young. It was based on a true story. The film was chosen to represent Hong Kong at the Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. Ann Hui could not afford to make A Simple Life until Andy Lau helped her. He invested money in the film because he was touched by the story.

Ann Hui's 2014 film The Golden Era was shown at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. It was a movie about the lives of writers Xiao Hong and Xiao Jun.

Our Time Will Come (2017) is a war film. It is about a resistance movement during Japan's occupation of Hong Kong. The film shows a teacher who helps smuggle out a writer. She then joins the resistance fighters. The film was released in China to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

In 2022, Ann Hui was asked to be the head judge for the 59th Golden Horse Awards. In 2024, she was also a judge at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.

Ann Hui's Style and Themes

Ann Hui often tells stories from a female point of view. Her films show the daily lives of women in Hong Kong. She creates strong female characters. In her movies, women are independent and have their own personalities. Her films are full of drama, but they do not make the audience feel hopeless. They have a sad mood, but without being negative.

In her films, there are no big fights. Instead, she uses a simple way to show the world of women. Women in her movies often feel powerless, but they do not give up. They work hard and try their best. Ann Hui's films are rich with women's feelings and show their struggles and warmth.

As a leader of Hong Kong's New Wave, Ann Hui has always tried new things. She has surprised audiences with her films. Her focus on women's stories has become her unique artistic style. As a female director, Ann Hui has created female characters in a way that is special in the Hong Kong film industry.

Her film Song of the Exile also talks about ideas of race and gender in Asian cultures. It shows how a woman's identity is shaped by her culture. When the film came out in 1990, its themes of different cultures, mixed marriages, and changing loyalties were very important. This was because Hong Kong was preparing to return to Chinese rule in 1997.

Ann Hui's films show many different types of women. Some are submissive, like Sum Ching in The Story of Woo Viet (1982) or Ling in Night and Fog (2009). These women quietly accept their fate and endure hardships. Ann Hui gives these women a lot of attention and sympathy. Her films show her deep thoughts on women's lives.

However, Ann Hui also creates female characters who are strong and rebellious. Examples include May Sun in Summer Snow (1995) and Xiao Hong in The Golden Era (2014). In these films, women are not just traditional figures. They are brave and fight for their rights.

The 2021 documentary film, Keep Rolling, gives a look into Ann Hui's life and work. It was directed by Man Lim-chung, who often works with Hui.

Ann Hui's Films

As a Director

As an Actress

Ann Hui has appeared in small roles in several films:

• Love Massacre (1981)
• Winners and Sinners (1983) - Fast food clerk
• Summer Snow (1995) - Neighbour
• Somebody Up (1996) - Teacher
• Who's the Woman, Who's the Man? (1996)
• The River (1997) - Director
• Jiang hu: The Triad Zone (2000)
• Merry-Go-Round (2001)
• Forever and Ever (2001)
• Fighting to Survive (2002)
• My Name Is Fame (2006) - Film director
• Simply Actors (2007)
• Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) - Kindergarten teacher
• Our Time Will Come (2017) - Interviewer

Ann Hui's Awards

Film Awards

Personal Awards

See Also

• List of graduates of University of Hong Kong
• List of female film and television directors
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women
• Hong Kong New Wave