The Secret
A rare screening of the debut feature by legendary Hong Kong director Ann Hui, digitally restored to its original splendour
Garden Cinema, London | 9 June, 2024 4:00 pm
Hailed as one of the most important filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave, director, producer, screenwriter and actress Ann Hui is known for deeply humanistic works exploring a wide range social issues, in particular the stories of women. The recipient of a long list of awards at prestigious festivals, including a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice in 2020, Hui’s films all have in common a blend of moving storytelling, grounded drama and cinematic poetry that has touched audiences around the world. Despite this, relatively few of her films have screened or are available to view in the UK, a sad state of affairs which has left many of her key works unseen.
The Celebrating Ann Hui Season gives audiences a chance to explore Hui’s career from her debut through to her most recent work, offering a comprehensive programme of films from different stages of her cinematic practice on the big screen. Films include a rare screening of her little-seen but highly acclaimed feature debut The Secret (1979), award-winning refugee drama Boat People (1982), Summer Snow (1995) and A Simple Life (2011), moving mediations on the nature of family and generational differences, and Elegies (2023), a long-planned passion project delving into Hong Kong history and culture through her love of poetry.
The season finishes with a look back at Hui’s work through a special screening of Man Lim-chung’s acclaimed documentary Keep Rolling (2020), featuring interviews and archival footage exploring her forty years in the film industry against the backdrop of a changing Hong Kong.
This season is a joint presentation by Focus Hong Kong and The Garden Cinema’s Chinese Cinema Project strand.
