The Cinema of Ann Hui
Aesthetics, Gender, and Displacement
Zhaoyu Zhu editor Weiting Fan editor Xueyan Cheng editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:6th Aug '26
£24.99
This title is due to be published on 6th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
An in-depth study of Ann Hui's cinema, focusing on film aesthetics and genre, the construction of femininity, and the rendition of displacement and diaspora.
A central figure in Hong Kong cinema since her debut with The Secret (1979), Ann Hui was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in 2020. This book explores her distinctive narrative strategies and visual style, with particular attention to gender representation and the depiction of displacement within diasporic communities.
Bringing together essays by an international group of contributors, the volume offers a comprehensive analysis of Hui's filmmaking, from early televisual works such as The Boy from Vietnam (1978), to her recent documentary Elegies (2023). The chapters situate her formal and aesthetic choices within the specific historical and cultural conditions of Hong Kong and its film industry, demonstrating how her cinema is shaped by, and responds to, these contexts.
The book also explores Hui's sustained engagement with gender and sexuality in films including Summer Snow (1995), All About Love (2010) and Our Time Will Come (2017), underscoring her creative agency as a female auteur. By reworking Chinese aesthetic traditions to reimagine femininity and female subjectivity, Hui’s films are positioned here as open-ended and multifaceted. In doing so, the volume deepens our understanding of Hong Kong and Chinese-language cinema, the representation of women on screen, and the ongoing reconfiguration of Hong Kong’s cultural identity through the work of a globally recognised filmmaker.
This wonderful collection is as diverse and multi-faceted in its analytical approaches as Ann Hui’s films are! With sections on her literary adaptations, work in different media, Hong Kong women, and the complexities of homeland and diaspora, The Cinema of Ann Hui is the first book in English to offer comprehensive coverage of her oeuvre. Taken together, it opens our eyes to a new understanding of film authorship and creativity as ever-changing and evolving, or rhizomatic, as the editors say. * Chris Berry, Professor of Film Studies, King’s College London *
The Cinema of Ann Hui is a timely and much-needed academic collection that examines the oeuvre of one of Asia’s most significant auteurs. Engaging with a wide variety of themes, including adaptation, narrative strategies, female subjectivities and displacement, this edited collection incorporates both established and emerging academic voices, who examine the ongoing national and transnational impact of one of Hong Kong’s most important filmmakers and the rich legacy of her films. * Corey Schultz, Associate Professor, University of Nottingham Ningbo China *
ISBN: 9781350514430
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
328 pages