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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film
LifestyleEntertainment

Anita Mui biopic paints a loving portrait of Canto-pop superstar and features vivid period details of 1980s and 90s Hong Kong

  • Anita revisits the close relationships that Mui formed with her family, friends and protégés and cements her stature as a Hong Kong legend
  • The film is a pet project of Bill Kong, the boss of major Hong Kong film company Edko Films, who was a long-time friend and admirer of Mui

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Model Louise Wong plays Canto-pop star Anita Mui in the upcoming biopic Anita.
Edmund Lee

The late, great Canto-pop singer Anita Mui Yim-fong gets the big-budget biopic treatment her status deserves with the simply titled Anita, a new Hong Kong film tentatively scheduled for theatrical release in 2021.

One of the last generational superstars in the city’s entertainment industry when she died from cervical cancer on December 30, 2003, Mui was revered not just for her talent and charisma on stage and screen, but also for her big-hearted personality, which saw her contribute to charitable ventures and participate in social activism. In the process the singer touched both her legion of fans and society at large.

A lavish biopic, Anita revisits the close relationships Mui formed with her family, friends and protégés and cements her stature as a Hong Kong legend. It is written and directed by Longman Leung Lok-man, the former art director best known for co-directing the blockbuster Cold War action film series.

Making her screen debut as Anita Mui is the 31-year-old Hong Kong model Louise Wong – a casting decision years in the making for the production team. She leads an ensemble cast that includes quite a few other intriguing choices.

Two of Mui’s best friends are portrayed by Louis Koo Tin-lok and Lam Ka-tung; Koo stars as Eddie Lau Pui-kei, the fashion designer who famously served as Mui’s image consultant, while Lam plays So Hau-leung, the pianist and veteran arts administrator.

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