Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

Hong Kong cinema

Hong Kong cinema
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Hong Kong cinema. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A still from Maspalomas, one of the centrepieces of this year’s Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Photo: HKLGFF
On Our Radar

HKLGFF: 37 years of queer cinema, from Leslie Cheung to RuPaul

Asia’s longest-running international LGBTQ film festival invites Hong Kong audiences on an emotional, cinematic ride, with a revamped programming featuring six distinct ‘moods’.

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Cantopop lyricist Wyman Wong became a cultural force in Hong Kong

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

On This Day | Deanie Ip scores first best actress win for Hong Kong in Venice – SCMP archive

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

The wild days of Hong Kong’s Category III era: when sex and gore went mainstream

The adults-only, Category III rating was introduced in 1988, making stars of actresses including Shu Qi and Amy Yip.

Clockwise from left: Elvis Tsui (left) and Shu Qi in a still from Sex and Zen II (1996); Chingmy Yau Suk-ching in a still from Naked Killer (1992); Veronica Yip Yuk-hing in the film, Hidden Desire (1991); Simon Yam Tat-wah in a still from Dr Lamb (1992); Amy Yip Chi-mei in a still from Sex and Zen (1991); The Untold Story. (Pork bun murders) starring Anthony Wong.
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Remembering Lau Siu-ming, pioneering Hong Kong dancer and revered actor

From wartime refugee to classically trained dancer to on-screen villain, Ming Sir’s artistry and mentorship have shaped generations of actors.

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Josie Ho rejected her billionaire heiress destiny for indie filmmaking

Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho’s eighth child has built her own legacy as a musician, award-winning actress and movie producer.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Wakesurf Lovers: Jeffrey Ngai, Renci Yeung make a splash in uneven sports drama

Full of beautiful bodies but paper-thin characters, Fung Chih-chiang’s film about wakesurfing and cybershaming drifts nowhere in particular.

videocam
Renci Yeung (left) and Jeffrey Ngai in a still from Wakesurf Lovers (category IIB, Cantonese), directed by Fung Chih-chiang.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Ronny Yu and Jet Li made Fearless (2006) a martial arts masterpiece

Director Ronny Yu put Jet Li’s martial arts skills and acting chops to good use in this classic, blending superb fights and a human story.

videocam
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | A Mighty Adventure: wordless animation by McDull director is breezy if flawed

Hong Kong director Toe Yuen’s film about insects surviving the city is a visual marvel, though dialogue would have made it more expressive.

videocam
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Dating Menu: a drifter chef looks to connect in wistful romantic drama

Lo Chun-yip plays a chef who tries out a dating app and cooks for four very different women as he tries to get over a previous relationship.

videocam
Lo Chun-yip (left) and Crystal Cheung Man-ka in a still from The Dating Menu.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How ‘Siuyea’ Lo Chun-yip shed his indie director mindset to become a leading man

The ‘late bloomer’, who switched directing for acting in 2015, takes on his first main lead role with new film The Dating Menu.

Hong Kong actor and filmmaker Lo Chun-yip, also known as Siuyea, at an interview with the SCMP at the Golden Scene office in Jordan. Photo: SCMP/Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | Alex To’s 40-year Cantopop legacy: R&B origins, comebacks, acting triumphs

The now 64-year-old Hong Kong-born singer and actor remains one of the industry’s most enduring and unpredictable figures.

videocam
European cinema

How this British-Chinese filmmaker aims to build the Blumhouse of action

Inspired by John Woo and Chow Yun-fat, Chee Keong Cheung talks about his Action Xtreme studio and upcoming film Bad Day at the Office.

videocam
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Curry and Pepper showed Stephen Chow’s comedy genius before superstardom hit

The 1990 buddy cop film was released less than three months before All for the Winner turned Stephen Chow into a superstar in Hong Kong.

Jacky Cheung (left) and Stephen Chow in a still from Curry and Pepper (1990), a film that Chow starred in before his breakout role in the God of Gamblers spoof All for the Winner.
Asian cinema

10 must-see movies and programmes at Hong Kong’s Summer IFF 2026

This year’s Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival boasts 37 features, from regional premieres to 4K restorations of Hong Kong classics.

videocam
Hwang Jung-min in a still from Hope, one of our picks of features to catch at the 2026 Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival in Hong Kong.
Chow Yun-fat

On This Day | John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow turns 40 – SCMP archive

As A Better Tomorrow celebrates its 40th anniversary, we look back at how the film redefined the Hong Kong action genre.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

What makes the 1981 horror film The Imp such a terrifying cult classic?

Directed by Dennis Yu, The Imp blends elements of Western horror classics with Taoist beliefs to create a thoroughly modern shocker.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Daniel Wu is swapping ‘broken’ Hollywood for Hong Kong films

Wu discusses his coming films including Cold War 1995 and the Twilight of the Warriors sequel, and how Hollywood has ‘dropped diversity’.

Daniel Wu is pictured at the New York Asian Film Festival 2026. Wu is making his Hong Kong comeback as he loses optimism in a Hollywood system that feels as if it has “dropped diversity altogether”. Photo: Chris Kammerud
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Jacob Cheung’s Cageman and Intimates became his most memorable films

In Cageman, Cheung leaned on social observations and light drama. In lesbian romance Intimates, he focused on romance, not sexual passion.

videocam
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Maggie Cheung went from commercial film eye candy to art-house legend

After being cast for her looks early in her career, Cheung proved herself in serious roles, then stepped away from the industry altogether.

Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How 94-year-old Bowie Woo became Hong Kong’s ultimate evergreen entertainer

Since becoming a film star in 1953, ‘Sau Gor’ has adapted to remain a feature of Hong Kong screens, and his recent concert set a world record.

Hong Kong actor and singer Bowie Woo with his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, on April 16, 2023. Woo set a Guinness World Record in June 2026 as the oldest Chinese artist to hold a solo concert at the age of 94. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong culture

Editorial | Shi Nan-sun leaves a shining legacy in Hong Kong cinema

The trailblazing movie executive and producer was a driving force in bringing Chinese cinema to the world.

Actress Brigitte Lin (left) presents the lifetime achievement award to film producer Shi Nan-sun (centre) and director Tsui Hark at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony in Tsim Sha Tsui on April 27, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Prolific Hong Kong director Andrew Lau looks back on his most iconic films

From the Young and Dangerous series to The Storm Riders and Infernal Affairs, Andrew Lau has captivated audiences for decades.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Classic Hong Kong cinema

In this feature series on the best of Hong Kong cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved industry.

American cinema

East meets West

In this feature series, we spotlight world cinema where East meets West, including notable China-US co-productions.

A scene from Christopher Nolan’s 2008 Batman film, The Dark Knight, which was partly shot in Hong Kong. Photo: Warner Bros
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Kung Fu Soccer: Stephen Chow loses his touch with Shaolin Soccer spin-off

Dilraba Dilmurat and Zhang Xiaofei lead a team of female football martial artists in Chow’s film that falls far short of its 2001 predecessor.

videocam
Dilraba Dilmurat in a still from Kung Fu Soccer, Stephen Chow’s gender-flipped spin-off of his 2001 comedy classic Shaolin Soccer. The Hong Kong director’s first film in seven years lacks tension and has visuals that resemble AI slop.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How pioneering studio UFO redefined early-1990s Hong Kong cinema

Peter Chan’s studio revolutionised Hong Kong cinema, scoring numerous hits during its short life, such as Comrades, Almost a Love Story.

European cinema

Why flop movie Shatter is a perfect 1970s Hong Kong time capsule

Shatter, featuring Peter Cushing, Lily Li and Ti Lung, was a box office failure in 1974, but offered a glimpse of a Hong Kong in transition.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement