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Wong Kar-wai
TOPIC
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Wong Kar-wai

Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai is an internationally renowned Hong Kong film director.
Born
17 Jul 1958
Industry
Entertainment, Film
Job Title
Filmmaker
Wing Shya, Hong Kong-based photographer, artist and director, in Tai Hang. Photo: Alexander Mak
My Life

Wing Shya: photographer to Wong Kar-wai on working with the great and good of Hong Kong cinema

Wing Shya’s candid Hong Kong photography journey – from street snaps to Wong Kar-wai collaborations, Leslie Cheung portraits and iconic film stills – reveals art born of instinct, accident and unwavering passion.

What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, September 4-6

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Asian cinema

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

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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 actress Maggie Cheung poses for a picture in 1991. Cheung was prolific between 1984 and 2010, appearing in dozens of films as a pretty “vase” character and later proving her range in more demanding roles. Photo: SCMP/TVB Weekly
Hong Kong culture

Opinion | Why securing Hong Kong’s economic future is a cultural question

One-off events are not enough for a city in dire need of a cultural revival that nurtures its subcultures and lets future creators thrive.

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Art Basel

How Wong Kar-wai’s noir films inspire Nicole Eisenman’s Hong Kong view

Ahead of her first Asia solo exhibition, held at Hauser & Wirth, the artist trades global headlines for moodier, introspective canvases.

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Art

Painter Eunnam Hong explores identity through haunting self-portraits

The New York-based Korean artist cites filmmakers Wong Kar-wai, John Cassavetes and Hong Sang-soo, and painter Elizabeth Peyton as inspirations.

This woman’s mukbang (2024) by Brooklyn-based Korean artist Eunnam Hong shows a mysterious woman with flamboyantly curled hair that appears in much of her work – a woman that is in fact the artist herself, in costume. Photo: Kunning Huang
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Leslie Cheung broke all the rules to become a Hong Kong superstar

The music and cinema legend’s artistry, vulnerability and defiance in a conservative Asian society forever reshaped Hong Kong pop culture.

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On Our Radar

Hong Kong International Film Festival brings out the big guns for its 50th year

The city’s flagship cinema event marks its Golden Jubilee with a global slate, major auteurs and a spotlight on Asian storytelling.

Art

In their words: Wing Shya recalls 20 years of style highs in Hong Kong

The Wong Kar-wai collaborator reflects on the city’s evolving style, memorable fashion shoots and local trendsetters like Vivienne Tam and Yat Pit.

Photographer, artist and director Wing Shya is a regular contributor to top fashion and art magazines. Photo: Handout
Interiors

This refurbished home is a love letter to old Shanghai

A Hong Kong designer transforms his late aunt’s flat with 1930s East-meets-West glamour.

An old Shanghai-style flat. Photo: courtesy hoo
European cinema

Why this French film star just had to visit Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions

In town for the Hong Kong French Film Festival, Garance Marillier discusses her ‘must visit’ list and acting with Angelina Jolie in Couture.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 Hong Kong romance films that pushed the boundaries

Sci-fi story Saviour of the Soul, fantasy tale Anna Magdalena and the provocative Isabella went outside the norm for Hong Kong romances.

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Shirley Kwan, Cantopop’s complex ‘queen of cool’, is a star like no other

Kwan experienced a meteoric rise followed by an artistic metamorphosis in the 1990s, before personal struggles began to take the spotlight.

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Shirley Kwan (left) sings at the JVC Hits Award presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Coliseum in January 1996. Photo: SCMP
From our archives

On This Day | Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love opens in Hong Kong in 2000 – SCMP archive

On September 29, 2000, the Hong Kong director’s celebrated cinematic love story was screened in theatres across the city for the first time.

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Tony Leung Chiu-wai in the film “In The Mood For Love”. Photo: Jet Tone Production
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Carina Lau became a top film star and her best movies

Despite her many supporting parts, Lau’s ability to put her mark on her work means she’s always great to watch. We look back at her career.

Trending in China

Profile | Xin Zhilei, Venice Film Festival best actress, from poverty to Donnie Yen protégé

Ex-schoolgirl waitress from poverty-stricken background who climbed ladder of celebrity says she is driven by ‘desire and ambition’.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Profile | How Chinese star Xin Zhilei, best actress winner at Venice, rose to the top

Xin Zhilei discusses her acting journey, her historic win for The Sun Rises on Us All and what it was like working with Wong Kar-wai.

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Chinese actress Xin Zhilei on the red carpet for The Sun Rises on Us All at the 82nd International Venice Film Festival. Photo: AFP
Asian cinema: Chinese films

China’s Xin Zhilei creates history with Venice Film Festival best actress gong

Award for role in The Sun Rises on Us All makes 39-year-old the first Chinese woman to win the honour in 14 years.

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In Good Taste

What inspires this auctioneer and modern art expert off the clock

Formerly Sotheby’s head of modern art, auctioneer Felix Kwok talks about his favourite painting, the power of positivity – and more.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Wong Kar-wai’s The Hand made the 2004 anthology Eros worth watching

The Hong Kong director’s segment from the three-part erotic anthology Eros outshone those by Steven Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni.

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Chang Chen (left) and Gong Li in a still from The Hand, Wong Kar-wai’s segment in the anthology film Eros (2004). Photo: SCMPost
Hong Kong society

Discover Hong Kong’s Wan Chai: free literature-themed tour on write track

Participants can explore district’s historic buildings and other landmarks through the eyes of local writers during six sessions in August.

A tour guide leads a group around historic sites in Wan Chai. Photo: Handout
Celebrity style

Style according to … designer Chet Lo, famous for his spiky knitwear

Lo wears a mix of Byredo Mumbai Noise and Gabar 02 Ground perfumes, and lists The Standard hotel and the Tate Modern among his favourite hangs in his hometown of London.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 Andy Lau movies that show Hong Kong actor’s action chops

In the 2000s, Lau added action star to his CV with roles involving martial arts, guns and gangsters. Three films show his versatility.

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Hong Kong culture

Opinion | Why seeing Hong Kong through Wong Kar-wai’s lens matters

Hong Kong doesn’t need to chase the sameness of Coldplay concerts and viral trends. It needs to be assured in its own taste.

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A view of a food stall in Central in 2020. Whether it’s incense coils, plastic stools or the beauty of a Wong Kar-wai film, Hong Kong is capable of absorbing global aesthetic influences and expressing them in a vocabulary that feels local and lived in. Photo: Dickson Lee
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Recap | Hong Kong cinema legends and greats open up about their careers

What’s it like working with Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat, Jackie Chan, Dwayne Johnson, John Woo and Wong Kar-wai? These film and TV legends tell all.

Tim Yip in his studio in Beijing, China. The art director, who got his start on John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow and won an Oscar for his art direction on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is focused more on art than movies nowadays. Photo: Simon Song
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

What’s ‘extended’ in new In the Mood for Love 4K special cinema edition?

Wong Kar-wai’s 2000 masterpiece returns to Hong Kong cinemas this week for the film’s 25th anniversary with nine minutes of new footage.

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Art

It’s showtime for 4 must-see art exhibitions this week

This week’s thought-provoking shows from the queer cosmos of ‘How to be Happy Together?’ to exploring human destiny in ‘Veering’ and more.

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