Ann Hui’s mid-career return to form—the multiple award-winning Summer Snow—marked a cultural moment in 1990s Hong Kong for its compassionate portrayal of the joys and challenges of caregiving, as well as its nod to traditional family dynamics. Josephine Siao is luminous in her Berlinale Best Actress-winning role as May, a housewife and a working mother who cleverly deals with the daily onslaught of relatable problems at work and at home. With the unexpected passing of her mother-in-law (Tam Sin-hung), she has the additional responsibility of caring for her mischievous father-in-law (Roy Chiao), who is recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and only recognises May. The film’s stellar ensemble cast of veteran actors renders life’s ordinary moments with grace and humour, where daily banter becomes words to live by. With this first collaboration with Ann Hui, Mark Lee Ping-Bing won Best Cinematography at the Golden Horse Awards, elevating a story of a typical family into a transcendent portrait of strength, forgiveness, and resilience, and capturing the specific intricacies of life in Hong Kong.

Mark Lee Ping-Bing, the cinematographer of Summer Snow, will introduce the screening on 28 November in Mandarin.

Ann Hui (b. 1947, Liaoning) started her film career as a key figure of the Hong Kong New Wave. While her films span diverse genres, her approach consistently adheres to realism. Her debut feature, The Secret (1979), drew inspiration from a real-life murder case, while the award-winning Boat People (1982) brought the situation of Vietnamese refugees to international attention. Her work often incorporates autobiographical elements. In Song of the Exile (1990) and As Time Goes By (1997), her personal memories serve as points of departure to investigate displacement and the legacy of lives set adrift in the search for roots. She also demonstrates a deep interest in urban life and the social struggles of ordinary people in Hong Kong, as seen in The Way We Are (2008) and Night and Fog (2009). Her ability to direct actors and craft memorable female characters has garnered many Best Actress accolades for major stars, including Josephine Siao in Summer Snow and Deanie Ip in A Simple Life (2011). Her recent works include The Golden Era (2014), Our Time Will Come (2017), Love After Love (2020), and Elegies (2023), a documentary about Hong Kong poets.