The 46th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF46) will pay tribute to actor-director-producer Sandra Ng as this year’s Filmmaker-in-Focus.
Re-scheduled to August 15 – 31, the postponed HKIFF46 will celebrate NG’s illustrious career with a retrospective of ten seminal works, the publication of a commemorative book and, in collaboration with the festival’s long-term partner Moleskine, a special edition notebook. NG will also attend a Face-to-Face session to share her insights and anecdotes with the public.
Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Executive Director Albert LEE lauds NG’s chameleon-like ability to deliver memorable performances across all genres and give layered nuances and diversity to each challenging role that reflects the dynamism of modern women.
“The evolution of Sandra’s career, from acting to directing and producing, reflects her multifaceted calibre and acumen and evidences the transformation of Hong Kong cinema,” Mr LEE said. “We are proud to recognise her indelible contributions.”
A prodigiously hardworking and talented actor with over 140 films to her credit, NG lay down a marker in lowbrow comedic roles in the 1980s, following her slapstick scene-stealers in The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988) with a leading role in Love is Love (1990), co-starring with Stephen CHOW as a couple.
NG was not satisfied with being typecast in jester roles and revamped her image in the mid-90s. The self-financed experimental omnibus 4 Faces of Eve (1996) saw her efforts recognised, culminating in her first Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress win with Portland Street Blues (1998), in which she plays a gender-fluid gang leader.
Going from strength to strength, NG continues to push boundaries and challenge herself in diverse roles – as a breast cancer survivor in the unconventional romance Juliet in Love (2000), the uncanny wife of a triad boss in action-comedy Jiang Hu~ “The Triad Zone” (2000), and a dancer with a heart of gold in the musical-comedy Dance of a Dream (2001). NG reached the pinnacle of her acting career with her most iconic role as a freewheeling prostitute in Golden Chicken (2002). Directed by Samson CHIU and produced by her husband, filmmaker Peter Ho-sun CHAN, the performance earned NG the prestigious Best Leading Actress accolade at the Golden Horse Awards.
A hugely popular actor and a loving mother, NG combines her on and off-screen personae into affecting performances in Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) and Zero to Hero (2021), reflecting Hong Kong people’s streetwise wit and can-do spirit and casting a spotlight on the stamina and perseverance of the contemporary women. Beyond acting, she has expanded her career in recent years, making her directorial debut and serving as a producer, a move that firmly confirms her versatility.
The Sandra NG retrospective will feature:
The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988), directed by Wellson CHIN
Love is Love (1990), directed by Tommy LEUNG
4 Faces of Eve (1996), directed by GAN Kwok-leung, Jan LAMB, Eric KOT
Portland Street Blues (1998), directed by YIP Wai-man
Juliet in Love (2000), directed by Wilson YIP
Jiang Hu~ “The Triad Zone” (2000), directed by Dante LAM
Dance as a Dream (2001), directed by Andrew LAU
Golden Chicken (2002), directed by Samson CHIU
Echoes of the Rainbow (2010), directed by Alex LAW
Zero to Hero (2021), directed by Jimmy WAN