Visible Secrets: Hong Kong's Women Filmmakers October 8, 2009

This autumn, Manchester's Cornerhouse will showcase the work of female directors from Hong Kong as part of Visible Secrets: Hong Kong's Women Filmmakers. The season will celebrate the imagination and vibrancy of these directors and their work through an exciting programme of screenings, events and special guests.

From the auteur to the avant-garde, Hong Kong cinema has a strong tradition of women working behind the camera. Surprisingly, however, most of their workhas rarely been seen in the UK. Addressing this omission Visible Secrets presents a selection of UK premieres, showcasing the contemporary films of Ann Hui,one of the best known women filmmakers currently working in Hong Kong and introducing new directors including Yan Yan Mak, Barbara Wong, Aubrey Lam and Tsang Tsui Shan. The season will include a strand of documentary films - don't miss Mabel Cheung's fascinating look at Jackie Chan's family and his upbringing in Hong Kong - and a selection of visually stunning shorts.

Opening Gala

Visible Secrets will open with a Gala screening of Angie Chen's This Darling Life (2008) on Fri 9 October. Chen, a former assistant director for Jackie Chan, will be present to introduce her film, a heartfelt series of interviews by the filmmaker, which looks at how the protagonists' relationships with their pets lead them to question their lives, loves and decisions. Following the screening, Chen will be present for Q&A, giving audiences the chance to learn more about this very personal film - her first in over two decades.

Ann Hui 's film Visible Secret was the inspiration for the title of the season, which will showcase a selection of her films. Focusing on her work from the lastdecade, it will offer a chance to see the development of this acclaimed director, from Visible Secret (2001) to Night and Fog (2008) which opened this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival and looks set to become one of the most critically applauded films of Hui's varied career.

Special Guest

Visible Secrets Special Guest is award winning director Yan Yan Mak. Mak will introduce her new documentary The Decameron (2009) on Sat 31 October. For this engaging documentary Mak has worked with Canto-pop star Denise Ho to raise the profile of mental illness and examine the attitudes of Hong Kong society towards it. Also, look out for Mak's highly acclaimed feature film Butterfly (2004), screening as part of Visible Secrets' Float ing Landscapes: NewDirectors strand, which reveals the range of vibrant work being produced by a new generation of Hong Kong women filmmakers.

Other highlights include:

Tsang Tsui Shan will be present (Fri 30 October) to introduce her debut, award-winning feature Lovers on the Road (2008), a contemplative story of a young woman who moves to Beijing with her boyfriend, and embarks on a project to interview other outsiders about the city and what they miss. To close the Manchester season (Tue 3 November) acclaimed screenwriter Ivy Ho will present a Gala screening of her directorial debut Claustrophobia (2008), an intriguing narrative about the relationship between two ordinary office workers, Tom and Pearl, and their colleagues with whom they share a ride to work. The film will also launch the nationwide tour of Visible Secrets at a special gala screening at Curzon, Mayfair in London on Mon 2 November.

For the full programme of films and events and tour venue details as well as podcasts and interviews visit www.cornerhouse.org/visiblesecrets