Ordinary Heroes (1999 film)

Ordinary Heroes is a 1999 Hong Kong drama film directed and produced by Ann Hui. Based on real-life prototypes, the film focused on social activists in the 1970s and 1980s who fought defiantly against the British Colonial government for the rights of the Yau Ma Tei boat people and their mainland wives. Mostly leftists and Communist sympathisers, their despair after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre is also highlighted.

Ordinary Heroes
film poster
Traditional千言萬語
Simplified千言万语
CantoneseCin1 Jin4 Maan6 Jyu5
LiterallyThousands of Words
Directed byAnn Hui
Produced byAnn Hui
Written byChan King-chung
Starring
Music by
  • Chiu Tsang-hei
  • Hui Yuen
CinematographyYu Lik-wai
Edited byKwong Chi-leung
Production
company
Class Limited Productions
Release date
  • 10 April 1999 (1999-04-10)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese

The Chinese title refers to a popular Teresa Teng song which played during the film. Ordinary Heroes was critically acclaimed, winning Best Picture at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 36th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan, among others.

Cast
  • Loletta Lee as Sow Fung-tai (credited as Rachel Lee)
    • Lee Kim-yu as teenaged Sow Fung-tai
  • Lee Kang-sheng as Lee Siu-tung
    • Cheung Nga-kwan as teenaged Lee Siu-tung
  • Anthony Wong as Father Kam
  • Tse Kwan-ho as Yau Ming-foon
  • Paw Hee-ching as Lee's mother
  • Lawrence Ah Mon as police officer
  • Mok Chiu-yu as street performer
  • Ann Hui as director (cameo)

Awards

It won the prestigious Best Picture award at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as five awards at the Golden Horse Film Festival, including Best Film. It was chosen as Hong Kong's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd Academy Awards, but did not manage to receive a nomination.[1] It was also entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Record 47 Countries In Oscar Contention" (Press release). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 22 November 1999. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  2. "Berlinale: 1999 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 4 February 2012.


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