Movie Catalogue

Center Stage

Center Stage

Director: Stanley Kwan
Cast: Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Carina Lau
Production Year: 1992
Duration: 115 mins
Award(s): 1992 Berlin International Film Festival - Best Actress : Maggie Cheung
1992 Chicago International Film Festival - Best Artress : Maggie Cheung
1991 Golden Horse Awards - Best Actress: Maggie Cheung
1991 Golden Horse Awards - Best Cinematography
1993 HK Film Awards - Best Actress: Maggie Cheung
1993 HK Film Awards - Best Cinematography
1993 HK Film Awards - Best Art Direction
1993 HK Film Awards - Best Theme Song


The multi-award-winning biopic about the famed 1930s Chinese actress Ruan Ling Yu; Stanley Kwan’s Center Stage firmly put Maggie Cheung on the road to stardom.

In this biopic set during China’s silent movie era, Center Stage details the tragic life of gifted actress Ruan Ling Yu. Ruan entered the film world at the age of 16, and in the short span of nine years made 29 silent movies and became an idol. As she rose to fame, she also rose to infamy with scandals over her private life, eventually leading her to take her own life in 1935.

In addition to the central drama, scenes from actual films starring Ruan Ling Yu are used, with the actors in the biopic occasionally stepping out of character to address the camera - recounting significant facts about the individualsm whose lives they are playing, and the nature of those times in China.