Esther Eng
Directing
Biography
Esther Eng (September 24, 1914 – January 25, 1970) was an American director and producer; known to be the first woman to have directed Chinese-language films in the United States, as well as South China's first woman director. As an openly lesbian woman, Esther Eng provided social commentary with a focus on the female protagonists in her works. Many of the films she has directed and produced are considered to be lost except for Golden Gate Girl (1941) and Murder in New York Chinatown (1961). First shown in the 37th Hong Kong International Film Festival, the film Golden Gate Girls (2013, dir. S. Louisa Wei) with its title borrowed from one of Esther Eng's works, is a documentary film dedicated to her legacy as a filmmaker and her life.
Known For
Chan Sipui sought refuge with relatives who owned a restaurant in New York. He later entered a relationship with his colleague, A-Heung. Sipui met Wong Yukfan, the laundry shop owner, and was captivated by her business. He devised a plan to marry Yukfan to obtain control of the laundry shop. Furthermore, Sipui aimed to deceive A-Hueng and take her money. He set up a scheme to kill Yukfan and dismember her body. However, Yukfan's daughter discovered the bloodstains and reported the incident to the police, leading to Sipui's arrest and subsequent trial.. Based on a real murder case in 1930s New York Chinatown.
Murder Case in Chinatown
The story follows a Chinese-American girl who falls for a Cantonese opera star against her father's wishes and becomes pregnant.
Golden Gate Girl
The film traces the life and times of Esther Eng, a San Francisco native known as Hong Kong’s first “directress.” She directed 10 Cantonese talkies.
Golden Gate Girls
Two people have a one-night stand.
A Night of Romance, A Lifetime of Regret
A Chinese-American aviator falls in love with an opera star named Fan in San Francisco. A jealous theater manager named Jung intervenes, threatening to send the opera star back to China
Heartaches
The first Hong Kong produced film to feature an all-female cast of 36 actresses. The ambitious project follows its 36 female characters, all of whom occupy different social positions to highlight the harsh reality of living as a woman in a modern society.
It's a Women's World
Wai Kim-Fong stars in this ode to Chinese womanhood as a woman whose bravery and patriotism are equal to those of her male comrades.
National Heroine
This love story spans more than a decade in the lives of an émigré engineer and a widowed primary-school teacher, a tragedy set in a small town by a lake, filmed in beautiful California locations.
The Lady in the Blue Lagoon
A rural employee leaves his wife and mother to seek work in the city.
Ten Thousand Lovers
Two young lovers marry despite their parents' objections.
Tragic Love
A restless Chinese sea captain makes a stopover in Hawaii. While ashore, the captain befriends a Hawaiian-Chinese family and, at the mother's request, teaches Chinese to her children. He falls in love with the daughter (Siu Fei Fei) although he must soon depart with his ship. Eventually he returns, "rescuing her from the natives," and takes her back to China.
Mad Fire, Mad Love
A woman remains the mistress of a married man until his death.