Ordinary Heroes (1999 film)

1999 Hong Kong film

Ordinary Heroes

film poster

Chinese name

Traditional Chinese

千言萬語

Simplified Chinese

千言万语

Literal meaning

thousands of words

Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	Cin1 Jin4 Maan6 Jyu5

Directed by

Ann Hui

Written by

Chan King-chung

Produced by

Ann Hui

Starring

Cinematography

Yu Lik-wai

Edited by

Kwong Chi-leung

Music by

Chiu Tsang-hei
Hui Yuen

Production
company

Class Limited Productions

Release date

10 April 1999 (1999-04-10)

Running time

128 minutes

Country

Hong Kong

Language

Cantonese

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.

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. It was also entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.

References

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

External links

v t e Films directed by Ann Hui
The Secret (1979) The Spooky Bunch (1980) The Story of Woo Viet (1981) Boat People (1982) Love in a Fallen City (1984) The Romance of Book and Sword (1987) Princess Fragrance (1987) The Swordsman (1990) Song of the Exile (1990) Zodiac Killers (1991) Summer Snow (1995) As Time Goes By (1997) Eighteen Springs (1997) Ordinary Heroes (1999) Visible Secret (2001) July Rhapsody (2002) Jade Goddess of Mercy (2003) The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (2006) The Way We Are (2008) Night and Fog (2009) All About Love (2010) A Simple Life (2011) The Golden Era (2014) Our Time Will Come (2017) Love After Love (2020) Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020)

Films directed by Ann Hui

v t e Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film
Father and Son (1982) Boat People (1983) Ah Ying (1984) Homecoming (1985) Police Story (1986) A Better Tomorrow (1987) An Autumn's Tale (1988) Rouge (1989) Beyond the Sunset (1990) Days of Being Wild (1991) To Be Number One (1992) Cageman (1993) C'est la vie, mon chéri (1994) Chungking Express (1995) Summer Snow (1996) Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1997) Made in Hong Kong (1998) Beast Cops (1999) Ordinary Heroes (2000) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001) Shaolin Soccer (2002) Infernal Affairs (2003) Running on Karma (2004) Kung Fu Hustle (2005) Election (2006) After This Our Exile (2007) The Warlords (2008) Ip Man (2009) Bodyguards and Assassins (2010) Gallants (2011) A Simple Life (2012) Cold War (2013) The Grandmaster (2014) The Golden Era (2015) Ten Years (2016) Trivisa (2017) Our Time Will Come (2018) Project Gutenberg (2019) Better Days (2020) Raging Fire (2021/2022) To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self (2023) A Guilty Conscience (2024)

Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film

Father and Son (1982)
Boat People (1983)
Ah Ying (1984)
Homecoming (1985)
Police Story (1986)
A Better Tomorrow (1987)
An Autumn's Tale (1988)
Rouge (1989)
Beyond the Sunset (1990)
Days of Being Wild (1991)
To Be Number One (1992)
Cageman (1993)
C'est la vie, mon chéri (1994)
Chungking Express (1995)
Summer Snow (1996)
Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1997)
Made in Hong Kong (1998)
Beast Cops (1999)
Ordinary Heroes (2000)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)
Shaolin Soccer (2002)
Infernal Affairs (2003)
Running on Karma (2004)
Kung Fu Hustle (2005)
Election (2006)
After This Our Exile (2007)
The Warlords (2008)
Ip Man (2009)
Bodyguards and Assassins (2010)
Gallants (2011)
A Simple Life (2012)
Cold War (2013)
The Grandmaster (2014)
The Golden Era (2015)
Ten Years (2016)
Trivisa (2017)
Our Time Will Come (2018)
Project Gutenberg (2019)
Better Days (2020)
Raging Fire (2021/2022)
To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self (2023)
A Guilty Conscience (2024)

v t e Golden Horse Award for Best Narrative Feature
1962–1975	Sun, Moon and Star (1962) The Love Eterne (1963) not held (1964) Beautiful Duckling (1965) Hsi-shih, Beauty of Beauties (1966) Orchids and My Love (1967) The Road (1968) Spring in a Small Town (1969) Home Sweet Home (1970) The Story of Ti-Ying (1971) Execution in Autumn (1972) The Escape (1973) not held (1974) Land of the Undaunted (1975)
1976–2000	Victory (1976) Heroes of the Eastern Skies (1977) He Never Gives Up (1978) The Story of a Small Town (1979) Good Morning, Taipei (1980) If I Were for Real (1981) The Battle for the Republic of China (1982) Growing Up (1983) Old Mao's Second Spring (1984) Kuei-Mei, a Woman (1985) Terrorizers (1986) Straw Man (1987) Painted Faces (1988) Full Moon in New York (1989) Red Dust (1990) A Brighter Summer Day (1991) Hill of No Return (1992) The Wedding Banquet (1993) Vive l'amour (1994) Summer Snow (1995) In the Heat of the Sun (1996) Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1997) Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998) Ordinary Heroes (1999) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
2001–present	Durian Durian (2001) The Best of Times (2002) Infernal Affairs (2003) Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004) Kung Fu Hustle (2005) After This Our Exile (2006) Lust, Caution (2007) The Warlords (2008) Cannot Live Without You (2009) When Love Comes (2010) Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (2011) Beijing Blues (2012) Ilo Ilo (2013) Blind Massage (2014) The Assassin (2015) The Summer Is Gone (2016) The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful (2017) An Elephant Sitting Still (2018) A Sun (2019) My Missing Valentine (2020) The Falls (2021) Coo-Coo 043 (2022) Stonewalling (2023) An Unfinished Film (2024)

v t e Hong Kong submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
1959–2000	For Better, for Worse (1959) The Enchanting Shadow (1960) The Love Eterne (1963) Between Tears and Laughter (1964) Come Drink with Me (1966) The Arch (1969) The Last Tempest 1976) Raining in the Mountain (1979) Homecoming (1984) Painted Faces (1989) Eight Taels of Gold (1990) Raise the Red Lantern (1991) Farewell My Concubine (1993) The Day the Sun Turned Cold (1994) Summer Snow (1995) Hu-Du-Men (1996) Made in Hong Kong (1998) Ordinary Heroes (1999) In the Mood for Love (2000)
2001–present	Fulltime Killer (2001) The Touch (2002) Infernal Affairs (2003) Running on Karma (2004) Perhaps Love (2005) The Banquet (2006) Exiled (2007) Painted Skin (2008) Prince of Tears (2009) Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) A Simple Life (2011) Life Without Principle (2012) The Grandmaster (2013) The Golden Era (2014) To the Fore (2015) Port of Call (2016) Mad World (2017) Operation Red Sea (2018) The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019) Better Days (2020) Zero to Hero (2021) Where the Wind Blows (2022) A Light Never Goes Out (2023) Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

Hong Kong submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

1959–2000

2001–present

Fulltime Killer (2001)
The Touch (2002)
Infernal Affairs (2003)
Running on Karma (2004)
Perhaps Love (2005)
The Banquet (2006)
Exiled (2007)
Painted Skin (2008)
Prince of Tears (2009)
Echoes of the Rainbow (2010)
A Simple Life (2011)
Life Without Principle (2012)
The Grandmaster (2013)
The Golden Era (2014)
To the Fore (2015)
Port of Call (2016)
Mad World (2017)
Operation Red Sea (2018)
The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019)
Better Days (2020)
Zero to Hero (2021)
Where the Wind Blows (2022)
A Light Never Goes Out (2023)
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

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Categories:

Cast

Awards

See also

References

External links