■Content

Golden Gate Girls

2014｜Hong Kong｜Documentary｜Color｜90min｜Mandarin
 

In GOLDEN GATE GIRLS author and professor S. Louisa Wei tells the story of filmmaker Esther Eng, the first woman to direct Chinese-language film in the US, and the most prominent woman director in Hong Kong in the 1930's. A San Francisco native and open lesbian, her contribution to film history is sadly overlooked – her 11 feature films mostly lost. After the retirement of director Dorothy Arzner in 1943 and before Ida Lupino began directing in 1949, Eng was the only woman directing feature length films in the US. 

Wei's documentary paints a fascinating picture of how Eng’s career in filmmaking broke through gender and racial boundaries in Hollywood and Hong Kong, at a time when opportunities for Chinese women in the industry were few and far between. With a captivating archive of newly discovered images and interviews with those who knew her, Wei uncovers a rich chapter of film history that challenges both gender hierarchies and national narratives. Essential viewing for Cinema Studies and Asian American Studies.

■Filmmaker

S. Louisa Wei

With a PhD in Film Studies from University of Alberta (Canada), Dr Louisa Wei joined the School of Creative Media in 2001 and has taught over 2000 students. Her courses are mostly related to filmmaking, film history, storytelling, and topics in media/popular culture; while she also advises student studio/thesis projects in fiction/script writing, documentary, narrative film, and projects with gender-related themes. As an independent documentary filmmaker, her two feature films—Storm under the Sun (2009) and Golden Gate Girls (2014)—have gained international recognition from academia and film festivals, as well as attracted media attention ranging from Hollywood's trade magazine to major newspapers in Hong Kong and mainland China.

As a scholar, she has published books including Cinema East and West (2014), PreAnimate: A Guide for Independent Animators (2010), and Women's Film: Dialogues with Chinese and Japanese Female Directors (2009). As an experienced teacher and advisor, Wei has advised many award-winning graduation projects, including Chan Hau Chun's short documentary 32+4 (2014), Andrew Lone's feature documentary My Chinese Acquaintances (2012), Wong Yee Mei's short documentary This Pair (2011), Chan Tsz-wai Wallis' narrative short Daylily (2010), and Sheetal Agawal's documentary Ordinary Lives.

■ Product Information
Distribution: Taiwan Women's Film Association
Content: Golden Gate Girls
Subtitles: Chinese/English
Format: DVD