CAAM is excited to welcome wuxia star Pei-Pei Cheng to CAAMFest36! Cheng is our spotlight honoree, and she will be featured in several programs.
Commanding the screen and occupying fiery, lead roles, Pei-Pei Cheng paved the way for Asian and Asian American women to be fierce warriors in film. The Shanghai-born star found herself working as a child actress with one of the largest film production companies in Hong Kong: The Shaw Brothers Studio. She exhibited her diverse skill sets, from ballet to martial arts, that quickly defined her as a martial arts heroine. Cheng claimed her throne as the queen of swords at age 20 when she landed the lead role in King Hu’s wuxia film, COME DRINK WITH ME. Her role as the unbeatable, determined Golden Swallow set her on a path to make over 20 films with Shaw Brothers Studio. Cheng continued to take roles across Asia after moving to Los Angeles and working in television, and in 2000, she seized the dark, intense role of Jade Fox in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Once again showing her unparalleled talents, Cheng was not the unbeatable heroine, but rather a dark force to be feared. She continues to command the screen as Maria in CAAMFest film, MEDITATION PARK, alongside Sandra Oh, as a devoted mother and wife who must reassess her life and go on a journey of self-discovery. Cheng is a warrior on and off screen, claiming and occupying lead roles as her own and inspiring Asian and Asian American women to do the same.
— Chelsea Lee