Dr Xin Peng has curated the upcoming BFI retrospective on Anna May Wong, drawing on her extensive research into the early Chinese American star's racialised performance, cosmopolitanism, and innovative engagement with new media technologies. This carefully curated season celebrates Wong’s remarkable and diverse career, spanning silent cinema, early sound films, and international productions.
The retrospective featuresÌý19 films, highlighting Wong’s range as an actress and her pioneering role in challenging Hollywood’s racial boundaries. Alongside the screenings, the season includes a series ofÌýcontextual events and discussionsÌýwith film historians Kirsty Sinclair Dootson, Pamela Hutchinson, Marc David Jacobs, and Yiman Wang, author Katie Gee Salisbury, artist-filmmaker Michelle Williams Gamaker, and Anna May Wong's niece, Anna Wong. These events offer insights into Wong’s life, her cultural impact, and her continuing relevance today.
This retrospective is a unique opportunity for audiences to engage with Wong’s work and legacy, as well as to explore broader themes of race, representation, and transnational cinema in early 20th-century film.
For more information, including screening dates and event details, visit the
