Ruan Lingyu: Her Life and Career (documentary)

Over the last couple of years, I've made a number of short movies, all fiction; and so, recently, I became inspired to try my hand at a documentary. For the subject, I chose to tell the story of the life and career of one of my favorite stars of silent cinema: the Chinese actress Ruan Lingyu, who made 29 films and died in 1935 at the age of 24. Ruan's credits include Love and Duty (1931), The Goddess (1934), and New Woman (1934); and her movies often reflected social issues in early 20th century China. She also led a fascinating -- if very sad -- life away from the studio, which I attempted to delve into with this documentary.

Special thanks to Richard J. Meyer's superb book on Ruan Lingyu for providing most of the information contained within. This documentary would not have been possible otherwise.

#ruanlingyu #阮玲玉 #chinesefilm #chineseactress