Tony Leung Chiu‑wai has been named jury president for the Golden Goblet Awards at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival, which runs from June 12 to 21. The Hong Kong screen legend returns to one of Chinese cinema’s most symbolic stages — this time, not as a leading man, but as the figure guiding its future.
For more than 40 years, Leung has been a constant presence on screen, moving effortlessly between arthouse and mainstream, romance and wuxia, introspection and spectacle. Since his debut in the early 1980s, he has built a filmography that stretches past 100 credits, collaborating with some of the most influential directors across Asia and beyond — from Wong Kar‑wai and Zhang Yimou to Ang Lee, John Woo and Hou Hsiao‑hien.
His performances have often been defined less by what is said than what is withheld. Whether as the quietly aching Chow Mo‑wan in In the Mood for Love or the restrained, conflicted Broken Sword in Hero, Leung has mastered a kind of emotional precision that lingers long after the credits roll. Even in more playful roles, like Ouyang Feng in The Eagle Shooting Heroes, there’s an underlying control that anchors the chaos.
Announcing his role, Leung reflected on the significance of Shanghai in cinema history: “Cinema is the art of dreaming, and Shanghai is the very vessel on which the Chinese film dream set sail,” he said in a recorded message.
The appointment also underscores the global stature he has quietly accumulated over decades. In 2023, Leung became the first Chinese actor to receive the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice International Film Festival — a milestone that coincided with 40 years since his screen debut. Ang Lee, who presented the honour, described him as the kind of actor every director hopes for: one who gives everything and, in doing so, elevates everyone around him.
Read more: We Sat Down With Tony Leung To Discuss Trust, Technique… And Trees
The Golden Goblet Awards remain one of Asia’s most respected film prizes, and Shanghai — widely regarded as the birthplace of Chinese cinema — continues to position itself as both a historical and forward‑looking hub for the industry. As jury president for the Golden Goblet Awards at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival, Leung steps into a role that carries both symbolic and practical weight: recognising excellence while helping shape the conversation around where Asian cinema goes next.
It’s a rare shift in perspective for an actor so often at the centre of the frame. But if Leung’s career has shown anything, it’s that he understands cinema from the inside out — not just as performance, but as craft, collaboration, and quiet transformation.
