In 2013, the Golden Horse Film Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary. The ministry of Culture commissioned director Yang Li-chou to make a documentary about the history of Golden Horse. What is unique to this film is that it's not an ode to celebrities but about the role cinema plays in ordinary people's lives. It's a love letter to cinema, filmmakers and audiences.

Fearing her son could be gay, a conservative mother takes in a French foreign exchange student, who ends up teaching the family a lot about life, acceptance, and love.

Ivy Ling Po reprising her role as Liang Shanbo to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Love Eterne (1963).

Hong Kong cinemas had a wide range of glamorous female stars during the golden age of the 60's and 70's. The series will take the audience on a sentimental journey to the good old days and once again look at the expansive epic costume dramas and huangmei operas in which actresses played both the male and female roles. Rare interviews with Sir Run Run Shaw, stars Ivy Ling Po, Shaw Yin Yin, Tanny Tie Ni and Cheng Pei Pei are also featured.

A poor scholar named Lo Chih-Chiu, played by Anthony Wong Yiu-Ming, rescues a swallow from three mischievous boys, and frees the bird afterward. The bird then magically takes the form of a beautiful lady named Hsiao-Hseuh, played by Cherie Chung, who falls in love with the scholar because he had saved her life. She returns the deed by rescuing him from a ruthless band of warlords. She and her sister, Hsiao-Shang, are both originally swallows, but can change into human forms due to witchcraft and wizardry. Hsiao-Hseuh later confronts Chih-Chiu, and later reveals she is a servant of an evil witch queen, who feeds on human blood. When the witch discovers their friendship and bond, she was on the verge of destroying him, but Hsiao-Hseuh pleads for his life in exchange for their separation. After being back in the custody of the witch queen, Hsiao-Hseuh sneaks out and reunites with Chih-Chiu, but posing as a different person to hide her identity.

Taiwanese historical drama about the Buddhist monk Huineng.

The plot follows a group of women who struggle in Hong Kong, most of them illegal immigrants from mainland China.

The heavenly maiden comes to earth in the form of a mortal and with her kung fu skills stamps out some evil doers.

Three generations of the Luo family fasted and chanted Buddha's name. However, Mr. Luo died young. Luo's mother complained and began to kill animals and eat meat. When Luo Bu grew up, her family property was wiped out by her uncle. Oppose and remarry someone else. After Luo's mother died, she went to hell. Luo Bu received God's instructions and followed Pratyekabuddha to practice, and his Dharma name was Mulian. However, because he could not bear the suffering of his mother in hell, he broke into the underworld to rescue his mother. After all the hardships, he finally felt the Buddha's will. Let Mother Luo be reincarnated.

Taiwanese huangmei opera film.

Chan Jun-Leung's 1982 film based on The Journey to the West.

Taiwanese adventure film that reunites Ivy Ling Po with ex-Shaw stars Ching Li and Lisa Chiao Chiao.

Taiwanese comedy film.

Taiwanese huangmei opera starring Ivy Ling Po.

Taiwanese huangmei opera film.

Cheng Ho was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. This film depicts some of the adventures and battles he had when he explored the southern Asian regions.

Taiwanese drama film starring Ivy Ling Po.

Despite Kuang Hsu's enthronement as the last reigning Emperor of China, his ability to rule effectively is overshadowed by the ever-present power of the Dowager Empress. When his attempts to reform the Imperial system are thwarted by the Dowager Empress, he attempts to curb her power. His efforts are not successful, and this failure leads directly to his own death and the end of Imperial rule in China. The Dowager Empress, though, ends her days comfortably and in peace.

This dragon lady of the Ching Dynasty was the power behind the throne for 50 years, and hew vast tapestry of palace intrigues is vividly brought to the screen in this memorable epic.

Danny Lee is Hsu Chih-yuan, the youngest son of strict patriarch Hsu Hui-tang (Cheng Miu). A sailor, Chih-yuan incurs his father's wrath when he tells the latter of his girlfriend Susan's (Ai Ti) pregnancy. Pressured to leave her by his father, Chih-yuan finally agrees to continue his studies overseas. Eldest brother Chih-wen (Ling Yun) volunteers to raise money but ends up losing the family fortune in the stock market. It starts a roller coaster of tragedies for the family that ends with bitter disillusionment for Chih-yuan. It's a battle between tradition and youthful rebellion that leaves everyone a little poorer off.

Taiwanese war film directed by Li Chia.

Taiwanese drama film directed by Pai Ching-jui.

Flight Man takes place in Taiwan in 1933, when the country was under Japanese occupation after the First Sino-Japanese War. The Taiwanese people have signed a petition to have the Japanese establish a Taiwan council, but instead this merely provokes the Japanese police to hunt down and round up everyone who signed the petition.

The Yang family, men and women, have served their country loyally for generations. During the war General Yang is ambushed and killed. His widow and the entire family set out to avenge his death and defend the country.

This creepy kung fu film fight-fest centers on the evil Madame Kung Sun and her poisonous "Finger of Doom", a unique supernatural power which allows her to transform normal, everyday people into horrifying zombies! In the face of this devastating talent, only one person has the guts to stop Madame Kung Sun in her chilling bid for martial arts supremacy - the villainess' own sister. But it's not something she can do alone, so this heroic young woman joins forces with three world-weary martial artists, The brothers-in-arms were actually looking to retire from the world of Jiang Hu, but now find themselves thrown back into the mix, embarking on one last mission to save the world from machinations of the venomous Madame Kung Sun!

The famed Ivy Ling Po (Temple Of The Red Lotus) stars as a mysterious swordswoman dedicated to keeping the five volume "Five Generations Fighting Methods" kung-fu manual out of evil-doers' hands. She joins Ling Yun, star of The Iron Buddha, who plays a hero known only as the Roving Knight to fight, train, then fight again -- facing such characters as The Six-Armed Giant and The 1000-Cut in this action-packed adventure.

A noble swordsman and a one-armed swordswoman go up against the vicious Crimson Charm gang of thieves and cutthroats. The lovely and lethal Ivy Ling Po teams with the amazing Chang I for a classic tale of good versus evil in which the best man and one-armed woman wins.

Soon-to-be legendary director Chu Yuan had just joined the Shaw Brothers when he helmed this thriller of bickering bandits. Audiences loved watching three pairs of cunning male and female crooks trying to steal a million gold taels from the Fu Lai Treasury House...not knowing that one of them is actually an undercover hero. Even without him, there's no honor amongst thieves, so the double-crosses and deadly duels come fast and furious, all choreographed by Hsu Erh-niu.

Ivy Ling Po gives a startling performance as an abused wife who suffers through all his adulterous and treacherous ways in The Silent Love, which became an allegorical, tragic love story that reflected the unspoken truths inherent in Chinese society. Lead actor Chin Feng received the 1971 Golden Horse Outstanding Performance award for his portrayal as The Mute, a man that secretly loves Ivy and does all he can to make her life better, except that it backfires on him.

The Younger Generation is an ultra-tragic tale about a young girl, played by Ivy Ling Po who gets married, has five kids, then she and her husband die forcing one child sold to prostitution to feed the other four. Chinese culture dictates that great respect is given to the elders and in The Younger Generation, it is an elder that is the hero, telling audiences that although sadness abounds, they can return home happy with their Confucius mindset.

Ivy Ling Po, star of The Temple of the Red Lotus, tears up the screen as a jealous, murderous movie star, who, like seemingly all "film noir" vixens, wants to kill off her husband. While she's infuriated that the hitman she hires bungles the job, she's delighted that her husband is found guilty for the killer's "murder".

The film tells the story of Tang Bohu, a famous scholar who spends most of his time wandering around the countryside.

Ivy Ling Po plays the dedicated wife of a man being blackmailed for an illicit love affair, who uncovers a pit of deceit, double-crosses, extortion and murder after murder.

Spring Blossoms is a parable about the Chinese youth culture and what's important to the younger generation when it comes to romance. It starred a new wave of seventies, Shaw's beauties, Lily Li, Shu Pei-pei and Essie Lin-chia as single women looking for love. It's a triple-decker romantic bus ride on a road to nowhere speeding toward a low bridge.

In 1966, like in The Love Eterne, Ling Bo took up the male lead in Forever and Ever, despite Shaw Brothers' earlier plan of having her as the female lead. Facing opposition from fans, they finally arranged for her to star as a male student named Xiaowen. Wicked rich man Liu, portrayed by Lo Wei, the director of this film, wants Xiaowen to marry his daughter (Lin Yu) who is suffering from leprosy, thinking that marriage will take away her disease. Although Xiaowen discovers Liu's plan, he is still in love with her and hopes that a miracle will cure her disease...

Movie queen Ivy Ling Po is ideally cast as a male scholar in this historical Huangmei Opera romance. It’s a tragic love story between the scholar and a local beauty (played by Fang Ying). He polishes mirrors as a pretext to get closer to his love, who signals her approval by tossing him a bunch of lichees. From that point on the course of true love proves operatically rocky, complete with murder and suicide.

Ivy Ling Po was at the height of her fame in traditional Huangmei Opera films -- and chiefly as a male impersonator -- when she radically changed her image, taking on an ultra-contemporary semi-musical role in Song Of Tomorrow. Ivy plays a dance hostess and leading man Chiao Chuang is a jazz drummer, but with a difference. Chiao is a heroin addict, and Ivy learns that heroin is a far more lethal adversary than "the other woman" when trying to keep their marriage intact.

The adventures of a young married swordfighting couple, Lianzhu and Gui Wu, and the swordfighting members of their different clans.

Su Fen, a young and frail girl, looked forward to her wedding with her fiancé, Li Kuo-liang. The happy couple's bliss was cut short when war broke out. Kuo-liang was summoned to fight at the front lines. In his absence, Su Fen discovered she had tuberculosis.

Huangmei Opera movies like The Pearl Phoenix are unique to 1960's Hong Kong culture, a product of the Swinging Sixties but considerably more in touch with their Chinese roots. This one is complete with a gender-bending tale where the male lead is played by female and the female lead poses as a man, plus movie queen Li Ching and the singing voices of Ivy Ling Po and Jing Ting. Sit back and enjoy!

Hong Kong musical directed by Lo Chen.

Ling Bor plays Wen Fei E who is both an excellent academic as well as martial arts expert. Since her childhood days fond of dressing up as a boy, she becomes a village scholar sharing classes with Tu Zi Zheng (Chin Feng) and Wei Zhun Zhi (Ho Fan). When Fei E's innocent father is framed and sent to prison, she rushes to his rescue saving Jing Fu Quan (Kam Fie) who is in the hands of robbers along the way. Mistaking Fei E to be a noble hero, Fu Quan has no greater wish than to get married to her savior...

The Weiss Advertising Co under manageress Lo Yu Chun (Pat Ting Hung) and the Jen An Advertising Co. managed by playboy Tsao Chung Nien (Peter Chen Ho) are business rivals. The former works hard but without much success. The latter, with most of his staff perusing racing form or yellow journals, gets far more business. The anticipated arrival of a business tycoon from Malaya starts another battle and Lo Yu Chun goes all out to win over the prospective customer.

The lovely Li Hsiang-chun stars as a poor beauty who is drugged, ravished, lied to, locked in a burning store room, left to drown, and chased by sword-wielding ruffians, among other things. Her only hope is her betrayer's new wife, played by the strong and sensual Ivy Ling Po. Dawn may come, but the questions is: will it be too late? Director/writer Kao Li shows both restraint and sadism in this historical melodramatic tearjerker.

Gui Wu happens upon a kidnapping with his wife Gan Lian-zhu at the Red Lotus Temple. Lian-zhu sends Wu to go for reinforcements while she stays to fight the kidnappers. Fortunately, the mysterious Scarlet Maid is surreptitiously helping her.

A scholar woos the daughter of an important family, while outwitting rebels who try to capture her.

It seems that Li Zhenfei was once an imperial concubine, who often found herself competing with her rival Madame Liu for the emperor's sole, undivided attention. When Li gives birth to the Emperor's child, the jealous Liu switches the boy with a cat and commands a servant named Kou Zhu to kill the baby. However, Kou Zhu ignores the order and gives the prince-to-be to the emperor's brother, a decision which eventually leads to the boy being adopted by the emperor himself! But as fate would have it, to go along with his new son, the emperor has a new wife as well - Madame Liu! As this strange new family unit is being constructed, poor Li Zhenfei has been confined to the forbidden palace, condemned to never see or speak to her son, the prince. But destiny reunites her with her son, but will this family reunion be a happy one? And will Madame Liu finally be punished for her treachery?

The tragic love triangle of early 20th century Peking Opera star Chiu Hai-tang, his beautiful stage partner, and the warlord who forces himself between them, has been a favorite with Chinese audiences for decades.

The Goddess of Hua Mountain is imprisoned for falling in love with a mortal, meanwhile her son is raised in secret until he can attempt to free her.

With China under control of a weak Emperor, two officials compete to steer the future destiny of the land. Chiu believes the people are the future of China, while the diabolical Tu wishes to grind the people beneath an iron heel. Tu decides to take out Chiu's family, but one lone infant escapes.

A Huangmei opera produced by Shaw Brothers about a carp spirit who transforms into an identical copy of a beautiful woman to win the heart of a lonely male scholar.

Jimmy Wang Yu plays a young kid who heads off to Dragon Valley to meet the childhood friend who was promised as his bride. When he gets there, he finds that the family of the bride might not be an entirely honest bunch of people though. What is the story behind their feud with the monks at the Temple Of The Red Lotus, for a start?

The husband-and-wife team of Ivy Ling Po and Chin Han returned to another Huangmei Opera classic after Lady General Hua Mu-Lan. Helmed by Chow Sze-loke and written by Chang Cheh, the story revolved around two intellectual siblings, Ching Feng-sheng (Chin Feng) and Ching Feng-hsiao (Ivy Ling Po), who were constantly abused by their stepmother Hsia (Kao Pao-shu). Feng-hsiao was engaged to Li Ru-lung (Chin Han) since birth, but the greedy Hsia forced him to forfeit the marriage. When Ru-lung refused, Hsia framed him for thievery and put him behind bars. To rescue her lover, Feng-hsiao dressed as a young man and went to the capital. She then used Ru-lung's name to enter the national exam and was ranked first place. Impressed by Feng-hsiao, the Emperor decided to let her wed the Princess (Fang Ying). On the wedding night, Feng-hsiao revealed the truth to the Princess...

Ling Bo is Lin, a young man engaged to the daughter of a rich man, who now despises Lin because of his family's declining status. Lin visits his beloved fiancee before he heads towards the imperial city to participate in the civil service examination, only to find her maid lying dead in blood. Lin is then accused of murder. How can Judge Bao prove his innocence?

About a woman who disguises herself as a man to take her father's place in the army.

Fan Chia-soo is a kind-hearted student whose heart is captured by the sweet song of Shen Feng-hsien. However, he is not the only one who has eyes for Shen. The General's henchmen are also determined to present the songstress to their superior as a gift. Fan received help from an unexpected quarter to save the woman he loves.

Seventh sister of the celestial world goes down to earth to marry Dong Yong, a young man sold to servitude. However the Jade Emperor orders her to go back to the immortal world.

The noted actress Li Li-hua, star of more than sixty films since 1947, beautifully portrays the drugged, then disgraced wife of a peddler in the waning days of the Ching Dynasty. To make matters worse, she’s soon framed for her husband’s murder by her rapist - the son of the local magistrate! And even that isn’t the end of her woes. It’s best to have a box of tissues nearby as two expert directors ratchet up the emotional suspense in this consummate tearjerker.

Return Of The Phoenix is yet another masterpiece from prolific director Li Han-hsiang. An imperial minister Cheng Pu (Ching Miao) is faced with a quandary. He's getting old and his daughters are still not married. Elder daughter Shueh-yeh (Elizabeth Chuang) is so ugly no one wants her. Younger daughter Shueh-wu (Li Hsiang-chun) is beautiful but Mrs Cheng refuses to let her marry before her elder sister. The drama unfolds when Cheng decides to marry Shueh-wu off.

In this dreamy romance set in China during the fourth-century, a young woman convinces her parents to allow her to dress as a boy and attend university.

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards (Chinese: 台北金馬影展; pinyin: Táiběi Jīnmǎ Yǐngzhǎn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak Kim-má iáⁿ-tián) is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is usually held in November or December in Taipei, although the event has also been held in other locations in Taiwan in recent times

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards (Chinese: 台北金馬影展; pinyin: Táiběi Jīnmǎ Yǐngzhǎn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak Kim-má iáⁿ-tián) is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is usually held in November or December in Taipei, although the event has also been held in other locations in Taiwan in recent times

The Ching Dynasty novel The Dream of The Red Chamber is not only the most widely read, but also the most filmed book in Chinese history. The sprawling love story has proven a challenge to many filmmakers, but this version is acclaimed as the most successful. A sumptuous feature which took three years of planning and another for production, it was a hugely popular and critical hit which still stands out as a classic of both 18th century literature and 1960s moviemaking.

Murder mystery.

Hong Kong fantasy film directed by Chiu Shu-San.