Biography
Born in Jiangsu province, Wu Yonggang, was one of the major leftist film directors of pre-Communist China. For the early part of his career, Wu was a set designer with Dazhonghua Baihe, before transferring to the Shaw Brothers' Tianyi Film Company. He was eventually noticed by Shi Dongshan at the newly formed Lianhua Film Company. His first film from the director's chair, 1934's The Goddess (under contract with the Lianhua Film Company), earned both him and the film's star, Ruan Lingyu, rave reviews. A prolific director, Wu continued to make films well into 1970s until his retirement shortly before his death including Evening Rain (co-directed with Wu Yigong) which won Best Picture at the first annual Golden Rooster Awards.
Today Wu's reputation has only improved. Acclaimed director, Chen Kaige referred to Wu Yonggang as one of his most admired directors, and named The Goddess as his favorite film of the 1930s.
Read more about this topic: Wu Yonggang
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