Writer-director Sylvia Chang has broken ground with a remarkable career that spans nearly 50 years, making many award-winning films noted for their distinct female perspective.

Born in Chiayi, Taiwan in 1953, Chang moved to Hong Kong as a teenager to become an actress, making her film debut in The Tattooed Dragon (1973). She has since appeared in the films of several of the most regarded filmmakers, from whom she picked up directing and editing techniques.

In the 1980s Chang started directing her own films and emerged as a formidable auteur in her own right, writing and directing acclaimed movies like 20 30 40 (2004), Run Papa Run (2008), and Murmur of the Hearts (2015), writing and portraying characters that often defy convention and provoke reflection on the roles of women in society. Her work for the stage, such as the four-hour-long play Design for Living (2008), were also box-office hits.

In 2018, a 15-film retrospective was screened in New York in her honour, featuring a selection of work that covers her acting career from the late 1970s all the way to her latest cinematic release, Love Education (2017).