Issues of under-written female roles, mid-life career transitions, and negotiating male-dominated spaces took center stage at the 2nd edition of the Kering Women in Motion forum at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
The high-profile panel at Shanghai’s historic Cathay Theatre saw veteran Hong Kong actor Cecilia Yip and Chinese actor Rebecca Li Manxuan share the stage with Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha and documentarian Carla Gutiérrez.
Yip, reflecting on a career spanning 45 years, spoke about the pressure to conform to industry expectations early on. “It was a major source of distress, especially when I was acting. At that time, female roles indeed didn’t have much room for development. I knew I couldn’t be a ‘flower vase’, so I had to make another choice: to polish my acting skills and my performances,” said Yip.
“Times have changed. Over the past decade or so, I have rarely heard this term. Everyone now realizes that women’s stories contain a wealth of beautiful romance and narrative depth that can be told from a female perspective. I think this represents real progress for women’s cinema.”
Rebecca Li Manxuan reflected on her growth as a young actor during the production of “Guo Ran”, which featured in the Tiger Competition at IFFR 2025. “This film is very unique; its pacing is incredibly slow, and the presentation is exceptionally delicate. Sometimes, director Li Dongmei would keep the camera on me for about three minutes just showing me sleeping or eating,” said Li.
