Hong Kong film producer Nansun Shi, who helped shape the city’s cinematic golden age and brought Chinese-language films to global audiences, has died at the age of 75.
When the credits rolled on some of Hong Kong cinema’s most celebrated films, audiences rarely noticed the name Nansun Shi. Yet for more than four decades, she was one of the people who made those stories possible.
The veteran Hong Kong film producer and executive died peacefully at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital on the evening of July 13th. She was 75.
Her production company announced that Shi passed away at 8:51 p.m. Director Tsui Hark, her longtime creative partner and former husband, said she had been living with illness since 2022. In recent months, a bacterial infection led to multiple organ failure. Surrounded by family and close friends, she died peacefully. According to the statement, Shi hoped that people’s sadness would “be transformed into strength and warmth.”
Born in Hong Kong in 1951, Shi spent part of her youth overseas. After studying in South Africa, she went on to Britain, earning a degree in computer statistics from the Polytechnic of North London, now London Metropolitan University. Although trained in science, she soon found her way into film and television, beginning a career that would span nearly five decades.
Shi entered the industry through publicity before moving into production and management. During the 1980s, she joined Cinema City with Tsui Hark. Together, they later founded Film Workshop in 1984, a company that became one of the defining forces in Hong Kong cinema’s golden age.
Over the years, Film Workshop produced many landmark films, including the A Chinese Ghost Story series, the Once Upon a Time in China series, The Legend of Zu and Infernal Affairs. These films helped expand the global reach of Hong Kong cinema and Chinese-language filmmaking. Infernal Affairs later inspired Martin Scorsese’s crime drama The Departed, introducing its story to an even wider international audience.
Friends and colleagues often described Shi as the person who connected creativity with business. She oversaw financing, production and international distribution while helping filmmakers bring ambitious projects to the screen. Her ability to balance artistic vision with practical management made her one of the industry’s most trusted producers.
Shi was also known for recognising talent. She encouraged Brigitte Lin to continue her career in Hong Kong after achieving success in Taiwan, helping her broaden her career with a new range of roles. She also spotted Maggie Cheung while Cheung was working as a sales assistant, opening the door to a film career that would later earn international acclaim. Throughout her career, she worked closely with many of Hong Kong cinema’s best-known stars, including Leslie Cheung, Jet Li and Tony Leung.
Her influence reached beyond filmmaking. Shi served on Hong Kong’s Film Development Council from 2007 to 2015 and later became a member of the Hong Kong Tourism Board. In 2013, France named her an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of her contribution to cinema.
International recognition followed in 2017, when the Berlin International Film Festival presented Shi with the Berlinale Camera for her outstanding contribution to world cinema. She became the first female producer to receive the honour.
In 2025, Shi and Tsui Hark received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards, recognising decades of contribution to Chinese-language cinema.
Accepting the award, Shi chose to speak not about herself, but about the people whose names appear after the final scene. “Whenever a film ends, a long list of crew members appears on the screen. Audiences may not know who they are, but to me they are family.”
She ended her speech with a simple wish: “I hope Hong Kong cinema will continue to shine.”
On Monday morning, actress Brigitte Lin shared a black-and-white photograph of the pair and wrote, “Reluctantly, we still have to let go.”
Jackie Chan also paid tribute, calling Shi “a legend” and saying generations of film lovers would remember the spirit she left behind in the classics she helped bring to life.
Shi rarely sought the spotlight herself. Instead, she spent her career helping others tell stories on screen. Long after the final credits roll, the films she helped bring to life continue to speak for her.
If you liked this article, why not read: Lifetime Achievement Awards for Tsui Hark and Nansun Shi
