Maggie Cheung Makes a Brief Return to Cinema

It’s been a six-year hiatus for iconic Chinese actress, Maggie Cheung, but now she’s back.

Since her 2004 win at Cannes for Best Actress in “Clean”, Cheung has not been seen in any films. But the elusive Cheung is back in a Isaac Julien’s “Ten Thousand Waves”. The nine-screen installation was partially screened at the Venice Film Festival where Cheung made a rare appearance.

She plays Mazu, a Chinese goddess of the sea inspired by the 23 Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay in 2004. The entire film was shot in China and moves between the country’s ancient past and present.

In the past six years, Cheung has been focusing on making music and working on new songs with friends in New York, Paris and Iceland. She cited fatigue and heavy promotional tours as part of the reason she chose to step back from making films. Cheung has amassed an impressive 70 films under her belt in the last 20 years.

She is currently the ambassador for Unicef.