Born in Chongqing in 1940, Wang Haowei is considered to be the leading female director of the so-called Fourth Generation filmmakers of China. Her film career dates back to her childhood, when she acted in the film Night of Harbin. At middle school she was very active in both stage performing and directing. In the 1960s she studied film at the Beijing Film Academy. Working in collaboration with her cinematographer husband, Li Chensheng, she started to direct feature films. Her debut What a Family (1979) won the Best Film Award from the Chinese Ministry of Culture. The film Oh Sweet Snow (1989), which she struggled for six years to complete, won the Best Children's Film award at the 41st Berlin Film Festival. In her work, Wang aims to express her celebration of life. Speaking of her views about cinema, Wang recalls Somerset Maugham's mantra: "the purpose of art is to please."

Wang Haowei Filmography:  

What a Family (Qiaozhe Yijiazi, 1979)

Ormosia from the North (Beiguo Hongdou, 1983)