To celebrate the ‘Lunar New Year 2026: Year of the Horse’ Eye Cinema Galway are delighted to present the Irish premiere of CENTER STAGE (Director’s Cut) in a beautiful digital 4K restoration, starring Maggie Cheung, winner of Best Actress at the 1992 Berlin International Film Festival.

Ruan Lingyu (1910-1935), Chinese silent cinema’s icon, died tragically at age 24. During her nine-year career, Ruan made twenty-nine films with Lianhua Studios, becoming known as the ‘Garbo of the East’. As she rose to stardom, scandals surrounding her private life brought infamy and tragedy. Stanley Kwan’s thrilling biopic uses a story-within-a-story structure, interviewing actors–including Maggie Cheung’s sensitive portrayal of Ruan–about their roles during filming, and beautifully integrating footage from Ruan’s original films to reconstruct her life.