From age 9 to 16, Sammo Hung trained as an acrobat and singer at one of the foremost Peking Opera schools in Hong Kong, which was home to several students who became important figures in the film industry. Painted Faces shows the rigorous training students went through, while focusing on their master coming to terms with the fading popularity of their art form. With young Hung as an integral character, this biopic was Hong Kong’s submission for the Academy Awards and earned Hung his second Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for the touching portrayal of his former master.