Writer, producer and director Ann Hu's 35mm debut Shadow Magic (2000) won both the Chinese Academy Award and Presidential Award in China for Best film among other international prizes. The film premiered at the 2000 Sundance film Festival and released by Sony Classics in 2001.

Among the earliest students from mainland China after the Cultural Revolution, Hu came to the United States to pursue a higher education in 1979. After receiving a degree in Business Administration from New York University and achieving unusual success as a business woman, Hu decided to become a filmmaker. In 1992, she took courses at the NYU Film School and subsequently completed a 16mm narrative film, "Dream and Memory", which generated critical acclaim internationally in 1994. Hu is currently developing her next film projects as international co-productions. She is also working on a TV talk show, which is expected to air both in China and America.