When Calif Chong was growing up in a working-class Hong Kong household, no one in her family went to the cinema. But Stephen Chow’s comedies changed everything for her.

“I thought, oh my God, if I could become the female version of Stephen Chow, how cool would that be?” Chong recalls. “You make everyone laugh. You make everyone just love films.”

Now, with her feature debut “ High Wire ” world premiering at the BFI London Film Festival , Chong has achieved something equally ambitious: crafting a comedy-drama that speaks to the immigrant experience while making audiences laugh and feel.

“High Wire” follows Go-wing, a British-Chinese takeaway girl who discovers her inner strength and artistic bravery when a circus comes to her small English town. The film stars Isabella Wei , known

See Full Page