Actor Chow Yun-fat has spoken about the challenges of creating “Hong Kong-spirited movies” while working under restrictions and trying to tap into the mainland Chinese market, a day after he was honoured at the Busan International Film Festival.
The movie star on Thursday also praised the creative freedom enjoyed by South Korea’s film industry, which he felt had the local government’s support, helping the sector to generate successful pictures that touched on a variety of difficult topics.
Chow was honoured at the 28th iteration of the country’s largest film festival on Wednesday, winning Asian Filmmaker of the Year.
Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan film festival
Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan film festival
Asked for his opinion on the state of Hong Kong’s own film industry a day later, he told reporters at a panel for the event that local filmmakers had to work around limitations and find ways to tap into the mainland Chinese market.
“We have a lot of restrictions now. It is very difficult for filmmakers. Honestly, we will try our best to produce our Hong Kong-spirited movies. This is our goal,” he said. “The mainland China market is so huge that we have to find a solution to work there.”
The Asian Filmmaker of the Year award is intended to recognise the work of individuals or organisations that have helped to develop the industry for the continent.
Chow rose to fame amid Hong Kong cinema’s golden era, which is typically considered to be between the 80s and 90s, going on to star in A Better Tomorrow (1986) and reaching international acclaim years later in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Both films were screened at the festival in Busan for a special panorama.
The actor on Thursday also said he was proud to hear that a lot of people around the world enjoyed watching Hong Kong movies from that era.
“But somehow, after 1997, a lot of different things changed, so we have to pay attention to our government, their direction,” he said. “It is important, otherwise it will be very hard to get money to build up a story and shoot a movie.”
Turning to the subject of Korean movies, Chow said he was “shocked” by the topics the country’s film industry had covered and believed that creative freedom had helped to nurture the sector.
“Korean productions are appealing because they cover a wide range of issues. Perhaps with the government’s support, they have a huge degree of freedom, so creators can think diversely,” he said.
“I was shocked to see certain issues reflected in the productions and thought they were brave to talk about these topics.”
‘Grow old in Hong Kong’: film legend Chow Yun-fat says he will never quit the city
‘Grow old in Hong Kong’: film legend Chow Yun-fat says he will never quit the city
At the festival’s opening ceremony a day earlier, he took the time to thank Hong Kong’s free-to-air broadcaster TVB and the wider industry for helping to kick-start his acting career.
“I would like to thank Hong Kong cinema for propelling me onto the global stage and giving me the chance to widen my horizons,” he said.
Chow also thanked the festival’s organisers for recognising his achievements as he headed into the 50th year of his career.