AUDIENCE 4: I want to ask … that you would try to add elements of Hong Kong into a Hong Kong film, or it has the spirit of Hong Kong … But actually I want to ask, since everyone's perception of Hong Kong film is different, what is your idea of a Hong Kong film?

Also, if you are not really getting support from Hong Kong people, what makes you carry on making these films?

MODERATOR: We can all take part in this one. Derek, let's start with you.

DEREK TSANG: Okay. First, creativity is not that limited. For me, I loved 1980s films because besides commercial films, there were a bunch of crazy wacky ones. Many different genres existed. I feel that is quite lacking now. Now certain genres dominate. Every now and then, like if triad films were popular, then at one given time there would be quite a lot of triad films on the market. So for me, what defines Hong Kong film is freedom of creativity, shooting whatever you want.

CHAPMAN TO: Actually the first film I produced was Isabella, directed by Pang Ho-cheung. That was a co-production. The reason wasn't because we ...

MODERATOR: It was shot in Macau, right?

CHAPMAN TO: Right ... We didn't deliberately write the script to suit co-production. Somehow the story just fit the criteria of co-production, but that wasn't intentional. I have since then produced more films by Pang Ho-cheung, they were not co-productions. But we didn't deliberately reject co-productions either. I believe during the creative process the director should never feel like he has to write the story a certain way, and that for me is film creation.

PANG HO-CHEUNG: I want to add that, actually for Isabella, we did consider certain elements of co-production in the sense that our story was about a corrupt cop. That is quite a sensitive subject for co-production … you know, a cop who is corrupt. In the script, we designed it that he was a corrupt cop before the handover of Macau.

That would make it more ... not exactly ‘allowable' but more ... ‘acceptable.' That would make people think …

CHAPMAN TO: I think this is a better arrangement, better than the original story.

PANG HO-CHEUNG: But later on when we wrapped the shoot …

The film, in mainland China, regarding censorship …

Let's return to the issue of censorship. When the film was finally delivered to the censor, suddenly there was a problem. After the board watched it they didn't like one scene. It was where Chapman To and his daughter had to go on the run, to flee to Thailand. They didn't like that. They wanted us to change it. They said that this would ruin the diplomacy and goodwill between the two countries, as if Thailand is a camp for refugees. So we can't mention it is Bangkok. We have to just say it is Southeast Asia. In other words, we can't specifically say it's a country.

Things like this will affect censorship of the film. Usually there is one process before shooting, and another one afterwards.

In fact, you have to go before the board twice, so a lot of the time the problem comes from here.

CHAPMAN TO: As the film's producer, I don't wish for you to divulge so many of the film's details.

MABEL CHEUNG: After listening to everyone's experiences here, I really think that life is so unpredictable. We shouldn't think so much. In the case of Echoes of the Rainbow, we didn't think too much about such elements or what kind of co-production, or commercial value. We just wanted to shoot a story we loved, and share it with the audience. Everything that happened afterwards was unpredictable.

Every time I shoot a film, something unexpected happens. Like Pang Ho-cheung, the way he shot his film, sometimes even contradicting what you want in the first place.

I think the most important thing is to shoot a film with your heart.

MODERATOR: Actually what we are discussing is "What is Hong Kong film?"

PANG HO-CHEUNG: I think that the core element to Hong Kong film is cheekiness. You have to have fun, and be crazy, like what Derek mentioned before. Different genres have their place and time. A lot of times we're restricted to certain genres. And in the past, Hong Kong film was much more versatile.

CHAN HING-KAI: I agree with that. I mean in the 1980s, you could do anything in film. That was a good time then, creativity was limitless. We weren't goody-goodies. Film is always about fulfilling something you can't in reality, so it is all about crazy fantasy. That is Hong Kong filmmaking: stories happening in this crazy little city, all of these crazy stories created by us. That is Hong Kong film.

LAWRENCE CHENG: I mean, in the 1980s, when we brainstorm on scripts we never think "would this work?"Now when we brainstorm, we always have to ask this question. We don't doubt whether we know how to shoot it, it's whether we can do something like that. So that's why Echoes of the Rainbow has breathed life back into Wing Lee Street. This is quite emotional for me.

I always feel that, Hong Kong film is just like Wing Lee Street. We are the ones insisting on shooting Hong Kong film. We are Wing Lee Street.

No matter how developed Hong Kong is, how modern it is, she still needs a Wing Lee Street to symbolize the glorious days of yesteryear.

Hong Kong film is the same. No matter how we admire our fellow filmmakers in the industry who are working on co-productions, no matter how great the box office is, but we still have this Wing Lee Street in our hearts. We still want to shoot the stories in our hearts.

No matter how difficult they may be …

Filmmaking has always been difficult.

No matter how you do it problems are bound to happen, like in the past. Back then even triads were involved. If that happened today, sure we could still shoot it. I mean that in each period it has its own issues.

We should be grateful that after all these experiences … Look at Echoes of the Rainbow, we still manage to shoot films like this one. That's all I want to say.

MODERATOR: Actually none of us sitting up here were born after the 1980s. I wonder if we have that kind of demographic in the audience reminiscing about the old times, about how the 1980s were like, how glorious those days were.

But Echoes of the Rainbow really has that nostalgia, bringing us back …

So actually I want to ask: are we too nostalgic? Is that why we want to ‘bring it back'?  Is that why we want to make Hong Kong films?

Look at all these co-productions, as long as they have a Hong Kong director, they would be classified as Hong Kong films.

Actually, what is Hong Kong film now?

Are only films from the 1980s genuine Hong Kong films?

Are co-productions not considered Hong Kong films as much?

MABEL CHEUNG: I think we need to enliven Hong Kong films. I feel that we shouldn't say only 1980s films are genuine Hong Kong films. I also don't believe Echoes of the Rainbow glorifies the past; it just happens to be a story that happened in the past … in the 1960s ... Even if the story happened in 2010, it would be the same, I mean the relationships ... 

... Of family, siblings, and first love

Because it happened in the 1960s, we all think it is quite nostalgic. Actually it wasn't done intentionally. If I had a brother who died – actually my own mother died not very long ago. I wanted to shoot a film about her, but our boss picked this story over mine, the one about 2010.

So just because it's nostalgic doesn't make it good. I feel that we're at a great place now, that people can make the Hong Kong films they dream of.

Of course, if you want absolute creative control you will want to stay here, because you don't have to censor your scripts. But if you want to make a profit, you can also go to mainland China and work there, work on co-productions and such. A lot of directors do very well this way, so maybe money is their primary concern, even though they are Hong Kong directors, but they shoot in China.  

I mean that's actually quite impressive. Last year, 7 co-production films were shot by Hong Kong directors. I mean, out of the 10 biggest box office hits in China.

I think Hong Kong film is like that: we can't ever just reminisce about it in the 1980s. We can't go back, for sure. So we have to go forward and see how we do it from here.

MODERATOR: Is there any other question?

AUDIENCE 5: I was listening to everyone discuss about co-productions. As filmmakers we can see it's not just Hong Kong films. Films face a big problem now worldwide. And that is in the selling market such as Europe, and other parts of Asia. I am thinking, how can the film industry catch up with this? I feel that creative minds in the industry are most important. Just now our guests on stage have mentioned …You must feel for your story, it must be what you want to shoot, only then can you touch others with your work.

From another point of view, if you lack funding support, that is a very big challenge. It is like in 2009, there were a lot of big co-production films. They were all big budget blockbusters. But in the end, all of these big films actually suffered greater losses, from True Legend to Treasure Hunter. All the big films you can think of actually suffered great losses. Some of these companies even folded.

So I think that the Hong Kong film market is in a very healthy environment, it is just up to you how you nourish it. It is inseparable from the passion of the filmmakers.

I want to ask a question. I haven't been in the Chinese market for a long time. But I know for example, in Hollywood, they have a big investment problem. In Hollywood, they do it like this: the investor and the director and the actor … they will discuss how they can work it together. For example, if we're going to make a film together, we're going to work on it together. There might be great risks involved, so shall we brave these risks together? For example, my compensation might be $10 million. So are you willing to only take $1 million, so we'll invest the other $9 million? It will be used on production cost. In the end, if the film makes a profit, we'll then share the profit together. They are doing it like this in Hollywood. This has generated very good results. I don't know if this would work in Hong Kong, and we all want to make films that speak to us. Is there a way to implement this working style?

MODERATOR: Actually, I felt this has been discussed in the beginning. If not for co-productions, all the actors and filmmakers would take a cut in their salaries for the film. Everyone just wants to help out and make a good film. That has been happening already.

JOE CHEUNG: Actually back in 1998-99, we already carried out the working style you've just mentioned. We had a group called "Midas Film Co. Ltd."and shot the film "The Kid”. A group of filmmakers including Derek Yee, Mable Cheung, Alex Law, Gordon Chan and Jacob Cheung wrote the story and looked for the cast. The cast take $1 as salary and share the profit accordingly. Lesile Cheung, the respect actor, was the main actor of this film. This was after the economic crisis in 1997 and the economy was still low. This group of filmmakers hoped to maintain the quality of Hong Kong film even without getting paid.

I also want to ask why the organizer of this symposium didn't invite members of Film Development Fund to join this event? They can explain a lot for us.

PANG HO-CHEUNG: Are they not being invited? Or they've been invited but didn't show up?

JOE CHEUNG: Who?

PANG HO-CHEUNG: No, mine is just a question.

JOE CHEUNG: Questions raised today are supposed to be answered by them.

MODERATOR: Actually this symposium is sponsored by Film Development Fund, however there's no representative from them.

JOE CHEUNG: So they don't want to take the responsibility?

LAWRENCE CHENG: Let's pass the messages to them after this, we still need to make films (laugh)

MODERATOR: This is all the time we have for today. Thank you, everyone. We hope that the directors and producers for the films who are here today will do well at box office in Hong Kong and China as well as other places around the world. We must retain hope that we will keep doing better. Thank you very much.

- End of The Symposium -