We have quite a lot of censorship necessities in mainland China: Chow Yun-fat at BIFF

By AFP

BUSAN: Hong Kong movie legend Chow Yun-fat on Thursday lamented China’s “difficult” censorship whereas conceding the mainland market’s essential monetary significance for filmmakers.

Speaking at South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Chow advised reporters that Hong Kong’s cinema business needed to study to play by a brand new algorithm for the reason that metropolis returned to China’s management in 1997.

“We have a lot of censorship requirements in mainland China. Our scripts must go through a lot of different departments for the film bureau”, BIFF’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year honouree mentioned.

But whereas Chow mentioned issues had been “very difficult” for Hong Kong’s filmmakers, additionally they knew it was crucial to succeed in the “huge” mainland Chinese viewers to “make a living”.

“We have to pay attention to our government … otherwise it is very hard to get the money to shoot a movie,” he mentioned, including they nonetheless strove to take care of the “Hong Kong spirit”.

In asserting this 12 months’s honour, BIFF organisers heaped reward on Chow for “spearheading the golden age of Hong Kong cinema” that flowered within the early Nineties, and making “Hong Kong noir” a globally recognised style.

Three of Chow’s movies — “A Better Tomorrow” (1986), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) and 2023’s “One More Chance” — will probably be screened on the pageant.

Freedom

Along with Tony Leung, his “Hard Boiled” co-star and 2022 BIFF honouree, Chow has lengthy been a popular determine in South Korea because of Hong Kong cinema’s surge in recognition within the Nineties.

Since then, South Korea has cemented its personal standing as a world cultural powerhouse, and has had explosive successes like Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” and the Netflix sequence “Squid Game”.

“It’s a good thing that when one industry feels stagnant and unable to move forward, another region can take it even further,” Chow mentioned, when requested in regards to the rise of South Korean cinema.

“I believe the greatest strength of Korean cinema lies in its freedom.”

Despite his prolific profession and world fame, Chow mentioned he nonetheless considers himself an “ordinary person”.

In 2018, he vowed to donate his fortune to charity after he dies.

Chow quipped Thursday that it was his spouse’s choice, however added: “I believe that since I came into this world with nothing, it doesn’t really matter if I leave with nothing as well.”

BUSAN: Hong Kong movie legend Chow Yun-fat on Thursday lamented China’s “difficult” censorship whereas conceding the mainland market’s essential monetary significance for filmmakers.

Speaking at South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Chow advised reporters that Hong Kong’s cinema business needed to study to play by a brand new algorithm for the reason that metropolis returned to China’s management in 1997.

“We have a lot of censorship requirements in mainland China. Our scripts must go through a lot of different departments for the film bureau”, BIFF’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year honouree mentioned.googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

But whereas Chow mentioned issues had been “very difficult” for Hong Kong’s filmmakers, additionally they knew it was crucial to succeed in the “huge” mainland Chinese viewers to “make a living”.

“We have to pay attention to our government … otherwise it is very hard to get the money to shoot a movie,” he mentioned, including they nonetheless strove to take care of the “Hong Kong spirit”.

In asserting this 12 months’s honour, BIFF organisers heaped reward on Chow for “spearheading the golden age of Hong Kong cinema” that flowered within the early Nineties, and making “Hong Kong noir” a globally recognised style.

Three of Chow’s movies — “A Better Tomorrow” (1986), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) and 2023’s “One More Chance” — will probably be screened on the pageant.

Freedom

Along with Tony Leung, his “Hard Boiled” co-star and 2022 BIFF honouree, Chow has lengthy been a popular determine in South Korea because of Hong Kong cinema’s surge in recognition within the Nineties.

Since then, South Korea has cemented its personal standing as a world cultural powerhouse, and has had explosive successes like Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” and the Netflix sequence “Squid Game”.

“It’s a good thing that when one industry feels stagnant and unable to move forward, another region can take it even further,” Chow mentioned, when requested in regards to the rise of South Korean cinema.

“I believe the greatest strength of Korean cinema lies in its freedom.”

Despite his prolific profession and world fame, Chow mentioned he nonetheless considers himself an “ordinary person”.

In 2018, he vowed to donate his fortune to charity after he dies.

Chow quipped Thursday that it was his spouse’s choice, however added: “I believe that since I came into this world with nothing, it doesn’t really matter if I leave with nothing as well.”