TERRITORYFOCUS ■ DISTRIBUTION ■ UP-AND-COMING TALENT ■ HOT PROJECTS
dynamo The Asian
language fi lm in Cannes’ Offi cial Selection this year is driven by Hong Kong talent. Wu Xia, which screens in the Midnight
W
section, is directed by Hong Kong’s Peter Ho-sun Chan and stars Donnie Yen, a lead- ing action choreographer and product of Hong Kong’s expertise in action fi lms. The fact the fi lm was majority-fi nanced
by money from mainland China highlights the contradictions the industry now faces — China has become a huge market for Hong Kong talent, but one with different rules, investor expectations and audience tastes. In some ways, Wu Xia fl ies above these
restrictions — it is a big-budget fi lm made for an international audience and it has already sold widely outside Chinese-speak- ing territories. But it is not so easy for smaller films with a strong Hong Kong
hile Hong Kong’s fi lm industry has faced many challenges in recent years, it can take pride in the fact the only Chinese-
sensibility, which do not satisfy the aspira- tional mindset of mainland viewers. In recent years, concerned about the fate
of smaller fi lms, several Hong Kong pro- ducers and government bodies have stepped up to support low-budget film- making. This has resulted in a new crop of film-makers who continue to focus on Hong Kong themes. In the following pages we profile 10 of these directors, though there were many more who could easily have been included in the list. We also look at Hong Kong’s buoyant
box-offi ce market, which grew by 13% last year but has become punishingly competi- tive for independent distributors. And we highlight other upcoming projects with international potential — most of which use mainland money but were created by Hong Kong directors, producers, writers and stars. The landscape may have dramatically changed for Hong Kong cinema, but it’s still highly visible on the international stage. Liz Shackleton, Asia editor
Wu Xia ■ 30 Screen International at the Cannes Film Festival May 13, 2011
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