Johnnie To Comments on State of Hong Kong Film Industry

Director Johnnie To’s (杜琪峯) movies have defined and shaped the Hong Kong film industry for nearly two decades. However, many feel that the glory of Hong Kong cinema peaked in the 1990s and the industry has been unable to break new ground beyond its prolific crime thrillers. At the Malaysia International Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Johnnie served on the jury as the chairman and taught a master class entitled, Decoding Action Directorial Master: In Conversation with Johnnie To, to share his experiences and the underlying issue of the film industry.

Improv Filming Style

Starting off with films that inspired him as a director, Johnnie revealed, “I re-watch films by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa – he heavily inspired me. He  pays special emphasis on the characters, their stories, and overall cinematography. Another person I find inspiring is King Hu (胡金銓). His movies are highly inspirational. Both directors excel at using films to tell a story. From their use of cameras to the artistry, everything is just done so well. I take lessons from them for my own work.”

While Johnnie is a renowned director, his popular “flying paper” scripts have been met with mixed opinions by artistes. “Flying paper” scripts is essentially a filming technique where artistes are not given a defined script or they are often laced with last minute changes. Johnnie believes in working spontaneously and writing the script as he films. “I film based on my instincts. Although I don’t have a perfectly crafted plan, I know what works and what doesn’t. By filming as I go, I’m able to see what changes I need to make and understand which path to take in the moment.”

Johnnie explains that he does not like committing words on paper until the perfect timing comes along. Until that perfect moment, Johnnie leaves room for improvisation and unpredicted changes. Because of these reasons, Johnnie often does not have anything ready until cameras start rolling.

Hong Kong Doesn’t Belong to Itself

On the current state of the Hong Kong film industry, Johnnie acknowledges there is a critical underlying issue. “The issue with the Hong Kong film industry would surface sooner or later. It’s just surfacing earlier than I imagined. Hong Kong doesn’t belong to Hong Kong itself. Hong Kong’s appearance in history is a mere coincidence – one day Hong Kong will reveal what it truly belongs to.”

Hoping to develop a new generation to lead the film industry, the director explains that younger people differ greatly. With the younger generation being more educated, it is inevitable that there would be a clash of opinions.

In terms of finding a solution to today’s problem in Hong Kong, Johnnie concludes, “I think we need some sort of magic. That magic is to continue doing what we can and doing it to the best of our abilities. Express your most inner thoughts and opinions, but avoid heavier topics and speak only on lighter issues in an intelligent way. When you feel bad, let it be – life’s not perfect and there will be change. With more pressure comes stronger emotions.”

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