Home / Arts and Entertainment / Acclaimed Director Peter Chan Reflects on Hong Kong Cinema's Rise and Fall
Acclaimed Director Peter Chan Reflects on Hong Kong Cinema's Rise and Fall
2 Nov
Summary
- Filmmaker Peter Chan returns to Tokyo Film Festival after nearly 3 decades
- Discusses his independent filmmaking days with UFO group and Hong Kong cinema's decline
- Adapted to market demands, now focuses on large-scale Chinese productions
Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun recently returned to the Tokyo International Film Festival, nearly three decades after his independent UFO films captivated audiences in the city. In a reflective discussion, Chan traced his cinematic journey, from his early days as an independent-minded Hong Kong director to his current focus on large-scale productions in mainland China.
During the 1990s, Chan co-founded the UFO group with like-minded filmmakers who felt out of place in Hong Kong's action-comedy dominated industry. This period, which Chan describes as "the best days" of his life, saw him direct acclaimed films like "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father" and "He's a Woman, She's a Man." However, this creative freedom coincided with the actual decline of Hong Kong cinema, as the collapse of the crucial Taiwanese market proved catastrophic.
