Hong Kong cinema seeks resurgence with industry

19/5/2025 6:23

Hong Kong's once

world-famous movie industry wants to bring back the heydays of

the 1970s to the 1990s by investing in a new generation of

directors, the chairman of the city's film development council

told Reuters at the Cannes Film Festival.



"We should not forget our identity. How the people all over

the world would look at us when they recognise a Hong Kong

movie," said Wilfred Wong, chairman of the council that is

mainly responsible for government funding of the industry.



Hong Kong cinema exploded in the 1970s with Bruce Lee's

martial arts films. Following his death, that mantle was taken

up by Jackie Chan.



The industry expanded into other genres and became the

darling of international film festivals with titles such as "In

the Mood for Love," "Infernal Affairs" and "Kung Fu Hustle."



Stars like Andy Lau, Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung, and

directors such as John Woo and Johnnie To, were frequently seen

walking on the festival's red carpet.



Hong Kong's star started to fade in the 1990s when the

former British colony was handed over to China, due to a variety

of factors, including overproduction, the Asian financial crisis

and talent leaving for Hollywood.



With a view to the shrinking industry, investors were

unwilling to take a risk on young talent and would only approve

productions with well-known stars and directors.



Hong Kong's Film Development Council is now looking to

address that by financially supporting new directors' first film

initiative.



The council has in recent years groomed 32 new directors,

said Wong.



One of those new talents, director and actor Juno Mak, wrote

and directed the Cannes out-of-competition film "Sons of the

Neon Nights," starring veteran actor Tony Leung Ka-fai.



"It's kind of happiness, joy, enjoyable and satisfaction. So

we can again show to all the audience and all the people in the

world what Hong Kong productions are going on now," Leung Ka-fai

said.



The 67-year-old actor told Reuters that Hong Kong's film

industry was in need of new blood.



"We need new generations of directors, new generations of

actors and actresses, new generations of script writers, new

generations of every part that makes this dream," he said.