***********************************************************
Director and producer Stanley Kwan has often been regarded as a director of female-oriented films as a result of his sensitive and insightful portrayals of the female psyche. Kwan has directed many classics, including "Women" (1985), "Love Unto Wastes" (1986), "Rouge" (1987), "Full Moon in New York" (1990) and "Centre Stage" (1992), and after a three-decade career in filmmaking is still devoted to creating films. This April he will share with an audience the inspirations behind his creative work and his views on human relationships during a talk at the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA).
Curated and hosted by veteran film researcher Law Kar, the HKFA's "Movie Talk" series which started last year will feature Kwan in April. Previously the series has featured director Ivy Ho, the avant-garde movie director Chiu Kang-chien, director Fruit Chan and writer, director and cinematographer Herman Yau. To pay tribute to his long-time friend Chiu Kang-chien, who passed away recently, director Kwan has specifically chosen three of his beloved collaborations with Chiu to show the spirit of partnership between director and scriptwriter, together with two other short films for screening.
"Movie Talk V: Stanley Kwan" will be held at 4.15pm on April 5 at the HKFA's Cinema. Kwan will share with the audience his insights on his works and how they are linked to society and history. The talk will be conducted in Cantonese with free admission.
The films Kwan has selected to be shown are "Love Unto Wastes" and "Still Love You After All These" (1997), which will screen together on April 4 at 7pm; "Centre Stage", which will be shown on April 5 at 1.30pm; and "Full Moon in New York" and "Yang กำ Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema" (1996), to be shown as a double feature at 7pm on April 5.
Each instalment of the "Movie Talk" series focuses on a filmmaker who will select films made by themselves or filmmaking counterparts for screening. During the discussion sessions, the audiences join the host in watching clips from selected films as well as listen to the inspirations and processes behind the featured guest's work.
"Love Unto Wastes" was director Kwan's first well-known film. Inspired by a friend's story, he passed the idea to scriptwriter Chiu, who crafted this hypnotic murder mystery-romance about the son of a wealthy businessman (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and his relationships with women played by Irene Wan and Elaine Jin. Through the perspective of a detective (Chow Yun-fat), the film reflects the characters' attitudes towards love and lust. "Still Love You After All These", which will be shown together with "Love Unto Wastes", is a revealing autobiographical documentary about Kwan's thoughts on identity and love in the face of the 1997 handover.
In "Centre Stage", director Kwan commemorates the work of filmmakers in the 1930s through the biography of legendary actress Ruan Lingyu, played by Maggie Cheung. Instead of telling the story of Ruan's tragic life, Kwan turns the focus to the relationship of the actress with her friends and colleagues, as well as their dedication and contributions to the arts. Lead actress Cheung won the Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival for her heartrending performance in this film.
"Full Moon in New York" features three women (played by Siqin Gaowa, Sylvia Chang and Maggie Cheung) from the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong who meet as strangers in New York City. Kwan uses the wintry views of New York to serve as a metaphor for the women's bitter inner lives and their cold isolation from their new home. Despite the reportedly tumultuous creative process, the final result is a moving and timely character drama about the Chinese diaspora.
Also being shown in the same screening is "Yang กำ Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema", made as a contribution to a TV series celebrating the centenary of cinema. Through interviews with actors and stars on their views towards family, gender and sex, Kwan comes to a conclusion on how to deal with his own sexuality, giving the film a powerful finale.
"Centre Stage" is in Mandarin and Cantonese and the other films are in Cantonese. "Still Love You After All These", with Chinese subtitles, is a Category III film and only ticket holders aged 18 and above will be admitted. The other films have Chinese and English subtitles.
Tickets priced at $40 are available at URBTIX. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Credit card bookings can be made at 2111 5999 or on the Internet at www.urbtix.hk .
Detailed programme information can be obtained in the "ProFolio 71" leaflet, which is distributed at all performance venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. For enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900 or browse the website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/filmprog/english/2014mt1/2014mt1_index.html .
Ends/Thursday, March 6, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:00
NNNN
