John Chong to share insights on Hong Kong film market in Film Archive's "Movie Talk" series (with photo)
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Chong is acclaimed as a sought-after film-marketing expert, whose film career started from a screenwriting class at a TV station in the 1980s. Chong then worked for a film company and was responsible for film promotion. Later, he began to use the pseudonym John Chong as a part-time screenwriter, and continues to use the pseudonym to this day. In 1994, Chong co-founded the Media Asia Group with six other industry leaders. As a producer or presenter of more than 100 films, Chong, with his experience and market acumen, is able to bring various box-office hits and award-winning classics to Hong Kong screens.
Continuing the story of its prequel with the same title in 2010, "Love in the Buff" (2012) follows Jimmy Cheung and Cherie Yu working in Beijing after their breakup and having fallen in love with other people. In this Mainland-Hong Kong co-production, the taste of the Mainland audiences is catered to while retaining the distinctive features of a Hong Kong movie, making it a box office hit in both markets.
Adapted from a wildly popular manga series, "Initial D" (2005) tells the story of a youngster with extraordinary driving potential, transforming from a delivery driver to a racer. During shooting, the copyright holder of the Japanese manga originally requested 29 amendments but thanks to Chong's negotiation skills, only a slight change in one line of dialogue was made. The adaption film has become a Hong Kong classic.
"Infernal Affairs" (2002) stands out from the usual works in the genre of Hong Kong undercover films by creating a double-undercover narrative; an undercover cop in a gang and a gangster infiltrating the police force. In portraying the duo who secretly try to outmanoeuvre each other, the story captures the inner feelings of the characters as well. This blockbuster film is a multiple award winner that spawned adaptations in Hollywood and Japan.
Chong is also an expert in film titling. For the titling of the Hollywood film "Lethal Weapon" (1987), instead of a literal translation of the original title, Chong gave the film a Chinese title that alludes to the go-for-broke working style of the protagonist, while signalling the film as an action movie. This first-of-its-kind title by Chong has attracted various subsequent similar styles of film titling for remakes.
"Lethal Weapon" is in English and with Chinese subtitles, while the other films are in Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles.
Tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/programmes/johnchong/index.html.
The HKFA has organised the "Movie Talk" series since 2013. Each instalment of the series focuses on a filmmaker who selects films for screenings and discussions with audiences keen to learn about the inspiration and process behind the featured guest's work.
Ends/Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Issued at HKT 15:30
Issued at HKT 15:30
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