The Influence of Mainland China on Hong Kong Cinema

[Gaijin84]

Maybe I’m a pessimist, but here is the nail in the coffin for me...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/world/asia/china-communist-party-xi-jinping.html

Under the new plan, the party’s Department of Propaganda will take direct control of film, the news media and publications from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, a government agency. In effect, the thin partition that had separated the Communist Party from direct oversight of film production and imports of foreign films has been stripped away.

The plan said the change reflected the “especially important role of cinema in propagating ideas and in cultural entertainment.” Newspapers, books and magazines will also fall under the propaganda department’s direct supervision.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Whether or not HK cinema is dead is not an opinion, it is a fact. Chinese cinema is flourishing though, so for those who enjoy that, plenty of stuff to watch.

[Sheng]

 

Whether or not HK cinema is dead is not an opinion, it is a fact.

Well, with this assessment you're in good company with Mr. Chan and Mr Lau, Andrew that is, who said in an interview conducted for the excellent HKIFF "Filmmaker In Focus" series: "Who wants to watch a Hong Kong film nowadays? Joint ventures can reach all kinds of viewers and make several hundred million. INFERNAL AFFAIRS made HK$ 57 million and was seen by over a million viewers, but if it was screened on the Mainland there would have been tens of million of viewers." So in a nutshell here's the rationale for 90-some percent of the industry to look northwards.

But is HK cinema really dead? Depends on what you watch and how closely you follow contemporary HK cinematic culture. As for me,  the city's film output can basically be devided into two categories right now:

A:  HK/China co-productions, joint venture cinema in other words, that comes with the usual requirements, has to seek SARPPFT approval and will, as Lau infered, easily find big budgets and big audiences.

B:  NFFC cinema (Not-Fit-For-China, that is... ). Meaning films that find relatable, occasionally controversial local topics (and then wear their CAT. III rating with pride!), usually made on petite budgets but oftentimes with a lotta heart and creativity. Just to mention some truly great HK films from the last few years that fall into this category: RIGOR MORTIS, VULGARIA, DOOMSDAY PARTY, TRIVISA, TEN YEARS, PORT OF CALL, MAD WORLD (which did receive limited circulation on the Mainland and gained the distinction to be the only Cantonese language film screened in China in 2017) or To Man Chat's  recent karate-centered drama THE EMPTY HANDS.

Granted, films like these are harder & harder to make right now. But as long as they can be prodced and some of the city's most talented directors - Pang Ho Cheung, Johnny To, Herman Yau, amongst others - seem to be content to straddle both sides of the above mentioned divide with their works, yes, I for one would say that there's still some life left in HK Cinema.