[2022.07.26] GORDON LAM AND HO CHING YEE WENT OVER 30 DRAFTS ON TIME SCREENPLAY

courtesy of on.cc

Ho Ching Yee and Gordon Lam wins the Recommended Screenplay of the Year award with TIME

Tse Kwan Ho presents the Honorary Award to his benefactor Raymond To
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild award presentation ceremony 2022 took place earlier. The Screenwriters' Guild announced that this year's "Honorary Award" would go to Raymond To Kwok Wai, with To Kwok Wai's beneficiary and friend Tse Kwan Ho presenting the award to him. To Sir said that he insisted on living to old age and writing to old age. Screenwriters Gordon Lam Ka Tung and Ho Ching Yee also with TIME (SAT CHOOK GOR WONG FUN) received awards and spoke about the tough process of creating over the years.

When Tse Kwan Ho presented the award he thanked To Sir and said, "Thank you To Sir for writing THE LEGEND OF THE MAD PHOENIX (NAM HOI SUP SAM LONG)'s role for me. This character enabled me to perform for 30 years. With him, there is no actor Tse Kwan Ho." To Sir after accepting the award from Tse Kwan Ho said, "I spent my whole life holding a pen, when I taught I held a chalk pen, when I wrote screenplays I used a ball point pen. I would still continue to 'hold the pen'. Screenwriting is like sculpting a vase. When you are filled with joy from sculpting a very pretty flower vase, the director then shatters it; over these years, countless directors have shattered countless flower vases of mine. However being able to enjoy the joy of sculpting flower vase is already enough."

All members of Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild every year would vote for the Recommended Screenplay of the Year Award and the Best Film Character of the Year Award" with one vote per person, to honor the screenwriters who created Hong Kong film characters and the actors who brought the characters to life. Felix Chong Man Keung presented the 2021 Recommended Screenplay of the Year award to TIME's screenwriters Gordon Lam Ka Tung and Ho Ching Yee.

Ka Tung said on stage, "Several years ago, TIME already had over 30 drafts but it still didn't work. After a few years, I thought Ching Yee has already quit. I didn't expect, while I was working on a movie in the Mainland, I got another draft from Ching Yee. Actually she was still persisting. The script that time was close, after I returned to Hong Kong I began to promote the project. Looking back at the creative process, I finished writing, fell asleep, let Ching Yee make changes, after she was done she gave it to me and it was her turn to sleep. After I made changes, I then woke Ching Yee to make more changes...in order to make this script good, the two of us sleep countless nights at the company." As for Ho Yee Ching Yee, she also shared the fantastic ideas behind her success. She said, "The story inspiration came from me at the community center, seeing so many seniors chatting. I thought, this maybe one great espionage intelligence gathering center. The story thus slowly began."

Another guest who presented the 2021 Recommended Screenplay Award, Gordon Chan Ka Seung said sentimentally when he saw the awards. "The awards before were very 'sloppy', these few years finally there is a great looking awards!" The DRIFTING award winning screenwriter Jun Li Chun Shek was honored to receive his colleagues' recognition.

As for the 2021 Best Film Character Awards, it went to Patrick Tse Yin and Lam Yiu Sing played Tin Lap Chau in TIME. Guest presenter John Chong Ching again stressed that the importance of character. He even said, "The most important thing about buying a property is location, location, location, the most important in writing a script is character, character, character!" Unable to personally attend to accept the award, Tse Yin's awards was accepted by director Ko Chi Bun on his behalf. He even hilariously reprised Sei Gor's Hong Kong Film Award dialogue, "I don't know anything, I only know to come and get this award!"