[2024.09.10] THE LAST DANCE WILL PREMIERE AT THE HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Michelle Wai gave her all in the rescue scene, but she could not leave her character for a long time after.
courtesy of on.cc

The Emperor Motion Picture THE LAST DANCE (POR. DEI YUK) has been scheduled for a November 14th release. Just before the release, the film received good news yesterday as the film was selected to participate in the Hawaii International Film Festival. Director Anselm Chan Mou Yin and lead actress Michelle Wai Sze Nga will fly to Hawaii in person next month to meet the audience there. The two were very excited after receiving the news. Director Chan Mou Yin said, "THE LAST DANCE is not only a film about Hong Kong's funeral industry, but also a film about Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. It is a very 'Hong Kong' movie. As a Hong Kong director, I am very happy to be able to bring Hong Kong movies to foreign audiences." Wai Sze Nga also declared that she was looking forward to it greatly. On the first day of filming, three actors Elaine Jin (Kam Yin Ling, Sister Kam), Dayo Wong Tze Wah and Wai Sze Nga performed together on a rare occasion. Sze Nga and Sister Jin have known each other since they were filming READY O/R ROT (BUT YUT SING FUN 2) and had a bond long ago. Sze Nga played a emergency medical team member who was able to do simple tasks like taking Sister Kam's blood pressure and giving her a physical examination. Tze Wah and Sister Kam first had a scene where the two are chatting at the door of a Cha Chan Tang, where they talked about some topics from deep in their hearts and touched each other. Passing by the Cha Chan Tang to visit Sister Kam, Sze Nga also nodded and said hello to Tze Wah. A seemingly simple scene was full of human touch, and the three people were very professional as they cultivated their emotions on their own before taking their positions.

Although this scene took one night to shoot and Sister Kam's role led from beginning to end, Sister Kam would study the script and role with the director and Tze Wah whenever she had time. In addition her old friend Paul Chun Pui came to visit the set, so it was a fulfilling night. Sze Nga also sat in a corner to cultivate feelings for the major scene of the night, in which she tried to save Sister Kam; facing a Best Actor and a Best Actress, nothing could be left to chance. During the filming of the rescue, Sze Nga burst into tears as she dove into the performance. She has applied for a lifeguard certification and had a basic understanding of CPR. With her spot on emotions, she completed the scene in just a few takes. She broke down and cried in an emotional outburst, which even the director praised.

She could not help but said, "After the cameras stopped rolling, it was really difficult to calm down emotionally for awhile." When asked whether the pain the character experienced this time was the most profound? Sze Nga admitted, "This performance experience really made me feel like I couldn't calm down. I was so deeply in the character, which was the most painful role since I started acting. My co-star Sister Kam, the director and the screenwriter gave me a very good experience. It's a rare occasion that I was in the same scene with Sister Kam and Brother Tze Wah, and I successfully stole some lessons from the the Best Actor and Best Actress."