[2025.06.21] JOHN CHONG, STANLEY KWAN ENCOURAGE YOUNG FILMMAKERS TO BE BOLD

Natalie Hsu strongly supports Mama as still healthy and beautiful

Lo Chun Yip praises Natalie Hsu as a prodigy, making films before she has participated in any short film

Ann Bridgewater
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Asian Film Awards Academy organized, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government led, and the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Office, the Film Development Fund, Sands China Ltd. and Shaw Brothers Cinemas sponsored International Film Creation Camp 2025 held a press conference yesterday. Famous filmmakers John Chong Ching and Stanley Kwan Kam Peng, directors Nick Cheuk Yik Him and Tracy Hsu (Hui Yan Sin), actors Natalie Hsu (Hui Yan Yi), Rachel Leung Yung Ting and Siuyea Lo Chun Yip attended the event.

The Chairman of the Asian Film Awards Academy Dr. Wilfred Wong Ying Wai said in his speech that the camp was committed to providing hands-on opportunities and professional support for young Asian creators, and 16 finalists would be selected from this year's second edition of the camp to participate in a five-day camp in mid-September at Sands China's integrated resort, where they would receive one-on-one mentorship from senior industry mentors, participate in masterclasses and venture capital briefings. Eight participants would each receive a production grant of HK$300,000 and have the opportunity to screen their short films at international film festivals.

The chief tutor of this year's creative camp John Chong Ching and the lecturer of the master class Stanley Kwan Kam Peng shared on the stage. Chong Ching said that the young people who came to participate in the short film shoots did not need to consider the preferences of the mentors. As long as they followed their hearts, the mentors would see the advantages of the creators and discover them. Kwan Kam Peng said that he was reminded of himself in the 70s of the last century, when he and Ann Hui On Wah, Cheung Kwok Ming and other New Wave directors have also learned from the sidelines knowledge that has been useful all their lives. When it came to how to pass on the legacy based on personal experience, he pointed out that he has been teaching screenwriting at the City University of Hong Kong. There he also told his students to be bold in development and inspiration. "I once had the honor to talk to Chen Kaige about films. He said that creators should be 'androgynous', so that there would be an even wider creative space; director Hou Hsiao- hsien also gave me eight words 'both far and near, both near and far', because filmmaking should also be viewed objectively, and one's own works should move oneself and others."

Hui Yan Yi has been making movies as soon as she started and has never participated in making short films. Lo Chun Yip praised her as a prodigy. This time he produced and performed with several Asian Film Awards Youth Ambassadors Thai actor Aokbab Chutimon, Taiwanese actor Austin Lin Bo-Hong, and Japanese actor Masaki Okada in short films. Lo Chun Yip said that the production has brought back the nostalgia of constantly making short films during his university days. He thought that short film productions were mobile and had even more "home grown" production flavor, from which he learned the ability to be able to go with the flow the most.

Hui Yan Yi's new film MY FIRST OF MAY (MO MING JI) recently held a preview screening. Her mother Ann Bridgewater (Pak On Nei) went to show her support and was caught in the wild, but people online were surprised that Pak On Nei was thinner than in the past and slightly weathered. Hui Yan Yi said bluntly, "After I was born, she has never been fat. People would age, but she is still so beautiful and healthy; maybe her daughter is too strong and too naughty that she sucked up all of her nutrients!" Would Mama have any comments on her performance? She said, "No, but I always want my parents to praise me. Papa and Mama both say I have done pretty well!" Hui Yan Yi stated that even if she was filming, she wanted to receive praise from the director for encouragement. She joked that after the shoot some directors did not even say OK. She pointed out that actors were often very subjective when performing, so they needed to be recognized by others to prove whether the direction of their performance was correct.