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| Tsui Hark receives the honorary doctorate, and Brigitte Lin is in the audience to bear witness |
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Stanley Kwan is grateful to many superstars he has had the honor to work with since the start of his career
courtesy of on.cc |
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| Tsui Hark receives the Academy of Performing Arts honorary doctorate |
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| Stanley Kwan (left) and Sun Kim Long (right) receive the honorary fellowships |
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Chung Suet Ying's WE ARE BORN GOOD has been referred to as "having erotic performance". She calls for everyone to strengthen communication to prevent misleading the audience
courtesy of mingpao.com |
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts held a ceremony
yesterday to honor the honorary doctorates and honorary fellows, and
awarded the honorary titles to 6 outstanding people in recognition of
their outstanding achievements in the arts and culture industry. They
are Tsui Hark, who was awarded honorary doctorates of the Hong Kong
Academy of Performing Arts; Stanley Kwan Kam Peng, Mo Yu Tin (Sun Kim
Long), Yang Yuntao, Yu Yan Wah and Flora Yu Kit Yee, who were awarded
honorary fellows of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. Brigitte
Lin (Lam Ching Ha) personally arrived to witness the honorary moment of
his friend Tsui Hark.
The ceremony was officiated by Professor Symon Wong Yu Ming,
the Academy Council Chairman, and Professor Anna Chan Chung Ying,
Director. First, five honorary fellows were awarded to Kwan Kam Peng,
Sun Kim Long, Yang Yuntao, Yu Yan Wah and Yu Kit Yee, and then the
honorary doctorate was awarded to Tsui Hark.
Tsui Hark was praised by Director Chan as one of the most
influential and visionary filmmakers in contemporary cinema in Hong
Kong, playing a pivotal role in Hong Kong's film going to the world
stage. As a director, producer, screenwriter and film creative pioneer,
Tsui Hark has profoundly shaped the artistic landscape of Hong Kong film
and established its international position. His work has expanded the
artistic boundaries of action films and inspired countless creators
around the world. Tsui Hark went to the United States to study films in
the late 1960s, returned to Hong Kong in 1977 to enter television
production, and first directed the film THE BUTTERFLY MURDER (DIP BIN)
in 1979. In the 1980s, Tsui Hark has become a pioneer in the creative
and production mode of the film, and has successively produced classic
works such as ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (SUN SHOOK SHAN GIM
HUP), A BETTER TOMORROW (YING HUNG BOON SIK), A CHINESE GHOST STORY (SIN
NUI YAU WAN), SHANGHAI BLUES (SEUNG HOI JI YEH), PEKING OPERA BLUES (DOH
MA DAN), ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (WONG FEI HUNG). At any time of
evolution, Tsui Hark is committed to expanding the possibilities of film
technology and narrative, and has used digital special effects and
stereoscopic film technology to promote the development of three-
dimensional production of Chinese-language films, representing the works
of THE FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE (LUNG MOON FEI GAP), THE TAKING OF
TIGER MOUNTAIN (JI CHUI WAI FU SHAN). Tsui Hark, who has been in the
film industry for more than 40 years, has continued to expand the
boundaries of the film language and actively supported the development
of younger generations, which has a profound impact on the development
of mainland China, Hong Kong, China and the global film industry.
Kwan Kam Peng, who was praised by Dr. Terry Lam Kwan Sing, Dean
of the School of Film and Television, as an outstanding Hong Kong
director, producer and educator, reflecting the long-term development of
Chinese-speaking film and performing arts education. In 1976, Kwan Kam
Peng, who participated in the TVB Performing Arts Training Course,
started by production assistant and first directed the feature film
WOMEN (NUI YUN SUM), after which many of his works included ROUGE
(YIN JI KAU), FULL MOON IN NEW YORK (YUN JOI NAU YUEK), CENTER STAGE
(YUEN LING YUK) and RED ROSE WHITE ROSE (HUNG MUI GWAI BAK MUI GWAI)
have laid his international reputation. He has been committed to
training a new generation of talent, from time to time with industry
insiders to teach director and screenwriters, to provide his own film as
a case study screening, and to share his personal experience in
filmmaking, creative decision-making and directory with the younger
generation.
Sun Kim Long was praised by Professor Martin Lau Kwok Ying, Dean
of the School of Chinese Opera. After more than 50 years in the art
world, he has been a well-known Cantonese opera performer, producer,
playwright and educator. He has been committed to the creation and
education promotion of Cantonese opera for many years. He has
successively created two major theatre companies, such as "New Phoenix"
and "New Glory", recording many classic golden melodies and personally
writing famous operas like REUNION AT THE LOTUS POND, THE JADE HAIRPIN,
and A LOVE POEM STAINED WITH BLOOD and leaving Cantonese Opera with
countless treasure. Sun Kim Long is committed to promoting cultural
heritage, visiting the campus for more than 20 years to promote art
education, and actively cultivating art talents, so that traditional art
can be passed on and sustainable development.
In addition, the two dancers, Yang Yuntao and Yu Yan Wah, were
praised by Professor Ou Lu, Dean of the School of Dance, and Professor
Stella Lau Yin Ling, Senior Lecturer (Ballet) in the School of Dance;
while Yu Kit Yee, an art administrative officer, was read by Professor
Chan Chung Ying, Director of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.
In an interview, Kwan Kam Peng was humbled by the honorary
fellowship, saying that he did not deserve it because film productions
have always only be what he liked to do and was lucky to have the
opportunity to complete the work. Looking back at nearly half a century
of film career, Kwan Kam Peng is very lucky, and has had the privilege
of following a number of outstanding famous directors while working on
television, and now it is his turn to teach film courses at the City
University of Hong Kong, teaching two electives for writers and
directors. He said, "From the time I have had the honor of learning
from famous directors like (Ann) Hui On Wa, (Patrick) Tam Ka Ming and
(Dennis) Yu Wan Kong over 40 years ago at TVB, to now teaching in the
university, it is a kind of film spirit inheritance and extension. I am
grateful for following this group of excellent director in the late
1970s and early 1980s. I think it's also the passing of the torch and a
kind of legacy."
Kwan Kam Peng recalled that after graduating from the performing
arts training course in 1976, he has been in the industry for 50 years;
the happiest of which is to be able to collaborate with the male and
female actors he greatly admires, including Anita Mui Yim Fong, Maggie
Cheung Man Yuk, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Chow Yun Fat, Elaine Jin (Kam Yin
Ling) and Sammi Cheng Sau Man. The most memorable must be the two
superstars Mui Yim Fong (Ah Mui) and Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing (Gor Gor)'s
passing in succession. He said, "Ah Mui, Gor Gor and I were originally
talking about a new project. They have all agreeed to perform, but
unfortunately in the end both passed away. The project has been
permanently put on hold." For some people who hope to remake the
classic film ROUGE, Kwan Kam Peng said categorically that he would not.
"Where would you find another Mui Yim Fong and Cheung Kwok Wing for me?
I wouldn't consider about remaking this movie that so many people want
to see." Kwan Kam Peng said that if other directors are interested in
remaking it, they are welcome to find the right actors to play "Yu Fa"
and "Sam Yi Siu". He will never touch the script again. As for the
theft of Mui Yim Fong's ashes, he helplessly said, "I really don't
understand, I couldn't say anything about it neither."
Regarding the future work plan, in addition to teaching, Kwan
Kam Peng is also busy preparing a new film adapted from a novel that is
based on the relationship between mother and daughter. He plans to use
the 3-month period of school summer vacation in 2027 on the production,
which is currently in the stage of script revision. The cast has not
yet been implemented. Kwan Kam Peng has been helping new directors as a
producer in recent years. He especially appreciated the director Sasha
Chuk Chi Ngan, as well as the actors Wu Kang-Ren, Fish Liew Chi Yu,
Angela Yuen Lai Lam, etc., and thought that their performance was also
remarkable. Has he noticed Yuen Lai Lam's alleged sexual harassment
incident? He said that he has not so he was not at liberty to respond.
As for the current physical condition of Kwan Kam Peng, he said that he
was quite good. Although he has slight discomfort in his hand, it was
only because of exercise. He joked, "I have to stay healthy, or I won't
be able to carry a 180 pound body around to make a film."
Tsui Hark recently attended the Lumiere Film Festival in France,
where his four films, SHANGHAI BLUES, PEKING OPERA BLUES, ONCE UPON A
TIME IN CHINA and TIME AND TIDE (SHUN LAU YIK LAU), were scheduled to be
screened and he felt honored. In an interview with European media, he
said that looking back at his works made decades ago, those days felt
very distant but now suddenly reappeared, making it feel as if time had
never passed. Walking into the theater and seeing the old works still
loved by audiences was a wonderful feeling. He spoke about his late
best partner Shi Nansun, saying the films reminded him of many
colleagues he once worked shoulder to shoulder with; especially missing
Shi Nansun, who devoted years of dedication to the Film Workshop.
When asked about many people worrying about the future of film
and the entire art field, especially the development of artificial
intelligence (AI), would he be worried? Tsui Hark said the essence of
human nature is the fear of being replaced by something. This fear,
whether in relationships, career, economics, or understanding of
'freedom', makes it impossible to predict which direction the future
will lead. He said that at this age, he always feels like he does not
have much time left to worry about the future, but he still hopes things
would not get worse. He wants to stay optimistic. The world is
chaotic, but at least he can do one thing: guide everyone to focus on
the better side of human nature, remind each other to enjoy life and
human creativity. Film is a great entry point.
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