[2023.10.27] LAWRENCE KAN IS GRATEFUL TO LOUIS KOO FOR INVESTING

 

IN BROAD DAYLIGHT director Lawrence Kan, actor Jennifer Yu and compose Chu Wan Pin promote at the Tokyo International Film Festival
courtesy of mingpao.com

A film about reporters at work and a nursing home scandal, IN BROAD DAYLIGHT (BAK YUN JI HA) in the past several months has been touring film festival around the world, including last week's London East Asia Film Festival and Hong Kong International Film Festival's MAKING WAVES: NAVIGATORS OF HONG KONG CINEMA Montreal stop. The latest stop before its Hong Kong release was the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival's "World Focus" segment. Director Lawrence Kan Kwan Chun, star Jennifer Yu Heung Ying, composer Chu Wan Pin and editor Alan Lo Wai Lun attended and appeared at the Asian Film Awards Academy and the Tokyo International Film Festival organized, Tokyo International Film Festival Asia programming director Kenji Ishizaka host "Asian Cinerama" post screening share.

Four creators after the screening shared their experience and had exchanges with the audience. They even received the audience's enthusiastic responses and questions, which greatly encouraged the team. Receiving a Golden Horse Best Actress nomination this year for the film, Jennifer first went to Canada then Tokyo to attend film festivals. She said, "Although the itinerary was intense it was not too rough. I felt happy and excited more than tired, only that I had to fly after just finishing the post birth confinement. Because this film's entire team has put in all of their effort, I too hope to be able to bring this film to as many different places as I can, and meet and interact with different viewers."

As for being able to attend this time, Jennifer said, "I am rather honored to receive the Tokyo International Film Festival's recognition. At the post screening share a Japanese viewer said that he once worked in the media there and had quite an experience from the subject of IN BROAD DAYLGHT, which made me feel even more that the language of film truly has no border and is international." While in Canada, the most memorable for Jennifer was also the post screening share. She pointed out that after the film screening no viewer left. They all stayed to listen to the share and exchange, some viewers even emotionally asked, "How can something like this happen?" Jennifer explained to him that this was due to issues in the Hong Kong system. Of course each place would be different, at the same time she also understood the reason that they were enraged.

Jennifer was surprised that some viewers brought some of her past film posters, VCDs, or DVDs with them, like FAR FAR AWAY (LUEN LO SHAN KA LA), SEPTET (CHUT YUN LOK DUI) and others for her to sign autographs. She gratefully said, "Actually everyone has been paying a lot of attention to Hong Kong films, some viewers even spoke Cantonese. The Hong Kong films everyone in recent years made not only had the support of Hong Kong viewers, but also Japanese viewers. I was rather touched."

Kan Kwan Chun as a new generation director was asked if he had any aspiration? He said, "To speak with work". He did not dare the movie would be able to change the world. He only wanted to speak up for others, just like the reporter Yu Heung Ying played in the film. "Some viewers have already forgotten about the news but immediately picked up the related article to read after watching IN BROAD DAYLIGHT." Some said that Hong Kong films were not what they used to be. All four disagreed. Kan Kwan Chun said, "Don't live in the past, the best would be buying a ticket because many Hong Kong films are outstanding like A GUILTY CONSCIENCE (DUK SIT DAI JONG), MAMA'S AFFAIR (AH MA YAU JOR DAI YI GOR)." He also said that whether film industry elder or film department student, they were still full of passion for film. Yu Heung Ying agreed. IN's extras were very amazing, able to help her get into character.

Kan Kwan Chun mentioned the difficulty of finding investors. IN BROAD DAYLGHT took 5 years before finally receiving investment from Louis Koo Tin Lok. "The day after handing over the proposal I ran into Mr. Koo, he already said that he was interested in making it." Kan Kwan Chun believed not only the screenplay touched him, but also producer Derek Yee Tung Sing put in a lot of good word.