[2024.11.11] SYLVIA CHANG: LET YOUNG FILMMAKERS MAKE WHAT THEY WANT

Sean Lau says that he exercises normally so he does not need any special work out to get into shape
courtesy of on.cc

Sylvia Chang is confident about winning the Golden Horse Awards Best Actress with DAUGHTER'S DAUGHTER

Sean Lau and Jo Koo play husband and wife in the new film with daring bed scene

Karena Lam is a single mother on and off screen
courtesy of mingpao.com

The 21st Hong Kong Asian Film Festival closing ceremony took place last night. The two closing film teams DAUGHTER'S DAUGHTER stars Sylvia Chang Aijia, Karena Lam Ka Yan, Eugenie Liu Yier and director Huang Xi, PAPA's stars Sean Lau Ching Wan, Jo Koo (Kuk Cho Lam), young actors Dylan So Man To and Lainey Hung Lok Hei and director Philip Yung Tsz Kwong attended the premieres.

Chang Aijia stated that the 6 years that DAUGHTER'S DAUGHTER experienced was not easy. Originally she was only an actress, but because the original producer Hou Hsiao-Hsien fell ill she took over. "Director Huang Xi asked me about a lot of things. I handled many that weren't in the area of an actor. The director then asked me if I could help and continue to produce." The film during its planning also ran into the pandemic and its effect on the economy, after numerous "accidents" she finally was able to find investors to start production on it. She was grateful to the original team for their participation in full. The film received five Golden Horse Awards nominations. Chang Aijia and Liu Yier were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively, Chang Aijia pointed out that she has always had confidence in herself, and said with a smile that it does not matter whether she wins the award or not. "The most important thing is that the audience likes this movie, I can live with my conscience and perform well for the movie." Lam Ka Yan said that she has known Chang Aijia for 20 years and finally had the chance to work together. Both in the film and in real life she was a single Mama. Also because she had two daughters, during the performance she could very easily immerse into the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.

Speaking of director Johnnie To Kei Fung's recent interview that claimed Hong Kong films have been restricted creatively, Chang Aijia had a different opinion. Instead she felt that now is the new beginning for Hong Kong films. "I feel Hong Kong film now is in a new beginning, I am very confident. Currently many of the new generations have appeared. Faced with their current environment, they naturally have stories that they wat to tell. They all very freely make what they want to make, so we should let the young kids work on movies that they want to make!"

Ching Wan and Kuk Cho Lam played husband and wife in PAPA. Kuk Cho Lam said that Lau Ching Wan was the actor she has worked with the most, but previously they did not have many scenes together; this time she finally was able to have physical contact. Aside from passion scenes, Ching Wan even completely bared his back. Before the shoot that they have agreed to how naked they would be, but they did not cultivate their emotions before hand. They just went for it from the jump and did not need any special communication. Both said that the script was very well written, the story required it and the script had this love scene very early on. Ching Wan stated that this was not his most daring performance in his film career. He was also buck naked in TOO MANY WAYS TO BE NO. 1 (YUT GOR JI TAU DIK DAN SUN) with six other actors. So this time was no big deal? "Don't make it sound like this, as an actor I have to make a living. What can I do?" Praised for having "an excellent quality rear", did he have any special training to get into shape? He said that he kept up with his exercises normally.

Kuk Cho Lam said that she has already seen PAPA and thought that Lau Ching Wan's nude performance was very shocking. "This scene is very important, uncovering the pain the Papa character withstood was not something that could be settled physically and mentally. When the director edited this shot into it, the method is very vicious." As for her performance, it was also very conceptually daring but no nudity. During the shoot she did not even thought about it. "You wouldn't believe it even if I tell you, it really happened very naturally. We just got into it, without any suspicion at all."

Lau Ching Wan said that he had Kuk Cho Lam's chemistry was based on their mutual trust. "Because the character has lost a lot, the audience must know that what he once had in order to know what he has lost it. (Did you tell anyone before hand?) My Papa didn't know. (What about your wife Amy Kwok Oi Ming?) We have been together for so many years, she understands it well. (Did she rehearse with you?) Let's not talk about anything outside the movie."