七人樂隊
Anthology
Cantonese, English and Czech subtitles
Directing: Ann Hui, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, Patrick Tam, Johnnie To, Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-Ping
Starring: Timmi Hung, Francis Ng, Sire Ma, Jennifer Yu
Distributor: Media Asia International Distribution Limited
Seven leading directors of Hong Kong cinema came together to each shoot a short film that pays tribute to their birthplace. In view of current affairs in Hong Kong, this anthology film feels like saying goodbye to the once glorious city. Still, the filmmakers do not explicitly deal with the present, but rather with memories and sentiments they hold towards their home city. Some of the stories are filled with personal nostalgia – Sammo Hung tells the story of a martial art master teaching young students, or Patrick Tam, a prominent figure of the Hong Kong new wave, describes a young man’s love story taking place in 1980s. By contrast, Johnnie To, who initiated and produced the entire project, creates a funny overview of economic turbulence the city went through in the past decades, and Tsui Hark pulled off an entertaining meta-cinematic vision. In addition to these directors, the anthology includes another acclaimed representative of the Hong Kong new wave, Ann Hui, a martial art films legend, Yuen Woo-Ping, and an action film master, Ringo Lam, who passed away shortly after completing his short film reflecting the tumultuous transformations of the city landscape. The contributing directors are all globally renowned and also very distinctive, so each short film features a different genre, mood, and cinematic approach. All together, they document how an ageing generation of great directors perceives the past and the present of Hong Kong and serve as a reminder of how versatile the local cinema is.
