Johnnie To Addresses Hong Kong Censorship Challenges in Tokyo Festival Conversation With Yu Irie

Veteran director Johnnie To discussed the challenges of filmmaking under increased regulation in Hong Kong during a conversation with Japanese filmmaker Yu Irie at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

“There is a lot of regulation in Hong Kong, especially when it comes to expression,” To said Thursday when asked about balancing culture with freedom. “You have to think about what you are going to say carefully. It’s about responsibility.”

To founded the Fresh Wave film festival in Hong Kong young filmmaker program in Hong Kong which unearthed several new talents. In 2023, the festival was hit with censorship. The filmmaker noted that creators need to adapt to the current environment. “With the Fresh Wave program there was a certain amount of censorship. In that environment you have to be ready to understand what the censorship is going to be doing.”

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However, To emphasized that filmmakers shouldn’t remain passive. “Filmmakers can’t be bystanders. They have to take action, in a smart way.”

This is not the first time To has bemoaned curtailing of freedom of expression. Earlier in 2023, during the Berlinale he had said that when totalitarian rule emerges, when people lose their freedoms, cinema would be the first to take the hit.

Also in 2023, To’s compatriot Chow Yun Fat had also spoken about censorship. “We have a lot of censorship requirements in mainland China. Scripts must go to many departments. So, we need [to portray] clear situations in scripts. Honestly, we will try our best to make movies with Hong Kong spirit. In the 1980s people watched a lot of Hong Kong films. I’m proud,” Chow had said at a press event.

During the wide-ranging Tokyo conversation, To also discussed his improvisational filmmaking style and reflected on Hong Kong cinema’s changing landscape. He expressed concern about the industry’s future, noting that major studios like Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest are “all gone now.” He added, “The governmental grants are not enough. The scale has become smaller and smaller. I’d like to see more investors to make Hong Kong film better. With the Fresh Wave project – the Hong Kong government stopped investing. I am going to be 70 soon. In 10 years, I’ll be an old man. The situation has changed, the time has changed.”

The conversation, which is part of the TIFF Lounge series of talks between filmmakers, reversed the pattern set by the chat between Japanese auteur Kore-eda Hirokazu and emerging Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, where the former asked the latter about her life and career and spoke very little about himself. u is the director in focus at TIFF this year.