Film Archive’s “Movie Talk” to screen four films produced by renowned producer Terence Chang (with photo)
The Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will launch its latest "Movie Talk" series in January next year by screening four films produced by internationally renowned film producer Terence Chang at the HKFA Cinema. Chang was also invited to attend post-screening talks on January 20 and 21, 2024, with veteran film producers Linda Kuk and Amy Chin, as well as film experts Sam Ho and Thomas Shin to share his rich recollection of experiences and insights from his film career.
Chang is a renowned production manager and film producer who has been active in the film industry for more than four decades. He participated in the productions of many Hong Kong and Hollywood classic films. In as early as the 1980s, he started to be involved in film distribution and opened up international markets for the films of several prominent Hong Kong film companies. In the early 1990s, Chang, John Woo and Kuk established Milestone Pictures Limited, which produced a series of popular films, including "Once a Thief" (1991) and "Now You See Love, Now You Don't" (1992). Later, he further developed his film career in Hollywood and Beijing, becoming one of the few producers who could successfully connect the film industries in the United States (US), the Mainland and Hong Kong. He also assisted director Woo, actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh, and other filmmakers to start new chapters in their careers in Hollywood.
The four popular films selected were initiated and made by Chang during different times in Hong Kong, Hollywood and Beijing. They include jewel-theft action film "Once a Thief" (4K Restored Version), acted by iconic film stars Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung. "Face/Off" (1997), a sci-fi action film which was produced by Chang and directed by Woo, revolves around a detective and a terrorist who have their identities and faces swapped. The film was a huge success critically and commercially in Hong Kong and the US, and has become one of the signature Hollywood works of the duo.
Action comedy, "The Big Hit" (1998), is a Hollywood assassin film filled with tension, black humour and absurdity, becoming an antidote to the genre at the time. Another selected film is "Reign of Assassins" (2010), which is a martial arts film tailor-made for Michelle Yeoh. The film not only showcases Yeoh's abilities in martial arts, but also allows her to express complex emotions in various scenes.
"Face/Off" and "The Big Hit" are in English with Chinese subtitles, while "Once a Thief" and "Reign of Assassins" are in Cantonese and Mandarin respectively, with Chinese and English subtitles.
Tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme details, please visit the website of the HKFA (www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2024-ckc.html) or call 2739 2139.
The HKFA has organised the "Movie Talk" series since 2013. Each instalment of the series focuses on a filmmaker who selects films for screening and then participates in the post-screening talks at one weekend to intimately share with audiences the inspiration, motivation and process of their creative work.