I'm here with Andrew Choi, the executive producer of the movie "Ten years",
which is one best film in the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Andrew, thanks for joining us.
I'm a huge fan, so I've seen it at least five times.
Tell me, what's it like working with Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt
What's that Shelley?
Oh, that's a different movie, also called "Ten years".
Andrew, excuse me for just a moment.
Okay Andrew, thank you,
pardon the interruption.
So I just watched "Ten years",
which is apparently a collection of five short films
about the Chinese Communist Party's erosion of freedom in Hong Kong.
So, the film is set in 2025, 10 years in the future of Hong Kong.
Why are there no robots or sentient machines?
Well, because we have a very limited budget
and so that's the
Best answer.
Yeah, best answer for us.
Actually, we talked to the directors
and that we only have like in Hong Kong $100,000 Hong Kong for per film.
So it's very very low budget.
per each of the five films?
Yeah, so total 500,000 Hong Kong dollars budget.
So, I don't think you can have a robot with this budget.
Always cardboard.
So, why did you get involved with this film?
Well, I think we started out about three years ago
It was in 2013,
Me and my co-producer Ng Ka-leung, who was also one of the director,
Local Egg.
We just finished a documentary film in Hong Kong.
Also talking about some of the changes in Hong Kong
And, three years ago we have the idea that
Oh, after this documentary file, I want to do a feature film about the future of Hong Kong.
Because, back then you can, kind of sense Hong Kong is changing.
Of course the influence of China,
you can feel, is getting more and more involved in the Hong Kong issues.
So, we were just asking the question: "What's next for Hong Kong?"
"Ten years" was very successful in Hong Kong, sold-out theaters.
Were you expecting this kind of response?
Definitely no.
We never imagined we could have such a huge response.
We, at the beginning, we just imagining maybe one theater can show it for one week.
But then theaters show it for eight weeks
total of six cinemas showed it.
But, even after eight weeks, our film was actually doing quite well.
It was selling out, selling out in all cinemas.
But, the cinema told us:
"Sorry Andrew, we won't have any screening time for you next week."
And, we're asking: "Why, our film is making money for you guys?
They just said: "I'm sorry, we just don't have any slot for you guys."
So, that's an interesting part
because normally that won't happen in Hong Kong.
Do I, why do you think there was that?
Of course, they won't tell us the reason.
But, you can, kind of, know it,
It's kind of self-censorship
from the cinemas.
But, yeah, we don't have the chance to continue to show in the cinema.
So, we showed in the community.
So, we did 150 screening since February this year
in universities,
community centers
different high schools
even churches.
Yeah, people are eager to watch our film
and so we continue to screen it for,
I think, five to six months in the community, yeah.
And then it won Best film at the Hong Kong Film Award.
How did you feel about that?
So we were very surprised and of course we're honor.
I think this film not just because that the
in terms of production quality,
I don't think we are in that level.
But, I think in terms of the meaning,
in terms of the response from the Hong Kong people
And I think people appreciate it.
because of the timing of the film that it was released.
And so people are saying: "Well, seems like things that we are talking in the film
are actually happening in Hong Kong.
So people're saying: "Oh,you guys are, like, prophesizing in the future and then it's really happening."
So, it's kind of generate more awareness to the Hong Kong people, yeah.
I know some people said the things that happened in the movie
could never actually happen in Hong Kong.
But then as you say, shortly after it came out
there was the five Hong Kong booksellers that were detained in mainland China.
And past few months, there's the interpretations
Beijing is making about Hong Kong legislators.
So, do you feel that opinion has changed that this could never happen?
Well, actually, people are saying that
we should change the title of the film.
Instead of "Ten years", we should name it "This year".
Because, we are imagining the future
10 years from now, right, 2025.
But, just a few months after we released the film,
then people are saying that things are already happening in Hong Kong.
And they can really sense these things are going to happen in the near future.
Actually, when we do the film,
all the directors kind of have this in mind that
we don't want to see
the story that we talked about in the movie happened in real life.
But unfortunately things are really happening as you said.
Some of the conspiracy theory that we talked about in the first film - Extras.
People can associate in actual the Mong Kok incident
in February this year you know.
That's Fishball Revolution
Yeah, Fishball Revolution
People're kind of associate:
"Oh, this is what you're talking about in the film."
And of course, the [...] bookstore in one of the film Local Egg,
we talked about a secret bookstore.
So people're kind of associate that things that we're talking about is sort of really happening.
And, when we do the local community screenings
especially after the Q&A session,
we always say that: "In real life,
things are more ridiculous than what we're talking in the film.
And because of the political nature of the film,
have you faced any censorship or pressure because of it?
Not directly, yeah.
Actually we were asked very often that:
"Are you guys being followed,
Are you guys afraid?"
No, so far no.
But, I think, I think but we can feel the pressure,
especially when we know when we were nominated in the Hong Kong Film Award.
The mainland news Global Times wrote an article about us saying that:
"We are spreading virus, spreading despair."
I believe the specific term they use for the film was "thought virus".
Yes, thought virus.
Congratulations!
So actually, yes after this news came up and we were just saying that:
"Oh we got a free publicity."
Because, in Hong Kong you know, when the government say something that you're no good,
It means that's very good.
So it's kind of help us to do.
People are more aware of the film
and really believe that our film is doing something right.
It's definitely actually a good way
to understand what things are happening in Hong Kong.
Any plans to take the film to the mainland?
Well, there's a privated version, yeah.
I heard it was quite popular among the mainland people.
Oh really?
Yeah, it's a lot of download, a lot of BT, I heard.
Of course it's illegal.
But that's probably the only way that we could go in.
I don't think you'll be making that box office there.
No, there's no box office there.
But we release in Taiwan the film.
And, we went to, I think, over 30 international film festivals just past year.
And so I think we did arouse quite a few interests in different areas in the world.
And we just released a DVD,
and recent online.
So hopefully more people will see the film
For the China Uncensored viewers in the US,
is there any way they can see the film?
I think we're going to release it in iTunes and Google Play in the US as well.
So, I think you guys have a chance.
But, I think and I can share a little bit about our next project.
because it's related with "Ten years"
Because we went to a lot of international film festivals,
we got the idea of that "Ten years", I think, it's a very local topic about Hong Kong.
But when we show it in different countries,
people're very interested in
not only to Hong Kong but they kind of reflect of their own country.
So, we can have a project called "Ten years international"
we're going to go to different places to do a local version of "Ten years".
For example, we going to Taiwan,
we're going to do a "Ten years Taiwan".
We can have local Taiwan directors to do a "Ten years" about Taiwan.
We've planed to do in Thailand,
in japan and in Korea.
So, we kind of want to bring this idea to different places
and continue the discussion about the future of different countries.
So that's gonna be interesting, yeah.
Great!
Well, since you mentioned that the next project,
you know, I've been told I have a certain cinematic appeal.
I don't know if you would ever consider maybe casting me
and something particularly involves the sentient machines
It looks like a Matrix.
Something like that.
Something like that, yeah, that'd be good yeah.
I'll make a "Ten years" in US, yeah.
I probably cast you.
Well, 10 years in the future the US would be pretty disgusting.
Well, I wouldn't talk about this because I was in New York
Cut the cameras!
Yeah, cut the cameras.
One final question
at the end of the film, it ends with the phrase: "It's not too late."
I know, people have been saying that Hong Kong has become very pessimistic and cynical.
Do you feel it's not too late, do you feel there's still hope?
Well, I think it's going to be difficult.
I think the control and censorship is going to be even more tighten in Hong Kong.
But the same time,
with all the screenings,
we've talked to many people, especially younger generation in Hong Kong.
and we feel that they are concerned about the future
and they really want to fight for something
that they used to enjoy in Hong Kong,
freedom of speech,
the freedom to do their own things,
to have a good jurisdictions system in Hong Kong.
I think, young people are very
I think, stepping up,
and I think, I can see the future in them.
It's going to be difficult but I think more people kind of going to fight for
what we used to have as an international city in Hong Kong.
But, yeah, so that's why we think it's never too late.
If we lose hope and then we're going to very be pessimistic.
But I think we can keep the hope
and keep the hope in people, especially.
So ,yeah, that's how we see it.
Well, thank you very much for joining me Andrew.
The film is called "Ten years", be sure to check it out
and keep your eye open for the US release.
I highly recommend the film.
Thank you.
Thanks again.
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