“Determined to revolutionize the stagnant film industry, these visionary filmmakers took the initiative to breathe fresh life into Hong Kong cinema,” stated Law, a former colleague of filmmakers like Hui at Hong Kong broadcasting company TVB. What set their work apart? While socially-oriented films had been produced by Hong Kong filmmakers in the 1950s, the 1960s saw the domination of wuxia martial arts films by Shaw Brothers Studio, and the 1970s were characterized by kung fu movies following the success of Bruce Lee. Filmmaking techniques had become rigid and uniform. In contrast, the New Wave directors introduced a distinctly European art-house style to their films, and embraced a wide variety of social topics in addition to other genres. Many of these young filmmakers had studied abroad and brought back the latest filmmaking techniques to Hong Kong. “They prioritized visual style and had high standards for photography, art design, sound effects, and music. Preferring small and mobile crews, they explored different locations throughout the territory, breaking free from the traditional studio sound stages,” Law explained. The New Wave directors desired to experiment and transform the way Hong Kong films were conceived and shot. “The objective is to establish a unique film language, tailor-made for Hong Kong and even mainland China,” stated Patrick Tam in an interview with Film Biweekly in 1979. Tam emphasized that this was a collective effort, asserting that “I don’t believe this responsibility falls solely on one person like myself. Each New Wave director should continue to explore new techniques and ideas to foster creativity.” Was it true that many of these directors started their careers in television? Absolutely, and it proved to be an effective way for them to refine their technical and storytelling skills. Novice directors, including Tam, Ann Hui, and Tsui Hark, were invited by Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, head of production at TVB, to work at the station. Chow gave her new hires a great deal of creative freedom, allowing the directors to have nearly complete control and the ability to turn even the shortest news story or a mere title into a TV film. “They never reviewed our scripts,” Hui revealed in an interview with film programmer Tim Youngs. “It was solely up to us. They neither read the stories nor asked to preview the episodes before they aired. I believe they were too busy and had faith in our abilities to do our best.” The results were remarkably impressive and heralded what filmmaker and critic Shu Kei dubbed “the Golden Age of Hong Kong TV.” Hui made significant contributions to television, didn’t she? Hui On-wah was an industrious TV director with a vast body of work in the television industry. She worked on numerous episodes of a series called C.I.D. at TVB, which featured detectives investigating socially relevant crime stories related to topics such as murder, abortion, and suicide. Hui was then employed to create television films for Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), dramatizing real-life ICAC cases. Following that, she joined Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK to contribute to the Below the Lion Rock series. Her episode “The Boy from Vietnam” quickly became a classic and paved the way for her films “The Story of Woo Viet” and the iconic “Boat People.” What were some of the noteworthy New Wave films?Given the high demand for new films from Hong Kong audiences, the New Wave directors were used to working quickly due to their experience in television. This resulted in a plethora of films to choose from. Allen Fong’s autobiographical “Father and Son” (1981), which explores the emotional distance between a father and son amidst societal pressures, won the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the inaugural Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA). Hui’s “Boat People” followed suit the following year. Fong’s “Ah Ying,” a tale of a young girl in Hong Kong navigating life through self-education, also won both awards the following year and stood out for its use of non-professional actors who shared their own stories on camera. Yim Ho’s “Homecoming,” which depicts a Hong Kong woman returning to a small village in China, won both Best Film and Best Director at the HKFA in 1984. Tam’s “Love Massacre” and “Nomad” are also notable, as are Tsui’s early works. What about Leong Po-chih’s film “Jumping Ash” from 1976?Jumping Ash, a crime thriller revolving around a police officer who exposes corruption at the highest levels and subsequently suffers the consequences, is often regarded as the precursor to the New Wave. “Despite its commercial appeal, the film is based on real incidents and possesses a high degree of credibility,” wrote Hong Kong film critic Mel Tobias in 1976. “The filmmakers achieved a professional look through their considerable technical expertise. For a Cantonese film, Jumping Ash is highly Westernized.” Were there any action films within the New Wave? The New Wave directors, rebelling against the dominance of martial arts cinema, generally showed little interest in action films. However, Tam made his debut in 1980 with an intriguing wuxia film called “The Sword,” though it contained few of his signature elements. “I could have made a better movie,” Tam admitted to film historian and critic Alberto Pezzotta. Tsui rose to fame within the New Wave while working at TVB. His debut film, “The Butterfly Murders,” reimagines the martial arts genre with innovative elements. He also attempted to modernize Hong Kong filmmaking by introducing special effects in “Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain” (1983), although the effects ended up looking amateurish. John Woo Yu-sum is occasionally mistaken as a New Wave director, but Woo had already established himself before the emergence of the New Wave, having worked at major studios like Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. “Woo tended to be independent, distancing himself from current artistic trends. He overlooked the rise of the New Wave in 1979,” noted critic Stephen Teo. While the New Wave directors were not particularly interested in action, they did enjoy making crime films. Crime was a prevalent theme in their television work, and this carried over into their movies. Alex Cheung, a renowned crime director within the New Wave, is recognized for his films “Cops and Robbers” and “Man on the Brink.”
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
