Hong Kong film icon Tony Leung Chiu-wai is now entering the fourth decade of his illustrious career but still hasn’t lost the habit of going to the cinema.
“To this day, I go to the cinema four to five times a week to watch movies,” the actor said Tuesday at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where he serves as competition jury president. “I’ve been doing this since I was little.”
But the actor is beloved by moviegoers for his performance in Wong Kar-Wai’s film In the Mood for LoveLee greed, warinessand Zhang Yimou’s heroWait – said judging films during film festivals makes for a “completely different” viewing experience, which often makes him anxious.
Joining Leung on the Tokyo jury this year are Hong Kong film mogul Johnnie To, Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi, Japanese actress Ai Hashimoto, and European film legend Marcelo Mastro French actress Chiara Mastroianni, daughter of Anne and Catherine Deneuve.
“Watching movies while serving as jury president and working with these amazing jury members, I often feel like maybe I’m not educated enough, or maybe I’m not smart enough,” Liang laughed.
To, the 1998 Hong Kong crime thriller from director Leung Chun-ying the longest nightmore optimistic about his role at the film festival. The filmmaker is a renowned foodie and wine connoisseur, not to mention the creator of more than a dozen Hong Kong classics, including crazy detective, election and breaking news — said he visits Tokyo several times a year to enjoy Japan’s “wonderful cuisine.” He added that he and Liang have been sharing tips on their favorite restaurants in Japan’s capital, arguably the world’s greatest food city. But the director said he also “has work to do” in Tokyo this week and will approach the festival’s diverse film selection with an open mind.
“I used to have expectations or expectations before watching a movie. In most cases, I was disappointed,” Du said. “So now, I try not to make any filters or assumptions before watching a movie. It should be more intuitive,” he explains. “I just wanted to get lost in the movie.”
Mastroianni’s latest work, Marcelo Mio” is set to be the closing film of the 2024 Tokyo Film Festival. He pointed out that Leung Chun-ying’s frequent movie watching is far from the norm today.
“Unfortunately, the habit of going to the movies is very rare and very rare right now around the world because people have developed new habits – due to platforms, COVID-19 and many other reasons,” she said. “I have a lot of admiration for those who are still fighting to defend film festivals, because I think it’s not just an opportunity to discover great filmmakers, but it’s also an opportunity to rediscover what it’s like to watch a movie in a theater with other people around you — People you never know with whom you will share this wonderful experience.
