directed by Pan Yaoming, starring Andy Lau, Bai Yu, Karen Mok , the Chinese disaster blockbuster "Burning City" will be released nationwide on November 1. At the previous premiere, Zhang Yimou praised him for "the special effects shots and disaster shots are very good and realistic, and the many big scenes have filled the gaps in Hong Kong movies." Guo Fan, director of the " wandering earth " series, also praised him for leading the film. Here comes the "shock that comes over my face".
"Burning City" poster
The story takes place in Hong Kong. A fire suddenly broke out in a recycling plant, and a large amount of electronic waste was discovered at the fire scene. This incident triggered a radiation crisis throughout Hong Kong, and the lives of 7 million citizens hung on the line. In order to deal with this sudden disaster, the acting chief executive Cecilia (played by Mo Wenwei) urgently established a crisis response team, and expert Fan Weili (played by Andy Lau) was appointed at the critical moment. At the same time, fire captain Li Jiefeng (played by Bai Yu) and his teammates also rushed to the radiation area full of unknown dangers without hesitation. However, in the process of handling the crisis, high-level government officials chose to block information in order to prevent social unrest. When disaster strikes, the game of human nature becomes the most shocking part of the film. Every decision will affect the lives of 7 million people.
Andy Lau as Fan Weili
In recent years, among the topics of Hong Kong movies, the decline of traditional Hong Kong movies and the lack of box-office actors have become clichés. With the rise of a new wave of realist creation in Hong Kong, the growth of a group of young creators and actors has gradually attracted attention from both the industry and outside. Among them, the films " Anita Mui ", " Still Think You're the Best " and " Vicious Tongue Lawyer " produced by Jiang Zhiqiang all seem to have the familiar flavor of Hong Kong films in the past and are quite innovative. They have also been well received at the box office. Get good results.
Jiang Zhiqiang, this Chinese film director, has invested in Hayao Miyazaki, Ang Lee, and Zhang Yimou, and has grown up with films such as " Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ", " Heroes ", and " Monster Hunt ". This gold medal producer has shown unprecedented "generousness" in the field of Hong Kong films. "Burning City" explores a blank area in Chinese disaster films. The plot is an exciting adventure, and the visuals are thrilling spectacles. The original intention behind the entire story points to a story that Jiang Zhiqiang accidentally saw many years ago. A true report on the "transshipment of toxic foreign waste".
The seemingly distant disaster is actually closely related to every audience, and Jiang Zhiqiang hopes that through the movie "Burning City", the audience can return to the cinema to experience the audio-visual shock, and also realize the worries and warmth hidden in real life. Before the release of the
movie, Jiang Zhiqiang accepted an exclusive interview with reporters from The Paper.
Jiang Zhiqiang
[Dialogue]
"Burning City" talks about how Hong Kong people respond when disaster strikes
The Paper : The film is fictional, but it looks very real and immersive. Are there any realistic reference factors in it? ?
Jiang Zhiqiang : When I was developing the script in 2019, a screenwriter showed me a report in Hong Kong reprinted by Time Magazine in 2016. At that time, the U.S. government had stipulated that manufacturers were required to recycle electronic waste and subsidized it at US$700 per ton. According to the report, an environmental expert in the United States who studies electronic waste recycling was curious about the whereabouts of electronic waste after recycling, so he placed more than 100 trackers at environmental collection stations. Half a month later, he discovered that 80% of the electronic waste ended up in Hong Kong. He teamed up with local environmentalists and Hong Kong reporters to track and discover that these electronic wastes were hidden in the New Territories of Hong Kong. There are many mysterious repair factories there, which are heavily guarded and cannot be investigated in depth. It is even said that they are secretly protected by dark forces. Therefore, they speculate that the electronic waste that is considered to have been recycled in the United States is transported to Hong Kong by illegal traders, who remove the useful electronic parts and then transfer other waste to Southeast Asian countries.
This report won a media reporting award in Asia in 2017, but most people in Hong Kong did not pay attention to it.I feel that this is an important social issue for me and even for the whole of Hong Kong, so this time I seized the opportunity to make a disaster movie through social issues - the reports are true, but the specific plot is fictional. Because I want to write and direct a commercial blockbuster that is visually realistic and exciting, and the plot is tense and moving.
Hong Kong people like to watch disaster movies, but they never thought that disaster would happen in their own homes. So I wanted to make a disaster film about our Hong Kong, and a disaster film with our own social issues. Such a subject has the opportunity to attract attention and discussion around the world, because this is not only happening in Hong Kong. Western developed countries use business - regardless of whether it is legal or not - to transport their industrial waste to all parts of the world. I believed this would be topical and attractive to countries around the world, so I set out to make this film.
The Paper : The story of firefighters fighting fires is also a very mature theme in Hong Kong movies. This time, the fire brigade is asked to face a situation of dangerous material leakage. Is this an expansion and innovation of this genre?
Jiang Zhiqiang: What we depict through this film is every Hong Kong person, not only the firefighters in the film, but also every official and every citizen when a disaster strikes. They are all elements in the film and what we want to see. part of the expression.
We think, when disaster befalls people, if a disaster strikes Hong Kong one day, how will Hong Kong people respond? So "Burning the City" is about how Hong Kong people cope. I believe that when disaster strikes, some Hong Kong people will stand up and are still willing to stand up and fight the disaster. Of course, once there is a disaster, firefighters must be the frontline warriors, and they are also the group we spend a lot of time depicting in the film.
The Paper : In addition to the fire scene, this time a new "battlefield" for rear-end decision-making has been opened up. This part is quite fresh. The design of the character relationships in this part has condensed some observations and thoughts on Hong Kong society. ?
Jiang Zhiqiang : No, this is made up. Although it was a social issue related to Hong Kong, I did not actually want to use it to preach to the Hong Kong government. The starting point of script writing is simply to attract the audience.
Judging from the characters in the film, except for a few profiteers, everyone is actually not a bad person. As the story develops, what kind of decisions the characters take in the process are all within the scope of normal people's thinking. The conceptual conflicts between the characters are only because the methods and thinking modes adopted by the two parties are different, and they are not specific to a certain character. .
The Paper : The movie also depicts the various citizens of Hong Kong and their choices when facing disasters. In fact, including "Anita Mui" and "The Vengeful Lawyer", Anle's films in recent years have all wanted to tell the spirit of Hong Kong. Did you want to express the spirit of Hong Kong in "The Burning City"?
Jiang Zhiqiang : There is a dialogue in the movie: You have to believe them. The so-called Hong Kong spirit I want to express in the film is actually very simple. Even if it is a devastating disaster, Hong Kong people will stand up when disaster strikes. Hong Kong people are worthy of being believed and entrusted. I hope that the film can convey a message. Even though Hong Kong has not experienced disasters or accidents of the magnitude described in the film, it is important to understand the light. I hope everyone can pay more attention to the little things around them, because every little bit you give Care will be a better protection for Hong Kong. There will always be small accidents in the world, and your protection may be the prevention of disasters that may have occurred, and it may be the life of firefighters who may have died. I hope that through this disaster movie, we can pay more attention to everything around us.
Karen Mok returns to the screen, Andy Lau never stops
The Paper : Mr. Andy Lau has appeared in movies very frequently recently, starring in many Hong Kong movies. As an evergreen figure in the Hong Kong film industry, Andy Lau seems to become more courageous with each passing battle. How do you evaluate Andy Lau at this stage?
Jiang Zhiqiang: Mr. Liu is a person who will never stop. We all admire him.After the script was completed, he was the most suitable actor in my mind. His image perfectly suited the character in the play. The difference is that Mr. Liu often plays heroic roles, but "Burning City" is not a film about personal heroism, or that the heroes in the play are actually ordinary people. This is different from Mr. Liu's previous films. I have collaborated with him on many films in the past, and he also trusted my judgment on the script, so we quickly reached a cooperation agreement, including the fact that we also quickly reached a consensus on bringing in young actors. Many young actors in Hong Kong now hope to cooperate and interact with actors of Mr. Liu's level. We have promoted more than a hundred new actors in the past few years. This is also the common wish of Mr. Liu and us.
Stills of "Burning City"
The Paper News : Karen Mok also appeared in a movie again after a long absence. In the past, the focus on Karen Mok was her sexiness and beauty, but this time the role she plays needs to show a completely different side of her. Can you share the story of why you asked her to star this time?
Jiang Zhiqiang : Actually, both Karen Mok and Bai Yu were my choices. Karen Mok has not acted in more than ten years. When I approached her, she was busy with a concert. She was surprised when she received the invitation and asked me, "Do you think I can still act?" I said, I dare you. It is certain that she will be more active on the screen in the future.
When we were young, we saw Karen Mok's beauty. Now that she has grown older, her aura matches the role of a senior government official in the play very well. The film takes place between 1996 and 2007. At that time, many officials in the Hong Kong government were selected and trained by the British. Karen Mok happened to have the experience of studying in the UK and then returned to Hong Kong to develop her career. The aura she exudes is very similar to what the role in the play requires, including the strength she showed when acting opposite Mr. Liu. This is the reason for choosing Karen Mok.
Karen Mok as cecilia
Bai Yu has not worked with me before, but I have watched his dramas on the recommendation of others in the company. When I cast Bai Yu, many people in the crew were shocked and asked, "Who is Bai Yu?" But after the filming of the film, there were many more fans of Bai Yu in the crew. Maybe now the number of Bai Yu's fans in Hong Kong will exceed those in the mainland.
Bai Yu as Li Jiefeng
The Paper : Anle has been quite bold in choosing film creators in recent years. Several very mature screenwriter-turned-directors have been reused before. As a disaster film, it is definitely a film that pays more attention to visual effects. Was it because of this consideration that Pan Yaoming, who had been working as a photographer, was chosen as the director?
Jiang Zhiqiang: I have also collaborated with him on many movies in the past few years, including "Anita Mui" and "Monster Hunt", and he was the photographer. When Pan Yaoming was filming "Monster Hunt", more than 4,000 special effects shots were handled very well. But Pan Yaoming is not only a photographer, he is experienced and capable as a director. He has directed two films and I am very familiar with his abilities.
When I decided to shoot "Burning City", I could foresee the difficulty of filming. Although the main scenes of the entire film are concentrated in the recycling plant, Hong Kong does not have such a large piece of land. We can only find five scenes scattered across Hong Kong and combine them to achieve the effect of the recycling plant in the film. The process of scheduling back and forth between these five venues is very arduous and requires ability and experience to plan it clearly. The complexity behind this is not something that a new director can grasp.
The Paper : "Burning City" is definitely a "big production" among Hong Kong movies. What are the challenges in its presentation?
Jiang Zhiqiang : In terms of special effects, this is not a matter of size, but of creativity. The effect of special effects is not to present too much, let alone to dominate the scene. The purpose of special effects is to coordinate with the plot. "Burning City" incorporates special effects into the plot, and there are many creative shots. I think it does a good job in this regard.
The Paper : It took a long time from the time you saw the news report to the final presentation of the movie, and five screenwriters appeared in the subtitles, so did the script go through many revisions and revisions?
Jiang Zhiqiang: Yes. You can imagine that it took three and a half to four years from the start of filming to the end, so there were countless revisions. It is common for us to spend 6 to 7 years making a movie. For example, the script of "Burning City" was developed after 2019, and "Still Thinking You're the Best" and "Vicious Lawyer" were also developed during the same period. The development time, counting from the first day of writing the script, is now six or seven years, but from the actual preparation, it should be about three and a half years.
Stills of "Burning City"
I hope the audience will regain their trust in Hong Kong films
The Paper : I just mentioned several projects that were being carried out simultaneously in the past few years, including "The Vengeful Lawyer" and "Anita Mui". Anle's movies tend to be more realistic doctrine, and is also lighter in size. Nowadays, people often say that the movie environment is not as good as before, and big productions may not be able to achieve satisfactory box office results. Is it risky for investors to develop a large-scale production like "Burning City" in the current environment?
Jiang Zhiqiang: Our consideration of production volume and budget is only whether this subject requires large-scale production. Movies like "The Vengeful Lawyer" don't need to be large-scale, because its selling point is not the scene, but the relationship between people. But "Burning City" is different. If the disaster is not explained and depicted in a grand manner, it will be difficult to make the story convincing. From the first day you decide to shoot, you must be mentally prepared for this to be a gamble with huge stakes.
But now if you just want to be cautious and safe, you won’t make movies. No matter what the current film market environment is like, our company only knows how to make movies, so we have no choice. So as long as you find a suitable subject, you will do everything you can to make it good until the audience is satisfied. We need to take care of many aspects in this process, whether it is special effects or music, we must do our best to achieve perfection.
The Paper : In recent years, the box office performance of Hong Kong films in the mainland has not been as good as in previous years. This year, except for " Kowloon Walled City ", the box office performance of several Hong Kong films may not be satisfactory. As a Hong Kong investor, how do you view the current situation of Hong Kong films in the mainland market?
Jiang Zhiqiang : It is true that Hong Kong movies are in a very difficult situation now. Many mainland bosses are unwilling to invest in Hong Kong movies. In recent years, many Hong Kong films have failed to meet the audience's demands for something new, good-looking, and non-routine. So the audience left us and the boss’s willingness to invest decreased, which is understandable. But I think what we Hong Kong film practitioners need to do is to regain the audience's trust in Hong Kong films one by one through films of excellent quality.
The Paper : There is a line repeated in the movie: This is the best of times, this is the worst of times. Which era of Hong Kong cinema do you personally miss the most?
Jiang Zhiqiang : I have loved Hong Kong movies since I was a child, but I personally rarely miss the past. I prefer to think about how to welcome the future or face the future. Because nostalgia is not good for me, I try to forget the past and think about how to do better today when I get up every day. This is a habit I have when making movies.
