Of all the Hong Kong filmmakers present at this year's Berlin Film Festival, Kit Hung is probably the least known. He's not as prominent as Dante Lam Chiu-yin or Ivy Ho - who are to make their bow in Germany with Beast Stalker and Claustrophobia respectively - but the 31-year-old's low public profile belies multiple appearances at international film festivals.
A graduate of the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Hung (right) won a Special Jury Prize at De Drake Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium, with his second film, I Am Not What You Want, and his third, Buffering, took the same award at the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Turin.
Soundless Wind Chime, which will make its world premiere at the German capital tomorrow, is backed by Hong Kong, mainland Chinese and Swiss funds. It is set partly in Hong Kong and partly in Switzerland.
The story revolves around Ricky (played by mainland actor Lu Yulai), a Beijing-born waiter whose stormy relationship with petty criminal Pascal (Swiss actor Bernhand Bulling) grinds to a halt when the latter dies in an accident. Stricken with grief, Ricky heads off to Lucerne to mourn his lover, only to discover new love in the form of Ueli (also played by Bulling), a man who shares Pascal's looks but of a drastically different temperament to his personality.
What was the main inspiration behind this film?
The inspiration came from my personal experience a few years ago, when some important people in my life passed away.