Mojo in decline despite sex and zen
Has the Hong Kong film industry completely lost its mojo? That depends on how you look at it.
Judging by our lack of presence at the Cannes Film Festival this month, it's not looking good. Peter Chan Ho-sun premiered with his Wu Xia - at an out-of-competition midnight screening - and that was all for us. We have had little to show at Cannes in recent years, having been reduced to a bit player after the glory days of Wong Ka-wai when he was worshipped like a god there.
This comes at a time when such Asian countries as South Korea and Thailand have been making headway not only at Cannes but also at Venice and Berlin, the other two big film fests. A new generation of young Asian filmmakers - but no one from Hong Kong - has found springboards at these so-called big three. We are lagging.
However, some Hong Kong filmmakers still managed to find success where others fear - or are too proud - to tread. High-brow film buffs will frown, but this year's undoubted success has been 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy.
The sex spoof has grossed HK$40 million in a month and is up for a 'Mankind award', offered by the Guys Choice Awards in Los Angeles, a not-too-serious festival that celebrates 'things that matter to men'. Alright, it's not the Oscars, but it's still something!
It has been one of life's mysteries that 3D technology - available at least since the 1960s - has not been more widely used in porn films. But the makers of 3D Sex and Zen deserve recognition for their commercial opportunism. They show the Hong Kong spirit is not dead. We have always been about surviving and prospering in challenging times - even if it's not done in the best possible taste.
