The master takes his cue

AFTER MORE THAN 20 years in the film business, the story of director-producer Tsui Hark reads like the history of contemporary Hong Kong cinema. It's a sign of his importance that a new book on his films is about to be published, but Hark admits to being unsettled by this latest critical examination of his work.

'It's like listening to your own voice after recording, you never really believe that it's your voice. I'm afraid of reading books about myself; I'm nervous about how people see me,' says the film-maker of the book (The Cinema Of Tsui Hark by American writer Lisa Morton).

It's hard to see what he has to fear. Since he and directors such as Ann Hui led the charge of Hong Kong's 'New Wave' directors in the late 1970s, Tsui has tasted commercial success while retaining his definitive style. Now, more than 20 years on, he is still at the forefront of an ever-changing industry.

We are sitting in a secluded cafe around the corner from his offices in the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kowloon Bay.

Having made his name in Hollywood working with Jean Claude van Damme on Double Team and Knock/Off, Tsui finds himself busier than ever. Last year, he directed action thriller Time And Tide with three more in the can. Master Q 2001 is already showing in Hong Kong, and will be followed in the summer by the much-anticipated The Legend of Zu and the English-language Black Mask 2, which has been scheduled for a Christmas release.

'It looks like everything is happening at the same time,' says Tsui, savouring his cigar over Chinese tea. 'But these aren't projects that I just thought of. In the case of Master Q for instance, I've been thinking about it for 10 years. A lot of the stuff I'm working on now is from way back.'

One of the reasons for the 'delay' may be that Tsui's flights of celluloid fancy have often travelled faster and farther than the capabilities of the local industry.