Also showing: Derek Kwok Tse-kin
Like any first-timer, director Derek Kwok Tse-kin is anxious that his debut, The Pye-Dog, gets a warm reception when it opens today, to prove he has the knack to appeal to movie-goers and reviewers alike.
'I never think about the box office or winning awards. What I want most is more feedback from audiences and film critics that can help me make improvements in my film production,' Kwok says.
The 33-year-old doesn't shy away from talking about his background, which he says is mirrored by the protagonists' experiences in The Pye-Dog.
'The loafer played by Eason Chan reflects my teenage years,' he says. 'The year I repeated Form Five I was teaching in a tutorial centre where I met a kid who was about 11 and had learning difficulties ... I was 17 at the time. I had strong feelings for this kid as both of us were seen as losers who screwed up at school and were marginalised by other kids. I saw myself in the boy.'
Kwok (right) finished secondary school and continued his studies in illustration and graphic design at a vocational school in Sha Tin.
After working for a couple of years for a graphic design house, he left his job to enrol in a six-month film production course run by the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild.
Kwok's talents caught the eye of veteran film producers after he produced a 10-minute film as part of his coursework. His quirky short made a great impression on actor-director-producer Teddy Robin Kwan, one of the course instructors, who eventually became Kwok's mentor and introduced him to other filmmakers.
Over the past eight years, Kwok has been hired by Kwan and others to generate concepts and to co-write screenplays for films such as Bullets Over Summer, Leaving Me Loving You, SPL and Dragon Tiger Gate, all of which helped pave Kwok's way to a directing career.
Kwok was thrilled when Canto-pop star Eason Chan Yik-shun agreed to star in his movie. Apparently, Chan was moved by the story, in which he plays a triad minion sent to work as a school janitor to kidnap the son of a rival mobster.
'Eason shares a persona with the lead guy, a kind of adult-kid, someone with a child's smile and sparkle in his eyes. He was the first person who came to my mind to play the role,' Kwok says. 'The story is about friendship and family bonding, which turn Chan from a loafer into someone with a vision in his life after meeting the boy.
'Of course, we have packaged the movie in a commercial way to make it accessible to general audiences ... My ideal is to make movies that are entertaining but leave audiences with food for thought after they leave the theatre. A good movie can achieve both if the director has the skill and is willing to spend time and effort in production,' he says.
The Pye-Dog opens today
