After spending the past three decades bringing other people's stories to life, Taiwanese cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bin's own story is now told in Let the Wind Carry Me, a documentary directed by Chiang Hsiu-chiung and Kwan Pun-leung.
'The reason I want to make a documentary for Lee is that I'd like to explore the meaning of cinematography after my 10 years in the film industry,' says Kwan, 45. 'Film is a product made up of the accumulation of time. When you watch a movie, it's like experiencing a journey, experiencing somebody else's life.'
Let the Wind Carry Me is exactly that: Kwan and Chiang spent three years following Lee around the globe, capturing his life both on and off movie sets. Interweaving interviews with his collaborators and his family and footage from 18 films Lee has worked on, the filmmakers have put together an inspiring insight of Lee's career.
Kwan says Lee's work bears testament to how cinematography is more than just a mastery of techniques; it's how the cinematographer sees the world and guides viewers to explore what's around them.
'It's also about how he treasures natural light and trying to capture it and present it to the audience,' says Kwan. 'It reflects his love for our surroundings and his determination to preserve them.'
Lee, who's known for his beard, joined the industry in 1977; he made his debut as director of photography in 1985 with Run Away. He has since made more than 50 films, including Sylvia Chiang Ai-chia's Tempting Heart (1999), Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love (2000), and Tran Anh Hung's Norwegian Wood (2010); he's also struck up a flourishing partnership with Hou Hsiao-hsien in Flowers of Shanghai (1998), Millennium Mambo (2001) and Three Times (2005).
