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Edmund Lee

48 HOURS: During the recent protests you were spotted filming at the Occupy sites in Admiralty. Can we assume that you're taking the people's side?

CHRISTOPHER DOYLE: There are no sides. The kids stopped the traffic — and the bull**** — because they wanted us to stop and think where we are as Hong Kong people. To me, that's the most important idea.
It turns out that you were shooting footage for your upcoming feature film, Hong Kong Trilogy.
I have no choice — I mean, I'm a film person. You can be a thug and beat up people, you can be mafia, or "foreign influences" — but whatever you are, you have to respond to it. I live here. What we're doing is a record, yes, but it's more a celebration.
You stated on your crowd-funding Kickstarter page that the plan to develop this project was "kickstarted" by the energy of Occupy. What's the idea there?
We know that the energy of Hong Kong has been dissipated by various things, like the commercialism in China. Working with this group of young Hong Kong filmmakers and artists, we just want to have our own voice. There's something special about this culture, and it's got lost in the economic boom of China. Look at Macau: Nobody speaks Cantonese any more because the mainland money is there.
Does it feel like a change of pace now that you're raising funds on Kickstarter?
No, because there is no more film. There's either HK$500 billion bulls*** from Hollywood or nothing-money on YouTube. The film festival stuff doesn't work anymore: you win at the Berlin Film Festival and then the film doesn't sell. Yeah, it looks good in the newspaper, but so f****** what? The whole structure of the industry has changed.
And crowd-funding is the way out?
Like the kids in Central, we have to create a new way of engaging with people, especially for this kind of project, which includes "sensitive subjects". Ultimately, even if we don't get the money we can still do this film, because the personal investment overwhelms the money concern. In the Cultural Revolution, we didn't have potato, so we cooked our shirt. That's what we're doing for this film: We're gonna cook our bloody shirt and eat it. Do you have any spices please? [Laughs]
This isn't your first 'sensitive' project anyway; you also shot the Dumbass  music video for Ai Weiwei in 2013.
What do you mean? Ai Weiwei thinks I'm too poetic! He says I'm not political enough. The new project is sensitive? I think we care. If we don't say it, nobody will. And then of course you think: what are the repercussions? F*** the repercussions. I would have been a really good banker. I mean, why not go into real estate if you're worried about your future? By the way, I don't have a career; I have a life.
In the eyes of many, you earned your status with your cinematography in the seven Wong Kar-wai films you shot.
I thought it was because of my sex life.
That too. But what do you think about his two films after you parted ways?
Next question.
You’re not answering that? 
If I answer that question, it will be the front page of every newspaper in China. Do you understand what I’m saying? I didn’t say “a piece of s***”, but I did say “a piece of s***”. Again, if I really believe everything people say about me, either I’ll jump over the cliff tomorrow or I’ll be at Dragon-i every night. So don’t take it seriously. Don’t get fluffed by your entourage. In Chinese cinema, many people actually believe their myths – I’m not talking about Wong Kar-wai, I’m talking about everyone.
So what's your own approach?
I don't believe that Du Kefeng exists — that's why I'm so free — but he does a lot of work. You have to escape that constriction of fame or so-called success. In this film's case, we work with young people just out of school, we make the mistakes, and we have a beer in the morning.


Filmmaker Christopher Doyle hopes to give Hong Kong its voice back

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The cinematographer behind many of Wong Kar-wai’s greatest films on Hong Kong Trilogy, crowdfunding and the death of the film business


The cinematographer behind many of Wong Kar-wai’s greatest films wants to tell another story of Hong Kong.


Filmmaker Christopher Doyle hopes to give Hong Kong its voice back

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The cinematographer behind many of Wong Kar-wai’s greatest films on Hong Kong Trilogy, crowdfunding and the death of the film business

The cinematographer behind many of Wong Kar-wai’s greatest films on Hong Kong Trilogy, crowdfunding and the death of the film business