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I grew up here. I went to a local school. I went to university in New York.
I had always been interested in photography and films, but never really thought that it could be my profession.
Out of curiosity, I started filming in Hong Kong. I bought a small DV tape camera.
I was re-learning my city after I had been away and looking for subjects to talk about.
I was interested in the lives of the domestic helpers here. I felt like they are a group that is very much ignored by the Hong Kong people. They’re such a big part of society—but we don’t really know anything about them. So I went around with my camera interviewing them.
I thought: I really need to learn how to express myself through film. So I decided to change my career and go to the London Film School.
I started writing “Bends” after that. I went to a screenplay institute in Amsterdam. The whole writing process took two years. When I came back, I started pitching it to people. It wasn’t easy to find funding at first. That took about a year.
It’s interesting because when I first started writing it, there wasn’t too much news on [the divide between mainlanders and Hongkongers]. Now it really has evolved. Around a year ago it started becoming a hot topic.
To me, it was an interesting topic because it really summarizes the relationship between Hong Kong and China.
I feel like a lot of Hong Kong people see Chinese migrants and tourists in a negative way. I want to open up discussion.
I wanted the film to capture the life of one family who was experiencing that. I hope that the audience can feel it in the film and put themselves in their shoes.
Ultimately, we’re sharing the same emotions. Our background makes us a bit different—but hopefully we can take that background away and just see them as people.
When I first met [“Bends” star] Carina Lau, I kind of froze—“What am I gonna say to her? How do I address her?”
Directing for the first time was quite scary at first. I was obviously the most inexperienced person on set—and I was the director. But when you start working with people you don’t really think of them as, “Oh my God, it’s Carina Lau,” anymore. They become collaborators.
Some people really do know when they’re 15—“I want to be a film director.” I wasn’t like that. I gradually evolved into it, which I enjoyed, because it’s more a journey for me to discover.
With any film, you just have to be brave and believe in your idea. During the process of the film, you will get a lot of different ideas. You really have to just go with your gut and believe in what you’re doing. Be open-minded and at the same time be persistent about what you want.
It’s easy to change things. There are so many people on set, you have to be sure about what you want. If there are too many ideas involved, then the movie becomes a different thing.
Sometimes it’s easy to get lost. You have to really be sure—pick out the things you’re willing to compromise on—or maybe those ideas can make it better.
You can’t expect everyone to like your film. I think “Bends” has done well so far. We’ve had a positive response, but of course there will be criticisms as well. As long as they’re productive and open up discussion—then it’s healthy.
I’m happy with the film. It’s not perfect and when I watch it, I do see things I could have done differently. But I think given the limits on time and resources, the team helped me make it into a decent film, and one that we can be proud of.
As a director, I always look for new stories. Hong Kong is my home, so I’d like to make films here—but also have the possibility of filming elsewhere. If I found the story interesting somewhere else and it really touched me, I would take it on.
When you’re living elsewhere, you miss Hong Kong. But when you’re in Hong Kong, you miss living elsewhere. Every place I’ve been to, I miss something about it. And I carry it around with me. It’s part of my identity.
I could have gotten into film earlier, but if I had done that maybe I’d be making different films. I enjoy the journey of life.
Before I made the film, my family was like, “OK, this is just a hobby, right?”
They were typical Chinese parents—they wanted their kids to be practical and make a living. But now they realize it was my dream.
It’s important to be happy and do what you want. You don’t want to be stuck doing something you don’t like for a long time.

	“Bends” opens Nov 21. We’ve also got five pairs of screening tickets up for grabs! Enter a draw to win them by emailing marketing@hkmagmedia.com with “Bends” in the subject line. Good luck!


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Flora Lau 

Magazines

Flora Lau makes her directorial debut this month with “Bends,” a drama that explores the divide between Hongkongers and mainlanders through the tale of a struggling mainland chauffeur and his wealthy tai tai employer. The film was selected for “Un Certain Regard” at the Cannes Film Festival, and it’s about to go into general release. The director tells Andrea Lo how she got started and what she hopes to achieve.
