'When totalitarian rule emerges, when people lose their freedoms, cinema is the first to take the hit,' To said at a Berlin International Film Festival press conference.
His remarks attracted relatively little notice in Berlin, in part because the interpreter at the event bungled the translation from Cantonese to English, causing most in the crowd to miss the import of his statement. But back in To’s native Hong Kong, which in recent years has seen its freedoms of speech dismantled and a fleeting pro-democracy movement crushed by Beijing dictate, they instantly went viral — and have remained a hot topic of discussion on social media since.
“I think films around the world today are worse than before,” To also said earlier in the presser. “Apparently the film world I used to know is vanishing bit by bit. It’s not the film world I used to know. I hope this is just a temporary phenomenon. Perhaps I’m a bit bold with my words, but they come from my heart.”
Several film figures from mainland China, which has come under heightened censorship constraints over the past several years as Xi Jinping has further cemented his power, also reached out toto say how meaningfully To’s statement has been received even in the Beijing film industry. “It was so encouraging to hear what he said at this moment,” said one Chinese producer, who asked to remain unnamed. “It spoke directly to Chinese filmmakers’ hearts.
Over his 40-year career, To has long been one of Hong Kong’s most esteemed filmmaking voices, with films like
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