In its 20th edition, JAFF once again collaborates with the Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA) to present Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation. One of this program’s highlights is the Masterclass with Ann Hui, featuring one of Asia’s most prominent and highly respected figures in Asian Cinema, a female director whose four-decade career has 27 titles under her name. The Masterclass took place yesterday on JAFF’s third day, following a screening of one of her iconic films, A Simple Life (2011).
Ann opened the discussion by reflecting on the role of a director, a role she has seen evolve over the decades. When she first began studying film, the industry still felt rare and unfamiliar. Today, it is inseparable from everyday life. For her, the definition of “director” shifts depending on the production context. In films like July Rhapsody (2002), she simply executed an existing script, while in other projects the story originated from her own ideas. “And so it’s a very, very ad hoc kind of thing. I think one thing which doesn’t change is that you have certain ideas or certain stories which you want on screen and executed, and how to do it is another problem. But the director is possibly the person who will be responsible for trying to get it done.”
Ann Hui also observed how today’s ease of access to technology allows anyone to become a director. For her, even if a work isn’t a feature-length film, a visual expression rooted in someone’s perspective already grants its maker the title. Interestingly, Ann herself did not originally intend to become a filmmaker. Her curiosity shifted only when she grew frustrated with her thesis work, prompting her to watch more films and write essays about them. She later applied to the London Film School in the late 1960s, where she experienced a turning point: film school revealed to her that all art ultimately stems from life.
The Masterclass also featured clips from two of her iconic works, they are The Secret (1969), her directorial debut, and Summer Snow (1995), the film that earned her Best Director at both the Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards. The session closed with an enthusiastic Q&A, during which Ann offered insights to young filmmakers: keep learning from classic films, she emphasized, as they remain invaluable for understanding the craft of filmmaking. She also reminded the audience that the driving force behind any artist’s journey should be a love for the medium itself, not the pursuit of fame.
Don’t miss the rest of the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation lineup today, including the Short Films Compilation, Four Trails (Robin Lee, 2023), and Keep Rolling (Man Lim Chung, 2021) at Empire XXI. Find the program details at jaff-filmfest.org and @jaffjogja.
Writer: Shabrina Eka Arilistya
Photos: JAFF Documentation Team
