Cambodian Producer Sees Hong Kong as Film Gateway
AM730 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
French-Cambodian producer Davy Chou brought the independent film Left or Right to Hong Kong for ASEAN Film Festival 2026 and said the city still serves as a platform for films to reach wider Asian and global audiences. He said Hong Kong filmmakers could find opportunities in Cambodia’s growing cinema market and new location-scouting subsidies, while Cambodian producers increasingly need Hong Kong’s trade and distribution networks. The film, produced a decade ago, was screened during the festival and was presented by its team as a portrait of a young Cambodian woman balancing artistic dreams, family duty and social expectations.
Key Points
- Chou, who entered the film industry in 2009 and has produced and distributed films for 17 years, said Hong Kong has long held personal and professional significance for him.
- He said he grew up watching Shaw Brothers films and works by Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, adding that Wong Kar-wai was a lasting cinematic hero.
- Chou said Hong Kong films were already popular in Cambodia from the 1950s to the 1970s, and recent Hong Kong hit The Last Dance also posted respectable box office there.
- Cambodia’s film market is expanding with rising cinema attendance, new malls and theatres, and more varied audience tastes, while the government has introduced scouting grants and filming incentives.
- Chou said Cambodian producers face limited domestic scale, weak formal training infrastructure and high cost recovery pressure, making Hong Kong Filmart a key route to Asian and global buyers.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the interview points to a practical regional role for the city beyond nostalgia for its cinematic golden age: as a marketplace, meeting point and launchpad for cross-border film business. It also suggests that Southeast Asian growth markets and production incentives could offer Hong Kong filmmakers new commercial and creative openings at a time when regional collaboration matters more.