Director Liu Weiqiang Curates Six Career-Defining Films for Film Archive Retrospective
AM730 · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The Hong Kong Film Archive's "Star Talk" series continues its 25th anniversary celebrations with a special retrospective dedicated to acclaimed director Liu Weiqiang. The legendary filmmaker personally selected six career-defining works, offering audiences rare insights into four decades of Hong Kong cinema history. Liu, who began as a production assistant at Shaw Brothers before becoming one of the industry's most influential cinematographers and directors, shared candid reflections at each screening event. His curated selection traces an remarkable journey from learning the craft under masters like Liu Jialiang to directing blockbuster hits that shaped Hong Kong's film industry.
Key Points
- The Film Archive's Star Talk series is presenting Liu Weiqiang's personally curated selection of six films, including 18 Executors (1982), Mr. Vampire (1985), A Better Tomorrow (1987), As Tears Go By (1988), Young and Dangerous 3 (1996), and Storm Riders (1998)
- Liu entered Shaw Brothers by writing a speculative letter and was selected from hundreds of applicants to become one of just four or five hires, eventually transferring from production assistant to the cinematography department
- His first film as cinematographer was Mr. Vampire (1985), when his mentor Liu Jialiang departed for Yugoslavia to film Operation Condor, leaving the 24-year-old Liu to take over the camera
- Mr. Vampire earned a Hong Kong Film Award nomination and won Best Original Film Song, launching Liu's successful career that followed with numerous ghost/zombie films
- Liu recounted dangerous stunt work including seven martial artists leaping from over ten stories with pyrotechnic effects in the film Dragon's Move (1985), emphasizing the life-risking dedication of that generation's filmmakers
Why It Matters
Liu Weiqiang's retrospective offers invaluable documentation of Hong Kong cinema's golden era, preserving oral histories from a filmmaker who witnessed both the studio system under Shaw Brothers and the rise of the modern commercial film industry . His career trajectory—from young assistant learning from masters like Li Hanxiang and Chu Yuan to directing effects-heavy blockbusters—encapsulates the knowledge transfer that made Hong Kong cinema globally competitive .
Liu Weiqiang's retrospective offers invaluable documentation of Hong Kong cinema's golden era, preserving oral histories from a filmmaker who witnessed both the studio system under Shaw Brothers and the rise of the modern commercial film industry . His career trajectory—from young assistant learning from masters like Li Hanxiang and Chu Yuan to directing effects-heavy blockbusters—encapsulates the knowledge transfer that made Hong Kong cinema globally competitive .