[2011.02.25] MIRIAM YEUNG IS NAMED FILM FESTIVAL AMBASSADOR

The 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival yesterday held a press conference. Johnnie To Kei Fung, Wai Ka Fai, Miriam Yeung Chin Wa, Stanley Kwan Kam Peng, Lam Ka Tung, Michelle Wai (Si Nga) and Hong Kong International Film Festival Association chief Wong Ying Wai attended. At the event Wong Ying Wai announced that Yeung Chin Wa will be the festival ambassador and this film festival "Filmmaker in Focus" will be Wai Ka Fai. The opening films will be the To Kei Fung and Wai Ka Fai directed DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART (DAN SUN NAM NUI) and the four director shot short film QUATTRO HONG KONG 2, which will include the Kwan Kam Peng directed, Lam Ka Tung, Terence Yin (Wan Chi Wai) and Hiro Hayama starred 13 MINUTES IN THE LIVES OF...(SEUNG HO TO); Malaysian director Ho Yu-Hang directed, Si Nga, Chan Ka Lok and Wai Ying Hung starred OPEN VERDICT; Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's M HOTEL and Filipino director Brillante Mendoza's PURPLE. Some of the actors attended yesterday's press conference.

The film festival will take place between March 20 and April 5 in Hong Kong. Wai Ka Fai yesterday said that he was very happy to be selected, which was considered a report card for himself. He said that most of the films were Milkway Image productions, so it was a Milky Way

report card too. Wong Ying Wai and the host introduced Yeung Chin Wa as Best Actress Yeung. Yeung Chin Wa asked not to be called that and joked that she itched when she heard it. Wai Ka Fai during the interview said that he has been in the business for over a decade. This time was a recognition. As for his favorite film, he said it was RUNNING ON KARMA (DAI JET LO).

To Kei Fung earlier presented the Hong Kong Film Critic Society Best Actress Award to Yeung Chin Wa, will he work with Best Actress Chin Wa? To Kei Fung said that he will even if Chin Wa did not win, only that he had three to four films on hand already and he did not have the time. He said that at the ceremony he saw Chin Wa's performance highlight and thought it was entertaining. Chin Wa was much better and more natural than he imagined. Chin Wa earlier said that if she had the chance to work on To Kei Fung's film, she was prepared to be yelled at? To Kei Fung said that he would not. Chin Wa was very smart and would resolve it very quickly. As for the absence of the DON'T cast at the press conference, To Kei Fung said that everyone was very busy and said that now with five lakes and four seas, the environment was very different of the New Territories, Hong Kong and Kowloon before. They could not take time from the production to attend like they did before. This was the world now.

Chin Wa said about To Kei Fung's praise that she knew how to resolve and did not need to be worried about getting yelled at, "Is he calling me mischievous? He is just being nice. If he wants to yell I can't dodge it." Chin Wa said that since she was young she was yelled at all the time, sometimes scolding was deserved and beneficial. Speaking of To Kei Fung's compliment of her acting as natural, Chin Wa happily said that To Kei Fung's comment was very important and had to be magnified ten times. Would Chin Wa recommend her husband Real Ting Chi Ko to make movies? She said no because working together would easily lead to arguments. Being her husband was already enough. She also said that her husband was not interested in acting. "You know just from looking at his belly. No male star would be like that. He has to play young male leads with his look, but he is so chok. No way." Chin Wa said that her husband early in his career actually worked on the film FIRST OPTION (FEI LUNG). In it he played a cop but ended up looking like a crook. Perhaps because of that no one asked me to make another movie. She said that if her husband played a tragic scene she would definitely make fun of him, because he was already very nervous about speaking in front of a camera.

Chin Wa said that as the film festival ambassador, she needed to promote films. Will she bring her husband to the movies with her? She joked, "Sure, but I don't know if I can buy one ticket get one free?" Kwan Kam Peng said that the short film 13 MINUTES IN THE LIVES OF...received help from the Leisure and Cultural Service Department and shot successfully at the World Expo. The short film was about 15 minutes long. Earlier Kwan Kam Peng reportedly replaced Kwai Lun-mei with Fan Bingbing in his new film HIS KINGDOM. Kwan Kam Peng honestly said that he has known Fan Bingbing for a long time. They would meet and discuss collaborations but they did not lock down on this film. Kwai Lun-Mei has not been confirmed yet, as they had to have a script before casting. Si Nga said that she played Wai Ying Hung's daughter in OPEN VERDICT, she said that she already liked Sister Ying Hung when she watched THE INSPECTOR WEARS SKIRTS (BA WONG FA). She said, "Some said that we look alike, after hearing that I was very happy."