[BIFF 2023] Chow Yun-fat honored as Asian Filmmaker of the Year at BIFF

Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat expressed admiration for the creative freedom and unorthodox stories in Korean films as he was honored as Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the Busan International Film Festival.

Hong Kong actor and film legend Chow Yun-fat attends a press conference at the KNN Theater in Haeundae, eastern Busan, as part of the Busan International Film Festival on Thursday. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

BUSAN — Hong Kong film legend Chow Yun-fat, who was named the winner of this year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), thanked the festival for the award on Thursday and commented how he admires the creative freedom in Korea, which he believes allowed its film industry to gain the world prominence it has today.

“Korea has a large scope of freedom when it comes to creativity and making films,” Chow said during a press conference and interview with reporters at KNN Theater in Busan on Thursday. “Korean filmmakers deal with subjects and themes that are very surprising, to the point where you think, ‘Is this possible?’ And that is why I love Korean films — for their ability to deal with unorthodox and outlying stories and their liberty.”

Chow is a Hong Kong actor who began his career in 1973 and has since starred in numerous hits and classics such as “A Better Tomorrow” (1986), “The Killer” (1989), “Once a Thief” (1991), “Anna and the King” (1999) and “Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon” (2000). He is considered one of Asia’s biggest film stars who led the heyday of Hong Kong noir films in the 1970s and '80s and is visiting Korea for the 28th BIFF, held until Oct. 13.

The actor addressed the decline of the Hong Kong film scene and the difficulties it faces due to censorship from mainland China.

“We are receiving so much censorship from China these days in Hong Kong,” Chow said. “Directors and creators have to go through many steps to get their projects greenlit for production. There has been much change since 1997. It is hard to bring in investments, and it is hard to tell genuine stories in such an environment. Filmmakers in Hong Kong are trying to find a way to solve this, and I am also a part of that.”

On receiving the Asian Filmmaker of the Year from the BIFF organizers, Chow expressed his gratitude and desire to connect closely with Korean fans. The Asian Filmmaker of the Year award is given to an individual or organization in recognition of their work in furthering the development of filmmaking in Asia.

“I know that Korean audiences have loved and rooted for me since my early career,” Chow said. “I am thankful for all those who have watched my films, and it’s more meaningful that I am getting this award in the 50-year anniversary of my debut.

Chow Yun-fat speaks during a press conference at the KNN Theater in Haeundae, eastern Busan, as part of the Busan International Film Festival on Thursday. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

“Perhaps Korean fans love me because I look kind of like a Korean person,” Chow said with a laugh. “I remember my first time over here. There wasn’t an Incheon International Airport back then in 1980, and I arrived through Gimpo. Korea is very dear to me, but it’s so cold. I have a traditional-style Korean closet in my home and I enjoy Korean food, too. Today and yesterday after I arrived in Busan I went running, and the people of Busan greeted me with such warmth that I was very moved.”

Chow also addressed the rumors that have been circulating about him in recent years. During the Covid-19 pandemic there was talk that Chow had died of the disease, and even as recently as July this year, there were false claims going around that he had died of a brain complication.

“I don’t give much attention to the fact that such rumors have spread about me,” Chow said. “I guess it is all part of the fame that comes with the job. I do think that keeping up one’s health is very important, and, like I said, I like to go running and am preparing for a marathon soon.”

Photos of Korean actor Song Kang-ho, the host of this year’s BIFF, greeting Chow on the red carpet the day earlier, on Wednesday, were pasted on news and social media outlets over the evening. When asked what the two veteran actors talked about, Chow said he couldn’t understand what Song was saying in Korean but that he had “immense respect” for him.

“I told Song, ‘You are my hero,’ and Song said something to me which I unfortunately wasn’t able to catch exactly,” Chow said. “But we have both been in this profession for so long, and I respect him very much.”

Film is Chow’s “everything,” the actor said, and he closed out the interview with high hopes for this year’s BIFF.

“I was born in a very small village in Hong Kong and made it out to the city at age 10,” Chow said. “My love for films also began then. I wasn’t in the environment to learn very much from school, and I learned everything I know from films. What films have brought me in life cannot be compared to anything else. If there is no film, there is no Chow Yun-fat.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]