Cinema is a dream. Or, at least, it should be. For those who watch it as well as for those who make it. Of course, things are never that simple and they don't always go the way they should - but if, like children, we naively (or perhaps 'poetically' is a better word) focus on its quintessence, the question is a very simple one. And when, like a child, a director never stops believing in dreams, the enchantment remains intact. Perfect. An enchantment that the Far East Film Festival renews once again by bringing to Udine one of the greatest dreamers of all time: Tsui Hark!
The paths of the FEFF and the Great Dreamer have often crossed over the decades, for example at the explosive Closing Night of 2015 with The Taking of Tiger Mountain or the splendid interview of 2007 in the essay dedicated to Patrick Tam, but the perfect storm had never quite come about. This year, though, the perfect storm is finally here to make all Fareasters proud and overjoyed: not only the international festival premiere of mega-fantasy Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, Tsui Hark's latest blockbuster, but also the restored version of masterpiece Shanghai Blues and cult movie Green Snake for the retrospective Yōkai and Other Monsters!
So while Queen Sylvia Chang, unforgettable protagonist of Shanghai Blues, will be receiving the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement on the stage of FEFF 27 on Thursday 1 May, Tsui Hark will be on the same stage on Wednesday 30 April. And the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement will be presented to him by another China (Hong Kong) giant actor Tony Leung Ka-Fai (remember Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Lover?), one of the cast of Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants.
Obviously, it's almost impossible to sum up the extraordinary adventure (both cinematographic and human) that is Tsui Hark's life in a few lines. In fact, not even almost - it's straight up impossible! Tsui Hark is an incredible director (do we really need to mention the legendary Once Upon a Time in China saga, or the equally legendary Detective Dee saga, brought to Italy by Tucker Film?). Tsui Hark is an amazing actor (the more expert film buffs will immediately point to Patrick Tam's Final Victory). Tsui Hark is a brilliant producer (his Film Workshop, founded with 2015 Golden Mulberry winner Nansun Shi, has created authentic milestones such as A Better Tomorrow and The Killer by His Majesty John Woo). But above all, Tsui Hark – and let's shout it out loud - is a Grand Dreamer.
A tireless creator of wonders who since the late '80s has repeatedly rewritten the codes of entertainment and the rules of the mainstream industry (let's not forget his Hollywood experiences with Van Damme: Double Team and Knock Off). A gifted activist of the Hong Kong New Wave who has constantly reinvented himself, project after project. Always looking "further ahead", with his eyes wide open to the future but with a heart deeply tied to his roots and his traditions.